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+Project Gutenberg's The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book, by Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book
+       being a continuation of the stories about the Hollow Tree
+       and Deep Woods people
+
+Author: Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+Illustrator: J. M. Conde
+
+Release Date: February 16, 2012 [EBook #38896]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: [See p. 28
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE
+
+Mr. Crow, Mr. Turtle, Mr. 'Coon, Mr. 'Possum, Mr. Robin, Mr. Squirrel,
+Mr. Dog, Mr. Rabbit
+
+THEN MR. DOG SAID: "I KNOW ALL ABOUT MENAGERIES, FOR I HAVE BEEN TO
+ONE"]
+
+
+
+
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK
+
+BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE STORIES ABOUT THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS
+PEOPLE
+
+BY ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS BOOK"
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. M. CONDÉ
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    NEW YORK AND LONDON
+    HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+    M C M X
+
+
+
+
+  BOOKS BY
+  ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE
+
+  THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK.  Crown 8vo $1.50
+
+  THE SHIP-DWELLERS. Illustrated         8vo  1.50
+
+  THE TENT-DWELLERS. Illustrated    Post 8vo  1.50
+
+  THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS BOOK.
+                       Illustrated. Post 8vo  1.50
+
+  FROM VAN-DWELLER TO COMMUTER. Ill'd.
+                                    Post 8vo  1.50
+
+  LIFE OF THOMAS NAST. Ill'd       8vo _net_  5.00
+
+  HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, N. Y.
+
+
+    Copyright, 1910, by HARPER & BROTHERS
+    Published October, 1910
+    _Printed in the United States of America_
+
+
+
+
+    TO ALL DWELLERS IN
+    THE BIG DEEP WOODS OF DREAM
+
+[Illustration: MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY]
+
+
+
+
+EXPLANATION OF MAP
+
+
+THE top of the map is South. This is always so with the Hollow Tree
+People. The cross on the shelf below the edge of the world (where the
+ladder is) is where Mr. Dog landed, and the ladder is the one brought by
+Mr. Man for him to climb back on. The tree that Mr. Man cut down shows
+too. The spot on the edge of the world is where the Hollow Tree People
+sometimes sit and hang their feet over, and talk. A good many paths
+show, but not all by a good deal. The bridge and plank near Mr. Turtle's
+house lead to the Wide Grass Lands and Big West Hills. The spots along
+the Foot Race show where Grandpaw Hare stopped, and the one across the
+fence shows where Mr. Turtle landed. Most of the other things tell what
+they are, and all the things are a good deal farther apart than they
+look. Of course there was not room on the map for everything.
+
+
+
+
+TO FRIENDS OLD AND NEW
+
+
+I WONDER if you have ever heard a story which begins like this: "Once
+upon a time, in the far depths of the Big Deep Woods, there was a Big
+Hollow Tree with three hollow branches. In one of these there lived a
+'Coon, in another a 'Possum, and in the third a Big Black Crow."
+
+That was the way the first story began in a book which told about the
+Hollow Tree People and their friends of the Big Deep Woods who used to
+visit them, and how they all used to sit around the table, or by the
+fire, in the parlor-room down-stairs, where they kept most of their
+things, and ate and talked and had good times together, just like
+folk.[A]
+
+And the stories were told to the Little Lady by the Story Teller, and
+there were pictures made for them by the Artist, and it was all a long
+time ago--so long ago that the Little Lady has grown to be almost a big
+lady now, able to read stories for herself, and to write them, too,
+sometimes.
+
+But the Story Teller and the Artist did not grow any older. The years do
+not make any difference to them. Like the Hollow Tree People they remain
+always the same, for though to see them you might think by their faces
+and the silver glint in their hair that they are older, it would not be
+so, because these things are only a kind of enchantment, made to
+deceive, when all the time they are really with the Hollow Tree People
+in the Big Deep Woods, where years and enchantments do not count. It was
+only Mr. Dog, because he lived too much with Mr. Man, who grew old and
+went away to that Far Land of Evening which lies beyond the sunset,
+taking so many of the Hollow Tree stories with him. We thought these
+stories were lost for good when Mr. Dog left us, but that was not true,
+for there came another Mr. Dog--a nephew of our old friend--and he grew
+up brave and handsome, and learned the ways of the Hollow Tree People,
+and their stories, and all the old tales which the first Mr. Dog did not
+tell.
+
+And now, too, there is another Little Lady--almost exactly like the
+first Little Lady--and it may be that it is this Little Lady, after all,
+who keeps the Artist and the Story Teller young, for when she thought
+they might be growing older, and forgetting, she went with them away
+from the House of Many Windows, in the city, to the House of Low
+Ceilings and Wide Fireplaces--a queer old house like Mr. Rabbit's--built
+within the very borders of the Big Deep Woods, where they could be
+always close to Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, and
+all the others, and so learn all the new tales of the Hollow Tree.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[A] _The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book_, by the same author and
+artist.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                             PAGE
+    TO FRIENDS OLD AND NEW                      7
+    THE FIRST SNOWED-IN STORY                  15
+    MR. DOG AT THE CIRCUS                      21
+    THE SECOND SNOWED-IN STORY                 39
+    THE WIDOW CROW'S BOARDING-HOUSE            57
+    THE FINDING OF THE HOLLOW TREE             71
+    THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY                  87
+    THE FOURTH SNOWED-IN STORY                103
+    THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB             119
+    THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB--PART II    143
+    THE DISCONTENTED FOX                      155
+    MR. 'POSSUM'S GREAT STORY                 173
+    THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF               191
+    AN EARLY SPRING CALL ON MR. BEAR          219
+    MR. CROW'S GARDEN                         239
+    WHEN JACK RABBIT WAS A LITTLE BOY         261
+    A HOLLOW TREE PICNIC                      273
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                        PAGE
+  THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE            _Frontispiece_
+  MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY           4
+  GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD                          17
+  THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE                          24
+  "SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT"     29
+  "HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT
+        OVER TO ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS"                  31
+  "GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK"                 35
+  ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM    43
+  "THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR"            47
+  "THEN MR. DOG SAID, 'TELL ME ANOTHER'"                 49
+  "AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE
+        ENOUGH"                                          53
+  "I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY
+        GOOD-BYE"                                        55
+  CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG         61
+  SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. 'POSSUM ON HIS
+        SHOULDER                                         64
+  HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN
+        WAY                                              67
+  THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR
+        HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW                                69
+  HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES                  75
+  LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW'S DOOR TO BE
+        SURE SHE WAS ASLEEP                              79
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE'D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE
+        THINGS                                           81
+  MR. 'POSSUM AND MR. 'COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE    83
+  MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW
+        MINUTES AND HE'D ACT AS JUDGE                    93
+  SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS        97
+  AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL        99
+  SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY                        101
+  TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE            107
+  GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER    109
+  SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT            111
+  "'GLAD TO SEE YOU,' SAID KING LION; 'I WAS JUST
+        THINKING ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR
+        BREAKFAST'"                                     113
+  GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK                125
+  MR. 'POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT
+        BY SPINNING THEIR TAILS                         129
+  MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES               133
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY,
+        BUT IT COULDN'T BE TRUE                         137
+  SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD
+        BE "IT"                                         147
+  MR. 'POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO
+        MORE EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM                149
+  WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON
+        MR. CROW'S BALD HEAD                            152
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE HADN'T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL
+        BY WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY             162
+  AND SO THIS CAT GREW RICH AND FAT                     164
+  HIS CLERKS                                            167
+  A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE                         168
+  QUOTH HE, "MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM
+        BUSINESS DOES NOT PAY"                          171
+  AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE
+        SILAS, AND SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED
+        MAN TOO                                         179
+  DIDN'T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF
+        OUR CROWD                                       181
+  THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST
+        AFTER IT GOT OUR FAMILY                         184
+  MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. 'POSSUM HAD TOLD
+        THEM WAS TRUE                                   189
+  ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF
+        THE BARREL OF EVERYTHING                        195
+  THEN MR. 'COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR                       199
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO
+        AFTER A PIECE OF WOOD                           201
+  HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE
+        FAIR                                            203
+  WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD    204
+  THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN               205
+  THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY          206
+  THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE              208
+  LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. 'POSSUM AND SAID, "WHAT
+        WAS THAT YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?"            211
+  THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY
+        THOUGHT MR. BEAR WAS                            224
+  MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO
+        SLEEP RIGHT WHERE HE WAS                        226
+  MR. 'COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH    234
+  MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER          237
+  ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER
+        WAY                                             247
+  MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK
+        RABBIT'S THINGS                                 251
+  MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD      255
+  JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME      259
+  TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF
+        BERRIES, AND STARTED                            265
+  AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO--MOSTLY ON TOP OF
+        THE STOVE                                       267
+  LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN'T
+        AT ALL PLEASED                                  269
+  PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN            271
+  AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO                   278
+  MR. 'POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND
+        READ HIMSELF TO SLEEP                           280
+  SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM     282
+  "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"                     284
+
+
+
+
+THE FIRST SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+[Illustration: GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD]
+
+IN WHICH THE READER LEARNS TO KNOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE AND THEIR
+FRIENDS, AND THE LITTLE LADY, AND THE STORY TELLER
+
+
+NOW this is the beginning of the Hollow Tree stories which the Story
+Teller told the Little Lady in the queer old house which stands in the
+very borders of the Big Deep Woods itself. They were told in the Room of
+the Lowest Ceiling and the Widest Fire--a ceiling so low that when the
+Story Teller stands upright it brushes his hair as he walks, and a fire
+so deep that pieces of large trees do not need to be split but can be
+put on whole. In the old days, several great-grandfathers back, as the
+Hollow Tree People might say, these heavy sticks were drawn in by a
+horse that came right through the door and dragged the wood to the wide
+stone hearth.
+
+It is at the end of New-Year's Day, and the Little Lady has been
+enjoying her holidays, for Santa Claus found his way down the big stone
+chimney and left a number of things she wanted. Now, when the night is
+coming down outside, and when inside there is a heap of blazing logs and
+a rocking-chair, it is time for the Story Teller. The Story Teller
+generally smokes and looks into the fire when he tells a Hollow Tree
+story, because the Hollow Tree People always smoke and look into the
+fire when _they_ tell _their_ stories, and the Little Lady likes
+everything to be "just the same," and the stories must be always told
+just the same, too. If they are not, she stops the Story Teller and sets
+him right. So while the Little Woman passes to and fro, putting away the
+tea-things, the Story Teller lights his pipe, and rocks, and looks into
+the fire, and holds the Little Lady close, and begins the Tales of the
+Hollow Tree.
+
+"Once upon a time," he begins--
+
+"Once upon a time," murmurs the Little Lady, settling herself.
+
+"Yes, once upon a time, in the old days of the Hollow Tree, when Mr. Dog
+had become friends with the 'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
+who lived in the three hollow branches of the Big Hollow Tree, and used
+to meet together in their parlor-room down-stairs and invite all their
+friends, and have good times together, just like folk--"
+
+"But they live there now, don't they?" interrupts the Little Lady,
+suddenly sitting up, "and still have their friends, just the same?"
+
+"Oh yes, of course, but this was one of the old times, you know."
+
+The Little Lady settles back, satisfied.
+
+"Go on telling, now," she says.
+
+"Well, then, this was one of the times when all the Deep Woods People
+had been invited to the Hollow Tree for Christmas Day, and were snowed
+in. Of course they didn't expect to be snowed in. Nobody ever expects to
+be snowed in till it happens, and then it's too late."
+
+"Was that the Christmas that Mr. Dog played Santa Claus and brought all
+the presents, and Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin and Mr. Turtle and Jack
+Rabbit came over, and they all sat around the fire and ate things and
+told nice stories? You said you would tell about that, and you never
+did."
+
+"I am going to tell it now, as soon as a Little Lady gets real still,"
+says the Story Teller. So then the Little Lady _is_ "real still," and he
+tells the first snowed-in story, which is called:
+
+
+
+
+MR. DOG AT THE CIRCUS
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE LEARN SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT SHOWS
+
+
+THAT was a great Christmas in the Hollow Tree. The 'Coon and the 'Possum
+and the Old Black Crow had been getting ready for it for a long time,
+and brought in ever so many nice things to eat, which Mr. Crow had
+cooked for them, for Mr. Crow is the best cook of anybody in the Big
+Deep Woods. Then Mr. Dog had brought a lot of good things, too, which he
+had borrowed from Mr. Man's house, so they had the finest Christmas
+dinner that you can think of, and plenty for the next day when it would
+be even better, because chicken and turkey and dressing and such things
+are always better the next day, and even the _third_ day, with gravy,
+than they are when they are first cooked.
+
+[Illustration: THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE]
+
+Then, when they were all through and were standing around, smoking their
+new pipes and looking at each other's new neckties and other Christmas
+things, Mr. Crow said that he and Mr. Squirrel would clear off the table
+if the others would get in some wood and stir up the fire and set the
+room to rights, so they could gather round and be comfortable by-and-by;
+and then, he said, it might snow as much as it liked as long as they had
+plenty of wood and things to eat inside.
+
+So then they all skurried around getting on their things to go out after
+wood--all except Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel, who set about clearing off
+the table and doing up the dishes. And pretty soon Mr. Dog and Mr. 'Coon
+and the rest were hopping about where the snow was falling so soft and
+silent among the big, leafless trees, gathering nice pieces of wood and
+brushing the snow off of them and piling them into the first down-stairs
+of the Hollow Tree, which the 'Coon and 'Possum and Old Black Crow use
+for their wood-house and general store-room. It was great fun, and they
+didn't feel the least bit cold after their warm dinner and with all that
+brisk exercise.
+
+Mr. Robin didn't help carry the wood in. He was hardly strong enough for
+that, but he hopped about and looked for good pieces, and when he found
+one he would call to Mr. 'Coon or Mr. 'Possum, or maybe to one of the
+others, to throw it on his shoulder and carry it in, and then he would
+tell whoever it happened to be how strong he was and how fine he looked
+with that great chunk on his shoulder, and would say that he didn't
+suppose there was another 'Coon, or 'Possum, or Turtle, or Rabbit, or
+Dog that could begin to stand up straight under such a chunk as that
+anywhere outside of a menagerie. Mr. Robin likes to say pleasant things
+to his friends, and is always popular. And each one tried to carry the
+biggest load of wood to show how strong he was, and pretty soon they had
+the lower room of the Hollow Tree piled up high with the finest chunks
+and kindling pieces to be found anywhere. Then they all hurried
+up-stairs, stamping the snow off their feet, and gathered around the
+nice warm fire in the big parlor which was just below the three big
+hollow branches where the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow had
+their rooms.
+
+Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel were through with the table by this time, and
+all hands lit their pipes, and looked into the fire, and smoked, and
+rested, and thought a little before they began talking--thinking, of
+course, of what a good time they were having, and how comfortable and
+nice it was to be inside and warm when such a big snow was falling
+outside.
+
+Mr. 'Possum was the first one to say anything. He said he had been
+thinking of what Mr. Robin had said about them being outside of a
+menagerie, and that, come to think about it, he believed he didn't know
+what a menagerie was, unless it was a new name for a big dinner, as that
+was the only thing he could think of now that they were outside of, and
+he said if that was so, and if he could get outside of two menageries,
+he thought he could carry in a bigger chunk than any two chunks there
+were down-stairs.
+
+Then all the others laughed a good deal, and Mr. 'Coon said he had
+thought that perhaps a menagerie was something to wear that would make
+anybody who had it on very strong, and able to stand up under a big
+load, and to eat as much as Mr. 'Possum could, or even more.
+
+But Mr. Robin said that it didn't mean either of those things. He said
+he didn't really know what it did mean himself, but that it must be some
+kind of a place that had a great many large creatures in it, for he had
+heard his grandmother quite often call his grandfather the biggest goose
+outside of a menagerie, though, being very young then, Mr. Robin
+couldn't remember just what she had meant by it.
+
+Mr. Rabbit said he thought that the word "menagerie" sounded like some
+kind of a picnic, with swings and nice lively games, and Mr. Crow said
+that once when he was flying he passed over a place where there was a
+big sign that said "Menagerie" on it, and that there were some tents and
+a crowd of people and a great noise, but that he hadn't seen anything
+that he could carry off without being noticed, so he didn't stop.
+
+Mr. Squirrel thought that from what Mr. Crow said it must be a place
+where there would be a lot of fine things to see, and Mr. Turtle said
+that he was a good deal over three hundred years old and had often heard
+of a menagerie, but that he had never seen one. He said he had always
+supposed that it was a nice pond of clear water, with a lot of happy
+turtles and fish and wild geese and duck and such things, in it, and
+maybe some animals around it, all living happily together, and taken
+care of by Mr. Man, who brought them a great many good things to eat. He
+had always thought he would like to live in a menagerie, he said, but
+that nobody had ever invited him, and he had never happened to come
+across one in his travels.
+
+Mr. Dog hadn't been saying anything all this time, but he knocked the
+ashes out of his pipe now, and filled it up fresh and lit it, and
+cleared his throat, and began to talk. It made him smile, he said, to
+hear the different ways people thought of a thing they had never seen.
+He said that Mr. Turtle was the only one who came anywhere near to what
+a menagerie really was, though of course Mr. Crow _had_ seen one on the
+outside. Then Mr. Dog said:
+
+[Illustration: "SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT"]
+
+"I know all about menageries, on the outside and the inside too, for I
+have been to one. I went once with Mr. Man, though I wasn't really
+invited to go. In fact, Mr. Man invited me to stay at home, and tried to
+slip off from me; but I watched which way he went, and took long
+roundin's on him, and slipped in behind him when he went into the
+tent. He didn't know for a while that I was there, and I wasn't there so
+very long. But it was plenty long enough--a good deal longer than I'd
+ever stay again, unless I was tied.
+
+"I never saw so many wild, fierce-looking creatures in my life as there
+were in that menagerie, and they were just as wild and fierce as they
+looked. They had a lot of cages full of them and they had some outside
+of cages, though I don't know why they should leave any of those
+dangerous animals around where they could damage folks that happened to
+come in reach, as I did. Those animals outside didn't look as wild and
+fierce as those in the cages, but they were.
+
+"I kept in the crowd, close behind Mr. Man at first, and nobody knew I
+was there, but by-and-by he climbed up into a seat to watch some people
+all dressed up in fancy clothes ride around a ring on horses, which I
+didn't care much about, so I slipped away, and went over to where there
+were some things that I wanted to take my time to and see quietly.
+
+"There was an animal about my size and style tied over in one corner of
+the tent, behind a rope, with a sign in front of him which said, 'The
+Only Tame Hyena in the World.' He looked smiling and good-natured, and I
+went over to ask him some questions.
+
+[Illustration: "HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT OVER TO
+ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS"]
+
+"But that sign wasn't true. He wasn't the least bit tame, and I'm sure
+now that he wasn't smiling. He grabbed me before I had a chance to say a
+word, and when I jerked loose, which I did right away, for I didn't want
+to stir up any fuss there, I left quite a piece of my ear with the tame
+hyena, and tripped backward over the rope and rolled right in front of a
+creature called an elephant, about as big as a house and not as useful.
+
+"I suppose they thought _he_ was tame, too, but he must have been tamed
+by the same man, for he grabbed me with a kind of a tail that grew on
+the end of his nose--a thing a good deal like Mr. 'Possum's tail, only
+about a million times as big--and I could hear my ribs crack as he waved
+me up and down.
+
+"Of course, as I say, I didn't want to stir up any fuss, but I couldn't
+keep still under such treatment as that, and I called right out to Mr.
+Man, where he sat looking at the fancy people riding, and told him that
+I had had enough of the show, and if he wanted to take any of me home he
+ought not to wait very long, but come over that way and see if he
+couldn't get the tame elephant to practise that performance on the hyena
+or the next dog, because I had had plenty, and was willing to go home
+just as I was, all in one piece, even if not very lively.
+
+"Mr. Man _came_, too, and so did a lot of the others. They seemed to
+think that I was more to look at than those riding people; and some of
+them laughed, though what there was happening that was funny I have
+never been able to guess to this day. I kept right on telling Mr. Man
+what I wanted him to do, and mebbe I made a good deal of noise about it,
+for it seemed to stir up those other animals. There was a cage full of
+lions that started the most awful roaring you can think of, and a cage
+of crazy-looking things they called monkeys that screeched and howled
+and swung back and forth in rings and held on to the bars, and all the
+other things joined in, until I couldn't tell whether I was still saying
+anything or not. I suppose they were all jealous of the elephant because
+of the fun he was having, and howling to be let out so they could get
+hold of me too.
+
+"Well, you never heard of such a time. It nearly broke up the show.
+Everybody ran over to look, and even the riding people stopped their
+horses to enjoy it, too. If it only hadn't been so dangerous and
+unpleasant I should have been proud of the way they came to see me
+perform.
+
+"But Mr. Man didn't seem to like it much. I heard him tell somebody, as
+loud as he could, that I would be killed, and that I was the best dog he
+ever had, and that if I _was_ killed he'd sue the show.
+
+"That made me proud, too, but I wished he wouldn't wait to sue the
+show, but would do something right away, and just then a man with a
+fancy dress on and a stick with a sharp iron hook on it came running up
+and said something I didn't understand and hit the elephant with the
+hook end of the stick, and he gave me an extra big swing and crack and
+flung me half-way across the tent, where I landed on a bunch of hay
+right in front of a long-necked thing called a camel--another terrible
+tame creature, I suppose--who had me about half eaten up with his old
+long under lip, before Mr. Man could get over there.
+
+"When Mr. Man did get hold of me, he said that I'd better take what was
+left of me home, for they were going to feed the animals pretty soon,
+and that I would likely get mixed up with the bill of fare.
+
+"After that he took me to the entrance and pushed me outside, and I
+heard all those fierce creatures in the cages growl and roar louder than
+ever, as if they had expected to sample me and were sorry to see me go.
+
+[Illustration: "GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK"]
+
+"That's what a menagerie is--it's a place where they have all the kinds
+of animals and things in the world, for show, and a good many birds, and
+maybe turtles, too, but they don't have any fine clear pond. They have
+just a big tent, like the one Mr. Crow saw, and a lot of cages inside.
+They keep most of the animals in cages, and they ought to keep them all
+there, and I don't think they feed them very much, nor the best
+things, or they wouldn't look so fierce and hungry.
+
+"They just keep them for Mr. Man and his friends to look at and talk
+about, and if Mr. Turtle will take my advice he will keep out of a
+menagerie and live in the Wide Blue Water where he was born. I wouldn't
+have gone there again unless I had been tied and dragged there, or
+unless they had put those tame animals into cages with the others. No
+doubt there are some very fine, strong animals in a menagerie, but they
+wouldn't be there if they could help it, and if anybody ever invites any
+of you to join a menagerie, take my advice and don't do it."
+
+Then Mr. Dog knocked the ashes out of his pipe again, and all the other
+Deep Woods People knocked the ashes out of _their_ pipes, too, and
+filled them up fresh, and one said one thing, and one said another about
+being in a menagerie or out of it, and every one thought it would be a
+terrible thing to be shut up in a cage, except Mr. 'Possum, who said he
+wouldn't mind it if they would let him sleep enough and give him all he
+could eat, but that a cage without those things would be a lonesome
+place.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said that a little adventure had happened to him once
+which he had never mentioned before, because he had never known just
+what to make of it; but he knew now, he said, that he had come very near
+getting into a menagerie, and he would tell them just what happened.
+
+The Story Teller looked down at the quiet figure in his lap. The Little
+Lady's head was nestled close to his shoulder, and her eyes were
+straining very hard to keep open.
+
+"I think we will save Mr. 'Coon's story till another night," he said.
+
+
+
+
+THE SECOND SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+MR. 'COON TELLS HOW HE CAME NEAR BEING A PART OF A MENAGERIE, AND HOW HE
+ONCE TOLD A STORY TO MR. DOG
+
+
+"YOU can tell about Mr. 'Coon, now--the story you didn't tell last
+night, you know," and the Little Lady wriggles herself into a
+comfortable corner just below the Story Teller's smoke, and looks deep
+into a great cavern of glowing embers between the big old andirons,
+where, in her fancy, she can picture the Hollow Tree people and their
+friends.
+
+"Why, yes, let me see--" says the Story Teller.
+
+"Mr. Dog had just told about being at the menagerie, you know, and Mr.
+'Coon was just going to tell how he came very near getting into a
+menagerie himself."
+
+"Oh yes, of course--well, then, all the Hollow Tree people, the 'Coon
+and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, and their friends who were visiting
+them--Mr. Dog and Mr. Robin and Jack Rabbit and Mr. Turtle and Mr.
+Squirrel--knocked the ashes out of their pipes and filled them up
+fresh--"
+
+"No, they had just done that."
+
+"That's so, I forgot. Well, anyway, as soon as they got to smoking and
+settled back around the fire again Mr. 'Coon told them his story, and I
+guess we'll call it
+
+
+    MR. 'COON'S EARLY ADVENTURE
+
+Mr. 'Coon said he was quite young when it happened, and was taking a
+pleasant walk one evening, to think over things a little, and perhaps to
+pick out a handy tree where Mr. Man's chickens roosted, when all at once
+he heard a fierce bark close behind him, and he barely had time to get
+up a tree himself when a strange and very noisy Mr. Dog was leaping
+about at the foot of the tree, making a great fuss, and calling every
+moment for Mr. Man to hurry, for he had a young 'coon treed.
+
+"Of course I laid pretty low when I heard that," Mr. 'Coon said, "for I
+knew that Mr. Man would most likely have a gun, so I got into a bunch of
+leaves and brush that must have been some kind of an old nest and
+scrooched down so that none of me would show.
+
+[Illustration: ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM]
+
+"Then by-and-by I heard some big creature come running through the
+brush, and I peeked over a little, and there, sure enough, was Mr. Man
+with a long gun, and I noticed that he wore a thing on his head--a sort
+of hat, I suppose--made of what looked to be the skin of some relative
+of mine.
+
+"Of course that made me mad. I hadn't cared so much until I saw that;
+but I said right then to myself that any one who would do such a thing
+as that never could be a friend of mine, no matter how much he tried. So
+I scrooched down and laid low in that old nest, and didn't move or let
+on in any way that I was there.
+
+"Then I heard Mr. Man walking around the tree and talking to his dog and
+telling him that there wasn't anything up in that tree at all, and that
+Mr. Dog had just been fooling him. I could tell by his voice that he was
+getting mad at Mr. Dog, and I hoped that he'd get mad enough pretty soon
+to take a stick to him for chasing me up a tree like that, and then
+calling for Mr. Man to come and see me when there wasn't really anything
+to look at.
+
+"But Mr. Dog kept galloping around the tree and barking out, over and
+over, that I was there; that he had seen me, and that he knew that I was
+hiding up there somewhere; and pretty soon I heard Mr. Man going away,
+and I peeked over again.
+
+"Sure enough, he was going, but Mr. Dog was staying right there,
+sitting under the tree and looking up and making a good deal more noise
+than there was any need of to let me know he hadn't gone. I didn't see
+why he stayed there. I wished he'd go away and tend to his own business.
+
+"Being quite young, I still lived with my folks over near the Wide Grass
+Lands, and I wanted to get home for supper. It was a good way to go, for
+the tree I had climbed was over close to the edge of the world where the
+sun and moon rise, and you all know that's a good way, even from here.
+
+"Well, he didn't go, but just sat there, barking up that tree, and after
+a long time I heard somebody coming again, and I peeked over and there
+was Mr. Man, hurrying back, this time with an axe. I knew, right then,
+there was going to be trouble. I knew they were going to cut that tree
+down, and that I should most likely have quite a fuss with Mr. Dog, and
+perhaps go home with a black eye and a scratched nose, and then get
+whipped again for fighting, after I got there."
+
+Mr. 'Coon stopped and knocked the ashes out of his pipe and filled it up
+fresh, and all the others knocked the ashes out of their pipes and
+filled them up fresh, too. Then Mr. 'Possum poked up the fire and told
+Mr. Turtle to bring a stick of wood from down-stairs, and when it was
+blazing up high and bright again they all stepped over to the window a
+minute, to see how hard it was snowing and banking up outside, then
+went back to their chairs around the fire, and stretched out their feet
+and leaned back and smoked, and listened to the rest of Mr. 'Coon's
+story.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said he didn't like the sound of that axe when Mr. Man began
+to cut the tree down.
