Unc’ Billy Possum and Jimmy Skunk tramped through the Green Forest and over the Green Meadows till their feet ached. They had started out to visit the homes of all the little people who live there to tell them that the black stranger who had sailed the skies all the day before and frightened most of them so that they hardly dared put their noses outside of their own doors was as harmless as Peter Rabbit himself. You see they had all taken him for a fierce Hawk and had been frightened almost to death at the very sight of him. And all the time he wasn’t a Hawk at all but just an old friend of Unc’ Billy Possum, Ol’ Mistah Buzzard, who had come up from way down South.

“My!” exclaimed Unc’ Billy, as he stopped to mop his face because it was so warm, “Ah didn’t know there were so many little people on the Green Meadows and in the Green Forest.”

Just then he spied the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind, and a happy thought came to him. He would get them to take his message around. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Of course the Merry Little Breezes were tickled to death, for they are always looking for something to do for others. So off they raced as fast as they could, while Unc’ Billy hurried back to have a chat with Ol’ Mistah Buzzard.

At first many of the little meadow people were inclined to be very doubtful of the harmlessness of Ol’ Mistah Buzzard. “How do you know?” demanded Danny Meadow Mouse of the Merry Little Breezes.

“Because Unc’ Billy Possum has known him for a long time, and he says so,” replied the Merry Little Breezes.

“I’ll believe it when I see Unc’ Billy risking his precious old skin where the stranger can reach him,” said Danny, stretching his neck to try to see over the grass-tops.

The Merry Little Breezes clapped their hands joyously. “Look right down there by Farmer Brown’s old hayrick,” they cried.

Danny came out where he could see. Sure enough, there was Ol’ Mistah Buzzard, large as life, sitting on the hayrick, and right down below him was sitting Unc’ Billy Possum, and the two were talking and laughing fit to kill themselves. More than that, old Mrs. Possum was hurrying up with a broad grin, and behind her scampered all the little Possum children. When Danny saw that, he made up his mind that Ol’ Mistah Buzzard really was harmless, and promptly started down to pay his respects.

One by one all day long the little meadow and forest people stole over to pay their respects to Ol’ Mistah Buzzard. They found him all ready to make friends and so full of stories that most of them stayed to listen.

Late that afternoon when Ol’ Mistah Buzzard sought the dead tree in the Green Forest to roost for the night, Unc’ Billy Possum strolled by that way to see if his old friend was comfortable. Ol’ Mistah Buzzard looked down at Unc’ Billy, and his eyes twinkled.

“Ah reckon,” said Ol’ Mistah Buzzard, “that yo’all is right, and Ah sho’ly am going to stay here a right smart while. Ah sho’ly am.”