+
+"Every time he struck the tree I could feel it all through me," he said,
+"and I knew if he kept that noise up long enough it would give me a
+nervous headache. I wished the tree would hurry up and drop, so we could
+have what muss we were going to, and get it over with. I'd have got out
+of that old nest and made a jump for another tree if there had been any
+near enough, but there wasn't, so I just laid low and gritted my teeth
+and let him chop.
+
+"Well, by-and-by that tree began to go down. It seemed to teeter a
+little at first, this way and that; then it went very slow in one
+direction; then it went a little faster; then it went a good deal
+faster; then I suddenly felt like a shooting-star, I came down so fast,
+and there was a big crash, and I thought I had turned into a lot of
+stars, sure enough, and was shooting in every direction, and the next I
+knew I was tied to a tree, hand and foot and around the middle, and Mr.
+Man and Mr. Dog were sitting and looking at me, and grinning, and
+talking about what they were going to do.
+
+[Illustration: "THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR"]
+
+"Mr. Man wasn't scolding Mr. Dog any more. He was telling him what a
+good thing it was they had caught me alive, for now they could sell me
+to a show and get a great deal more for me than they could for my skin.
+I didn't know what a show was, then, or that a show is a menagerie, but
+I know now, and I can see just what they meant.
+
+"Pretty soon Mr. Man told Mr. Dog to stay there and watch me while he
+went home after a box to put me in. He said he didn't think it would be
+safe to carry me in his arms, and he was right about that.
+
+"So then Mr. Man walked off, and left Mr. Dog guarding me, and saying
+unpleasant things to me now and then.
+
+"At first I wouldn't answer him; but pretty soon I happened to think of
+something pleasant to say:
+
+"'Mr. Dog,' I said, 'I know a good story, if you'd like me to tell it.
+Mr. Man may be a good while getting that box, and mebbe you'd like to
+hear something to pass the time.'
+
+"Mr. Dog said he would. He said that Mr. Man would most likely have to
+make the box, and he didn't suppose he knew where the hammer and nails
+were, and it might be dark before Mr. Man got back.
+
+"I felt a good deal better when I heard Mr. Dog say that, and I told him
+a story I knew about how Mr. Rabbit lost his tail, and Mr. Dog laughed
+and seemed to like it, and said, 'Tell me another.'"
+
+[Illustration: "THEN MR. DOG SAID, 'TELL ME ANOTHER'"]
+
+Before Mr. 'Coon could go on with his story, Mr. Rabbit said that of
+course if that old tale had helped Mr. 'Coon out of trouble he was very
+glad, but that it wasn't at all true, and that some time _he_ would tell
+them himself the true story of how it happened.
+
+Then they all said that they hoped he would, for they'd always wanted to
+hear that story told right, and then Mr. 'Coon went on with his
+adventure.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said that when Mr. Dog said, "Tell me another," he knew he was
+in a good-humor, and that he felt better and better himself. "I thought
+if Mr. Man didn't come back too soon," he said, "I might get along
+pretty well with Mr. Dog.
+
+"'I know another story, Mr. Dog,' I said--'the funniest story there is.
+It would make you laugh until you fell over the edge of the world, but I
+can't tell it here.'
+
+"'Why,' he said--'why can't you tell it here as well as anywhere?'
+
+"'Because it has to be acted,' I said, 'and my hands are tied.'
+
+"'Will you tell it if I untie your hands?' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'I'll begin it, and you can see how it goes.'
+
+"So Mr. Dog came over and untied my hands, for he said he could tie them
+again before Mr. Man came back, because he knew Mr. Man hadn't found
+that hammer yet.
+
+"'You can't get loose with just your hands untied, can you?' he said.
+
+"'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, pleasant and polite as could be.
+
+"'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"So I twisted and pulled, and of course I couldn't get loose.
+
+"'Now tell the story,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"So I said: 'Once there was a man who had a very bad pain in his chest,
+and he took all kinds of medicine, and it didn't do him any good. And
+one day the Old Wise Man of the Woods told him if he would rub his chest
+with one hand and pat his head with the other, it might draw the pain
+out the top and cure him. So the man with the pain in his chest tried
+it, and he did it this way.'
+
+"Then I showed Mr. Dog just how he did it, and Mr. Dog thought that was
+funny, and laughed a good deal.
+
+"'Go on and tell the rest of it,' he said. 'What happened after that?'
+
+"But I let on as if I'd just remembered something, and I said, 'Oh, Mr.
+Dog, I'm _so_ sorry, but I can't tell the rest of that story here, and
+it's the funniest part, too. I know you'd laugh till you rolled over the
+edge of the world.'
+
+"'Why can't you tell the rest of that story here as well as anywhere?'
+said Mr. Dog, looking anxious.
+
+"'Because it has to be acted with the feet,' I said, 'and my feet are
+tied.'
+
+"'Will you tell it if I untie your feet?' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"'Well, I'll do the best I can,' I said.
+
+"So Mr. Dog came over and untied my feet. He said he knew that Mr. Man
+hadn't found the nails or the pieces to make the box yet, and there
+would be plenty of time to tie me again before Mr. Man got back.
+
+"'You can't get loose, anyway, with just your hands and feet untied, can
+you?' he said.
+
+"'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, more pleasant and polite than
+ever.
+
+"'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"So I squirmed and twisted, but of course with a strong string around my
+waist and tied behind I couldn't do anything.
+
+"'Now go on with the story,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+[Illustration: "AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE ENOUGH"]
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'the pain left his chest, but it went into his back,
+and he had a most terrible time, until one day the Old Wise Man of the
+Woods came along and told him that he thought he ought to know enough by
+this time to rub his back where the pain was and pat his head at the
+same time to draw it out at the top. So then the man with the pain
+rubbed his back and patted his head this way,' and I showed Mr. Dog how
+he did it; and I rubbed a good while about where the knot was, and made
+a face to show how the man with the pain looked, and then I said the
+pain came back into his chest again instead of being drawn out at the
+top; and I changed about and rubbed there awhile, and then I went around
+to my back again, chasing that pain first one side and the other; and
+then I said that the Old Wise Man of the Woods came along one day and
+told him that he must kick with his feet too if he ever wanted to get
+rid of that pain, because, after all, it might have to be kicked out at
+the bottom; and when I began to kick and dance with both feet and to rub
+with my hands at the same time, Mr. Dog gave a great big laugh--the
+biggest laugh I ever heard anybody give--and fell right down and rolled
+over and over, and did roll off the edge of the world, sure enough.
+
+"I heard him go clattering into a lot of brush and blackberry bushes
+that are down there, and just then I got that back knot untied, and I
+stepped over and looked down at Mr. Dog, who had lodged in a brier patch
+on a shelf about ten feet below the edge, where Mr. Man would have to
+get him up with a ladder or a rope.
+
+"'Do you want to hear the rest of the story, Mr. Dog?' I said.
+
+"'I'll story _you_,' he said, 'when I catch you!'
+
+"'I told you you'd laugh till you fell off the edge of the world,' I
+said.
+
+[Illustration: "I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY GOOD-BYE"]
+
+"'I'll make _you_ laugh,' he said, 'when I catch you!'
+
+"Then I saw he was cross about something, and I set out for home without
+waiting to say good-bye to Mr. Man, for I didn't want to waste any more
+time, though I missed my supper and got a scolding besides.
+
+"But I was glad I didn't bring home a black eye and scratched nose, and
+I'm more glad than ever now that Mr. Man didn't get back in time with
+that box, or I might be in a menagerie this minute instead of sitting
+here smoking and telling stories and having a good time on Christmas
+Day."
+
+The Story Teller looks down at the Little Lady.
+
+"I'm glad Mr. 'Coon didn't get into the menagerie, aren't you?" she
+says.
+
+"Very glad," says the Story Teller.
+
+"He went lickety-split home, didn't he?"
+
+"He did that!"
+
+"I like them to go lickety-split better than lickety-cut, don't you?"
+says the Little Lady. "They seem to go so much faster."
+
+"Ever so much faster," says the Story Teller.
+
+
+
+
+THE WIDOW CROW'S BOARDING-HOUSE
+
+EARLY DOINGS OF THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE AND HOW THEY FOUND A HOME
+
+
+ANYBODY can tell by her face that the Little Lady has some plan of her
+own when the Story Teller is ready next evening to "sit by the fire and
+spin."
+
+"I want you to tell me," she says, climbing up into her place, "how the
+'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow ever got to living together in
+the Hollow Tree."
+
+That frightens the Story Teller. He is all ready with something
+different.
+
+"Good gracious!" he says, "that is an old story that all the Deep Woods
+People have known ever so long."
+
+"But I don't know it," says the Little Lady, "and I'd like to know that
+before you tell anything else. Rock, and tell it."
+
+So the Story Teller rocks slowly, and smokes, and almost forgets the
+Little Lady in remembering that far-away time, and presently he begins.
+
+Well, it was all so long ago that perhaps I can't remember it very well.
+Mr. 'Possum was a young man in those days--a nice spry young fellow; and
+he used to think it was a good deal of fun to let Mr. Dog--who wasn't
+friendly then, of course--try to catch him; and when Mr. Dog would get
+pretty close and come panting up behind him, Mr. 'Possum would scramble
+up a tree, and run out on to the longest limb and swing from it, head
+down, and laugh, and say:
+
+"Come right up, Mr. Dog! Always at home to you, Mr. Dog! Don't stop to
+knock!"
+
+And then Mr. Dog would race around under the tree and make a great to
+do, and sometimes Mr. 'Possum would swing back and forth, and pretty
+soon give a great big swing and let go, and Mr. Dog would think surely
+he had him then, and bark and run to the place where he thought he was
+going to drop. Only Mr. 'Possum didn't drop--not far; for he had his
+limb all picked out, and he would catch it with his tail as he went by,
+and it would bend and sway with him, and he would laugh, and call again:
+
+"Don't go, Mr. Dog! Mr. Man can get up the cows alone to-night!"
+
+[Illustration: CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG]
+
+And then Mr. Dog would remember that he was a good ways from home, and
+that if he wasn't there in time to help Mr. Man get up the cows there
+might be trouble; and he would set out lickety-split for home, with Mr.
+'Possum calling to him as he ran.
+
+But one time Mr. 'Possum made a mistake. He didn't know it, but he was
+getting older and a good deal fatter than he had been at first, and when
+he swung out for another limb that way, and let go, he missed the limb
+and came clattering down right in front of Mr. Dog. He wasn't hurt much,
+for the ground was soft, and there was a nice thick bed of leaves; but I
+tell you he was scared, and when Mr. Dog jumped right on top of him, and
+grabbed him, he gave himself up for lost, sure enough.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum is smart in some ways, and he knows how to play "dead"
+better than any other animal there is. He knew that Mr. Dog would want
+to show him to Mr. Man, and that he was too heavy for Mr. Dog to carry.
+He had thought about all that, and decided what to do just in that
+little second between the limb and the ground, for Mr. 'Possum can think
+quick enough when anything like that happens.
+
+So when he struck the ground he just gave one little kick with his hind
+foot and a kind of a sigh, as if he was drawing his last breath, and
+laid there: and even when Mr. Dog grabbed him and shook him he never let
+on, but acted almost deader than if he had been really dead and no
+mistake.
+
+Then Mr. Dog stood with his paws out and his nose down close, listening,
+and barking once in a while, and thinking maybe he would come to pretty
+soon, but Mr. 'Possum still never let on, or breathed the least little
+bit, and directly Mr. Dog started to drag him toward Mr. Man's house.
+
+That was a hard job, and every little way Mr. Dog would stop and shake
+Mr. 'Possum and bark and listen to see if he was really dead, and after
+a while he decided that he was, and started to get Mr. Man to come and
+fetch Mr. 'Possum home. But he only went a few steps, the first time,
+and just as Mr. 'Possum was about to jump up and run he came hurrying
+back, and stood over him and barked and barked as loud as ever he could
+for Mr. Man to come and see what he had for him. But Mr. Man was too far
+away, and even if he heard Mr. Dog he didn't think it worth while to
+come.
+
+So then Mr. Dog tried to get Mr. 'Possum on his shoulder, to carry him
+that way; but Mr. 'Possum made himself so limp and loose and heavy that
+every time Mr. Dog would get him nearly up he would slide off again and
+fall all in a heap on the leaves; and Mr. Dog couldn't help believing
+that he was dead, to see him lying there all doubled up, just as he
+happened to drop.
+
+[Illustration: SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. 'POSSUM ON HIS SHOULDER]
+
+So, then, by-and-by Mr. Dog really did start for Mr. Man's, and Mr.
+'Possum lay still, and just opened one eye the least bit to see how
+far Mr. Dog had gone, and when he had gone far enough Mr. 'Possum jumped
+up quick as a wink and scampered up a tree, and ran out on a limb and
+swung with his head down, and called out:
+
+"Don't go away, Mr. Dog! We've had such a nice visit together! Don't go
+off mad, Mr. Dog! Come back and stay till the cows come home!"
+
+Then Mr. Dog was mad, I _tell_ you, and told him what he'd do next time;
+and he set out for home fast as he could travel, and went in the back
+way and hid, for Mr. Man was already getting up the cows when he got
+there.
+
+Well, Mr. 'Possum didn't try that swinging trick on Mr. Dog any more. He
+found out that it was dangerous, the way he was getting, and that made
+him think he ought to change his habits in other ways too. For one
+thing, he decided he ought to have some regular place to stay where he
+could eat and sleep and feel at home, instead of just travelling about
+and putting up for the night wherever he happened to be.
+
+Mr. 'Possum was always quite stylish, too, and had a good many nice
+clothes, and it wasn't good for them to be packed about all the time;
+and once some of his best things got rained on and he had to sleep on
+them for a long time to get them pressed out smooth again.
+
+So Mr. 'Possum made up his mind to find a home. He was an old bachelor
+and never wanted to be anything else, because he liked to have his own
+way, and go out all times of the night, and sleep late if he wanted to.
+So he made up his mind to look up a good place to board--some place that
+would be like a home to him--perhaps in a private family.
+
+One day when he was walking through the woods thinking about it, and
+wondering how he ought to begin to find a place like that, he met Mr. Z.
+'Coon, who was one of his oldest friends in the Big Deep Woods. They had
+often been hunting together, especially nights, for Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+'Possum always like that time best for hunting, and have better luck in
+the dark than any other time. Mr. 'Coon had had his troubles with Mr.
+Dog, too, and had come very near getting caught one night when Mr. Man
+and some of his friends were out with Mr. Dog and his relatives and
+several guns looking for a good Sunday dinner. Mr. 'Coon _would_ have
+got caught that time, only when Mr. Man cut the tree down that he was in
+he gave a big jump as the tree was falling and landed in another tree,
+and then ran out on a limb and jumped to another tree that wasn't so far
+away, and then to another, so that Mr. Man and his friends and all the
+dog family lost track of him entirely.
+
+[Illustration: HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY]
+
+But Mr. 'Coon was tired of that kind of thing too, and wanted some
+place where he could be comfortable, and where he could lock the door
+nights and feel safe. Mr. 'Coon was a bachelor, like Mr. 'Possum, though
+he had once been disappointed in love, and told about it sometimes, and
+looked sad, and even shed tears.
+
+So when he met Mr. 'Possum that day they walked along and talked about
+finding a place to live, and just as they were wondering what they ought
+to do they happened to notice, right in front of them, a little piece of
+birch bark tacked up on a tree, and when they read it, it said:
+
+    MRS. WIDOW CROW.
+    WILL TAKE A FEW GUESTS.
+    SINGLE GENTLEMEN PREFERRED;
+    PLEASANT LOCATION NEAR
+    RACE-TRACK.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum scratched his head and tried to think, and Mr. 'Coon
+scratched _his_ head and tried to think, and pretty soon Mr. 'Coon said:
+
+[Illustration: THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR HIS
+MOTHER-IN-LAW]
+
+"Oh yes, I know about that. That's Mr. Crow's mother-in-law. He had a
+wife until last year, and his mother-in-law used to live with them. I
+believe she was pretty cross, but I've heard Mr. Crow say she was a good
+cook, and that he had learned to cook a great many things himself. I
+heard some time ago that she had moved over by the race-track, and
+perhaps Mr. Crow is boarding with her. Let's go over and see."
+
+So away they went, saying how nice it would be to be really settled, and
+pretty soon they got over to Mrs. Widow Crow's, and there, sure enough,
+they saw Mr. Crow out in the yard cutting wood for his mother-in-law;
+and when they asked him about the advertisement, he said he was helping
+her to get started, and she had two nice rooms, and that Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon would be just the ones to fill them.
+
+So they went right in and saw Mrs. Widow Crow about it, and by night
+they had their things moved and were all settled, and Widow Crow got a
+nice supper for them, and Mr. Crow helped her, and worked as hard as if
+he were a hired man instead of a boarder like the others, which he was,
+because he paid for his room as much as anybody, and got scolded besides
+when he didn't do things to suit his mother-in-law.
+
+
+
+
+THE FINDING OF THE HOLLOW TREE
+
+HOW THE 'COON AND 'POSSUM AND THE OLD BLACK CROW MOVED AND SET UP
+HOUSEKEEPING
+
+
+WELL, the Widow Crow set a very good table, and everything in her
+boarding-house went along quite well for a while, and Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon both said what a good thing it was to have a home, and Mr.
+Crow said so too, though he didn't look as if he enjoyed it as much as
+he said, for his mother-in-law kept him so busy cutting and carrying
+wood and helping her with the cooking that he never had any time for
+himself at all.
+
+Even when Mr. Rabbit and some of his friends had the great fall handicap
+race he had to stay at home and peel potatoes, and not see it, besides
+being scolded all the time for wanting to go to such a thing as a rabbit
+race anyway. And Mr. Crow was sad because it reminded him of his
+married life, which he was trying to forget--Mrs. Crow having been the
+image of his mother-in-law and exactly like her about races and peeling
+potatoes and such things.
+
+And by-and-by, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon didn't like it so much, either.
+Widow Crow got so she scolded them, too, about their habits, especially
+about being out nights and lying in bed next morning, and she wouldn't
+give them any breakfast unless they got up in time.
+
+At last she even asked them to take care of their own rooms and to do
+other work, the same as Mr. Crow did; and she didn't cook as good
+things, nor as many of them, as she did when they first came. Then one
+day when they complained a little--not very much, for they were afraid
+of the Widow Crow, but a little--she told them that if they didn't like
+what she gave them they could find a place they liked better, and that
+she was tired of their ways anyhow.
+
+[Illustration: HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES]
+
+So then Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum all got together and
+talked it over. And Mr. Crow said _they_ might be pretty tired of it,
+but that they couldn't in a hundred years, thinking night and day, think
+how tired of it _he_ was. He said if they would just say the word he
+would take the things that belonged to him out of that house, and the
+three of them would find some good place and all live together, and
+never have anything more to do with mothers-in-law or their families. He
+said he knew how to cook as well as she did, and really liked to cook
+when he was in a pleasant place and wasn't henpecked to death.
+
+And he said if they moved his things they had better do it at night
+while his mother-in-law was asleep, so as not to disturb her.
+
+Well, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon both spoke right up and said _they'd_ go
+in a minute, and that they'd hunt up the place to live that very day,
+though it wasn't the best time of year to move. And Mr. Crow said:
+
+"I know where there's a big Hollow Tree that would be _just_ the place.
+It's the biggest tree in the Big Deep Woods. It has three big hollow
+branches that would do for rooms, and with a little work it could be
+made into the finest place anywhere. The Old Wise Man of the Woods once
+lived there and fixed it all up with nice stairs, and a fireplace, and
+windows, and doors with good latches on them, and it's still just as he
+left it. All it needs are a few repairs, and we could move right in. I
+found it once as I was flying over, and I could tell _you_, so you could
+find it. It's in a thick swampy place, and you would never guess it was
+there if you didn't know it. Mr. Dog knows about it, but he never could
+get in if we kept the door latched, and it's not so far away from Mr.
+Man's that we could not borrow, when we ran out of little things we
+needed."
+
+Well, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon took the directions from Mr. Crow, and
+went right off to look at the Hollow Tree that very day, and decided
+they'd take it, and pitched in to clean it up and get it ready to live
+in. And next day they came with a hammer and some nails and worked all
+day again, and Mr. Rabbit heard the noise and came over and looked
+through the place and said how nice it was; and they were so tired at
+night that they never thought of going out, and were up early for
+breakfast.
+
+Widow Crow was so surprised she forgot what she had always scolded them
+for before, and scolded them this time for getting up so early that they
+had to stand around and wait for breakfast to be put on the table. But
+they didn't seem to mind the scolding at all, and Mr. Crow looked
+happier than he had looked for months, and skipped around and helped set
+the table, and brought in a big wood-box full of wood, and when Widow
+Crow scolded him for getting chips on the floor he laughed. Then she
+boxed his ears and told him he ought to remember the poor Missing One at
+such a time, and Mr. Crow said he did, and could almost imagine she was
+there now.
+
+Well, Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum got the Hollow Tree all ready, that day,
+and that night they moved.
+
+The Widow Crow was pretty fat, and liked to go to bed early, and sleep
+sound, and leave Mr. Crow to do the evening dishes; and that evening Mr.
+'Coon and Mr. 'Possum pitched in and helped him, and they got through
+in a jiffy and began to move.
+
+Mr. Crow said he knew his own things, and that he wouldn't take any that
+belonged to the Missing One, because they had mostly come from her
+mother; and, besides, they would be a sad reminder, and didn't seem to
+go with the kind of a place they had planned to have. He said if they
+didn't have enough things they could borrow a few from Mr. Man when Mr.
+Man went away and left his windows open, and that they wouldn't need
+much to begin with.
+
+So then they got Mr. Crow's cook-stove out of the back store-room, and a
+table that was his, and some chairs from different parts of the house,
+and a few dishes which had come to him from his side of the family, and
+they tiptoed around and listened now and then at Widow Crow's door to be
+sure she was asleep.
+
+They knew she _was_ by the sound; but still they were very quiet until
+Mr. 'Possum started to bring a rocking-chair of Mr. Crow's down-stairs
+and somehow got his legs through the rounds and fell and rolled clear to
+the bottom, expressing his feelings as he came down.
+
+[Illustration: LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW'S DOOR TO BE SURE SHE
+WAS ASLEEP]
+
+That woke up Widow Crow with a jump, and she sat up in bed and called
+"Thieves!" and "Help!" and Mr. Crow ran to her door and said that it
+wasn't anything, only those scamps Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had been
+out late again. He said they had brought home one of Mr. Man's
+beehives and had dropped it because the bees woke up just as they were
+climbing the stairs.
+
+Then Mrs. Crow called out quick, and said for him not to dare to open
+that door and let those pesky bees into her room, and that she hoped
+they'd sting that 'Possum and 'Coon until they wouldn't be able to tell
+themselves apart. She said she bet she'd get that pair out of her house
+if she lived through the night. Then she rolled over and went to sleep
+again, and Mr. 'Possum got up and limped a little, but wasn't much
+damaged, and they got all the things outside and loaded up, and set out
+for the Hollow Tree.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE'D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE THINGS]
+
+It was moonlight and Mr. Crow led the way, and the minute they were far
+enough off to be sure they wouldn't wake up Widow Crow they sang the
+chorus of a song that Mr. Rabbit had made for them the day before when
+he called at the Hollow Tree, and they had told him what they were going
+to do. That was the "Hollow Tree Song," which, of course, everybody in
+the Big Deep Woods knows now, but it had never been sung there before,
+and when they joined in the chorus,
+
+    Then here's to the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
+      And the 'Coon with a one, two, three!
+    And here's to the hollow, hollow, hollow, hollow, hollow--
+      Then here's to the Hollow Tree,
+
+Mr. Owl, who was watching them from a limb overhead, thought he had
+never heard anything quite so fine.
+
+Well, they couldn't get along very fast, for the things got so heavy and
+they had to rest so often that it began to look as if they wouldn't get
+to the Hollow Tree by morning. But just as they got out into a little
+open place that was about half-way there they saw somebody coming, and
+who do you suppose it was?
+
+"I know," says the Little Lady, "it was the Old Wise Man of the Woods,
+to tell them they couldn't have his house."
+
+No, he didn't live there any more--he had gone away for good. No, it
+wasn't the Old Wise Man; it was Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Turtle, coming to
+help them move. Mr. Rabbit had gone all the way to the Wide Blue Water
+after Mr. Turtle because he is so strong, and they would have been there
+a good deal sooner, only Mr. Turtle didn't get home till late, and
+travels slow.
+
+Well, it wasn't so hard to move after that. They just set the cook-stove
+on Mr. Turtle's back and piled on as much as would stay on, and he kept
+telling them to put on more, until pretty soon Mr. 'Possum said that he
+would just get on and hold the things from slipping off, which he did,
+and sat on the stove and rode and swung his feet and held the other
+things, while Mr. Crow and the rest walked and carried what was left.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM AND MR. 'COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE]
+
+And when they got to the Hollow Tree it was just about sun-up, and Mr.
+'Possum said if they didn't have breakfast pretty soon he would starve
+to death with being up all night and working so hard holding on those
+things.
+
+So then Mr. Crow told him that he and Mr. 'Coon could set up the stove,
+and that he would unpack the food and stir up something as quick as he
+could if the others would bring a little wood and some water from the
+spring, and place the things around inside; for he saw a cloud coming,
+he said, and it might rain. And Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon tried to put
+up the stove in a hurry, and the pieces of pipe didn't fit very well,
+and they came as near having a quarrel over it as they ever did over
+anything, for even the best friends can't always put up stovepipe
+together without thinking and sometimes saying unpleasant things about
+each other, especially when they are hungry and not very warm and the
+house is all upset. Mr. 'Coon said he only wished he had another hand
+and he would do that job alone, and Mr. 'Possum told him that if he'd
+been provided with a handy and useful tail he'd _have_ the same as
+another hand, and could work more and not wish so much.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit came to help them, and just as they got it about up it
+all came down again, and Mr. Crow said that if they'd all go away he'd
+set up the stove himself; which he did in about a minute, and had a
+fire in it and the coffee on in no time.
+
+Then the others rushed around and got the things straightened out, and a
+fire in the fireplace, and they said how nice their rooms were, and when
+Mr. Crow called they all came hurrying down, and in about another minute
+the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, with Mr. Rabbit and Mr.
+Turtle, all sat down to the first meal in the Hollow Tree.
+
+It was then that Jack Rabbit read all of the "Hollow Tree Song" he had
+made for them, and they all sang it together; and then the storm that
+Mr. Crow had seen coming did come, and they shut all the doors and
+windows tight, and sat before the fire and smoked and went to sleep,
+because they were so tired with being up all night.
+
+And that was the first day in the Hollow Tree, and how the 'Possum and
+'Coon and Old Black Crow came to live there, and they live there
+still.
+
+
+
+
+THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+MR. RABBIT TELLS SOME INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY
+
+
+THE Little Lady waited until the Story Teller had lit his pipe and sat
+looking into the great open fire, where there was a hickory log so big
+that it had taken the Story Teller and the Little Lady's mother with two
+pairs of ice-tongs to drag it to the hearth and get it into place.
+Pretty soon the Little Lady had crept in between the Story Teller's
+knees. Then in another minute she was on one of his knees, helping him
+rock. Then she said:
+
+"Did Mr. Rabbit tell his story next? He promised to tell about losing
+his tail, you know."
+
+The Story Teller took his pipe from his mouth a moment, and sat thinking
+and gazing at the big log, which perhaps reminded him of one of the
+limbs of the Hollow Tree, where the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black
+Crow lived and had their friends visit them that long-ago snowy
+Christmastime.
+
+"Why, yes," he said, "that's so, Mr. Rabbit _did_ tell that story. When
+Mr. 'Coon got through telling how he came near getting into a menagerie,
+they all said that it certainly was a very narrow escape, and Mr. 'Coon
+said he shouldn't wonder if that menagerie had to quit business, just
+because he wasn't in it; and Mr. 'Possum said he thought if anything
+would _save_ a menagerie that would, for it would keep them from being
+eaten out of house and home."
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said that if that was so, Mr. 'Possum had saved at least
+three menageries by staying right where he was in the Big Deep Woods.
+This made Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin laugh, and the rest wondered what
+those two gigglers had noticed that was funny. Then they all knocked the
+ashes out of their pipes again, and walked over to the window, and
+looked at the snow banking up outside and piling up on the bare limbs of
+the big trees. They said how early it got dark this time of year,
+especially on a cloudy day. And pretty soon Mr. Crow said they had just
+about time for one more story before supper, and that Mr. Rabbit ought
+to tell now about how, a long time ago, his family had lost their tails.
+Mr. Rabbit didn't seem to feel very anxious to tell it, but they told
+him that he had promised, and that now was as good a time as any, so
+they went back and sat down, and Mr. Rabbit told them
+
+
+THE TRUE STORY OF THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE, AND HOW JACK RABBIT LOST
+HIS TAIL
+
+"Once upon a time," he said, "a great many great-grandfathers back, my
+family had long bushy tails, like Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Fox, only a good
+deal longer and finer and softer, and _very handsome_."
+
+When Mr. Rabbit said that, Mr. Squirrel sniffed and twitched his nose
+and gave his nice bushy tail a flirt, but he didn't say anything. Mr.
+Rabbit went right on.
+
+"Well, there was one fine, handsome rabbit who had the longest and
+plumiest tail of any of the family, and was very proud of it. He was my
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather, and was called 'Mr. Hare.' He was
+young and smart then, and thought he was a good deal smarter than he
+really was, though he was smart enough and handsome enough to set the
+style for all the other rabbits, and not much ever happened to him,
+because he could beat anything running that there was in the Big Deep
+Woods.
+
+"That twenty-seventh great-grandfather of mine was very proud of his
+running, and used to brag that in a foot-race he could beat anything
+that lived between the Wide Grass Lands and the Edge of the World. He
+used to talk about it to almost everybody that came along, and one day
+when he met one of the Turtle family who used to be called 'Mr.
+Tortoise' in those days, he stopped and began to brag to him how fast he
+could run and how nobody in the Big Deep Woods dared to race with him.
+
+"But Mr. Turtle, he just smiled a little and said: 'Oh, pshaw! you can't
+run very fast. I believe I can beat you myself!'
+
+"Well, that did make Grandfather Hare laugh--and made him a little mad,
+too.
+
+"'You!' he said. 'Why, I'll give you within ten yards of that rail fence
+of Mr. Man's, half a mile away, and then beat you across it. Just travel
+along, and some time this afternoon, when you get down that way, I'll
+come back and let you see me go by. But you'll have to look quick if you
+see me, for I'll be going fast.'
+
+"But Mr. Tortoise said he didn't want any start at all, that he was
+ready to begin the race right then; and that made Grandpaw Hare laugh so
+loud that Mr. Fox heard him as he was passing, and came over to see what
+the fun was. Then he said that he hadn't much to do for a few minutes,
+and that he'd stay and act as judge. He thought a race like that
+wouldn't last long; and it didn't, though it wasn't at all the kind of a
+race he had expected.
+
+"Well, he put Mr. Tortoise and my twenty-seventh great-grandfather side
+by side, and then he stood off and said, 'Go!' and thought it would all
+be over in a minute.
+
+[Illustration: MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW MINUTES
+AND HE'D ACT AS JUDGE]
+
+"Grandpaw Hare gave one great big leap, about twenty feet long, and then
+stopped. He was in no hurry, and he wanted to have some fun with Mr.
+Tortoise. He looked around to where Mr. Tortoise was coming straddling
+and panting along, and he laughed and rolled over to see how solemn he
+looked, and how he was travelling as if he meant to get somewhere before
+dark. He was down on all fours so he could use all his legs at once, and
+anybody would think, to look at him, that he really expected to win that
+race.
+
+"The more my Grandpaw Hare looked at him the more he laughed, and then
+he would make another long leap forward and stop, and look back, and
+wait for Mr. Tortoise to catch up again.
+
+"Then he would call to him, or maybe go back and take roundin's on him,
+and say, 'Come along there, old tobacco-box. Are you tied to something?'
+Mr. Fox would laugh a good deal, too, and he told my ancestor to go on
+and finish the race--that he couldn't wait around there all day. And
+pretty soon he said if they were going to fool along like that, he'd
+just go down to the fence and take a nap till they got there; and for
+Grandpaw Rabbit to call to him when he really started to come, so he
+could wake up and judge the finish.
+
+"Mr. Fox he loped away to the fence and laid down and went to sleep in
+the shade, and Grandpaw Hare thought it would be fun to pretend to be
+asleep, too. I've heard a story told about it that says that he really
+did go to sleep, and that Mr. Tortoise went by him and got to the fence
+before he woke up. But that is not the way it happened. My
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather was too smart to go to sleep, and even
+if he had gone to sleep, Mr. Tortoise made enough noise pawing and
+scratching along through the grass and gravel to wake up forty of our
+family.
+
+"My ancestor would wait until he came grinding along and got up even
+with him, then suddenly he'd sit up as if he'd been waked out of a nice
+dream and say, 'Hello, old coffee-mill! What do you want to wake me up
+for when I'm trying to get a nap?' Then he would laugh a big laugh and
+make another leap, and lie down and pretend again, with his fine plumy
+tail very handsome in the sun.
+
+"But Grandpaw Hare carried the joke a little too far. He kept letting
+Mr. Tortoise get up a little closer and closer every time, until Mr.
+Tortoise would almost step on him before he would move. And that was
+just what Mr. Tortoise wanted, for about the next time he came along he
+came right up behind my ancestor, but instead of stepping on him, he
+gave his head a quick snap, just as if he were catching fish, and
+grabbed my Grandpaw Hare by that beautiful plumy tail, and held on, and
+pinched, and my ancestor gave a squeal and a holler and set out for
+that rail fence, telling his troubles as he came.
+
+"Mr. Fox had gone sound asleep and didn't hear the rumpus at first, and
+when he did, he thought grandpaw was just calling to him to wake up and
+be ready to judge the race, so he sat up quick and watched them come. He
+saw my twenty-seventh great-grandfather sailing along, just touching the
+highest points, with something that looked like an old black wash-pan
+tied to his tail.
+
+"When Mr. Fox saw what it was, he just laid down and laughed and rolled
+over, and then hopped up on the top rail and called, out 'All right, I'm
+awake, Mr. Hare! Come right along, Mr. Hare; you'll beat him yet!'
+
+"Then he saw my ancestor stop and shake himself, and paw, and roll over,
+to try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, which of course he couldn't do, for,
+as we all know, whenever any of the Turtle family get a grip they never
+let go till it thunders, and this was a bright day. So pretty soon
+grandpaw was up and running again with Mr. Tortoise sailing out behind
+and Mr. Fox laughing to see them come, and calling out: 'Come right
+along, Mr. Hare! come right along! You'll beat him yet!'
+
+[Illustration: SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS]
+
+"But Mr. Fox made a mistake about that. Grandpaw Hare was really ahead,
+of course, when he came down the homestretch, but when he got pretty
+close to the fence he made one more try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, and
+gave himself and his tail a great big swing, and Mr. Tortoise didn't let
+go quite quick enough, and off came my twenty-seventh great-grandfather's
+beautiful plumy tail, and away went Mr. Tortoise with it, clear over the
+top rail of the fence, and landed in a brier patch on the other side.
+
+"Well, Grandpaw Hare was in such a state as you never heard of! He
+forgot all about the race at first, and just raved about his great loss,
+and borrowed Mr. Fox's handkerchief to tie up what was left, and said
+that he never in the world could show his face before folks again.
+
+"And Mr. Fox stopped laughing as soon as he could, and was really quite
+sorry for him, and even Mr. Tortoise looked through the fence, and asked
+him if he didn't think it could be spliced and be almost as good as
+ever.
+
+"He said he hadn't meant to commit any damage, and that he hoped Mr.
+Hare would live to forgive him, and that now there was no reason why my
+grandpaw shouldn't beat him in the next race.
+
+[Illustration: AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL]
+
+"Then my ancestor remembered about the race and forgot his other loss
+for a minute, and declared that Mr. Tortoise didn't win the race at
+all--that he couldn't have covered that much ground in a half a day
+alone, and he asked Mr. Fox if he was going to let that great
+straddle-bug ruin his reputation for speed and make him the
+laughing-stock of the Big Deep Woods, besides all the other damage he
+had done.
+
+"Then Mr. Fox scratched his head, and thought about it, and said he
+didn't see how he could help giving the race to Mr. Tortoise, for it was
+to be the first one across the fence, and that Mr. Tortoise was
+certainly the first one across, and that he'd gone over the top rail in
+style.
+
+"Well, that made Grandpaw Hare madder than ever. He didn't say another
+word, but just picked up his property that Mr. Tortoise handed him
+through the fence, and set out for home by a back way, studying what he
+ought to do to keep everybody from laughing at him, and thinking that if
+he didn't do something he'd have to leave the country or drown himself,
+for he had always been so proud that if people laughed at him he knew he
+could never show his face again.
+
+"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the true story of that old race between
+the Hare and the Tortoise, and of how the first Rabbit came to lose his
+tail. I've never told it before, and none of my family ever did; but so
+many stories have been told about the way those things happened that we
+might just as well have this one, which is the only true one so far as I
+know."
+
+[Illustration: SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY]
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit lit his pipe and leaned back and smoked. Mr. Dog said it
+was a fine story, and he wished he could have seen that race, and Mr.
+Turtle looked as if he wanted to say something, and did open his mouth
+to say it, but Mr. Crow spoke up, and asked what happened after that to
+Mr. Rabbit's twenty-seventh great-grandfather, and how it was that the
+rest of the Rabbits had short tails, too.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit said that that was another story, and Mr. Squirrel and
+Mr. Robin wanted him to tell it right away, but Mr. Crow said they'd
+better have supper now, and Mr. 'Possum thought that was a good plan,
+and Mr. 'Coon, too, and then they all hurried around to get up some
+sticks of wood from down-stairs, and to set the table, and everybody
+helped, so they could get through early and have a nice long evening.
+
+And all the time the snow was coming down outside and piling higher and
+higher, and they were being snowed in without knowing it, for it was
+getting too dark to see much when they tried again to look out the
+window through the gloom of the Big Deep Woods.
+
+
+
+
+THE FOURTH SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+MR. JACK RABBIT CONTINUES HIS FAMILY HISTORY
+
+
+"DID they have enough left for supper--enough for all the visitors, I
+mean?" asks the Little Lady the next evening, when the Story Teller is
+ready to go on with the history of the Hollow Tree.
+
+"Oh yes, they had plenty for supper, and more, too. They had been
+getting ready a good while for just such a time as this, and had carried
+in a lot of food, and they had a good many nice things down in the
+store-room where the wood was, but they didn't need those yet. They just
+put on what they had left from their big dinner, and Mr. Crow stirred up
+a pan of hot biscuits by his best receipt, and they passed them back and
+forth across the table so much that Mr. 'Possum said they went like hot
+cakes, sure enough, and always took two when they came his way."
+
+And they talked a good deal about the stories that Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+Rabbit had told them, and everybody thought how sly and smart Mr. 'Coon
+had been to fool Mr. Dog that way; and Mr. 'Coon said that, now he came
+to think it over, he supposed it was a pretty good trick, though it
+really hadn't seemed so specially great to him at the time. He said he
+didn't think it half as smart as Mr. Tortoise's trick on Mr. Rabbit's
+Grandpaw Hare, when he beat him in the foot-race and went over the fence
+first, taking Mr. Hare's tail with him. And then they wondered if that
+had all really happened as Mr. Rabbit had told it--all but Mr. Turtle,
+who just sat and smiled to himself and didn't say anything at all,
+except "Please pass the biscuits," now and then, when he saw the plate
+being set down in front of Mr. 'Possum.
+
+Then by-and-by they all got through and hurried up and cleared off the
+table, and lit their pipes, and went back to the fire, and pretty soon
+Jack Rabbit began to tell
+
+
+HOW THE REST OF THE RABBITS LOST THEIR TAILS
+
+"Well," he said, "my twenty-seventh great-grandfather Hare didn't go out
+again for several days. He put up a sign that said 'Not at Home,' on his
+door, and then tried a few experiments, to see what could be done.
+
+[Illustration: TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE]
+
+"He first tried to splice his property back into place, as Mr. Tortoise
+had told him he might, but that plan didn't work worth a cent. He never
+could get it spliced on straight, and if he did get it about right, it
+would lop over or sag down or something as soon as he moved, and when he
+looked at himself in the glass he made up his mind that he'd rather do
+without his nice plumy brush altogether than to go out into society with
+it in that condition.
+
+"So he gave it up and put on some nice all-healing ointment, and before
+long what there was left of it was all well, and a nice bunch of soft,
+white cottony fur had grown out over the scar, and Grandpaw Hare thought
+when he looked at himself in the glass that it was really quite
+becoming, though he knew the rest of his family would always be saying
+things about it, and besides they would laugh at him for letting Mr.
+Tortoise beat him in a foot-race.
+
+"Sometimes, when there was nobody around, my grandfather would go out
+into the sun and light his pipe and lean up against a big stone, or
+maybe a stump, and think it over.
+
+[Illustration: GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER]
+
+"And one morning, as he sat there thinking, he made up his mind what he
+would do. Mr. Lion lived in the Big Deep Woods in those days, and he was
+King. Whenever anything happened among the Deep Woods People that they
+couldn't decide for themselves, they went to where King Lion lived, in a
+house all by himself over by the Big West Hills, and he used to settle
+the question; and sometimes, when somebody that wasn't very old, and
+maybe was plump and tender, had done something that wasn't just right,
+King Lion would look at him and growl and say it was too bad for any one
+so young to do such things, and especially for them to grow up and keep
+on doing them; so he would have him for breakfast, or maybe for dinner,
+and that would settle everything in the easiest and shortest way.
+
+"Of course Grandfather Hare knew very well that Mr. Tortoise and Mr. Fox
+wouldn't go with him to King Lion, for they would be afraid to, after
+what they had done, so he made up his mind to go alone and tell him the
+whole story, because he was as sure as anything that King Lion would
+decide that he had really won the race, and would be his friend, which
+would make all the other Deep Woods People jealous and proud of him
+again, and perhaps make them wish they had nice bunches of white cottony
+fur in the place of long dragging tails that were always in the way.
+
+"And then some day he would show King Lion where Mr. Fox and Mr.
+Tortoise lived.
+
+[Illustration: SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT]
+
+"My Grandfather Hare didn't stop a minute after he thought of that, but
+just set out for King Lion's house over at the foot of the Big West
+Hills. He had to pass by Mr. Fox's house, and Mr. Fox called to him, but
+Grandpaw Hare just set up his ears as proud as could be and went by,
+lickety-split, without looking at Mr. Fox at all.
+
+"It was a good way to King Lion's house, but Grandpaw Hare didn't waste
+any time, and he was there almost before he knew it.
+
+"When he got to King Lion's door he hammered on the knocker, and when
+nobody came right away he thought maybe the King was out for a walk. But
+that wasn't so. King Lion had been sick for two or three days, and he
+was still in bed, and had to get up and get something around him before
+he could let Grandpaw in.
+
+"Grandpaw Hare had sat down on the steps to wait, when all at once the
+door opened behind him and he felt something grab him by the collar and
+swing him in and set him down hard on a seat, and then he saw it was
+King Lion, and he didn't much like his looks.
+
+"'So it was you, was it, making that noise?' he said. 'Well, I'm glad to
+see you, for I was just thinking about having a nice rabbit for
+breakfast.'
+
+[Illustration: "'GLAD TO SEE YOU,' SAID KING LION; 'I WAS JUST THINKING
+ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR BREAKFAST'"]
+
+"Then my twenty-seventh great-grandfather knew he'd made a mistake,
+coming to see King Lion when he was feeling that way, and he had to
+think pretty quick to know what to say. But our family have always been
+pretty quick in their thoughts, and Grandpaw Hare spoke right up as
+polite as could be, and said he would do anything he could to find a
+nice young plump rabbit for King Lion, and that he would even be proud
+to be a king's breakfast himself, only he wasn't so very young nor so
+very plump, and, besides, there was that old prophecy about the king and
+the cotton-tailed rabbit, which of course, he said, King Lion must have
+heard about.
+
+"Then King Lion said that my twenty-seventh great-grandfather was plenty
+young enough and plenty plump enough, and that he'd never heard of any
+prophecy about a cotton-tailed rabbit, and that he'd never heard of a
+cotton-tailed rabbit, either.
+
+"Then Grandpaw Hare just got up and turned around, and as he turned he
+said, as solemnly as he could:
+
+    'When the King eats a hare with a cotton tail,
+    Then the King's good health will fail.'
+
+"Well, that scared the King a good deal, for he was just getting over
+one sick spell, and he was afraid if he had another right away he'd die
+sure. He sat down and asked Grandpaw Hare to tell him how he came to
+have a tail like that, and grandpaw told him, and it made the King laugh
+and laugh, until he got well, and he said it was the best joke he ever
+heard of, and that he'd have given some of the best ornaments off of his
+crown to have seen that race.
+
+"And the better King Lion felt the hungrier he got, and when my
+Grandfather Hare asked him if he wouldn't decide the race in his favor,
+he just glared at him and said if he didn't get out of there and hunt
+him up a nice, young, plump, long-tailed rabbit, he'd eat him--cotton
+tail, prophecy, and all--for he didn't go much on prophecies anyway.
+
+"Then Grandpaw Hare got right up and said, 'Good-day' and backed out and
+made tracks for the rest of his family, and told them that King Lion had
+just got up from a sick spell that had given him an appetite for
+long-tailed rabbits. He said that the King had sent him out to get one,
+and that King Lion would most likely be along himself pretty soon. He
+said the sooner the Rabbit family took pattern after the new
+cotton-tailed style the more apt they'd be to live to a green old age
+and have descendants.
+
+"Well, that was a busy day in the Big Deep Woods. The Rabbit family got
+in line by a big smooth stump that they picked out for the purpose, and
+grandpaw attended to the job for them, and called out 'Next!' as they
+marched by. He didn't have to wait, either, for they didn't know what
+minute King Lion might come. Mr. Tortoise and Mr. Fox came along and
+stopped to see the job, and helped grandpaw now and then when his arm
+got tired, and by evening there was a pile of tails by that stump as big
+as King Lion's house, and there never was such a call for the
+all-healing ointment as there was that night in the Big Deep Woods.
+
+"And none of our family ever did have tails after that, for they never
+would grow any more, and all the little new rabbits just had bunches of
+cotton, too, and that has never changed to this day.
+
+"And when King Lion heard how he'd been fooled by Grandpaw Hare with
+that foolish prophecy that he just made up right there, out of his head,
+he knew that everybody would laugh at him as much as he had laughed at
+Mr. Hare, and he moved out of the country and never came back, and
+there's never been a king in the Big Deep Woods since, so my
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather did some good, after all.
+
+"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the whole story of the Hare and the
+Tortoise and how the Rabbit family lost their tails. It's never been
+told outside of our family before, but it's true, for it's been handed
+down, word for word, and if Mr. Fox or Mr. Tortoise were alive now they
+would say so."
+
+Mr. Rabbit filled his pipe and lit it, and Mr. Crow was just about to
+make some remarks, when Mr. Turtle cleared his throat and said:
+
+"The story that Mr. Rabbit has been telling is all true, every word of
+it--I was there."
+
+Then all the Deep Woods People took their pipes out of their mouths and
+just looked at Mr. Turtle with their mouths wide open, and when they
+could say anything at all, they said:
+
+"_You were there!_"
+
+You see, they could never get used to the notion of Mr. Turtle's being
+so old--as old as their twenty-seventh great-grandfathers would have
+been, if they had lived.
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Turtle, "and it all comes back to me as plain as day. It
+happened two hundred and fifty-eight years ago last June. They used to
+call us the Tortoise family then, and I was a young fellow of
+sixty-seven and fond of a joke. But I was surprised when I went sailing
+over that fence, and I didn't mean to carry off Mr. Hare's tail. Dear
+me, how time passes! I'm three hundred and twenty-five now, though I
+don't feel it."
+
+Then they all looked at Mr. Turtle again, for though they believed he
+was old, and might possibly have been there, they thought it pretty
+strange that he could be the very Mr. Tortoise who had won the race.
+
+Mr. 'Possum said, pretty soon, that when anybody said a thing like that,
+there ought to be some way to prove it.
+
+Then Mr. Turtle got up and began taking off his coat, and all the others
+began to get out of the way, for they didn't know what was going to
+happen to Mr. 'Possum, and they wanted to be safe; and Mr. 'Possum
+rolled under the table, and said that he didn't mean anything--that he
+loved Mr. Turtle, and that Mr. Turtle hadn't understood the way he meant
+it at all.
+
+But Mr. Turtle wasn't the least bit mad. He just laid off his coat,
+quietly, and unbuttoned his shirt collar, and told Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+Crow to look on the back of his shell.
+
+And then Mr. Dog held a candle, and they all looked, one after another,
+and there, sure enough, carved right in Mr. Turtle's shell, were the
+words:
+
+    BEAT MR. HARE
+    FOOT-RACE
+    JUNE 10, 1649
+
+"That," said Mr. Turtle, "was my greatest joke, and I had it carved on
+my shell."
+
+And all the rest of the forest people said that a thing like that was
+worth carving on anybody's shell that had one, and when Mr. Turtle put
+on his coat they gave him the best seat by the fire, and sat and looked
+at him and asked questions about it, and finally all went to sleep in
+their chairs, while the fire burned low and the soft snow was banking up
+deeper and deeper, outside, in the dark.
+
+
+
+
+THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB
+
+MR. RABBIT PROPOSES SOMETHING TO PASS THE TIME
+
+
+"DID the Hollow Tree People and their company sleep in their chairs all
+night?" asks the Little Lady, as soon as she has finished her supper.
+"And were they snowed in when they woke up next morning?"
+
+The Story Teller is not quite ready to answer. He has to fill his pipe
+first, and puff a little and look into the fire before he sits down, and
+the Little Lady climbs into her place. The Little Lady knows the Story
+Teller, and waits. When he begins to rock a little she knows he has
+remembered, and then pretty soon he tells her about the "Snowed-In"
+Literary Club.
+
+Well, the Hollow Tree People went to sleep there by the fire and they
+stayed asleep a long while, for they were tired with all the good times
+and all the good things to eat they had been having. And when they woke
+up once, they thought it was still night, for it was dark, though they
+thought it must be about morning, because the fire was nearly out, and
+Mr. 'Possum said if there was anybody who wasn't too stiff he wished
+they'd put on a stick of wood, as he was frozen so hard that he knew if
+he tried to move he'd break.
+
+So Mr. Turtle, who had been drawn up mostly into his shell, and Mr. Dog,
+who was used to getting up at all hours of the night, stretched and
+yawned and crept down after some sticks and dry pieces and built up a
+good fire, and pretty soon they were all asleep again, as sound as ever.
+
+And when they woke up next time it was still just as dark, and the fire
+had gone almost out again, and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. Crow, too, said they
+didn't understand it, at all, for a fire like that would generally keep
+all night and all day too, and here two fires had burned out and it was
+still as dark as ever. Then Mr. Crow lit a splinter and looked at the
+clock, and said he must have forgotten to wind it, or maybe it was
+because it was so cold, as it had stopped a little after twelve, and Mr.
+'Possum said that from the way he felt it was no wonder the clock had
+stopped, for if he could tell anything by his feelings it must be at
+least day after to-morrow. He said he felt so empty that every time he
+breathed he could hear the wind whistle through his ribs.
+
+That made Mr. Rabbit think of something, and he stepped over to the
+window. Then he pushed it up a little, and put out his hand. But he
+didn't put it out far, for it went right into something soft and cold.
+Mr. Rabbit came over to where Mr. Crow was poking up the fire, bringing
+some of the stuff with him.
+
+"Now," he said, "you can all see what's the matter. We're snowed in. The
+snow is up over the window, and that's why it's so dark. It may be up
+over the top of the tree, and we may have been asleep here for a week,
+for all we know."
+
+Then they all gathered around to look at the snow, and went to the
+window and got some more, and tried to tell whether it was day or night,
+and Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum ran up-stairs to their rooms,
+and called back that it was day, for the snow hadn't come quite up to
+the tops of their windows.
+
+And it was day, sure enough, and quite late in the afternoon at that,
+but they couldn't tell just what day it was, or whether they had slept
+one night, or two nights, or even longer.
+
+Well, of course the first thing was to get something to eat and a big
+fire going, and even Mr. 'Possum scrambled around and helped carry
+wood, so he could get warm quicker. They still had a good deal to eat in
+the Hollow Tree, and they were not much worried. Mr. 'Possum and Mr.
+'Coon remembered another time they were snowed in, when Mr. Crow had fed
+them on Johnnie cake and gravy, and they thought that if everything else
+gave out it would be great fun to live like that again.
+
+When they had finished eating breakfast, or dinner, or whatever it was,
+for it was nearer supper-time than anything else, they began to think of
+things to do to amuse themselves, and they first thought they'd have
+some more stories, like Mr. Rabbit's.
+
+But Mr. Rabbit, who is quite literary, and a good poet, said it would be
+better to make it a kind of a club, and each have a poem, or a story, or
+a song; or if anybody couldn't do any of those he must dance a jig.
+
+Then they all remembered a poetry club that Mr. Rabbit had got up once
+and how nice it was, and they all said that was just the thing, and they
+got around the table and began to work away at whatever they were going
+to do for the "Snowed-In" Literary Club.
+
+[Illustration: GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK]
+
+Mr. Rabbit wasn't very long at his piece, and pretty soon he jumped up
+and said he was through, and Mr. 'Possum said that if that was so, he
+might go down and bring up some wood and warm up the brains of the rest
+of them. So Mr. Rabbit stirred up the fire, and sat down and looked
+into it, and read over his poem to himself and changed a word here and
+there, and thought how nice it was; and by-and-by Mr. Dog said he was
+through, and Mr. Robin said he was through, too.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit said he thought that would be more than enough for one
+evening anyway, and that the others might finish their pieces to-morrow
+and have them ready for the next evening.
+
+So then they all gathered around the fire again, and everybody said that
+as Mr. Rabbit had thought of the club first, he must be the first to
+read his piece.
+
+Mr. Rabbit said he was sure it would be more modest for some one else to
+read first, but that he was willing to start things going if they wanted
+him to. Then he stood up, and turned a little to the light, and took a
+nice position, and read his poem, which was called
+
+
+SNOWED IN
+
+_By J. Rabbit_
+
+    Oh, the snow lies white in the woods to-night--
+      The snow lies soft and deep;
+    And under the snow, I know, oh, ho!
+      The flowers of the summer sleep.
+    The flowers of the summer sleep, I know,
+      Snowed in like you and me--
+    Under the sheltering leaves, oh, ho,
+      As snug and as warm as we--
+    As snug and as warm from the winter storm
+      As we of the Hollow Tree.
+    Snowed in are we in the Hollow Tree,
+    And as snug and as warm as they we be--
+      Snowed in, snowed in,
+    Are we, are we,
+    And as snug as can be in the Hollow Tree,
+      The wonderful Hollow Tree.
+
+    Oh, the snow lies cold on wood and wold,
+      But never a bit comes in,
+    As we smoke and eat, and warm our feet,
+      And sit by the fire and spin:
+    And what care we for the winter gales,
+      And what care we for the snow--
+    As we sit by the fire and spin our tales
+      And think of the things we know?
+    As we spin our tales in the winter gales
+      And wait for the snow to go?
+    Oh, the winds blow high and the winds blow low,
+    But what care we for the wind and snow,
+    Spinning our tales of the long ago
+      As snug as snug can be?
+    For never a bit comes in, comes in,
+    As we sit by the fire and spin, and spin
+    The tales we know, of the long ago,
+      In the wonderful Hollow Tree.
+
+Mr. Rabbit sat down then, and of course everybody spoke up as soon as
+they could get their breath and said how nice it was, and how Mr. Rabbit
+always expressed himself better in poetry than anybody else could in
+prose, and how the words and rhymes just seemed to flow along as if he
+were reeling it off of a spinning-wheel and could keep it up all day.
+
+And Mr. Rabbit smiled and said he supposed it came natural, and that
+sometimes it was harder to stop than it was to start, and that he
+_could_ keep it up all day as easy as not.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said he'd been afraid that was what _would_ happen, and
+that if Mr. Rabbit hadn't stopped pretty soon that he--Mr. 'Possum, of
+course--would have been so tangled up in his mind that somebody would
+have had to come and undo the knot.
+
+Then he said he wanted to ask some questions. He said he wanted to know
+what "wold" meant, and also what Mr. Rabbit meant by spinning their
+tails. He said he hadn't noticed that any of them were spinning their
+tails, and that he couldn't do it if he tried. He said that he could
+curl his tail and hang from a limb or a peg by it, and he had found it a
+good way to go to sleep when things were on his mind, and that he
+generally had better dreams when he slept that way.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT BY
+SPINNING THEIR TAILS]
+
+He said that of course Mr. Rabbit's poem had been about tails of the
+long ago, and he supposed that he meant the ones which his family had
+lost about three hundred years ago, according to Mr. Turtle, but that he
+didn't believe they ever could spin them much, or that Mr. Rabbit could
+spin what he had left.
+
+Mr. 'Possum was going on to say a good deal more on the subject, but Mr.
+Rabbit interrupted him.
+
+He said he didn't suppose there was anybody else in the world whose food
+seemed to do him so little good as Mr. 'Possum's, and that very likely
+it was owing to the habit he had of sleeping with his head hanging down
+in that foolish way. He said he had never heard of anybody who ate so
+much and knew so little.
+
+Of course, he said, everybody might not know what "wold" meant, as it
+wasn't used much except by poets who used the best words, but that it
+meant some kind of a field, and it was better for winter use, as it
+rhymed with "cold" and was nearly always used that way. As for Mr.
+'Possum's other remark, he said he couldn't imagine how anybody would
+suppose that the tales he meant were those other tails which were made
+to wave or wag or flirt or hang from limbs by, instead of being stories
+to be told or written, just as the Deep Woods People were telling and
+writing them now. He said there was an old expression about having a
+peg to hang a tale on, and that it was most likely gotten up by one of
+Mr. 'Possum's ancestors or somebody who knew as little about such things
+as Mr. 'Possum, and that another old expression which said "Thereby
+hangs a tale" was just like it, because the kind of tales he meant
+didn't hang, but were always told or written, while the other kind
+always did hang, and were never told or written, but were only sometimes
+told or written about, and it made him feel sad, he said, to have to
+explain his poem in that simple way.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said that he was sorry Mr. Rabbit felt that way,
+because he didn't feel at all that way himself, and had only been trying
+to discuss Mr. Rabbit's nice poem. He said that of course Mr. Rabbit
+couldn't be expected to know much about tails, never having had a real
+one himself, and would be likely to get mixed up when he tried to write
+on the subject. He said he wouldn't mention such things again, and that
+he was sorry and hoped that Mr. Rabbit would forgive him.
+
+And Mr. Rabbit said that he was sorry, too--sorry for Mr. 'Possum--and
+that he thought whoever was ready had better read the next piece.
+
+Then Mr. Dog said that he supposed that he was as ready as he'd ever be,
+and that he'd like to read his and get it off his mind, so he wouldn't
+be so nervous and could enjoy listening to the others. He wasn't used to
+such things, he said, and couldn't be original like Mr. Rabbit, but he
+knew a story that was told among the fowls in Mr. Man's barn-yard, and
+that he had tried to write it in a simple way that even Mr. 'Possum
+would understand. His story was about a duck--a young and foolish
+duck--who got into trouble, and Mr. Dog said he had made a few sketches
+to go with it, and that they could be handed around while he was
+reading. Now he would begin, he said, and the name of his story was
+
+
+ERASTUS, THE ROBBER DUCK
+
+_By Mr. Dog, with Sketches_
+
+Once upon a time there was a foolish young duck named Erastus (called
+'Rastus, for short). He was an only child, and lived with his mother in
+a small house on the bank of a pond at the foot of the farm-yard.
+
+Erastus thought himself a brave duck; he would chase his shadow, and was
+not afraid of quite a large worm.
+
+As he grew older he did not tell his mother everything. Once he slipped
+away, and went swimming alone. Then a worm larger than any he had ever
+seen came up out of the water, and would have swallowed Erastus if he
+had not reached the shore just in time, and gone screaming to his
+mother.
+
+His mother said the great worm was a water-snake, and she told Erastus
+snake-stories which gave him bad dreams.
+
+[Illustration: MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES]
+
+Erastus grew quite fast, and soon thought he was nearly grown up. Once
+he tried to smoke with some other young ducks behind the barn. It made
+Erastus sick, and his mother found it out. She gave Erastus some
+unpleasant medicine, and made him stay in bed a week.
+
+Erastus decided that he would run away. While his mother was taking her
+morning bath he packed his things in a little valise she had given him
+for Christmas. Then he slipped out the back door and made for the woods
+as fast as he could go. He had made up his mind to be a robber, and make
+a great deal of money by taking it away from other people.
+
+He had begun by taking a small toy pistol which belonged to Mr. Man's
+little boy. He wore it at his side. His mother had read to him about
+robbers. Erastus also had on his nice new coat and pretty vest.
+
+He did not rob anybody that day. There was nothing in the woods but
+trees and vines. Erastus tripped over the vines and hurt himself, and
+lost the toy pistol.
+
+Then it came night, and he was very lonesome. For the first time in his
+life Erastus missed his mother. There was a nice full moon, but Erastus
+did not care for it. Some of the black shadows about him looked as if
+they might be live things. By-and-by he heard a noise near him.
+
+Erastus the Robber Duck started to run; but he was lost, and did not
+know which way to go. All at once he was face to face with some large
+animal. It wore a long cape and a mask. It also carried a real pistol
+which it pointed at Erastus and told him to hold up his wings. Erastus
+the Robber Duck held up his wings as high as possible, and tried to get
+them higher. It did not seem to Erastus that he could hold them up high
+enough. His mother had read to him about robbers.
+
+Then the robber took all the things that Erastus had in his pockets. He
+took his new knife and his little watch; also the nice bag which his
+mother had given him for Christmas.
+
+Erastus kept his wings up a good while after the robber had gone. He was
+afraid the robber had not gone far enough. When he put them down they
+were cramped and sore. Then he heard something again, and thought it was
+the robber coming back after his clothes.
+
+Erastus fled with great speed, taking off his garments as he ran. At
+last he reached the edge of the wood, not far from where he lived. It
+was just morning, and his mother saw him coming. She looked sad, and
+embraced him.
+
+It was the first time Erastus had been out all night.
+
+Erastus was not allowed to go swimming or even to leave the yard for a
+long time. Whenever he remembered that night in the woods he shivered,
+and his mother thought he had a chill. Then she would put him to bed
+and give him some of the unpleasant medicine.
+
+Erastus did not tell his mother _all_ that had happened that night for a
+good while. He was ashamed to do so. But one day when he seemed quite
+sick and his mother was frightened, he broke down and told her all about
+it. Then his mother forgave him, and he got well right away.
+
+After that Erastus behaved, and grew to be the best and largest duck in
+Mr. Man's farm-yard.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+While Mr. Dog had been reading his story the Hollow Tree People--the
+'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow--had been leaning forward
+and almost holding their breath, and Mr. Dog felt a good deal flattered
+when he noticed how interested they were. When he sat down he saw that
+Mr. 'Possum's mouth was open and his tongue fairly hanging out with
+being so excited.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY, BUT IT
+COULDN'T BE TRUE]
+
+Then before any of the others could say a word, Mr. 'Possum said that it
+might be a good enough story, but that it couldn't be true. He said that
+he wasn't a judge of stories, but that he was a judge of ducks--young
+ducks, or old either--and that no young duck could pass the night in the
+Big Deep Woods and get home at sunrise or any other time, unless all the
+other animals were snowed in or locked up in a menagerie, and that the
+animal that had met Erastus might have robbed him, of course, but he
+would have eaten him first, and then carried off what was left, unless,
+of course, that robber was a rabbit, and he said that he didn't believe
+any rabbit would have spunk enough to be in that business.
+
+Mr. Rabbit was about to say something just then, but Mr. Crow and Mr.
+'Coon both interrupted and said they thought Mr. 'Possum was right for
+once, except about Mr. Rabbit, who was plenty brave enough, but too much
+of a gentleman to be out robbing people at night when he could be at
+home in bed asleep. Then Mr. Dog said:
+
+"I don't know whether the story is true or not. I wrote it down as I
+heard it among Mr. Man's fowls, and I know the duck that they still call
+Erastus, and he's the finest, fattest--"
+
+But Mr. Dog didn't get any further. For the Hollow Tree People broke in
+and said, all together:
+
+"Oh, take us to see him, Mr. Dog! Or perhaps you could bring him to see
+us. Invite him to spend an evening with us in the Hollow Tree. Tell him
+we will have him for dinner and invite our friends. Oh, do, Mr. Dog!"
+
+But Mr. Dog knew what they meant by having him for dinner, and he said
+he guessed Mr. Man would not be willing to have Erastus go out on an
+invitation like that, and that if Erastus came, Mr. Man might take a
+notion to visit the Hollow Tree himself. Then the Hollow Tree People
+all said, "Oh, never mind about Erastus! He's probably old and
+disagreeable anyway. We don't think we would care for him. But it was a
+nice story--very nice, indeed."
+
+And pretty soon Mr. Dog said he'd been thinking about the robber animal,
+too, and had made up his mind that it might have been one of Mr. Cat's
+family--for Mr. Man's little boy and girl had a book with a nice poem in
+it about a robber cat, and a robber dog, too, though he didn't think
+that the dog could have been any of _his_ family. Mr. Cat, he said,
+would not be likely to care for Erastus, feathers and all, that way, and
+no doubt it really was Mr. Cat who robbed him. Mr. Dog said that he had
+once heard of a Mr. Cat who wanted to be king--perhaps after Mr. Lion
+had gone out of the king business, and that there was an old poem about
+it that Mr. Dog's mother used to sing to him, but he didn't think it had
+ever been put into a book. He said there were a good many things in it
+he didn't suppose the Hollow Tree People would understand because it was
+about a different kind of a country--where his mother had been born--but
+that if they really would like to hear it he would try to remember it
+for them, as it would be something different from anything they had been
+used to. Then the Hollow Tree People and their friends all said how glad
+they would be to hear it, for they always liked to hear about new
+things and new parts of the country; so Mr. Dog said that if some of the
+others would read or sing or dance their jigs first, perhaps it would
+come to him and he would sing it for them by and by.
+
+Then Mr. Robin spoke up and said that he thought Mr. Dog's story had a
+good moral in it, and he said that _his_ story (Mr. Robin's, of course)
+was that kind of a story, too. Perhaps he'd better tell it now, he said,
+while their minds were running that way, though as for Mr. 'Possum's
+mind it seemed to be more on how good Erastus might be cooked than how
+good he had become in his behavior. He was sorry, he said, that his
+story didn't have any ducks in it, young or old, but that perhaps Mr.
+'Possum and the others would be willing to wait for the nice pair of
+cooked ones now hanging in Mr. Crow's pantry, to be served at the end of
+the literary exercises.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum said "No," he wasn't willing to wait any longer--that
+Mr. Dog's story and the mention of those nice cooked fowls was more than
+he could bear, and that if it was all the same to Mr. Robin and the
+others he voted to have supper first, and then he'd be better able to
+stand a strictly moral story on a full stomach.
+
+Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon said that was a good idea, and Mr. Rabbit said he
+thought they'd better postpone Mr. Robin's story until the next evening,
+as Mr. 'Possum had taken up so much time with his arguments that he
+must be hungrier than usual, and if he put in as much more time eating,
+it would be morning before they were ready to go on with the literary
+programme.
+
+Then they all looked at the clock and saw that it really was getting
+late, though that was the only way they could tell, for the snow covered
+all the windows and made no difference between day and night in the
+Hollow Tree.
+
+
+
+
+THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB--Part II
+
+MR. RABBIT STARTS SOME NEW AMUSEMENTS
+
+
+IT was still dark in the Hollow Tree when the Deep Woods People woke up
+next morning, but they knew what was the matter now, and could tell by
+the clock and the fire that it was day outside, even before Mr. 'Possum
+ran up to his room and looked out the window and came back shivering,
+because he said the snow was blowing and drifting and some had drifted
+in around his windows and made his room as cold as all outdoors. He said
+he was willing to stay by the fire while this spell lasted, and take
+such exercise as he needed by moving his chair around to the table when
+he wanted to eat.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said that Mr. 'Possum might exercise himself on a little wood
+for the cook-stove in Mr. Crow's kitchen if he wanted any breakfast,
+and that if this spell kept up long enough, they wouldn't have anything
+left but exercise to keep them alive.
+
+So Mr. 'Possum went down-stairs after an armful of stove-wood, and he
+stayed a good while, though they didn't notice it at the time. Then they
+all helped with the breakfast, and after breakfast they pushed back all
+the things and played "Blind Man's Buff," for Mr. Rabbit said that even
+if moving his chair from the fire to the table and back again was enough
+exercise for Mr. 'Possum, it wasn't enough for _him_, and the others
+said so, too.
+
+[Illustration: SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD BE
+"IT"]
+
+So then Mr. Rabbit said they must choose who would be "It" first, and
+they all stood in a row and Mr. Rabbit said:
+
+    "Hi, ho, hickory dee--
+     One for you and one for me;
+     One for the ones you try to find,
+     And one for the one that wears the blind,"
+
+which was a rigmarole Mr. Rabbit had made up himself to use in games
+where somebody had to be "It," and Mr. Rabbit said it around and around
+the circle on the different ones--one word for each one--until he came
+to the word "blind" and that was Mr. 'Possum, who had to put on the
+handkerchief and do more exercising than any of them, until he caught
+Mr. Turtle, who had to be "It" quite often, because he couldn't get
+out of the way as well as the others.
+
+And Mr. 'Possum was "It" a good deal, too, and Mr. 'Coon, and all the
+rest, though Mr. Robin was "It" less than anybody, because he was so
+little and spry that he could get out of the way.
+
+Then when they were tired of "Blind Man's Buff" they played "Pussy Wants
+a Corner" and "Forfeits," and Mr. 'Possum had to make a speech to redeem
+his forfeit, and he began:
+
+"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN" (though there were no ladies present)--"I am
+pleased to see you all here this evening" (though it wasn't evening)
+"looking so well dressed and well fed. It is better to be well fed than
+well dressed. It is better to be well dressed than not dressed at all.
+It is better to be not dressed at all than not fed at all. Ladies and
+gentlemen, I thank you for your kind attention and applause"--though
+they hadn't applauded yet, but they did, right away, and said it was a
+good speech, and Mr. Crow said it reminded him that it was about
+dinner-time, and that he would need some more wood.
+
+So Mr. 'Possum got right up to get the stove-wood again, which everybody
+thought was very good of Mr. 'Possum, who wasn't usually so spry and
+willing.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO MORE
+EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM]
+
+Then in the afternoon they had games again, but nice quiet games, for
+they were all glad to sit down, and they played "Button! Button! Who's
+Got the Button?" and nobody could tell when Mr. 'Possum had the button,
+for his face didn't show it, because he was nearly always looking
+straight into the fire, and seemed to be thinking about something away
+off. And when the fire got low, he always jumped up and offered to go
+down into the store-room after the wood, and they all said how willing
+and spry Mr. 'Possum was getting all at once, and when he stayed a good
+while down-stairs they didn't think anything about it--not at the
+time--or if they did they only thought he was picking out the best
+pieces to burn. They played "Drop the Handkerchief," too, and when they
+got through Mr. Rabbit performed some tricks with the handkerchief and
+the button that made even Mr. 'Possum pay attention because they were so
+wonderful.
+
+There was one trick especially that Mr. Rabbit did a great many times
+because they liked it so much, and were so anxious to guess how it was
+done. Mr. Rabbit told them it was a trick that had come down to him from
+his thirty-second great-grandfather, and must never be told to any one.
+
+It was a trick where he laid the button in the centre of the
+handkerchief and then folded the corners down on it, and pressed them
+down each time so that they could see that the button was still there,
+and he would let them press on it, too, to prove it, and then when he
+would lift up the handkerchief by the two corners nearest him there
+would be no button at all, and he would find it on the mantel-shelf or
+perhaps on Mr. Crow's bald head, or in Mr. 'Possum's pocket, or some
+place like that. But one time, when Mr. Rabbit had done it over and
+over, and maybe had grown a little careless, he lifted the handkerchief
+by the corners nearest him, and there was the button sticking fast,
+right in the centre of the handkerchief, for it had a little beeswax on
+it, to make it stick to one of the corners next to Mr. Rabbit, and by
+some mistake Mr. Rabbit had turned the button upside down!
+
+Then they all laughed, and all began to try it for themselves, and Mr.
+Rabbit laughed too, though perhaps he didn't feel much like it, and told
+them that they had learned one of the greatest secrets in his family,
+and that he would now tell them the adage that went with it if they
+would promise never to tell either the secret or the adage, and they all
+promised, and Mr. Rabbit told them the adage, which was:
+
+    "When beeswax grows on the button-tree,
+     No one knows what the weather'll be."
+
+[Illustration: WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON MR.
+CROW'S BALD HEAD]
+
+"That," said Mr. Rabbit, "is a very old adage. I don't know what it
+means exactly, but I'm sure it means something, because old adages
+always do mean something, though often nobody can find out just what
+it is, and the less they seem to mean the better they are, as adages.
+There are a great many old adages in our family, and they have often got
+my ancestors out of trouble. When we didn't have an old one to fit the
+trouble we made a new one, and by-and-by it got old too, and useful in
+different ways, because by that time it didn't seem to mean anything
+special, and could be used almost anywhere."
+
+Then the Deep Woods People all said there was never anybody who knew so
+much and could do so many things as Mr. Jack Rabbit, and how proud they
+all were to have him in their midst, and Mr. Rabbit showed them how to
+do all the tricks he knew, and they all practised them and tried them on
+each other until Mr. Crow said he must look after the supper, and Mr.
+'Possum ran right off after an armful of stove-wood, and everybody
+helped with everything there was to do, for they were having such a good
+time and were so hungry.
+
+And after supper they all sat around the fire again and smoked a little
+before anybody said anything, until by-and-by Mr. Rabbit said that they
+would go on now with the literary club, and that Mr. Robin might read
+the story he had mentioned the night before.
+
+So Mr. Robin got up, and stood on a chair, and made a nice bow. He said
+it was not really his own story he had written, but one that his
+grandmother used to tell him sometimes, though he didn't think it had
+ever been put into a book.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit spoke up and said that that didn't matter, that of
+course everybody couldn't be original, and that the story itself was the
+main thing and the way you told it. He said if Mr. Robin would go right
+on with the story now it would save time. So then they all knocked the
+ashes out of their pipes--all except Mr. Robin, who began right off to
+read his story:
+
+
+
+
+THE DISCONTENTED FOX
+
+MR. ROBIN TELLS HOW A FOX LEARNED A GOOD LESSON BY TAKING A LONG JOURNEY
+
+
+ONCE upon a time there was a Fox who lived at the foot of a hill and had
+a _nice garden_. One morning when he began to hoe in it he got tired,
+and the sun was _very hot_. Then the Fox didn't like to hoe any more,
+and made up his mind that it wasn't very pleasant to have a garden,
+anyway.
+
+So then he started out to travel and find _pleasant things_. He put on
+his best clothes, and the first house he came to belonged to a Rabbit
+who kept bees. And the Rabbit showed the Fox his bees and how to take
+out the honey. And the Fox said, "What _pleasant work_!" and wanted to
+take out honey too. But when he did there was a bee on the honey, and it
+stung the Fox on the nose. And that hurt the Fox, and his nose began to
+swell up, and he said: "This is not pleasant work _at all_!" and of
+course it wasn't--not for _him_--though the Rabbit seemed to enjoy it
+_more than ever_.
+
+So the Fox travelled on, and the next house he came to belonged to a
+Crow who made pies. And the Fox looked at him awhile and said, "What
+_pleasant work_!" And the Crow let the Fox help him, and when the Fox
+went to take a pie out of the oven he burnt his fingers _quite badly_.
+Then he said, "No, it is _not_ pleasant work--not for _me_!" and that
+was true, though the Crow seemed to enjoy it _more than ever_.
+
+So the Fox went on again, and the next house he came to belonged to a
+'Coon who milked cows. And the Fox watched him milk, and pretty soon he
+said: "What pleasant work that _is_! Let _me_ milk." So the 'Coon let
+the Fox milk, and the Cow put her foot in the milk-pail and upset it
+_all over_ the Fox's nice _new clothes_. And the Fox was mad, and said:
+"This work is not in the _least_ pleasant!" and he _hurried away_,
+though the 'Coon seemed to enjoy it _more than ever_.
+
+And the next house the Fox came to belonged to a Cat who played the
+fiddle. And the Fox listened awhile and said: "What pleasant work that
+_must be_!" and he borrowed the Cat's fiddle. But when he started down
+the road playing, a Man ran around the corner and shot a loud gun at
+him, and that was not pleasant, _either_, though the Cat seemed to enjoy
+it _more than ever_.
+
+So the Fox kept on travelling and _doing_ things that he thought would
+be _pleasant_, but that did not turn out to _be_ pleasant--not for
+_him_--until by-and-by he had travelled _clear around the world_ and had
+come up on the other side, _back_ to his _own garden_ again. And his
+garden was just the same as he had left it, only the things had grown
+bigger, and there were _some weeds_.
+
+And the Fox jumped over the fence and commenced to _hoe_ the _weeds_,
+and pretty soon he said, "Why, this is _pleasant_!" Then he hoed some
+more, and said, "Why, what pleasant work _this is_!"
+
+So he kept on hoeing and finding it pleasant until by-and-by the weeds
+were _all gone_, and the _Rabbit_ and the _Crow_ and the _Cat_ and the
+_'Coon_ came and traded him honey and pies and milk and music for
+vegetables, because he had the best garden in the world. And he _has
+yet_!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Mr. Robin got through and sat down, Mr. Squirrel spoke up and said
+it was a good story because it had a moral lesson in it and taught folks
+to like the things they knew best how to do, and Mr. 'Possum said yes,
+that might be so, but that the story couldn't be true, because none of
+those animals would have enjoyed seeing that Fox leave them, but would
+have persuaded him to stay and help them, and would have taught him to
+do most of the work.
+
+Then Mr. Robin spoke up and said that Mr. 'Possum thought everybody was
+like himself, and that anyway Mr. 'Possum didn't need the lesson in that
+story, for he already liked to do the things he could do best, which
+were to eat and sleep and let other people do the work, though of course
+he had been very good about getting the wood, lately, which certainly
+was unusual.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said he didn't see why Mr. Robin should speak in that
+cross way when he had only meant to be kind and show him the mistake in
+his story, so he could fix it right. And Mr. Rabbit said that as Mr.
+'Possum seemed to know so much how stories and poems ought to be
+written, perhaps he'd show now what he could do in that line himself.
+
+Mr. 'Possum said he hadn't written anything because it was too much
+trouble, but that he would tell them a story if they would like to hear
+it--something that had really happened, because he had been there, and
+was old enough to remember.
+
+But before he began Mr. Robin said that as they had not cared much about
+his story he would like to recite a few lines he had thought of, which
+would perhaps explain how he felt, and all the animals said, "Of course,
+go right on," and Mr. Robin bowed and recited a little poem he had made,
+called
+
+
+ONLY ME
+
+_By C. Robin_
+
+    How came a little bird like me
+      A place in this fine group to win?
+    My mind is small--it has to be--
+      The little place I keep it in.
+    How came a little bird like me
+    To be here in the Hollow Tree?
+
+    When all the others know so much,
+      And are so strong and gifted too,
+    How can I dare to speak of such
+      As I can know, and think, and do?
+    How can a little bird like me
+    Belong here in the Hollow Tree?
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE HADN'T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL BY WHAT
+HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY]
+
+Well, when Mr. Robin finished that, all the others spoke right up and
+said that Mr. Robin must never write anything so sad as that again. They
+said his story was just as good as it could be, and that Mr. Robin was
+one of the smartest ones there; and Mr. 'Possum burst into tears, and
+said that he hadn't meant anything at all by what he had said about the
+story, and that some time, when they were all alone, Mr. Robin must
+tell it to him again, and he would try to have sense enough to
+understand it.
+
+Then he ran over to Mr. Robin, and was going to embrace him and weep on
+his shoulder, and would very likely have mashed him if Mr. Turtle hadn't
+dragged him back to his seat and told him that he had done damage enough
+to people's feelings without killing anybody, and the best thing he
+could do now would be to go on with a story of his own if he had any.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum said he was too sleepy now, so Mr. Dog sang the poem
+which he had promised the evening before because, he said, singing would
+be a nice thing to go to sleep on. Mr. Dog's song was called
+
+
+THE CAT WHO WOULD BE KING
+
+    There was cat who kept a store,
+        With other cats for customers.
+            His milk and mice
+            All packed in ice--
+        His catnip all in canisters.
+
+    Fresh milk he furnished every day--
+        Two times a day and sometimes three--
+            And so this cat
+            Grew rich and fat
+        And proud as any cat could be.
+
+    But though so fat and rich he grew
+        He was not satisfied at all--
+            At last quoth he,
+            "A king I'll be
+        Of other cats both great and small."
+
+[Illustration: AND SO THIS CAT CREW RICH AND FAT]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    Then hied he to the tinner cat,
+        Who made for him a tinsel crown,
+            And on the street,
+            A king complete,
+        He soon went marching up and down.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    Now, many cats came out to see,
+        And some were filled with awe at him;
+            While some, alack,
+            Behind his back
+        Did laugh and point a paw at him.
+
+[Illustration: HIS CLERKS]
+
+    Mice, milk, and catnip did he scorn;
+        He went to business less and less--
+            And everywhere
+            He wore an air
+        Of arrogance and haughtiness.
+
+    His clerks ate catnip all day long--
+        They spent much time in idle play;
+            They left the mice
+            From off the ice--
+        They trusted cats who could not pay.
+
+[Illustration: A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE]
+
+    While happy in his tin-shop crown
+        Each day the king went marching out,
+            Elate because
+            He thought he was
+        The kind of king you read about.
+
+    But lo, one day, he strolled too far,
+        And in a dim and dismal place
+            A cat he met,
+            Quite small, and yet
+        A solemn look was in his face.
+
+    One fiery eye this feline wore--
+        A waif he was of low degree--
+            No gaudy dress
+            Did he possess,
+        Nor yet a handsome cat was he.
+
+    But lo, he smote that spurious king
+        And stripped him of his tinsel crown,
+            Then like the wind
+            Full close behind
+        He chased His Highness into town.
+
+    With cheers his subjects saw him come.
+        He did not pause--he did not stop,
+            But straight ahead
+            He wildly fled
+        Till he was safe within his shop.
+
+    He caught his breath and gazed about--
+        A sorry sight did he behold:
+            No catnip there
+            Or watchful care--
+        No mice and milk and joy of old.
+
+    He heaved a sigh and dropped a tear--
+        He sent those idle clerks away--
+            Quoth he, "My pride
+        Is satisfied;
+        This kingdom business does not pay."
+
+    With care once more he runs his store,
+        His catnip all in canisters--
+            His milk and mice
+            All packed in ice,
+        And humbly serves his customers.
+
+[Illustration: QUOTH HE, "MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM BUSINESS
+DOES NOT PAY"]
+
+
+
+
+MR. 'POSSUM'S GREAT STORY
+
+MR. 'POSSUM TELLS THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF THE 'POSSUM FAMILY, TO THE
+SURPRISE OF HIS FRIENDS
+
+
+"NOW this," said the Story Teller, "is the story that Mr. 'Possum told
+the 'Snowed-In' Literary Club in the Hollow Tree. It must be a true
+story, because Mr. 'Possum said so, and, besides, anybody that knows Mr.
+'Possum would know that he could never in the world have made it up out
+of his head."
+
+The Little Lady doesn't quite like that.
+
+"But Mr. 'Possum is smart," she says. "He knows ever so much."
+
+"Oh yes, of course, and that's why he never _has_ to make up things. He
+just tells what he knows, and this time he told
+
+
+HOW UNCLE SILAS AND AUNT MELISSY MOVED
+
+"You may remember," he said, "my telling you once about Uncle Silas and
+Aunt Melissy Lovejoy, who lived in a nice place just beyond the Wide
+Paw-paw Hollows, and how Uncle Silas once visited Cousin Glenwood in
+town and came home all dressed up, leading a game chicken, and with a
+bag of shinny-sticks, and a young man to wait on him; and how Aunt
+Melissy--instead of being pleased, as Uncle Silas thought she would
+be--got mad when she saw him, and made him and the young man take off
+all their nice clothes and go to work in the garden, and kept them at it
+with that bag of shinny-sticks until fall.[B]
+
+"Well, this story is about them, too. I went to live with them soon
+after that, because I lost both of my parents one night when Mr. Man was
+hunting in the Black Bottoms for something to put in a pan with some
+sweet potatoes he had raised that year, and I suppose I would have been
+used with sweet potatoes too if I hadn't come away from there pretty
+lively instead of trying our old playing-dead trick on Mr. Man and his
+friends.
+
+"I thought right away that Mr. Man might know the trick, so I didn't
+wait to try it myself, but took out for the Wide Paw-paw Hollows, to
+visit Uncle Silas Lovejoy, who was an uncle on my mother's side, and
+Aunt Melissy and my little cousins; and they all seemed glad to see me,
+especially my little cousins, until they found they had to give me some
+of their things and most of their food, because I was young and
+growing, besides being quite sad about my folks, and so, of course, had
+to eat a good deal to keep well and from taking my loss too hard.
+
+"But by-and-by Uncle Lovejoy said that he didn't believe that he and the
+hired man--who was the same one he had brought home to wait on him when
+he came from town--to be his valet, he said--though he got to be a hired
+man right after Aunt Melissy met him and got hold of the
+shinny-sticks--Aunt Melissy being a spry, stirring person who liked to
+see people busy. I remember how she used to keep me and my little
+cousins busy until sometimes I wished I had stayed with my folks and put
+up with the sweet potatoes and let Uncle Silas and his family alone."
+
+Mr. 'Possum stopped to light his pipe, and Mr. Rabbit said that he
+supposed, of course, Mr. 'Possum knew his story and how to tell it, but
+that if he ever intended to finish what Uncle Lovejoy had said about
+himself and the hired man he wished he'd get at it pretty soon.
+
+Mr. 'Possum said of course he meant to, as soon as he could get his
+breath, and think a minute. "Well, then," he said, "Uncle Silas told
+Aunt Melissy that he didn't believe he and the hired man could raise and
+catch enough for the family since I had come to stay with them, and he
+thought they had better move farther west to a place where the land was
+better and where Mr. Man's chickens were not kept up in such close,
+unhealthy places, but were allowed to roost out in the open air, on the
+fences and in the trees. He said he didn't think their house was quite
+stylish enough either, which he knew would strike Aunt Melissy, who was
+a Glenwood, and primpy, and fond of the best things.
+
+"So then we began to pack up right away, and Uncle Silas and Aunt
+Melissy quarrelled a good deal about what was worth taking and what
+wasn't, and they took turns scolding the hired man about a good many
+things he didn't do and almost all of the things he did do, and my
+little cousins and I had a fine time running through the empty rooms and
+playing with things we had never seen before, but we had to keep out of
+Aunt Melissy's reach if we wanted to enjoy it much.
+
+"Well, by-and-by we were all packed up and ready to start. We had
+everything in bundles or tied together, and Aunt Melissy had arranged a
+big bundle for Uncle Silas to carry, and several things to tie and hang
+about on his person in different places, and she had fixed up the hired
+man too, besides some bundles for me and my little cousins.
+
+"Aunt Melissy said she would take charge of the lunch-basket and lead
+the way, and she was all dressed up and carried an umbrella, and didn't
+look much as if she belonged to the rest of our crowd.
+
+[Illustration: AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE SILAS, AND
+SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED MAN TOO]
+
+"It was pretty early when we started, for it was getting dangerous to
+camp out in that section, and we wanted to get as far as we could the
+first day, though we didn't any of us have any idea then how long a trip
+we _would_ make that day, nor of the way we were going to make it.
+Nobody could guess a guess like that, even if he was the best guesser in
+the world and made his living that way."
+
+Mr. 'Possum stopped to light his pipe again, and said that if anybody
+wanted a chance to guess how far they went that first day and how they
+travelled, they could guess now. But the Hollow Tree People said they
+didn't want to guess, and they did want Mr. 'Possum to go ahead and tell
+them about it.
+
+"Well," said Mr. 'Possum, "we travelled fifty miles that first day, and
+we travelled it in less than two hours."
+
+"Fifty miles in two hours!" said all the Hollow Tree People. And Jack
+Rabbit said:
+
+"Why, a menagerie like that couldn't travel fifty miles in two years!"
+
+"But we did, though," said Mr. 'Possum; "we travelled it in a balloon."
+
+"In a balloon!"
+
+"Well, not exactly in a balloon, but _with_ a balloon. It happened just
+as I'm going to tell you.
+
+[Illustration: DIDN'T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF OUR CROWD]
+
+"We went along pretty well until we got to the Wide Grass Lands, though
+Aunt Melissy scolded Uncle Silas a good deal because he got behind and
+didn't stand up in a nice stylish way with all the things he had to
+carry, and she used her umbrella once on the hired man because he
+dropped the clock.
+
+"When we got out to the Wide Grass Lands there was a high east wind
+blowing, getting ready for a storm, and when we got on top of a little
+grassy hill close to the Wide Blue Water it blew Uncle Silas and the
+hired man so they could hardly stand up, and it turned Aunt Melissy's
+umbrella wrong side out, which made her mad, and she said that it was
+Uncle Silas's fault and mine, and that she had never wanted to move
+anyway.
+
+"But just then one of my little cousins looked up in the sky and said,
+'Oh, look at that funny bird!' and we all looked up, and there was a
+great big long bag of a thing coming right toward us, not very high up,
+and Uncle Silas spoke up and said 'That's a balloon,' for Uncle Silas
+had seen one in town when he was there visiting Cousin Glenwood, and the
+hired man, too. Then while we were all standing there watching it, we
+saw that there was a long rope that hung from the balloon most to the
+ground, and that it had something tied to the end of it (a big iron
+thing with a lot of hooks on it), and that it was swooping down straight
+toward us.
+
+"Uncle Silas called out as loud as he could, 'That's the anchor! Look
+out!' but it was too late to look out, for it was coming as fast as the
+wind blew the balloon, and Uncle Silas and the hired man being loaded
+with the things couldn't move very quick, and the rest of us were too
+scared to know which way to jump, and down came that thing right among
+us, and I saw it catch among Uncle Silas's furniture and the hired
+man's, and I heard Uncle Silas say, 'Grab hold, all of you!' and we all
+did, some one way and some another, and away we went.
+
+"Well, it was certainly very curious how we all were lucky enough to get
+hold of that anchor, with all our bundles and things; but of course we
+could do it better than if we had not been given those nice useful tails
+which belong to our family. I had hold that way, and some of the others
+did, too. Uncle Silas didn't need to hold on at all, for some of the
+furniture was tied to him, and he just sat back in a chair that was hung
+on behind and took it easy, though he did drop some of his things when
+he first got aboard, and Aunt Melissy scolded him for that as soon as
+she caught her breath and got over being frightened and was sitting up
+on her part of the anchor enjoying the scenery.
+
+[Illustration: THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST AFTER IT
+GOT OUR FAMILY]
+
+"I never had such a trip as that before, and never expect to have one
+again. The balloon went over the Wide Blue Water just after it got our
+family, and we were all afraid we would be let down in it and drowned;
+but the people who were in the balloon threw out something heavy which
+we thought at first they were throwing at us, but it must have been
+something to make the balloon go up; for we did go up until Aunt Melissy
+said if we'd just get a little nearer one of those clouds she'd step out
+on it and live there, as she'd always wanted to do since she was a
+child.
+
+"Then we all sat up and held on tight, above and below, and said what a
+nice day it was to travel, and that we'd always travel that way
+hereafter; and Uncle Silas and the hired man unhooked their furniture,
+so they could land easier when the time came, and Aunt Melissy passed
+around the lunch, and we looked down and saw the water and the land
+again and a lot of houses and trees, and Aunt Melissy said that nobody
+could ever made her believe the world was that big if she hadn't seen it
+with her own eyes.
+
+"And Uncle Silas and the hired man said that of course this was going
+pretty fast, but that they had travelled a good deal faster sometimes
+when they were in town with Cousin Glenwood, and pretty soon he showed
+us the town where Cousin Glenwood lived, and he and the hired man tried
+to point out the house to us, but they couldn't agree about which it was
+because the houses didn't look the same from up there in the air as they
+did from down on the ground.
+
+"I know I shall never forget that trip. We saw ever so many different
+Mr. Men and Mr. Dogs, and animals of every kind, and houses that had
+chimneys taller than any tree, and a good many things that even Uncle
+Silas did not know about. Then by-and-by we came to some woods
+again--the biggest kind of Big Deep Woods--and we saw that we were
+getting close to the tree-tops, and we were all afraid we would get hit
+by the branches and maybe knocked off with our things.
+
+"And pretty soon, sure enough, that anchor did drop right down among the
+trees, and such a clapping and scratching as we did get!
+
+"We shut our eyes and held on, and some of our furniture was brushed off
+of Uncle Silas and the hired man, and Aunt Melissy lost her umbrella,
+and I lost a toy chicken, which I could never find again. Then all at
+once there was a big sudden jerk that jarred Uncle Silas loose, and made
+Aunt Melissy holler that she was killed, and knocked the breath out of
+the rest of us for a few minutes.
+
+"But we were all there, and the anchor was fast on the limb of a big
+tree--a tree almost as big as the Hollow Tree, and hollow, just like it,
+with a nice handy place to go in.
+
+"So when we got our senses back we picked up all our things that we
+could find, and moved into the new place, and Aunt Melissy looked at the
+clock, which was still running, and it was just a little over two hours
+since we started.
+
+"Then pretty soon we heard Mr. Man and his friends who had been up in
+the balloon coming, and we stayed close inside till they had taken the
+anchor and everything away, and after that, when it was getting dark,
+Uncle Silas and the hired man went out and found, not very far off,
+where there were some nice chickens that roosted in handy places, and
+brought home two or three, and Aunt Melissy set up the stove and cooked
+up a good supper, and we all sat around the kitchen fire, and the storm
+that the east wind had been blowing up came along sure enough and it
+rained all night, but we were snug and dry, and went to sleep mostly in
+beds made down on the floor, and lay there listening to the rain and
+thinking what a nice journey we'd had and what a good new home we'd
+found.
+
+"And it _was_ a good place, for I lived there till I grew up, and if I'm
+not mistaken some of Uncle Silas's and Aunt Melissy's children live
+there still. I haven't heard from any of them for a long time, but I am
+thinking of going on a visit over that way in the spring, and if that
+balloon is still running I'm going to travel with it.
+
+"And that," said Mr. 'Possum, "is a true story--all true, every word,
+for I was there."
+
+Nobody said anything for a minute or two after Mr. 'Possum had finished
+his story--nobody _could_ say anything.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit coughed a little and remarked that he was glad that Mr.
+'Possum said that the story was true, for no one would ever have
+suspected it. He said if Mr. 'Possum hadn't said it was true he would
+have thought it was one of those pleasant dreams that Mr. 'Possum had
+when he slept hanging to a peg head down.
+
+But Mr. Turtle, who had been sitting with his eyes shut and looking as
+if he were asleep, knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and said that what
+Mr. 'Possum had told them was true--at least, _some_ of it was true; for
+he himself had been sitting in the door of his house on the shore of the
+Wide Blue Water when the balloon passed over, and he had seen Uncle
+Silas Lovejoy's family sitting up there anchored and comfortable; and he
+had picked up a chair that Uncle Silas had dropped, and he had it in his
+house to this day, it being a good strong chair and better than any that
+was made nowadays.
+
+Well, of course after that nobody said anything about Mr. 'Possum's
+story not being true, for they remembered how old and wise Mr. Turtle
+was and could always prove things, and they all talked about it a great
+deal, and asked Mr. 'Possum a good many questions.
+
+They said how nice it was to know somebody who had had an adventure like
+that, and Mr. Rabbit changed his seat so he could be next to Mr.
+'Possum, because he said he wanted to write it all down to keep.
+
+[Illustration: MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. 'POSSUM HAD TOLD THEM WAS
+TRUE]
+
+And Mr. 'Possum said he never would forget how good those chickens
+tasted that first night in the new home, and that Mr. Rabbit mustn't
+forget to put them in.
+
+Then they all remembered that they were hungry now, and Mr. Crow and Mr.
+Squirrel and Mr. Robin hustled around to get a bite to eat before
+bedtime, and Mr. 'Possum hurried down to bring up the stove-wood, and
+was gone quite awhile, though nobody spoke of it--not then--even if they
+did wonder about it a little--and after supper they all sat around the
+fire again and smoked and dropped off to sleep while the clock ticked
+and the blaze flickered about and made queer shadows on the wall of the
+Hollow Tree.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[B] _Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book._
+
+
+
+
+THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF
+
+HOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE HAVE A MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR, AND WHAT
+BECOMES OF HIM
+
+
+"WHAT made Mr. 'Possum so anxious to get the wood, and what made him
+stay down-stairs so long when he went after it?" asks the Little Lady
+next evening, when the Story Teller is lighting his pipe and getting
+ready to remember the history of the Hollow Tree.
+
+"We're coming to that. You may be sure there was some reason for it, for
+Mr. 'Possum doesn't hurry after wood or stay long in a cold place if he
+can help it, unless he has something on his mind. Perhaps some of the
+Deep Woods People thought of that too, but if they did they didn't say
+anything--not at the time. I suppose they thought it didn't matter much,
+anyhow, if they got the wood."
+
+So they went right on having a good time, keeping up a nice fire, and
+eating up whatever they had; for they thought the big snow couldn't last
+as long as their wood and their things to eat, and every day they went
+up to look out of the up-stairs windows to see how much had melted, and
+every day they found it just about the same, only maybe a little
+crustier on top, and the weather stayed _very cold_.
+
+But they didn't mind it so long as they were warm and not hungry, and
+they played games, and recited their pieces, and sang, and danced, and
+said they had never had such a good time in all their lives.
+
+But one day when Mr. Crow went down into the store-room for supplies he
+found that he was at the bottom of the barrel of everything they had,
+and he came up looking pretty sober, though he didn't say anything about
+it--not then, for he knew there were plenty of bones and odds and ends
+he could scrape up, and he had a little flour and some meal in his
+pantry; so he could make soup and gravy and johnny-cake and hash, which
+he did right away, and they all said how fine such things were for a
+change, and told Mr. Crow to go right on making them as long as he
+wanted to, even if the snow stayed on till spring. And Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon said it was like old times, and that Mr. Crow was probably the
+very best provider in the Big Deep Woods.
+
+[Illustration: ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
+OF EVERYTHING]
+
+Mr. Crow smiled, too, but he didn't feel like it much, for he knew that
+even johnny-cake and gravy wouldn't last forever, and that unless the
+snow went away pretty soon they would all be hungry and cold, for the
+wood was getting low, too.
+
+And one morning, when Mr. Crow went to his meal-sack and his flour-bag
+and his pile of odds and ends there was just barely enough for
+breakfast, and hardly that. And Mr. Crow didn't like to tell them about
+it, for he knew they all thought he could keep right on making
+johnny-cake and gravy forever, because they didn't have to stop to think
+where things came from, as he did, and he was afraid they would blame
+him when there was nothing more left.
+
+So the Old Black Crow tried to step around lively and look pleasant, to
+keep anybody from noticing, because he thought it might turn warm that
+day and melt the snow; and when breakfast was ready he put on what there
+was and said he hadn't cooked very much because he had heard that light
+breakfasts were better for people who stayed in the house a good deal,
+and as for himself, he said he guessed he wouldn't eat any breakfast
+that morning at all.
+
+Then while the others were eating he crept down-stairs and looked at the
+empty boxes and barrels and the few sticks of wood that were left, and
+he knew that if that snow didn't melt off right away they were going to
+have a _very hard time_. Then he came back up in the big living-room and
+went on up-stairs to his own room, to look out the window to see if it
+wasn't going to be a warm, melting day. But Mr. Crow came back pretty
+soon. He came back in a hurry, too, and he slammed his door and locked
+it, and then let go of everything and just slid down-stairs. Then the
+Deep Woods People jumped up quick from the table and ran to him, for
+they thought he was having a fit of some kind, and they still thought so
+when they looked into his face: for Mr. Crow's eyes were rolled up and
+his bill was pale, and when he tried to speak he couldn't. And Mr.
+Rabbit said it was because Mr. Crow had done without his breakfast, and
+he ran to get something from the table; but Mr. Crow couldn't eat, and
+then they saw that some of the feathers on top of his head were turning
+gray, and they knew he had seen some awful thing just that little moment
+he was in his room.
+
+So then they all looked at one another and wondered what it was, and
+they were glad Mr. Crow had locked the door. Then they carried him over
+to the fire, and pretty soon he got so he could whisper a little, and
+when they knew what he was saying they understood why he was so scared
+and why he had locked the door; for the words that Mr. Crow kept
+whispering over and over were: "Old Hungry-Wolf! Old Hungry-Wolf! Old
+Hungry-Wolf!"
+
+All the Deep Woods People know what that means. They know that when Old
+Hungry-Wolf comes, or even when you hear him bark, it means that there
+is no food left in the Big Deep Woods for anybody, and that nobody can
+tell how long it will be before there _will_ be food again. And all the
+Deep Woods People stood still and held their breath and listened for the
+bark of Old Hungry-Wolf, because they knew Mr. Crow had seen his face
+looking in the window. And they all thought they heard it, except Mr.
+'Possum, who said he didn't believe it was Old Hungry-Wolf at all that
+Mr. Crow had seen, but only Mr. Gray Wolf himself, who had perhaps
+slipped out and travelled over the snow to see if they were all at home
+and comfortable.
+
+But Mr. Crow said:
+
+"No, no; it was Old Hungry-Wolf! He was big and black, and I saw his
+great fiery eyes!"
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum looked very brave, and said he would see if Old
+Hungry-Wolf was looking into his window too, and he went right up, and
+soon came back and said there wasn't any big black face at his window,
+and he thought that Mr. Crow's empty stomach had made him imagine
+things.
+
+So then Mr. 'Coon said that he would go up to _his_ room if the others
+would like to come along, and they could see for themselves whether Old
+Hungry-Wolf was trying to get in or not.
+
+[Illustration: THEN MR. 'COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR]
+
+Then they all went very quietly up Mr. 'Coon's stair (all except Mr.
+'Possum, who stayed with Mr. Crow), and they opened Mr. 'Coon's door
+and took one look inside, and then Mr. 'Coon he slammed _his_ door shut,
+and locked it, and they all let go of everything and came sliding down
+in a heap, for they had seen the great fiery eyes and black face of Old
+Hungry-Wolf glaring in at Mr. 'Coon's window.
+
+So they all huddled around the fire and lit their pipes--for they still
+had some tobacco--and smoked, but didn't say anything, until by-and-by
+Mr. Crow told them that there wasn't another bite to eat in the house
+and very little wood, and that that was the reason why Old Hungry-Wolf
+had come. And they talked about it in whispers--whether they ought to
+exercise any more, because though exercise would help them to keep warm
+and save wood, it would make them hungrier. And some of them said they
+thought they would try to go to sleep like Mr. Bear, who slept all
+winter and never knew that he was hungry until spring. So they kept
+talking, and now and then they would stop and listen, and they all said
+they could hear the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf--all except Mr. 'Possum,
+which was strange, because Mr. 'Possum is fond of good things and would
+be apt to be the very first to hear Old Hungry's bark.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO AFTER A
+PIECE OF WOOD]
+
+And when the fire got very low and it was getting cold, Mr. 'Possum said
+for them not to move; that he would go down after a piece of wood, and
+he would attend to the fire as long as the wood lasted, and try to
+make it last as long as possible. And every time the fire got very low
+Mr. 'Possum would bring a piece of wood, and sometimes he stayed a good
+while (just for one piece of wood), but they still didn't think much
+about it--not then. What they did think about was how hungry they were,
+and Mr. 'Crow said he knew he could eat as much as the old ancestor of
+his that was told about in a book which he had once borrowed from Mr.
+Man's little boy who had left it out in the yard at dinner-time.
+
+Then they all begged Mr. Crow to get the book and read it to them, and
+perhaps they could imagine they were not so hungry. So Mr. Crow brought
+the book and read them the poem about
+
+
+THE RAVENOUS RAVEN
+
+    Oh, there was an old raven as black as could be,
+    And a wonderful sort of a raven was he;
+    For his house he kept tidy, his yard he kept neat,
+    And he cooked the most marvellous dainties to eat.
+    He could roast, he could toast, he could bake, he could fry,
+    He could stir up a cake in the wink of an eye,
+    He could boil, he could broil, he could grill, he could stew--
+    Oh, there wasn't a thing that this bird couldn't do.
+    He would smoke in the sun when the mornings were fair,
+    And his plans for new puddings and pies would prepare;
+    But, alas! like the famous Jim Crow with his shelf,
+    He was greedy, and ate all his dainties himself.
+
+[Illustration: HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE FAIR]
+
+    It was true he was proud of the things he could cook,
+    And would call in his neighbors sometimes for a look,
+    Or a taste, it may be, when his pastry was fine;
+    But he'd never been known to invite them to dine.
+    With a look and a sigh they could stand and behold
+    All the puddings so brown and the sauces of gold;
+    With a taste and a growl they'd reluctantly go
+    Praying vengeance to fall on that greedy old crow.
+
+[Illustration: WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD]
+
+    Now, one morning near Christmas when holly grows green,
+    And the best of good things in the markets are seen,
+    He went out for a smoke in the crisp morning air,
+    And to think of some holiday dish to prepare.
+    Mr. Rabbit had spices to sell at his store,
+    Mr. Reynard had tender young chicks by the score,
+    And the old raven thought, as he stood there alone,
+    Of the tastiest pastry that ever was known.
+
+    Then away to the market he hurried full soon,
+    Dropping in for a chat with the 'possum and 'coon
+    Just to tell them his plans, which they heard with delight,
+    And to ask them to call for a moment that night
+
+[Illustration: THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN]
+
+    For a look and a taste of his pastry so fine,
+    And he hinted he might even ask them to dine.
+    Then he hurried away, and the rest of the day
+    Messrs. 'Possum and 'Coon were expectant and gay.
+
+    Oh, he hurried away and to market he went,
+    And his money for spices and poultry he spent,
+    While behind in the market were many, he knew,
+    Who would talk of the marvellous things he would do;
+    So with joy in his heart and with twinkling eye
+    He returned to his home his new project to try,
+    Then to stir and to bake he began right away,
+    And his dish was complete at the end of the day.
+
+[Illustration: THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY]
+
+    Aye, the marvel was done--'twas a rich golden hue,
+    And its smell was delicious--the old raven knew
+    That he never had made such a pastry before,
+    And a look of deep trouble his countenance wore;
+    "For," thought he, "I am certain the 'possum and 'coon
+    That I talked with to-day will be coming here soon,
+    And expect me to ask them to dine, when, you see,
+    There is just a good feast in this dainty for me."
+
+    Now, behold, he'd scarce uttered his thoughts when he heard
+    At the casement a tapping--this greedy old bird--
+    And the latch was uplifted, and gayly strode in
+    Both the 'coon and the 'possum with faces agrin.
+    They were barbered and brushed and arrayed in their best,
+    In the holiday fashion their figures were dressed,
+    While a look in each face, to the raven at least,
+    Said, "We've come here to-night, sir, prepared for a feast."
+
+    And the raven he smiled as he said, "Howdy-do?"
+    For he'd thought of a plan to get rid of the two;
+    And quoth he, "My dear friends, I am sorry to say
+    That the wonderful pastry I mentioned to-day
+    When it came to be baked was a failure complete,
+    Disappointing to taste and disturbing to eat.
+    I am sorry, dear friends, for I thought 'twould be fine;
+    I am sorry I cannot invite you to dine."
+
+    And the 'coon and the 'possum were both sorry, too,
+    And suspicious, somewhat, for the raven they knew.
+    They declared 'twas too bad all that pudding to waste,
+    And they begged him to give them at least just a taste,
+    But he firmly refused and at last they departed,
+    While the greedy old crow for the dining-room started,
+    And the pie so delicious he piled on his plate,
+    And he ate, and he ate, and he ate, and he ate!
+
+[Illustration: THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE]
+
+    Well, next morn when the 'possum and 'coon passed along
+    They could see at the raven's that something was wrong,
+    For no blue curling smoke from the chimney-top came;
+    So they opened his door and they called out his name,
+    And they entered inside, and behold! on the floor
+    Was the greedy old raven, but greedy no more:
+    For his heart it was still--not a flutter was there--
+    And his toes were turned up and the table was bare;
+    Now his epitaph tells to the whole country-side
+    How he ate, and he ate, and he ate till he died.
+
+When Mr. Crow finished, Mr. Rabbit said it was certainly an interesting
+poem, and if he just had a chance now to eat till he died he'd take it,
+and Mr. 'Coon said he'd give anything to know how that pie had tasted,
+and he didn't see how any _one_ pie could be big enough to kill anybody
+that felt as hungry as _he_ did now. And Mr. 'Possum didn't say much of
+anything, but only seemed drowsy and peaceful-like, which was curious
+for _him_ as things were.
+
+Well, all that day, and the next day, and the next, there wasn't
+anything to eat, and they sat as close as they could around the little
+fire and wished they'd saved some of the big logs and some of the food,
+too, that they had used up so fast when they thought the big snow would
+go away. And the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf got louder and louder, and he
+began to gnaw, too, and they all heard it, day and night--all except Mr.
+'Possum, who said he didn't know why, but that for some reason he
+couldn't hear a sound like that at all, which was _very_ strange,
+indeed.
+
+But there was something else about Mr. 'Possum that was strange. He
+didn't get any thinner. All the others began to show the change right
+away, but Mr. 'Possum still looked the same, and still kept cheerful,
+and stepped around as lively as ever, and that was _very strange_.
+
+By-and-by, when Mr. 'Possum had gone down-stairs for some barrel staves
+to burn, for the wood was all gone, Mr. Rabbit spoke of it, and said he
+couldn't understand it; and then Mr. 'Coon, who had been thinking about
+it too, said he wondered why it sometimes took Mr. 'Possum so long to
+get a little bit of wood. Then they all remembered how Mr. 'Possum had
+stayed so long down-stairs whenever he went, even before Old Hungry-Wolf
+came to the Hollow Tree, and they couldn't understand it _at all_.
+
+And just then Mr. 'Possum came up with two little barrel staves which he
+had been a long time getting, and they all turned and looked at him very
+closely, which was a thing they had never done until that time. And
+before Mr. 'Possum noticed it, they saw him chew--a kind of last,
+finishing chew--and then give a little swallow--a sort of last,
+finishing swallow--and just then he noticed them watching him, and he
+stopped right in his tracks and dropped the two little barrel staves and
+looked very scared and guilty, which was strange, when he had always
+been so willing about the wood.
+
+Then they all got up out of their chairs and looked straight at Mr.
+'Possum, and said:
+
+"What was that you were chewing just now?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+[Illustration: LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. 'POSSUM AND SAID, "WHAT WAS THAT
+YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?"]
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"What was that you were swallowing just now?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"Why do you always stay so long when you go for wood?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"Why is it that you don't get thin, like the rest of us?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"Why is it you never hear the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum said, very weakly:
+
+"I did think I heard it a little while ago."
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"And was that why you went down after wood?"
+
+And once more Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"What have you got _down there_ to eat? And _where_ do you keep it?"
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum seemed to think of something, and picked up the two
+little barrel staves and brought them over to the fire and put them on,
+and looked very friendly, and sat down and lit his pipe and smoked a
+minute, and said that climbing the stairs had overcome him a little, and
+that he wasn't feeling very well, but if they'd let him breathe a
+minute he'd tell them all about it, and how he had been preparing a nice
+surprise for them, for just such a time as this; but when he saw they
+had found out something, it all came on him so sudden that, what with
+climbing the stairs and all, he couldn't quite gather himself, but that
+he was all right now, and the surprise was ready.
+
+"Of course you know," Mr. 'Possum said, "that I have travelled a good
+deal, and have seen a good many kinds of things happen, and know about
+what to expect. And when I saw how fast we were using up the food, and
+how deep the snow was, I knew we might expect a famine that even Mr.
+Crow's johnny-cake and gravy wouldn't last through; and Mr. Crow
+mentioned something of the kind once himself, though he seemed to forget
+it right away again, for he went on giving us just as much as ever. But
+I didn't forget about it, and right away I began laying aside in a quiet
+place some of the things that would keep pretty well, and that we would
+be glad to have when Old Hungry-Wolf should really come along and we had
+learned to live on lighter meals and could make things last."
+
+Mr. 'Possum was going right on, but Mr. 'Coon interrupted him, and said
+that Mr. 'Possum could call it living on lighter meals if he wanted to
+but that he hadn't eaten any meal at all for three days, and that if Mr.
+'Possum had put away anything for a hungry time he wished he'd get it
+out right now, without any more explaining, for it was food that he
+wanted and not explanations, and all the others said so too.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said he was just coming to that, but he only wished to
+say a few words about it because they had seemed to think that he was
+doing something that he shouldn't, when he was really trying to save
+them from Old Hungry-Wolf, and he said he had kept his surprise as long
+as he could, so it would last longer, and that he had been pretending
+not to hear Old Hungry's bark just to keep their spirits up, and he
+supposed one of the reasons why he hadn't got any thinner was because he
+hadn't been so worried, and had kept happy in the nice surprise he had
+all the time, just saving it for when they would begin to need it most.
+As to what he had been chewing and swallowing when he came up-stairs,
+Mr. 'Possum said that he had been taking just the least little taste of
+some of the things to see if they were keeping well--some nice cooked
+chickens, for instance, from a lot that Mr. Crow had on hand and didn't
+remember about, and a young turkey or two, and a few ducks, and a bushel
+or so of apples, and a half a barrel of doughnuts, and--
+
+But Mr. 'Possum didn't get any further, for all the Deep Woods People
+made a wild scramble for the stairs, with Mr. 'Possum after them, and
+when they got down in the store-room he took them behind one of the big
+roots of the Hollow Tree, and there was a passageway that none of them
+had ever suspected, and Mr. 'Possum lit a candle and led them through it
+and out into a sort of cave, and there, sure enough, were all the things
+he had told them about and some mince-pies besides. And there was even
+some wood, for Mr. 'Possum had worked hard to lay away a supply of
+things for a long snowed-in time.
+
+Then all the Hollow Tree People sat right down there and had some of the
+things, and by-and-by they carried some more up-stairs, and some wood,
+too, and built up a fine big fire, and lit their pipes and smoked, and
+forgot everything unpleasant in the world. And they all said how smart
+and good Mr. 'Possum was to save all that food for the very time when
+they would need it most, when all the rest of them had been just eating
+it up as fast as possible and would have been now without a thing in the
+world except for Mr. 'Possum.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum asked them if they could hear Old Hungry-Wolf any more,
+and they listened but they couldn't hear a sound, and then they went up
+into Mr. Crow's room, and into Mr. 'Coon's room, and into Mr. 'Possum's
+room, and they couldn't see a thing of him anywhere, though it was just
+the time of day to see him, for it was late in the evening--the time
+Old Hungry-Wolf is most likely to look in the window.
+
+And that night it turned warm, and the big snow began to thaw; and it
+thawed, and it thawed, and all the brooks and rivers came up, and even
+the Wide Blue Water rose so that the Deep Woods Company had to stay a
+little longer in the Hollow Tree, even when all the snow was nearly
+gone. Mr. Rabbit was pretty anxious to get home, and started out one
+afternoon with Mr. Turtle along, because Mr. Turtle is a good swimmer.
+But there was too much water to cross and they came back again just at
+sunset, and Mr. Crow let them in,[C] so they had to wait several days
+longer. But Mr. 'Possum's food lasted, and by the time it was gone they
+could get plenty more; and when they all went away and left the three
+Hollow Tree People together again, they were very happy because they had
+had such a good time; and the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
+were as good friends as ever, though the gray feathers on the top of Mr.
+Crow's head never did turn quite black again, and some of the Deep Woods
+People call him "Silver-Top" to this day.
+
+The Little Lady looks anxiously at the Story Teller.
+
+"Did Old Hungry-Wolf ever get inside of the Hollow Tree?" she asks.
+
+"No, he never did get inside; they only saw him through the window, and
+heard him bark."
+
+"And why couldn't Mr. 'Possum ever hear him sometimes?"
+
+"Well, you see, Old Hungry isn't a real wolf, but only a shadow
+wolf--the shadow of famine. He only looks in when people dread famine,
+and he only barks and gnaws when they feel it. A famine, you know, is
+when one is very hungry and there is nothing to eat. I don't think Mr.
+'Possum was very hungry, and he had all those nice things laid away, so
+he would not care much about that old shadow wolf, which is only another
+name for hunger."
+
+The Little Lady clings very close to the Story Teller.
+
+"Will we ever see Old Hungry-Wolf and hear his bark?"
+
+The Story Teller sits up quite straight, and gathers the Little Lady
+tight.
+
+"Good gracious, no!" he says. "He moved out of our part of the country
+before you were born, and we'll take good care that he doesn't come back
+any more."
+
+"I'm glad," says the Little Lady. "You can sing now--you know--the
+'Hollow Tree Song.'"
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[C] See picture on cover.
+
+
+
+
+AN EARLY SPRING CALL ON MR. BEAR
+
+MR. 'POSSUM'S CURIOUS DREAM AND WHAT CAME OF IT
+
+
+"WHAT did they do then?" asks the Little Lady. "What did the Deep Woods
+People all do after they got through being snowed in?"
+
+"Well, let's see. It got to be spring then pretty soon--early spring--of
+course, and Mr. Jack Rabbit went to writing poetry and making garden;
+Mr. Robin went to meet Mrs. Robin, who had been spending the winter down
+South; Mr. Squirrel, who is quite young, went to call on a very nice
+young Miss Squirrel over toward the Big West Hills; Mr. Dog had to help
+Mr. Man a good deal with the spring work; Mr. Turtle got out all his
+fishing-things and looked them over, and the Hollow Tree People had a
+general straightening up after company. They had a big house-cleaning,
+of course, with most of their things out on the line, and Mr. 'Possum
+said that he'd just about as soon be snowed-in for good as to have to
+beat carpets and carry furniture up and down stairs all the rest of his
+life."
+
+But they got through at last, and everything was nice when they were
+settled, only there wasn't a great deal to be had to eat, because it had
+been such a long, cold winter that things were pretty scarce and hard to
+get.
+
+One morning Mr. 'Possum said he had had a dream the night before, and he
+wished it would come true. He said he had dreamed that they were all
+invited by Mr. Bear to help him eat the spring breakfast which he takes
+after his long winter nap, and that Mr. Bear had about the best
+breakfast he ever sat down to. He said he had eaten it clear through,
+from turkey to mince-pie, only he didn't get the mince-pie because Mr.
+Bear had asked him if he'd have it hot or cold, and just as he made up
+his mind to have some of both he woke up and didn't get either.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said he wished he could have a dream like that; that he'd
+take whatever came along and try to sleep through it, and Mr. Crow
+thought a little while and said that sometimes dreams came true,
+especially if you helped them a little. He said he hadn't heard anything
+of Mr. Bear this spring, and it was quite likely he had been taking a
+longer nap than usual. It might be a good plan, he thought, to drop over
+that way and just look in in passing, because if Mr. Bear should be
+sitting down to breakfast he would be pretty apt to ask them to sit up
+and have a bite while they told him the winter news.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said that he didn't believe anybody in the world but
+Mr. Crow would have thought of that, and that hereafter he was going to
+tell him every dream he had. They ought to start right away, he said,
+because if they should get there just as Mr. Bear was clearing off the
+table it would be a good deal worse than not getting the mince-pie in
+his dream.
+
+So they hurried up and put on their best clothes and started for Mr.
+Bear's place, which is over toward the Edge of the World, only farther
+down, in a fine big cave which is fixed up as nice as a house and nicer.
+But when they got pretty close to it they didn't go so fast and
+straight, but just sauntered along as if they were only out for a little
+walk and happened to go in that direction, for they thought Mr. Bear
+might be awake and standing in his door.
+
+They met Mr. Rabbit about that time and invited him to go along, but Mr.
+Rabbit said his friendship with Mr. Bear was a rather distant one, and
+that he mostly talked to him from across the river or from a hill that
+had a good clear running space on the other slope. He said Mr. Bear's
+taste was good, for he was fond of his family, but that the fondness had
+been all on Mr. Bear's side.
+
+[Illustration: THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY THOUGHT MR.
+BEAR WAS]
+
+So the Hollow Tree People went along, saying what a nice man they
+thought Mr. Bear was, and saying it quite loud, and looking every which
+way, because Mr. Bear might be out for a walk too.
+
+But they didn't see him anywhere, and by-and-by they got right to the
+door of his cave and knocked a little, and nobody came. Then they
+listened, but couldn't hear anything at first, until Mr. 'Coon, who has
+very sharp ears, said that he was sure he heard Mr. Bear breathing and
+that he must be still asleep. Then the others thought they heard it,
+too, and pretty soon they were sure they heard it, and Mr. 'Possum said
+it was too bad to let Mr. Bear oversleep himself this fine weather, and
+that they ought to go in and let him know how late it was.
+
+So then they pushed open the door and went tiptoeing in to where Mr.
+Bear was. They thought, of course, he would be in bed, but he wasn't. He
+was sitting up in a big armchair in his dressing-gown, with his feet up
+on a low stool, before a fire that had gone out some time in December,
+with a little table by him that had a candle on it which had burned down
+about the time the fire went out. His pipe had gone out too, and they
+knew that Mr. Bear had been smoking, and must have been very tired and
+gone to sleep right where he was, and hadn't moved all winter long.
+
+[Illustration: MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO SLEEP
+RIGHT WHERE HE WAS]
+
+It wasn't very cheerful in there, so Mr. 'Possum said maybe they'd
+better stir up a little fire to take the chill off before they woke
+Mr. Bear, and Mr. 'Coon found a fresh candle and lighted it, and Mr.
+Crow put the room to rights a little, and wound up the clock, and set
+it, and started it going. Then when the fire got nice and bright they
+stood around and looked at Mr. Bear, and each one said it was a good
+time now to wake him up, but nobody just wanted to do it, because Mr.
+Bear isn't always good-natured, and nobody could tell what might happen
+if he should wake up cross and hungry, and he'd be likely to do that if
+his nap was broken too suddenly. Mr. 'Possum said that Mr. Crow was the
+one to do it, as he had first thought of this trip, and Mr. Crow said
+that it was Mr. 'Possum's place, because it had been in his dream. Then
+they both said that as Mr. 'Coon hadn't done anything at all so far, he
+might do that.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said that he'd do it quick enough, only he'd been listening to
+the way Mr. Bear breathed, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be ready
+to wake up for a week yet, and it would be too bad to wake him now when
+he might not have been resting well during the first month or so of his
+nap and was making it up now. He said they could look around a little
+and see if Mr. Bear's things were keeping well, and perhaps brush up his
+pantry so it would be nice and clean when he did wake.
+
+Then Mr. Crow said he'd always wanted to see Mr. Bear's pantry, for he'd
+heard it was such a good place to keep things, and perhaps he could get
+some ideas for the Hollow Tree; and Mr. 'Possum said that Mr. Bear had
+the name of having a bigger pantry and more things in it than all the
+rest of the Deep Woods People put together.
+
+So they left Mr. Bear all nice and comfortable, sleeping there by the
+fire, and lit another candle and went over to his pantry, which was at
+the other side of the room, and opened the door and looked in.
+
+Well, they couldn't say a word at first, but only just looked at one
+another and at all the things they saw in that pantry. First, on the top
+shelf there was a row of pies, clear around. Then on the next shelf
+there was a row of cakes--first a fruit-cake, then a jelly-cake, then
+another fruit-cake and then another jelly-cake, and the cakes went all
+the way around, too, and some of them had frosting on them, and you
+could see the raisins in the fruit-cake and pieces of citron. Then on
+the next shelf there was a row of nice cooked partridges, all the way
+around, close together. And on the shelf below was a row of meat-pies
+made of chicken and turkey and young lamb, and on the shelf below that
+there was a row of nice canned berries, and on the floor, all the way
+around, there were jars of honey--nice comb honey that Mr. Bear had
+gathered in November from bee-trees.
+
+Mr. Crow spoke first.
+
+"Well, I never," he said, "never in all my life, saw anything like it!"
+
+And Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum both said:
+
+"He can't do it--a breakfast like that is too much for _any_ bear!"
+
+Then Mr. Crow said:
+
+"He oughtn't to be _allowed_ to do it. Mr. Bear is too nice a man to
+lose."
+
+And Mr. 'Possum said:
+
+"He _mustn't_ be allowed to do it--we'll help him."
+
+"Where do you suppose he begins?" said Mr. 'Coon.
+
+"At the top, very likely," said Mr. Crow. "He's got it arranged in
+courses."
+
+"I don't care where he begins," said Mr. 'Possum; "I'm going to begin
+somewhere, now, and I think I will begin on a meat-pie."
+
+And Mr. Crow said he thought he'd begin on a nice partridge, and Mr.
+'Coon said he believed he'd try a mince-pie or two first, as a kind of a
+lining, and then fill in with the solid things afterward.
+
+So then Mr. 'Possum took down his meat-pie, and said he hoped this
+wasn't a dream, and Mr. Crow took down a nice brown partridge, and Mr.
+'Coon stood up on a chair and slipped a mince-pie out of a pan on the
+top shelf, and everything would have been all right, only he lost his
+balance a little and let the pie fall. It made quite a smack when it
+struck the floor, and Mr. 'Possum jumped and let his pie fall, too, and
+that made a good deal more of a noise, because it was large and in a tin
+pan.
+
+Then Mr. Crow blew out the light quick, and they all stood perfectly
+still and listened, for it seemed to them a noise like that would wake
+the dead, much more Mr. Bear, and they thought he would be right up and
+in there after them.
+
+But Mr. Bear was too sound asleep for that. They heard him give a little
+cough and a kind of a grunt mixed with a sleepy word or two, and when
+they peeked out through the door, which was open just a little ways,
+they saw him moving about in his chair, trying first one side and then
+the other, as if he wanted to settle down and go to sleep again, which
+he didn't do, but kept right on grunting and sniffing and mumbling and
+trying new positions.
+
+Then, of course, the Hollow Tree People were scared, for they knew
+pretty well he was going to wake up. There wasn't any way to get out of
+Mr. Bear's pantry except by the door, and you had to go right by Mr.
+Bear's chair to get out of the cave. So they just stood there, holding
+their breath and trembling, and Mr. 'Possum wished now it _was_ a dream,
+and that he could wake up right away before the nightmare began.
+
+Well, Mr. Bear he turned this way and that way, and once or twice seemed
+about to settle down and sleep again; but just as they thought he really
+had done it, he sat up pretty straight and looked all around.
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People thought their time had come, and they wanted
+to make a jump, and run for the door, only they were afraid to try it.
+Mr. Bear yawned a long yawn, and stretched himself, and rubbed his eyes
+open, and looked over at the fire and down at the candle on the table
+and up at the clock on the mantel. The 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old
+Black Crow thought, of course, he'd know somebody had been there by all
+those things being set going, and they expected him to roar out
+something terrible and start for the pantry first thing.
+
+But Mr. Bear didn't seem to understand it at all, or to suppose that
+anything was wrong, and from what he mumbled to himself they saw right
+away that he thought he'd been asleep only a little while instead of all
+winter long.
+
+"Humph!" they heard him growl, "I must have gone to sleep, and was
+dreaming it's time to wake up. I didn't sleep long, though, by the way
+the fire and the candle look, besides it's only a quarter of ten, and I
+remember winding the clock at half after eight. Funny I feel so hungry,
+after eating a big supper only two hours ago. Must be the reason I
+dreamed it was spring. Humph! guess I'll just eat a piece of pie and go
+to bed."
+
+So Mr. Bear got up and held on to his chair to steady himself, and
+yawned some more and rubbed his eyes, for he was only about half awake
+yet, and pretty soon he picked up his candle and started for the pantry.
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People felt as if they were going to die. They
+didn't dare to breathe or make the least bit of noise, and just huddled
+back in a corner close to the wall, and Mr. 'Possum all at once felt as
+if he must sneeze right away, and Mr. 'Coon would have given anything to
+be able to scratch his back, and Mr. Crow thought if he could only cough
+once more and clear his throat he wouldn't care whether he had anything
+to eat, ever again.
+
+And Mr. Bear he came shuffling along toward the pantry with his candle
+all tipped to one side, still rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up,
+and everything was just as still as still--all except a little scratchy
+sound his claws made dragging along the floor, though that wasn't a nice
+sound for the Hollow Tree People to hear. And when he came to the pantry
+door Mr. Bear pushed it open quite wide and was coming straight in, only
+just then he caught his toe a little on the door-sill and _stumbled_ in,
+and that was too much for Mr. 'Possum, who turned loose a sneeze that
+shook the world.
+
+Then Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon made a dive under Mr. Bear's legs, and Mr.
+'Possum did too, and down came Mr. Bear and down came his candle, and
+the candle went out, but not any quicker than the Hollow Tree People,
+who broke for the cave door and slammed it behind them, and struck out
+for the bushes as if they thought they'd never live to get there.
+
+But when they got into some thick hazel brush they stopped a minute to
+breathe, and then they all heard Mr. Bear calling "Help! Help!" as loud
+as he could, and when they listened they heard him mention something
+about an earthquake and that the world was coming to an end.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said that from the sound of Mr. Bear's voice he seemed
+to be unhappy about something, and that it was too bad for them to just
+pass right by without asking what was the trouble, especially if Mr.
+Bear, who had always been so friendly, should ever hear of it. So then
+they straightened their collars and ties and knocked the dust off a
+little, and Mr. 'Coon scratched his back against a little bush and Mr.
+Crow cleared his throat, and they stepped out of the hazel patch and
+went up to Mr. Bear's door and pushed it open a little and called out:
+
+"Oh, Mr. Bear, do you need any help?"
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH]
+
+"Oh yes," groaned Mr. Bear, "come quick! I've been struck by an
+earthquake and nearly killed, and everything I've got must be ruined.
+Bring a light and look at my pantry!"
+
+So then Mr. 'Coon ran with a splinter from Mr. Bear's fire and lit the
+candle, and Mr. Bear got up, rubbing himself and taking on, and began
+looking at his pantry shelves, which made him better right away.
+
+"Oh," he said, "how lucky the damage is so small! Only two pies and a
+partridge knocked down, and they are not much hurt. I thought everything
+was lost, and my nerves are all upset when I was getting ready for my
+winter sleep. How glad I am you happened to be passing. Stay with me,
+and we will eat to quiet our nerves."
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People said that the earthquake had made them
+nervous too, and that perhaps a little food would be good for all of
+them; so they flew around just as if they were at home, and brought Mr.
+Bear's table right into the pantry, and some chairs, and set out the
+very best things and told Mr. Bear to sit right up to the table and help
+himself, and then all the others sat up, too, and they ate everything
+clear through, from meat-pie to mince-pie, just as if Mr. 'Possum's
+dream had really come true.
+
+And Mr. Bear said he didn't understand how he could have such a good
+appetite when he had such a big supper only two hours ago, and he said
+that there must have been two earthquakes, because a noise of some kind
+had roused him from a little nap he had been taking in his chair, but
+that the real earthquake hadn't happened until he got to the pantry
+door, where he stumbled a little, which seemed to touch it off. He said
+he hoped he'd never live to go through with a thing like that again.
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People said they had heard both of the shocks, and
+that the last one was a good deal the worst, and that of course such a
+thing would sound a good deal louder in a cave anyway. And by-and-by,
+when they were all through eating, they went in by the fire and sat down
+and smoked, and Mr. Bear said he didn't feel as sleepy as he thought he
+should because he was still upset a good deal by the shock, but that he
+guessed he would just crawl into bed while they were there, as it seemed
+nice to have company.
+
+So he did, and by-and-by he dropped off to sleep again, and the Hollow
+Tree People borrowed a few things, and went out softly and shut the door
+behind them. They stopped at Mr. Rabbit's house on the way home, and
+told him they had enjoyed a nice breakfast with Mr. Bear, and how Mr.
+Bear had sent a partridge and a pie and a little pot of honey to Mr.
+Rabbit because of his fondness for the family. Then Mr. Rabbit felt
+quite pleased, because it was too early for spring vegetables and hard
+to get good things for the table.
+
+"And did Mr. Bear sleep all summer?" asks the Little Lady.
+
+[Illustration: MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER]
+
+No, he woke up again pretty soon, for he had finished his nap, and of
+course the next time when he looked around he found his fire out and the
+candle burned down and the clock stopped, so he got up and went outside,
+and saw it was spring and that he had slept a good deal longer than
+usual. But when he went to eat his spring breakfast he couldn't
+understand why he wasn't very hungry, and thought it must be because
+he'd eaten two such big suppers.
+
+"But why didn't the Hollow Tree People tell him it was spring and not
+let him go to bed again?"
+
+Well, I s'pose they thought it wouldn't be very polite to tell Mr. Bear
+how he'd been fooled, and, besides, he needed a nice nap again after the
+earthquake--anyhow, he thought it was an earthquake, and was a good deal
+upset.
+
+And it was a long time before he found out what _had really_ happened,
+and he never would have known, if Mr. Rabbit hadn't seen him fishing one
+day and thanked him from across the river for the nice breakfast he had
+sent him by the Hollow Tree People.
+
+That set Mr. Bear to thinking, and he asked Mr. Rabbit a few questions
+about things in general and earthquakes in particular, and the more he
+found out and thought about it the more he began to guess just how it
+was, and by-and-by when he did find out all about it, he didn't care any
+more, and really thought it quite a good joke on himself for falling
+asleep in his chair and sleeping there all winter long.
+
+
+
+
+MR. CROW'S GARDEN
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE LEARN HOW TO RAISE FINE VEGETABLES
+
+
+ONE morning, right after breakfast in the Hollow Tree, Mr. Crow said
+he'd been thinking of something ever since he woke up, and if the 'Coon
+and the 'Possum thought it was a good plan he believed he'd do it. He
+said of course they knew how good Mr. Rabbit's garden always was, and
+how he nearly lived out of it during the summer, Mr. Rabbit being a good
+deal of a vegetarian; by which he meant that he liked vegetables better
+than anything, while the Hollow Tree People, Mr. Crow said, were a
+little different in their tastes, though he didn't know just what the
+name for them was. He said he thought they might be humanitarians,
+because they liked the things that Mr. Man and other human beings liked,
+but that he wasn't sure whether that was the right name or not.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said for him to never mind about the word, but to go on
+and talk about his plan if it had anything to do with something to eat,
+for he was getting pretty tired of living on little picked-up things
+such as they had been having this hard spring, and Mr. 'Coon said so
+too. So then Mr. Crow said:
+
+"Well, I've been planning to have a garden this spring like Mr.
+Rabbit's."
+
+"Humph!" said Mr. 'Possum, "I thought you were going to start a chicken
+farm."
+
+But Mr. Crow said "No," that the Big Deep Woods didn't seem a healthy
+place for chickens, and that they could pick up a chicken here and there
+by-and-by, and then if they had nice green pease to go with it, or some
+green corn, or even a tender salad, it would help out, especially when
+they had company like Mr. Robin, or Mr. Squirrel, or Mr. Rabbit, who
+cared for such things.
+
+So then the 'Coon and the 'Possum both said that to have green pease and
+corn was a very good idea, especially when such things were mixed with
+young chickens with plenty of dressing and gravy, and that as this was a
+pleasant morning they might walk over and call on Jack Rabbit so that
+the Old Black Crow could find out about planting things. Mr. 'Possum
+said that his uncle Silas Lovejoy always had a garden, and he had worked
+it a good deal when he was young, but that he had forgotten just how
+things should be planted, though he knew the moon had something to do
+with it, and if you didn't get the time right the things that ought to
+grow up would grow down and the down things would all grow up, so that
+you'd have to dig your pease and pick your potatoes when the other way
+was the fashion and thought to be better in this climate.
+
+So then the Hollow Tree People put on their things and went out into the
+nice April sunshine and walked over to Jack Rabbit's house, saying how
+pleasant it was to take a little walk this way when everything was
+getting green, and they passed by where Mr. and Mrs. Robin were building
+a new nest, and they looked in on a cozy little hollow tree where Mr.
+Squirrel, who had just brought home a young wife from over by the Big
+West Hills, had set up housekeeping with everything new except the
+old-fashioned feather-bed and home-made spread which Miss Squirrel had
+been given by her folks. They looked through Mr. Squirrel's house and
+said how snug it was, and that perhaps it would be better not to try to
+furnish it too much at once, as it was nice just to get things as one
+was able, instead of doing everything at the start.
+
+When they got to Mr. Rabbit's house he was weaving a rag carpet for his
+front room, and they all stood behind him and watched him weave, and
+by-and-by Mr. 'Coon wanted to try it, but he didn't know how to run the
+treadle exactly, and got some of the strands too loose and some too
+tight, so he gave it up, and they all went out to look at Mr. Rabbit's
+garden.
+
+Well, Mr. Rabbit did have a nice garden. It was all laid out in rows,
+and was straight and trim, and there wasn't a weed anywhere. He had
+things up, too--pease and lettuce and radishes--and he had some
+tomato-plants growing in a box in the house, because it was too early to
+put them out.
+
+Mr. Rabbit said that a good many people bought their plants, but that he
+always liked to raise his own from seed, because then he knew just what
+they were and what to expect. He told them how to plant the different
+things and about the moon, and said there was an old adage in his family
+that if you remembered it you'd always plant at the right time. The
+adage, he said, was:
+
+    "Pease and beans in the light of the moon--
+     Both in the pot before it's June."
+
+And of course you only had to change "light" to "dark" and use it for
+turnips and potatoes and such things, though really it was sometimes
+later than June, but June was near enough, and rhymed with "moon" better
+than July and August. He said he would give Mr. Crow all the seeds he
+wanted, and that when he was ready to put out tomatoes he would let him
+have plenty of plants too.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said it would be nice to have a few flower seeds, and
+they all looked at Mr. 'Coon because they knew he had once been in love,
+and they thought by his wanting flowers that he might be going to get
+that way again.
+
+But Mr. Rabbit said he was fond of flowers, too, especially the
+old-fashioned kind, and he picked out some for Mr. 'Coon; and then he
+went to weaving again, and the Hollow Tree People watched him awhile,
+and he pointed out pieces of different clothes he had had that he was
+weaving into his carpet, and they all thought how nice it was to use up
+one's old things that way.
+
+Then by-and-by the Hollow Tree People went back home, and they began
+their garden right away. It was just the kind of a day to make garden
+and they all felt like it, so they spaded and hoed and raked, and didn't
+find it very easy because the place had never been used for a garden
+before, and there were some roots and stones; and pretty soon Mr.
+'Possum said that Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon might go on with the digging
+and he would plant the seeds, as he had been used to such work when he
+lived with his uncle Silas as a boy.
+
+So then he took the seeds, but he couldn't remember Mr. Rabbit's adages
+which told whether beets and carrots and such things as grow below the
+ground had to be planted in the dark of the moon or the light of the
+moon, and it was the same about beans and pease and the things that
+grow above the ground; and when he spoke to Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon about
+it, one said it was one way and the other the other way, and then Mr.
+'Possum said he wasn't planting the things in the moon anyhow, and he
+thought Mr. Rabbit had made the adages to suit the day he was going to
+plant and that they would work either way.
+
+So then Mr. 'Possum planted everything there was, and showed Mr. 'Coon
+how to plant his flower seeds; and when they were all done they stood
+off and admired their nice garden, and said it was just about as nice as
+Jack Rabbit's, and maybe nicer in some ways, because it had trees around
+it and was a pleasant place to work.
+
+[Illustration: ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER WAY]
+
+Well, after that they got up every morning and went out to look at their
+garden, to see if any of the things were coming up; and pretty soon they
+found a good _many_ things coming up, but they were not in hills and
+rows, and Mr. 'Possum said they were weeds, because he remembered that
+Uncle Silas's weeds had always looked like those, and how he and his
+little cousins had had to hoe them. So then they got their hoes and hoed
+every morning, and by-and-by they had to hoe some during the day too, to
+keep up with the weeds, and the sun was pretty hot, and Mr. 'Possum did
+most of his hoeing over by the trees where it wasn't so sunny, and said
+that hereafter he thought it would be a good plan to plant all their
+garden in the shade.
+
+And every day they kept looking for the seeds to come up, and by-and-by
+a few did come up, and then they were quite proud, and went over and
+told Jack Rabbit about it, and Mr. Rabbit came over to give them some
+advice, and said he thought their garden looked pretty well for being
+its first year and put in late, though it looked to him, he said, as if
+some of it had been planted the wrong time of the moon, and he didn't
+think so much shade was very good for most things.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum said he'd rather have more shade and less things, and he
+thought next year he'd let his part of the garden out on shares.
+
+Well, it got hotter and hotter, and the weeds grew more and more, and
+the Hollow Tree People had to work and hoe and pull nearly all day in
+the sun to keep up with them, and they would have given it up pretty
+soon, only they wanted to show Jack Rabbit that they could have a garden
+too, and by-and-by, when their things got big enough to eat, they were
+so proud that they invited Mr. Rabbit to come over for dinner, and they
+sent word to Mr. Turtle, too, because he likes good things and lives
+alone, not being a family man like Mr. Robin and Mr. Squirrel.
+
+Now of course the Hollow Tree People knew that they had no such fine
+things in their garden as Jack Rabbit had in his, and they said they
+couldn't expect to, but they'd try to have other things to make up; and
+Mr. Crow was cooking for two whole days getting his chicken-pies and his
+puddings and such things ready for that dinner. And then when the
+morning came for it he was out long before sun-up to pick the things in
+the garden while they were nice and fresh, with the dew on them.
+
+But when Mr. Crow looked over his garden he felt pretty bad, for, after
+all, the new potatoes were little and tough, and the pease were small
+and dry, and the beans were thin and stringy, and the salad was pretty
+puny and tasteless, and the corn was just nubbins, because it didn't
+grow in a very good place and maybe hadn't been planted or tended very
+well. So Mr. Crow walked up and down the rows and thought a good deal,
+and finally decided that he'd just take a walk over toward Jack Rabbit's
+garden to see if Mr. Rabbit's things were really so much better after
+all.
+
+It was just about sunrise, and Mr. Crow knew Jack Rabbit didn't get up
+so soon, and he made up his mind he wouldn't wake him when he got there,
+but would just take a look over his nice garden and come away again. So
+when he got to Mr. Rabbit's back fence he climbed through a crack, and
+sat down in the weeds to rest a little and to look around, and he saw
+that Mr. Rabbit's house was just as still and closed up as could be,
+and no signs of Jack Rabbit anywhere.
+
+So then Mr. Crow stepped out into the corn patch and looked along at the
+rows of fine roasting ears, which made him feel sad because of those
+little nubbins in his own garden, and then he saw the fine fat pease and
+beans and salads in Jack Rabbit's garden, and it seemed to him that Mr.
+Rabbit could never in the world use up all those things himself.
+
+Then Mr. Crow decided that he would thin out a few of Jack Rabbit's
+things, which seemed to be too thick anyway to do well. It would be too
+bad to disturb Mr. Rabbit to tell him about it, and Mr. Crow didn't have
+time to wait for him to get up if he was going to get his dinner ready
+on time.
+
+So Mr. Crow picked some large ears of corn and some of Mr. Rabbit's best
+pease and beans and salads, and filled his apron with all he could
+carry, and climbed through the back fence again, and took out for home
+without wasting any more time. And when he got there Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+'Possum were just getting up, and he didn't bother to tell them about
+borrowing from Mr. Rabbit's garden, but set out some breakfast, and as
+soon as it was over pitched in to get ready for company. Mr. 'Coon and
+Mr. 'Possum flew around, too, to make the room look nice, and by-and-by
+everything was ready, and the table was set, and the Hollow Tree People
+were all dressed up and looking out the window.
+
+[Illustration: MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK RABBIT'S
+THINGS]
+
+Then pretty soon they saw Mr. Turtle coming through the timber, and just
+then Jack Rabbit came in sight from the other direction. Mr. Turtle had
+brought a basket of mussels, which always are nice with a big dinner,
+like oysters, and Mr. Rabbit said he would have brought some things out
+of his garden, only he knew the Hollow Tree People had a garden, too,
+this year, and would want to show what they could do in that line
+themselves. He said he certainly must take a look at their garden
+because he had heard a good deal about it from Mr. Robin.
+
+Then Mr. Crow felt a little chilly, for he happened to think that if Mr.
+Rabbit went out into their garden and then saw the fine things which
+were going to be on the table he'd wonder where they came from. So he
+said right away that dinner was all ready, and they'd better sit down
+while things were hot and fresh.
+
+Then they all sat down, and first had the mussels which Mr. Turtle had
+brought, and there were some fine sliced tomatoes with them, and Mr.
+Rabbit said he hadn't supposed that such fine big tomatoes as those
+could come out of a new garden that had been planted late, and that he
+certainly must see the vines they came off of before he went home,
+because they were just as big as his tomatoes, if not bigger, and he
+wanted to see just how they could do so well.
+
+And Mr. Crow felt _real_ chilly, and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum both
+said they hadn't supposed their tomatoes were so big and ripe, though
+they hadn't looked at them since yesterday. But Mr. Rabbit said that a
+good many things could happen over night, and Mr. Crow changed the
+subject as quick as he could, and said that things always looked bigger
+and better on the table than they did in the garden, but that he'd
+picked all the real big, ripe tomatoes and he didn't think there'd be
+any more.
+
+Then after the mussels they had the chicken-pie, and when Mr. Rabbit saw
+the vegetables that Mr. Crow served with it he looked at them and said:
+
+"My, what fine pease and beans, and what splendid corn! I am sure your
+vegetables are as good as anything in my garden, if not better. I
+certainly _must see_ just the spot where they grew. I would never have
+believed you could have done it, never, if I hadn't seen them right here
+on your table with my own eyes."
+
+Then Mr. Turtle said they were the finest he ever tasted, and Mr.
+'Possum and Mr. 'Coon both said they wouldn't have believed it
+themselves yesterday, and it was wonderful how much everything had grown
+over night. Then the Old Black Crow choked a little and coughed, and
+said he didn't seem to relish his food, and pretty soon he said that of
+course their garden _had_ done _pretty_ well, but that it was about
+through now, as these were things he had been saving for this dinner,
+and he had gathered all the biggest and best of them this morning before
+Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon were up.
+
+When Mr. Crow said that, Jack Rabbit looked the other way and made a
+very queer face, and you might have thought he was trying to keep from
+laughing if you had seen him, but maybe he was only trying to keep from
+coughing, for pretty soon he did cough a little and said that the early
+morning was the proper time to gather vegetables; that one could always
+pick out the best things then, and do it quietly before folks were up.
+
+Then Mr. Crow felt a cold, shaky chill that went all the way up and
+down, and he was afraid to look up, though of course he didn't believe
+Mr. Rabbit knew anything about what he had done, only he was afraid that
+he would look so guilty that everybody would see it. He said that his
+head was a little dizzy with being over the hot stove so much, and he
+hoped they wouldn't think of going out until the cool of the evening, as
+the sun would be too much for him, and of course he wanted to be with
+them.
+
+[Illustration: MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD]
+
+Poor Mr. Crow was almost afraid to bring on the salad, but he was just
+as afraid not to. Only he did wish he had picked out Mr. Rabbit's
+smallest bunches instead of his biggest ones, for he knew there were no
+such other salads anywhere as those very ones he had borrowed from Mr.
+Rabbit's garden. But he put it off as long as he could, and by-and-by
+Jack Rabbit said that there was one thing he was sure the Hollow Tree
+couldn't beat him on, and that was salad. He said he had never had such
+fine heads as he had this year, and that there were a few heads
+especially that he had been saving to show his friends. Then the 'Coon
+and 'Possum said "No," their salads were not very much, unless they had
+grown a great deal over night, like the other things--and when Mr. Crow
+got up to bring them he walked wobbly, and everybody said it was too bad
+that Mr. Crow _would_ always go to so much trouble for company.
+
+Well, when he came in with that bowl of salad and set it down, Mr.
+Turtle and Jack Rabbit said, "Did you ever in your life!" But Mr.
+'Possum and Mr. 'Coon just sat and looked at it, for they thought it
+couldn't be true.
+
+Then pretty soon Mr. Rabbit said that he would take back everything he
+had told them about his salad, and that he was coming over to take some
+lessons from the Hollow Tree People, and especially from Mr. Crow, on
+how to raise vegetables. He said that there were a good many ways to
+raise vegetables--some raised them in a garden; some raised them in a
+hothouse; some raised them in the market; but that Mr. Crow's way was
+the best way there was, and he was coming over to learn it. He said they
+must finish their dinner before dark, for he certainly must _see_ just
+where _all_ Mr. Crow's wonderful things came from.
+
+Then Mr. Crow felt the gray spot on his head getting a good deal grayer,
+and he dropped his knife and fork, and swallowed two or three times, and
+tried to smile, though it was a sickly smile. He said that Mr. Rabbit
+was very kind, but that Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had done a good deal
+of the work, too.
+
+But Jack Rabbit said "No," that nobody but an industrious person like
+Mr. Crow could have raised _those_ vegetables--a person who got up
+early, he said, and was used to taking a little trouble to get the best
+things.
+
+Then Mr. Crow went after the dessert, and was glad enough that there
+were no more vegetables to come, especially of that kind.
+
+And Mr. Rabbit seemed to forget about looking at the garden until they
+were all through, and then he said that before they went outside he
+would read a little poem he had composed that morning lying in bed and
+looking at the sunrise across his own garden. He said he called it:
+
+        ME AND MY GARDEN
+
+    Oh, it's nice to have a garden
+      On which to put my labors.
+    It's nice to have a garden
+      Especially for my neighbors.
+
+    I like to see it growing
+      When skies are blue above me;
+    I like to see it gathered
+      By those who really love me.
+
+    I like to think in winter
+      Of pleasant summer labors;
+    Oh, it's nice to have a garden
+      Especially for my neighbors.
+
+Everybody said that was a nice poem and sounded just like Mr. Rabbit,
+who was always so free-hearted--all except Mr. Crow, who tried to say it
+was nice, and couldn't. Then Mr. Rabbit said they'd better go out now to
+see the Hollow Tree garden, but Mr. Crow said really he couldn't stand
+it yet, and they could see by his looks that he was feeling pretty sick,
+and Mr. Turtle said it was too bad to think of taking Mr. Crow out in
+the sun when he had worked so hard.
+
+So then they all sat around and smoked and told stories, and whenever
+they stopped Mr. Crow thought of something else to do and seemed to get
+better toward night, and got a great deal better when it got dark, and
+Mr. Jack Rabbit said all at once that now it was too late to see the
+Hollow Tree garden, and that he was so sorry, for he knew he could have
+learned something if he could just have one look at it, for nobody could
+see those vegetables and that garden without learning a great deal.
+
+[Illustration: JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME]
+
+Then he said he must go, and Mr. Turtle said he guessed _he_ must go
+too, so they both set out for home, and when Jack Rabbit got out of
+sight of the Hollow Tree and into a little open moonlight place, he just
+laid down on the ground and rolled over and laughed and kicked his feet,
+and sat up and rocked and looked at the moon and laughed; and he capered
+and laughed all the way home at the good joke he had all to himself on
+Mr. Crow.
+
+For Mr. Rabbit had been lying awake in bed that morning when Mr. Crow
+was in his garden, and he had seen Mr. Crow _all_ the time.
+
+
+
+
+WHEN JACK RABBIT WAS A LITTLE BOY
+
+A STORY OF A VERY LONG TIME AGO
+
+
+THE Little Lady skips first on one foot and then on the other foot,
+around and around, until pretty soon she tumbles backward into _twelve
+flower-pots_.
+
+That, of course, makes a great damage, and though the Little Lady
+herself isn't hurt to speak of, she is frightened very much and has to
+be comforted by everybody, including the Story Teller, who comes last,
+and finishes up by telling about something that happened to Jack Rabbit
+when _he_ was little.
+
+Once upon a time, it begins, when Mr. Jack Rabbit was quite small, his
+mother left him all alone one afternoon while she went across the Wide
+Grass Lands to visit an old aunt of hers and take her some of the nice
+blackberries she had been putting up that morning. Mrs. Rabbit had been
+very busy all the forenoon, and little Jack had been watching her and
+making believe he was putting up berries too.
+
+And when Mrs. Rabbit got through she had cleaned her stove and polished
+it as nice as could be; then she gave little Jack Rabbit his dinner,
+with some of the berries that were left over, and afterward she washed
+his face and hands and found his blocks for him to play with, besides a
+new stick of red sealing-wax--the kind she used to seal her cans with;
+for they did not have patent screw-top cans in those days, but always
+sealed the covers on with red sealing-wax.
+
+Then Mrs. Rabbit told little Jack that he could play with his blocks,
+and build houses, with the red stick for a chimney, and to be a good boy
+until she came home. So little Jack Rabbit promised, and Mrs. Rabbit
+kissed him twice and took her parasol and her reticule and a can of
+berries, and started. Little Jack would have gone with her, only it was
+too far.
+
+Well, after she had left, little Jack played with his blocks and built
+houses and set the stick of sealing-wax up for a brick chimney, and
+by-and-by he played he was canning fruit, and he wished he could have a
+little stove and little cans and a little stick of sealing-wax, so he
+could really do it all just as she did.
+
+[Illustration: TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF BERRIES,
+AND STARTED]
+
+Then little Jack Rabbit looked at the nice polished stove and wondered
+how it would be to use that, and to build a little fire in it--just a
+_little_ fire--which would make everything seem a good deal more real,
+he thought, than his make-believe stove of blocks.
+
+And pretty soon little Jack opened the stove door and looked in, and
+when he stirred the ashes there were still a few live coals there, and
+when he put in some shavings they blazed up, and when he put in some
+pieces of old shingles and things they blazed up too, and when he put in
+some of Mrs. Rabbit's nice dry wood the stove got _quite hot_!
+
+Then little Jack Rabbit became somewhat frightened, for he had only
+meant to make a very small fire, and he thought this might turn into a
+big fire. Also, he remembered some things his mother had told him about
+playing with fire and about _never going near a hot stove_. He thought
+he'd better open the stove door a little to see if the fire was getting
+too big, but he was afraid to touch it with his fingers for fear of
+burning them. He had seen his mother use a stick or something to open
+the stove door when it was hot, so he picked up the first thing that
+came handy, which was the stick of sealing-wax. But when he touched it
+to the hot door the red stick sputtered a little and left a bright red
+spot on the stove door.
+
+[Illustration: AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO--MOSTLY ON TOP OF THE
+STOVE]
+
+Then little Jack forgot all about putting up blackberries, admiring that
+beautiful red spot on the shiny black stove, and thinking how nice it
+would be to make some more like it, which he thought would improve the
+looks of the stove a great deal.
+
+So then he touched it again in another place and made another spot, and
+in another place and made another spot, and in a lot of places and made
+a lot of spots, and he made some stripes, too--mostly on top of the
+stove, which was nice and smooth to mark on, though he made _some_ on
+the pipe. You would hardly have known it was the same stove when he got
+all through, and little Jack thought how beautiful it was and how
+pleased his mother would be when she got home and _saw_ it. But then
+right away he happened to think that perhaps she might not be so pleased
+after all, and the more he thought about it the more sure he was that
+she wouldn't like her nice red-striped and spotted stove as well as a
+black one; and, besides, she had told him _never_ to play with fire.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN'T AT ALL
+PLEASED]
+
+And just at that moment Mrs. Rabbit herself stepped in the door! And
+when she looked at her red-spotted and striped stove and then at little
+Jack Rabbit, little Jack knew perfectly well without her saying a single
+word that she wasn't _at all pleased_. So he began to cry very loud, and
+started to run, and tripped over his blocks and fell against a little
+stand-table that had Mrs. Rabbit's work-basket on it (for Mrs. Rabbit
+always knit or sewed while she was cooking anything), and all the spools
+and buttons and knitting-work went tumbling, with little Jack Rabbit
+right among them, holloing, "Oh, I'm killed! I'm killed!"--just
+sprawling there on the floor, afraid to get up, and expecting every
+minute his mother would do something awful.
+
+But Mrs. Rabbit just stood and looked at him over her spectacles and
+then at her red-spotted and striped stove, and pretty soon she said:
+
+"Well, this is a lovely mess to come home to!"
+
+Which of course made little Jack take on a good deal worse and keep on
+bawling out that he was killed, until Mrs. Rabbit told him that he was
+making a good deal of noise for a _dead_ man, and that if he'd get up
+and pick up all the things he'd upset maybe he'd come to life again.
+
+Then little Jack Rabbit got up and ran to his mother and cried against
+her best dress and got some tears on it, and Mrs. Rabbit sat down in her
+rocker and looked at her stove and rocked him until he felt better. And
+by-and-by she changed her dress and went to cleaning her stove while
+little Jack picked up all the things--all the spools and buttons and
+needles and knitting-work--every single thing.
+
+And after supper, when he said his prayers and went to bed, he promised
+never to disobey his mother again.
+
+[Illustration: PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN]
+
+
+
+
+A HOLLOW TREE PICNIC
+
+THE LITTLE LADY AND THE STORY TELLER, AND THEIR FRIENDS
+
+
+NOT far from the House of Low Ceilings, which stands on the borders of
+the Big Deep Woods, there is a still smaller house, where, in
+summertime, the Story Teller goes to make up things and write them down.
+
+And one warm day he is writing away and not noticing what time it is
+when he thinks he hears somebody step in the door. So then he looks
+around, and he sees a little straw hat and a little round red face under
+it, and then he sees a basket, and right away he knows it is the Little
+Lady. And the Little Lady says:
+
+"I've brought the picnic--did you know it?"
+
+"Why, no!" the Story Teller says, looking surprised. "Is it time?"
+
+"Yes, and I've got huckleberries and cream, and some hot biscuits."
+
+"Good gracious! Let's see!"
+
+So then the Story Teller looks, and, sure enough, there they are, and
+more things, too; and pretty soon the Little Lady and he go down to a
+very quiet place under some hemlock-trees by a big rock where there is a
+clear brook and a spring close by, and they sit down, and the Little
+Lady spreads the picnic all out--and there is ham too, and
+bread-and-butter, and doughnuts--and they are so hungry that they eat
+everything, and both dip into one bowl when they get to huckleberries
+and cream.
+
+Then the Little Lady says:
+
+"Now tell me about the Hollow Tree People; they have picnics, too."
+
+"Sure enough, they do. And I think I'll have to tell you about their
+very last picnic and what happened."
+
+Well, once upon a time Mr. 'Possum said that he was getting tired of
+sitting down to a table every meal in a close room with the smell of
+cooking coming in, and if Mr. Crow would cook up a few things that would
+taste good cold he'd pack the basket (that is, Mr. 'Possum would) and
+Mr. 'Coon could carry it, and they'd go out somewhere and eat their
+dinner in a nice place under the trees.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said he knew a pleasant place to go, and Mr. Crow said he'd
+cook one of Mr. Man's chickens, which Mr. 'Possum had brought home the
+night before, though it would take time, he said, because it was pretty
+old--Mr. 'Possum having picked it out in the dark in a hurry.
+
+So then they all flew around and put away things, and Mr. Crow got the
+chicken on while Mr. 'Coon sliced the bread and Mr. 'Possum cut the
+cake, which they had been saving for Sunday, and he picked out a pie
+too, and a nice book to read which Mr. Crow had found lying in Mr. Man's
+yard while the folks were at dinner. Then he packed the basket all neat
+and nice, and ate a little piece of the cake when Mr. 'Coon had stepped
+out to see how the chicken was coming along, and when the chicken was
+ready he cut it all up nicely, and he tasted of that a little, too,
+while Mr. Crow was getting on his best picnic things to go.
+
+And pretty soon they all started out, and it was so bright and sunny
+that Mr. 'Possum began to sing a little, and Mr. 'Coon told him not to
+make a noise like that or they'd have company--Mr. Dog or Mr. Fox or
+somebody--when there was only just enough chicken for themselves, which
+made Mr. 'Possum stop right away. And before long they came to a very
+quiet place under some thick hemlock-trees behind a stone wall and close
+to a brook of clear water.
+
+[Illustration: AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO]
+
+That was the place Mr. 'Coon had thought of, and they sat down there and
+spread out all the things on some moss, and everything looked so nice
+that Mr. 'Possum said they ought to come here every day and eat dinner
+as long as the hot weather lasted. Then they were all so hungry that
+they began on the chicken right away, and Mr. 'Possum said that maybe he
+_might_ have picked out a tenderer one, but that he didn't think he
+could have found a bigger one, or one that would have lasted longer, and
+that, after all, size and lasting were what one needed for a picnic.
+
+So they ate first one thing and then another, and Mr. 'Coon asked if
+they remembered the time Mr. Dog had come to one of their picnics before
+they were friends with him, when he'd really been invited to stay away;
+and they all laughed when they thought how Mr. Rabbit had excused
+himself, and the others, too, one after another, until Mr. Dog had the
+picnic mostly to himself. And by-and-by the Hollow Tree People lit their
+pipes and smoked, and Mr. 'Possum leaned his back against a tree and
+read himself to sleep, and dreamed, and had a kind of a nightmare about
+that other picnic, and talked in his sleep about it, which made Mr.
+'Coon think of something to do.
+
+So then Mr. 'Coon got some long grass and made a strong band of it and
+very carefully tied Mr. 'Possum to the tree, and just as Mr. 'Possum
+began to have his dream again and was saying "Oh! Oh! here comes Mr.
+Dog!" Mr. 'Coon gave three loud barks right in Mr. 'Possum's ear, and
+Mr. Crow said "Wake up! Wake up, Mr. 'Possum! Here he comes!"
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND READ
+HIMSELF TO SLEEP]
+
+And Mr. 'Possum did wake up, and jumped and jerked at that band, and
+holloed out as loud as he could:
+
+"Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog! Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog!" for he
+thought it was Mr. Dog that had him, and he forgot all about them being
+friends.
+
+But just then he happened to see Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon rolling on the
+ground and laughing, and he looked down to see what had him and found he
+was tied to a tree, and he knew that they had played a joke on him. That
+made him pretty mad at first, and he said if he ever got loose he'd pay
+them back for their smartness.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon told him he most likely never would get loose if he
+didn't promise not to do anything, so Mr. 'Possum promised, and Mr.
+'Coon untied him. Mr. 'Possum said he guessed the chicken must have been
+pretty hard to digest, and he knew it was pretty salt, for he was dying
+for a good cold drink.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said he knew where there was a spring over beyond the
+wall that had colder water than the brook, and he'd show them the way to
+it. So they climbed over the wall and slipped through the bushes to the
+spring, and all took a nice cold drink, and just as they raised their
+heads from drinking they heard somebody say something. And they all kept
+perfectly still and listened, and they heard it again, just beyond some
+bushes.
+
+[Illustration: SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM]
+
+So then they crept softly in among the green leaves and branches and
+looked through, and what do you think they saw?
+
+The Story Teller turns to the Little Lady, who seems a good deal
+excited.
+
+"Why, why, what did they see?" she says. "Tell me, quick!"
+
+"Why," the Story Teller goes on, "they saw the Little Lady and the Story
+Teller having a picnic too, with all the nice things spread out by a
+rock, under the hemlock-trees."
+
+"Oh," gasps the Little Lady, "did they really see us? and are they there
+now?"
+
+"They might be," says the Story Teller. "The Hollow Tree People slip
+around very softly. Anyway, they were there then, and it was the first
+time they had ever seen the Little Lady and the Story Teller so close.
+And they watched them until they were all through with their picnic and
+had gathered up their things. Then the 'Coon and the 'Possum and Old
+Black Crow slipped away again, and crept over the wall and gathered up
+their own things and set out for home very happy."
+
+The Little Lady grasps the Story Teller's hand.
+
+"Let's go and see their picnic place!" she says. "They may be there
+now."
+
+[Illustration: "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"]
+
+So the Little Lady and the Story Teller go softly down to the spring
+and get a drink; then they creep across to the mossy stone wall and peer
+over, and there, sure enough, is a green mossy place in the shade, the
+very place to spread a picnic; and the Little Lady jumps and says "Oh!"
+for she sees something brown whisk into the bushes. Anyhow, she knows
+the Hollow Tree People have been there, for there is a little piece of
+paper on the moss which they must have used to wrap up something, and
+she thinks they most likely heard her coming and are just gone.
+
+So the Story Teller lifts her over the wall, and they sit down on the
+green moss of the Hollow Tree picnic place, and she leans up against him
+and listens to the singing of the brook, and the Story Teller sings
+softly too, until by-and-by the Little Lady is asleep.
+
+And it may be, as they sit there and drowse and dream, that the Hollow
+Tree People creep up close and watch them.
+
+Who knows?
+
+[Illustration]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
+
+Repeated chapter titles were deleted to avoid repetition for the reader.
+
+Page 73, "t" changed to "it" (enjoyed it as much as)
+
+Page 135, "were" changed to "where" (from where he lived)
+
+Page 157, "pleasan" changed to "pleasant" (pleasant work)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book, by 
+Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK ***
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Hollow Tree Snowed-In Book, by Albert Bigelow Paine.
+    </title>
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+Project Gutenberg's The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book, by Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book
+       being a continuation of the stories about the Hollow Tree
+              and Deep Woods people
+
+Author: Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+Illustrator: J. M. Conde
+
+Release Date: February 16, 2012 [EBook #38896]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 420px;">
+<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="420" height="600" alt="Cover" title="" />
+</div>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 442px;">
+<img src="images/gs01.png" width="442" height="297" alt="THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE" title="" />
+<div class='attrib'>[See <a href="#Page_28">p. 28</a></div>
+<span class="caption">THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE<br />
+<span class='small'>Mr. Crow, Mr. Turtle, Mr. 'Coon, Mr. 'Possum, Mr. Robin, Mr. Squirrel, Mr. Dog, Mr. Rabbit</span><br />
+THEN MR. DOG SAID: "I KNOW ALL ABOUT MENAGERIES, FOR I HAVE BEEN TO ONE"</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class='bbox'>
+<h1>THE HOLLOW TREE<br />
+SNOWED-IN BOOK</h1>
+</div><div class='bbox'>
+<div class='center'><span class='small'>BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE STORIES ABOUT</span><br />
+<span class='small'>THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE</span><br />
+<br /><br />
+BY<br />
+<span class='author'>ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE</span><br />
+
+<span class='small'>AUTHOR OF</span><br />
+<span class='small'>"THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS BOOK"</span><br />
+<br /><br />
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+<span class='big'>J. M. COND&Eacute;</span><br /><br /><br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 86px;">
+<img src="images/tp.png" width="86" height="88" alt="Emblem" title="" />
+<br /><br /><br /></div>
+
+</div><div class='bbox'><div class='center'>
+NEW YORK AND LONDON<br />
+<span class='big'>HARPER &amp; BROTHERS PUBLISHERS</span><br />
+M C M X<br /></div></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p>
+
+
+
+
+<div class='bbox'><div class='center'>
+<span class="smcap">Books by</span><br />
+ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE<br /></div>
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="Books">
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Hollow Tree Snowed-In Book.</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>Crown 8vo&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>$1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Ship-Dwellers.</span> Illustrated</td><td align='right'>8vo&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Tent-Dwellers.</span> Illustrated</td><td align='right'>Post 8vo&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book.</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>Illustrated. Post 8vo&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">From Van-Dweller to Commuter.</span> Ill'd.</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>Post 8vo&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>1.50</td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Life of Thomas Nast.</span> Ill'd</td><td align='right'>8vo <i>net</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align='right'>5.00</td></tr>
+</table></div>
+<br /><div class='center'>&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+<span class='small'>HARPER &amp; BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, N. Y.</span><br />
+</div></div>
+
+
+<div class='copyright'><br /><br /><br /><br />
+Copyright, 1910, by <span class="smcap">Harper &amp; Brothers</span><br />
+&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;<br />
+Published October, 1910<br />
+<i>Printed in the United States of America</i><br />
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+TO ALL DWELLERS IN<br />
+THE BIG DEEP WOODS OF DREAM<br />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 420px;"><a name="Frontis" id="Frontis"></a>
+<a href="images/gs02-big.png"><img src="images/gs02.png" width="420" height="600" alt="MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY" title="" /></a>
+<span class="caption">MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY</span>
+</div>
+<div class='tnote'><div class='center'><b>Transcriber's Note:</b> For a larger version of the
+map, click on the image.</div></div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>EXPLANATION OF MAP</h2>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">The</span> top of the map is South. This is always so with the Hollow
+Tree People. The cross on the shelf below the edge of the world
+(where the ladder is) is where Mr. Dog landed, and the ladder is the
+one brought by Mr. Man for him to climb back on. The tree that
+Mr. Man cut down shows too. The spot on the edge of the world
+is where the Hollow Tree People sometimes sit and hang their feet
+over, and talk. A good many paths show, but not all by a good deal.
+The bridge and plank near Mr. Turtle's house lead to the Wide Grass
+Lands and Big West Hills. The spots along the Foot Race show
+where Grandpaw Hare stopped, and the one across the fence shows
+where Mr. Turtle landed. Most of the other things tell what they
+are, and all the things are a good deal farther apart than they look.
+Of course there was not room on the map for everything.</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>TO FRIENDS OLD AND NEW</h2>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>I&nbsp;  WONDER if you have ever heard a story which begins like this:
+"Once upon a time, in the far depths of the Big Deep Woods,
+there was a Big Hollow Tree with three hollow branches. In
+one of these there lived a 'Coon, in another a 'Possum, and in
+the third a Big Black Crow."</div>
+
+<p>That was the way the first story began in a book which told about
+the Hollow Tree People and their friends of the Big Deep Woods
+who used to visit them, and how they all used to sit around the table,
+or by the fire, in the parlor-room down-stairs, where they kept
+most of their things, and ate and talked and had good times together,
+just like folk.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p>
+
+<p>And the stories were told to the Little Lady by the Story Teller,
+and there were pictures made for them by the Artist, and it was all
+a long time ago&mdash;so long ago that the Little Lady has grown to be
+almost a big lady now, able to read stories for herself, and to write
+them, too, sometimes.</p>
+
+<p>But the Story Teller and the Artist did not grow any older. The
+years do not make any difference to them. Like the Hollow Tree
+People they remain always the same, for though to see them you
+might think by their faces and the silver glint in their hair that they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>
+are older, it would not be so, because these things are only a kind
+of enchantment, made to deceive, when all the time they are really
+with the Hollow Tree People in the Big Deep Woods, where years
+and enchantments do not count. It was only Mr. Dog, because he
+lived too much with Mr. Man, who grew old and went away to that
+Far Land of Evening which lies beyond the sunset, taking so many
+of the Hollow Tree stories with him. We thought these stories were
+lost for good when Mr. Dog left us, but that was not true, for there
+came another Mr. Dog&mdash;a nephew of our old friend&mdash;and he grew
+up brave and handsome, and learned the ways of the Hollow Tree
+People, and their stories, and all the old tales which the first Mr. Dog
+did not tell.</p>
+
+<p>And now, too, there is another Little Lady&mdash;almost exactly like
+the first Little Lady&mdash;and it may be that it is this Little Lady, after
+all, who keeps the Artist and the Story Teller young, for when she
+thought they might be growing older, and forgetting, she went with
+them away from the House of Many Windows, in the city, to the
+House of Low Ceilings and Wide Fireplaces&mdash;a queer old house
+like Mr. Rabbit's&mdash;built within the very borders of the Big Deep
+Woods, where they could be always close to Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum
+and the Old Black Crow, and all the others, and so learn all the
+new tales of the Hollow Tree.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> <i>The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book</i>, by the same author and artist.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Contents">
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'><span class='small'>PAGE</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">To Friends Old and New</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_7">7</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The First Snowed-In Story</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_15">15</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Mr. Dog at the Circus</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_21">21</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Second Snowed-In Story</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Widow Crow's Boarding-House</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_57">57</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Finding of the Hollow Tree</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_71">71</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Third Snowed-In Story</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_87">87</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Fourth Snowed-In Story</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The "Snowed-In" Literary Club</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_119">119</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The "Snowed-In" Literary Club&mdash;Part II</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; </td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_143">143</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Discontented Fox</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Mr. 'Possum's Great Story</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_173">173</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">The Bark of Old Hungry-Wolf</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">An Early Spring Call on Mr. Bear</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_219">219</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">Mr. Crow's Garden</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_239">239</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">When Jack Rabbit Was a Little Boy</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_261">261</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><span class="smcap">A Hollow Tree Picnic</span></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_273">273</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Illustrations">
+<tr><td align='left'>&nbsp;</td><td align='right'><span class='small'>PAGE</span></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE</div></td><td align='left'><i><a href="#Frontis">Frontispiece</a></i></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_4">4</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_29">29</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT OVER TO ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_43">43</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_47">47</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"THEN MR. DOG SAID, 'TELL ME ANOTHER'"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_49">49</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE ENOUGH"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_53">53</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY GOOD-BYE"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. 'POSSUM ON HIS SHOULDER</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_67">67</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_69">69</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW'S DOOR TO BE SURE SHE WAS ASLEEP</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_79">79</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE'D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE THINGS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_81">81</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span>MR. 'POSSUM AND MR. 'COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW MINUTES AND HE'D ACT AS JUDGE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_93">93</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_99">99</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_101">101</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_107">107</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_109">109</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"'GLAD TO SEE YOU,' SAID KING LION; 'I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR BREAKFAST'"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT BY SPINNING THEIR TAILS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_129">129</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_133">133</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY, BUT IT COULDN'T BE TRUE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD BE "IT"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO MORE EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_149">149</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON MR. CROW'S BALD HEAD</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE HADN'T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL BY WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_162">162</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>AND SO THIS CAT GREW RICH AND FAT</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_164">164</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>HIS CLERKS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_167">167</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_168">168</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span>QUOTH HE, "MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM BUSINESS DOES NOT PAY"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_171">171</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE SILAS, AND SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED MAN TOO</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>DIDN'T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF OUR CROWD</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_181">181</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST AFTER IT GOT OUR FAMILY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_184">184</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. 'POSSUM HAD TOLD THEM WAS TRUE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_189">189</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL OF EVERYTHING</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_195">195</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THEN MR. 'COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_199">199</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO AFTER A PIECE OF WOOD</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_201">201</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE FAIR</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_203">203</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_206">206</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_208">208</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. 'POSSUM AND SAID, "WHAT WAS THAT YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_211">211</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY THOUGHT MR. BEAR WAS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_224">224</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO SLEEP RIGHT WHERE HE WAS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_234">234</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_237">237</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER WAY</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_247">247</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK RABBIT'S THINGS</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_251">251</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_255">255</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_259">259</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF BERRIES, AND STARTED</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_265">265</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO&mdash;MOSTLY ON TOP OF THE STOVE</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_267">267</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN'T AT ALL PLEASED</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_269">269</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_271">271</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_278">278</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>MR. 'POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND READ HIMSELF TO SLEEP</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_280">280</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'><div class='hang1'>"AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"</div></td><td align='right'><a href="#Page_284">284</a></td></tr>
+</table></div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE FIRST SNOWED-IN STORY</h2>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 477px;">
+<img src="images/gs03.png" width="477" height="340" alt="GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD" title="" />
+<span class="caption">GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>IN WHICH THE READER LEARNS TO
+KNOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE
+AND THEIR FRIENDS, AND THE LITTLE
+LADY, AND THE STORY TELLER</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>NOW this is the beginning of the Hollow Tree stories
+which the Story Teller told the Little Lady in the
+queer old house which stands in the very borders
+of the Big Deep Woods itself. They were told in the Room
+of the Lowest Ceiling and the Widest Fire&mdash;a ceiling so low
+that when the Story Teller stands upright it brushes his hair<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>
+as he walks, and a fire so deep that pieces of large trees do
+not need to be split but can be put on whole. In the old
+days, several great-grandfathers back, as the Hollow Tree
+People might say, these heavy sticks were drawn in by a
+horse that came right through the door and dragged the
+wood to the wide stone hearth.</div>
+
+<p>It is at the end of New-Year's Day, and the Little Lady
+has been enjoying her holidays, for Santa Claus found his
+way down the big stone chimney and left a number of things
+she wanted. Now, when the night is coming down outside,
+and when inside there is a heap of blazing logs and a rocking-chair,
+it is time for the Story Teller. The Story Teller generally
+smokes and looks into the fire when he tells a Hollow
+Tree story, because the Hollow Tree People always smoke
+and look into the fire when <i>they</i> tell <i>their</i> stories, and the
+Little Lady likes everything to be "just the same," and the
+stories must be always told just the same, too. If they are
+not, she stops the Story Teller and sets him right. So while
+the Little Woman passes to and fro, putting away the tea-things,
+the Story Teller lights his pipe, and rocks, and looks
+into the fire, and holds the Little Lady close, and begins the
+Tales of the Hollow Tree.</p>
+
+<p>"Once upon a time," he begins&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"Once upon a time," murmurs the Little Lady, settling
+herself.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Yes, once upon a time, in the old days of the Hollow
+Tree, when Mr. Dog had become friends with the 'Coon
+and the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow who lived in the
+three hollow branches of the Big Hollow Tree, and used to
+meet together in their parlor-room down-stairs and invite
+all their friends, and have good times together, just like
+folk&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"But they live there now, don't they?" interrupts the
+Little Lady, suddenly sitting up, "and still have their friends,
+just the same?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, of course, but this was one of the old times, you
+know."</p>
+
+<p>The Little Lady settles back, satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>"Go on telling, now," she says.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, then, this was one of the times when all the Deep
+Woods People had been invited to the Hollow Tree for
+Christmas Day, and were snowed in. Of course they didn't
+expect to be snowed in. Nobody ever expects to be snowed
+in till it happens, and then it's too late."</p>
+
+<p>"Was that the Christmas that Mr. Dog played Santa
+Claus and brought all the presents, and Mr. Squirrel and
+Mr. Robin and Mr. Turtle and Jack Rabbit came over, and
+they all sat around the fire and ate things and told nice
+stories? You said you would tell about that, and you never
+did."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"I am going to tell it now, as soon as a Little Lady gets real
+still," says the Story Teller. So then the Little Lady <i>is</i>
+"real still," and he tells the first snowed-in story, which is
+called:</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>MR. DOG AT THE CIRCUS</h2><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='chapsum'>THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE LEARN
+SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT
+ABOUT SHOWS</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>THAT was a great Christmas in the Hollow Tree.
+The 'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old Black
+Crow had been getting ready for it for a long
+time, and brought in ever so many nice things to eat,
+which Mr. Crow had cooked for them, for Mr. Crow
+is the best cook of anybody in the Big Deep Woods.
+Then Mr. Dog had brought a lot of good things, too,
+which he had borrowed from Mr. Man's house, so they
+had the finest Christmas dinner that you can think of,
+and plenty for the next day when it would be even better,
+because chicken and turkey and dressing and such things are
+always better the next day, and even the <i>third</i> day, with
+gravy, than they are when they are first cooked.</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 468px;"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></a>
+<img src="images/gs04.png" width="468" height="408" alt="THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then, when they were all through and were standing
+around, smoking their new pipes and looking at each other's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>
+new neckties and other Christmas things, Mr. Crow said that
+he and Mr. Squirrel would clear off the table if the others
+would get in some wood and stir up the fire and set the room
+to rights, so they could gather round and be comfortable
+by-and-by; and then, he said, it might snow as much as it
+liked as long as they had plenty of wood and things to eat
+inside.</p>
+
+<p>So then they all skurried around getting on their things
+to go out after wood&mdash;all except Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel,
+who set about clearing off the table and doing up the dishes.
+And pretty soon Mr. Dog and Mr. 'Coon and the rest were
+hopping about where the snow was falling so soft and silent
+among the big, leafless trees, gathering nice pieces of wood
+and brushing the snow off of them and piling them into the
+first down-stairs of the Hollow Tree, which the 'Coon and
+'Possum and Old Black Crow use for their wood-house and
+general store-room. It was great fun, and they didn't feel
+the least bit cold after their warm dinner and with all that
+brisk exercise.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Robin didn't help carry the wood in. He was hardly
+strong enough for that, but he hopped about and looked for
+good pieces, and when he found one he would call to Mr.
+'Coon or Mr. 'Possum, or maybe to one of the others, to
+throw it on his shoulder and carry it in, and then he would
+tell whoever it happened to be how strong he was and how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span>
+fine he looked with that great chunk on his shoulder, and
+would say that he didn't suppose there was another 'Coon,
+or 'Possum, or Turtle, or Rabbit, or Dog that could begin
+to stand up straight under such a chunk as that anywhere
+outside of a menagerie. Mr. Robin likes to say pleasant
+things to his friends, and is always popular. And each one
+tried to carry the biggest load of wood to show how strong
+he was, and pretty soon they had the lower room of the
+Hollow Tree piled up high with the finest chunks and
+kindling pieces to be found anywhere. Then they all hurried
+up-stairs, stamping the snow off their feet, and gathered
+around the nice warm fire in the big parlor which was just
+below the three big hollow branches where the 'Coon and
+'Possum and the Old Black Crow had their rooms.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel were through with the table
+by this time, and all hands lit their pipes, and looked into
+the fire, and smoked, and rested, and thought a little before
+they began talking&mdash;thinking, of course, of what a good time
+they were having, and how comfortable and nice it was to
+be inside and warm when such a big snow was falling outside.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum was the first one to say anything. He said
+he had been thinking of what Mr. Robin had said about them
+being outside of a menagerie, and that, come to think about
+it, he believed he didn't know what a menagerie was, unless
+it was a new name for a big dinner, as that was the only thing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
+he could think of now that they were outside of, and he said
+if that was so, and if he could get outside of two menageries,
+he thought he could carry in a bigger chunk than any two
+chunks there were down-stairs.</p>
+
+<p>Then all the others laughed a good deal, and Mr. 'Coon
+said he had thought that perhaps a menagerie was something
+to wear that would make anybody who had it on very strong,
+and able to stand up under a big load, and to eat as much
+as Mr. 'Possum could, or even more.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Robin said that it didn't mean either of those
+things. He said he didn't really know what it did mean
+himself, but that it must be some kind of a place that had a
+great many large creatures in it, for he had heard his grandmother
+quite often call his grandfather the biggest goose outside
+of a menagerie, though, being very young then, Mr. Robin
+couldn't remember just what she had meant by it.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit said he thought that the word "menagerie"
+sounded like some kind of a picnic, with swings and nice
+lively games, and Mr. Crow said that once when he was
+flying he passed over a place where there was a big sign that
+said "Menagerie" on it, and that there were some tents and
+a crowd of people and a great noise, but that he hadn't seen
+anything that he could carry off without being noticed, so
+he didn't stop.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Squirrel thought that from what Mr. Crow said it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>
+must be a place where there would be a lot of fine things
+to see, and Mr. Turtle said that he was a good deal over
+three hundred years old and had often heard of a menagerie,
+but that he had never seen one. He said he had always
+supposed that it was a nice pond of clear water, with a
+lot of happy turtles and fish and wild geese and duck and
+such things, in it, and maybe some animals around it, all
+living happily together, and taken care of by Mr. Man,
+who brought them a great many good things to eat. He
+had always thought he would like to live in a menagerie,
+he said, but that nobody had ever invited him, and he
+had never happened to come across one in his travels.</p>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 297px;"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29"></a>
+<img src="images/gs05.png" width="297" height="431" alt="&quot;SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT&quot;</span>
+</div>
+<p>Mr. Dog hadn't been saying anything all this time, but
+he knocked the ashes out of his pipe now, and filled it up
+fresh and lit it, and cleared his throat, and began to talk.
+It made him smile, he said, to hear the different ways
+people thought of a thing they had never seen. He said
+that Mr. Turtle was the only one who came anywhere near
+to what a menagerie really was, though of course Mr. Crow
+<i>had</i> seen one on the outside. Then Mr. Dog said:</p>
+
+
+
+<p>"I know all about menageries, on the outside and the
+inside too, for I have been to one. I went once with Mr.
+Man, though I wasn't really invited to go. In fact, Mr. Man
+invited me to stay at home, and tried to slip off from me;
+but I watched which way he went, and took long roundin's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>
+on him, and slipped in behind him when he went into the
+tent. He didn't know for a while that I was there, and I
+wasn't there so very long. But it was plenty long enough&mdash;a
+good deal longer than I'd ever stay again, unless I was tied.</p>
+
+<p>"I never saw so many wild, fierce-looking creatures in
+my life as there were in that menagerie, and they were just
+as wild and fierce as they looked. They had a lot of cages
+full of them and they had some outside of cages, though I
+don't know why they should leave any of those dangerous
+animals around where they could damage folks that happened
+to come in reach, as I did. Those animals outside
+didn't look as wild and fierce as those in the cages, but
+they were.</p>
+
+<p>"I kept in the crowd, close behind Mr. Man at first, and
+nobody knew I was there, but by-and-by he climbed up
+into a seat to watch some people all dressed up in fancy
+clothes ride around a ring on horses, which I didn't care
+much about, so I slipped away, and went over to where
+there were some things that I wanted to take my time to
+and see quietly.</p>
+
+<p>"There was an animal about my size and style tied over
+in one corner of the tent, behind a rope, with a sign in front
+of him which said, 'The Only Tame Hyena in the World.'
+He looked smiling and good-natured, and I went over to
+ask him some questions.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 424px;">
+<img src="images/gs06.png" width="424" height="412" alt="&quot;HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT OVER TO ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT OVER TO ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS&quot;</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"But that sign wasn't true. He wasn't the least bit
+tame, and I'm sure now that he wasn't smiling. He grabbed
+me before I had a chance to say a word, and when I jerked
+loose, which I did right away, for I didn't want to stir up
+any fuss there, I left quite a piece of my ear with the tame
+hyena, and tripped backward over the rope and rolled right
+in front of a creature called an elephant, about as big as
+a house and not as useful.</p>
+
+<p>"I suppose they thought <i>he</i> was tame, too, but he must
+have been tamed by the same man, for he grabbed me
+with a kind of a tail that grew on the end of his nose&mdash;a
+thing a good deal like Mr. 'Possum's tail, only about a
+million times as big&mdash;and I could hear my ribs crack as
+he waved me up and down.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course, as I say, I didn't want to stir up any fuss,
+but I couldn't keep still under such treatment as that, and
+I called right out to Mr. Man, where he sat looking at the
+fancy people riding, and told him that I had had enough
+of the show, and if he wanted to take any of me home he
+ought not to wait very long, but come over that way and
+see if he couldn't get the tame elephant to practise that
+performance on the hyena or the next dog, because I had
+had plenty, and was willing to go home just as I was, all
+in one piece, even if not very lively.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Man <i>came</i>, too, and so did a lot of the others. They<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
+seemed to think that I was more to look at than those
+riding people; and some of them laughed, though what
+there was happening that was funny I have never been
+able to guess to this day. I kept right on telling Mr.
+Man what I wanted him to do, and mebbe I made a good
+deal of noise about it, for it seemed to stir up those other
+animals. There was a cage full of lions that started the
+most awful roaring you can think of, and a cage of crazy-looking
+things they called monkeys that screeched and
+howled and swung back and forth in rings and held on to
+the bars, and all the other things joined in, until I couldn't
+tell whether I was still saying anything or not. I suppose
+they were all jealous of the elephant because of the fun
+he was having, and howling to be let out so they could get
+hold of me too.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you never heard of such a time. It nearly broke
+up the show. Everybody ran over to look, and even the
+riding people stopped their horses to enjoy it, too. If it
+only hadn't been so dangerous and unpleasant I should
+have been proud of the way they came to see me perform.</p>
+
+<p>"But Mr. Man didn't seem to like it much. I heard him
+tell somebody, as loud as he could, that I would be killed,
+and that I was the best dog he ever had, and that if I <i>was</i>
+killed he'd sue the show.</p>
+
+<p>"That made me proud, too, but I wished he wouldn't<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
+wait to sue the show, but would do something right away,
+and just then a man with a fancy dress on and a stick with
+a sharp iron hook on it came running up and said something
+I didn't understand and hit the elephant with the
+hook end of the stick, and he gave me an extra big swing
+and crack and flung me half-way across the tent, where I
+landed on a bunch of hay right in front of a long-necked
+thing called a camel&mdash;another terrible tame creature, I
+suppose&mdash;who had me about half eaten up with his old
+long under lip, before Mr. Man could get over there.</p>
+<div class="figright" style="width: 468px;"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35"></a>
+<img src="images/gs07.png" width="468" height="441" alt="&quot;GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK&quot;</span>
+</div>
+<p>"When Mr. Man did get hold of me, he said that I'd
+better take what was left of me home, for they were going
+to feed the animals pretty soon, and that I would likely
+get mixed up with the bill of fare.</p>
+
+<p>"After that he took me to the entrance and pushed me
+outside, and I heard all those fierce creatures in the cages
+growl and roar louder than ever, as if they had expected
+to sample me and were sorry to see me go.</p>
+
+
+
+<p>"That's what a menagerie is&mdash;it's a place where they
+have all the kinds of animals and things in the world, for
+show, and a good many birds, and maybe turtles, too, but
+they don't have any fine clear pond. They have just a big
+tent, like the one Mr. Crow saw, and a lot of cages inside.
+They keep most of the animals in cages, and they ought
+to keep them all there, and I don't think they feed them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
+very much, nor the best things, or they wouldn't look so
+fierce and hungry.</p>
+
+<p>"They just keep them for Mr. Man and his friends to
+look at and talk about, and if Mr. Turtle will take my
+advice he will keep out of a menagerie and live in the Wide
+Blue Water where he was born. I wouldn't have gone
+there again unless I had been tied and dragged there, or
+unless they had put those tame animals into cages with the
+others. No doubt there are some very fine, strong animals
+in a menagerie, but they wouldn't be there if they could
+help it, and if anybody ever invites any of you to join a
+menagerie, take my advice and don't do it."</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Dog knocked the ashes out of his pipe again,
+and all the other Deep Woods People knocked the ashes
+out of <i>their</i> pipes, too, and filled them up fresh, and one said
+one thing, and one said another about being in a menagerie
+or out of it, and every one thought it would be a terrible
+thing to be shut up in a cage, except Mr. 'Possum, who said
+he wouldn't mind it if they would let him sleep enough
+and give him all he could eat, but that a cage without those
+things would be a lonesome place.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Coon said that a little adventure had happened
+to him once which he had never mentioned before, because
+he had never known just what to make of it; but he
+knew now, he said, that he had come very near getting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
+into a menagerie, and he would tell them just what happened.</p>
+
+<p>The Story Teller looked down at the quiet figure in his
+lap. The Little Lady's head was nestled close to his
+shoulder, and her eyes were straining very hard to keep open.</p>
+
+<p>"I think we will save Mr. 'Coon's story till another night,"
+he said.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE SECOND SNOWED-IN STORY</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. 'COON TELLS HOW HE CAME
+NEAR BEING A PART OF A MENAGERIE,
+AND HOW HE ONCE
+TOLD A STORY TO MR. DOG</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>"YOU can tell about Mr. 'Coon, now&mdash;the story you
+didn't tell last night, you know," and the Little
+Lady wriggles herself into a comfortable corner
+just below the Story Teller's smoke, and looks deep into
+a great cavern of glowing embers between the big old andirons,
+where, in her fancy, she can picture the Hollow Tree
+people and their friends.</div>
+
+<p>"Why, yes, let me see&mdash;" says the Story Teller.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Dog had just told about being at the menagerie,
+you know, and Mr. 'Coon was just going to tell how he came
+very near getting into a menagerie himself."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, of course&mdash;well, then, all the Hollow Tree
+people, the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>
+their friends who were visiting them&mdash;Mr. Dog and Mr.
+Robin and Jack Rabbit and Mr. Turtle and Mr. Squirrel&mdash;knocked
+the ashes out of their pipes and filled them up
+fresh&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>"No, they had just done that."</p>
+
+<p>"That's so, I forgot. Well, anyway, as soon as they got
+to smoking and settled back around the fire again Mr.
+'Coon told them his story, and I guess we'll call it</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>
+MR. 'COON'S EARLY ADVENTURE<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon said he was quite young when it happened,
+and was taking a pleasant walk one evening, to think over
+things a little, and perhaps to pick out a handy tree where
+Mr. Man's chickens roosted, when all at once he heard a
+fierce bark close behind him, and he barely had time to
+get up a tree himself when a strange and very noisy Mr.
+Dog was leaping about at the foot of the tree, making a great
+fuss, and calling every moment for Mr. Man to hurry, for
+he had a young 'coon treed.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course I laid pretty low when I heard that," Mr.
+'Coon said, "for I knew that Mr. Man would most likely
+have a gun, so I got into a bunch of leaves and brush that
+must have been some kind of an old nest and scrooched
+down so that none of me would show.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/gs08.png" width="400" height="468" alt="ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM" title="" />
+<span class="caption">ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Then by-and-by I heard some big creature come running
+through the brush, and I peeked over a little, and there,
+sure enough, was Mr. Man with a long gun, and I noticed
+that he wore a thing on his head&mdash;a sort of hat, I suppose&mdash;made
+of what looked to be the skin of some relative of mine.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course that made me mad. I hadn't cared so much
+until I saw that; but I said right then to myself that any
+one who would do such a thing as that never could be a
+friend of mine, no matter how much he tried. So I scrooched
+down and laid low in that old nest, and didn't move or let
+on in any way that I was there.</p>
+
+<p>"Then I heard Mr. Man walking around the tree and
+talking to his dog and telling him that there wasn't anything
+up in that tree at all, and that Mr. Dog had just been
+fooling him. I could tell by his voice that he was getting
+mad at Mr. Dog, and I hoped that he'd get mad enough
+pretty soon to take a stick to him for chasing me up a
+tree like that, and then calling for Mr. Man to come and
+see me when there wasn't really anything to look at.</p>
+
+<p>"But Mr. Dog kept galloping around the tree and barking
+out, over and over, that I was there; that he had seen
+me, and that he knew that I was hiding up there somewhere;
+and pretty soon I heard Mr. Man going away,
+and I peeked over again.</p>
+
+<p>"Sure enough, he was going, but Mr. Dog was staying<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>
+right there, sitting under the tree and looking up and making
+a good deal more noise than there was any need of to
+let me know he hadn't gone. I didn't see why he stayed
+there. I wished he'd go away and tend to his own business.</p>
+
+<p>"Being quite young, I still lived with my folks over near
+the Wide Grass Lands, and I wanted to get home for supper.
+It was a good way to go, for the tree I had climbed was
+over close to the edge of the world where the sun and moon
+rise, and you all know that's a good way, even from here.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he didn't go, but just sat there, barking up that
+tree, and after a long time I heard somebody coming again,
+and I peeked over and there was Mr. Man, hurrying back,
+this time with an axe. I knew, right then, there was
+going to be trouble. I knew they were going to cut that
+tree down, and that I should most likely have quite a fuss
+with Mr. Dog, and perhaps go home with a black eye and
+a scratched nose, and then get whipped again for fighting,
+after I got there."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon stopped and knocked the ashes out of his pipe
+and filled it up fresh, and all the others knocked the ashes
+out of their pipes and filled them up fresh, too. Then Mr.
+'Possum poked up the fire and told Mr. Turtle to bring a
+stick of wood from down-stairs, and when it was blazing
+up high and bright again they all stepped over to the
+window a minute, to see how hard it was snowing and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>
+banking up outside, then went back to their chairs around
+the fire, and stretched out their feet and leaned back and
+smoked, and listened to the rest of Mr. 'Coon's story.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon said he didn't like the sound of that axe when
+Mr. Man began to cut the tree down.</p>
+
+<p>"Every time he struck the tree I could feel it all through
+me," he said, "and I knew if he kept that noise up long
+enough it would give me a nervous headache. I wished
+the tree would hurry up and drop, so we could have what
+muss we were going to, and get it over with. I'd have got
+out of that old nest and made a jump for another tree if
+there had been any near enough, but there wasn't, so I
+just laid low and gritted my teeth and let him chop.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, by-and-by that tree began to go down. It seemed
+to teeter a little at first, this way and that; then it went
+very slow in one direction; then it went a little faster;
+then it went a good deal faster; then I suddenly felt like
+a shooting-star, I came down so fast, and there was a big
+crash, and I thought I had turned into a lot of stars, sure
+enough, and was shooting in every direction, and the next
+I knew I was tied to a tree, hand and foot and around the
+middle, and Mr. Man and Mr. Dog were sitting and looking
+at me, and grinning, and talking about what they were
+going to do.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 320px;"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></a>
+<img src="images/gs09.png" width="320" height="428" alt="&quot;THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Mr. Man wasn't scolding Mr. Dog any more. He was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>
+telling him what a good thing it was they had caught me
+alive, for now they could sell me to a show and get a great
+deal more for me than they could for my skin. I didn't
+know what a show was, then, or that a show is a menagerie,
+but I know now, and I can see just what they meant.</p>
+
+<p>"Pretty soon Mr. Man told Mr. Dog to stay there and
+watch me while he went home after a box to put me in.
+He said he didn't think it would be safe to carry me in his
+arms, and he was right about that.</p>
+
+<p>"So then Mr. Man walked off, and left Mr. Dog guarding
+me, and saying unpleasant things to me now and then.</p>
+
+<p>"At first I wouldn't answer him; but pretty soon I
+happened to think of something pleasant to say:</p>
+
+<p>"'Mr. Dog,' I said, 'I know a good story, if you'd like
+me to tell it. Mr. Man may be a good while getting that
+box, and mebbe you'd like to hear something to pass the
+time.'</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Dog said he would. He said that Mr. Man would
+most likely have to make the box, and he didn't suppose
+he knew where the hammer and nails were, and it might be
+dark before Mr. Man got back.</p>
+
+<p>"I felt a good deal better when I heard Mr. Dog say that,
+and I told him a story I knew about how Mr. Rabbit lost
+his tail, and Mr. Dog laughed and seemed to like it, and
+said, 'Tell me another.'"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 338px;">
+<img src="images/gs10.png" width="338" height="431" alt="&quot;THEN MR. DOG SAID, &#39;TELL ME ANOTHER&#39;&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;THEN MR. DOG SAID, &#39;TELL ME ANOTHER&#39;&quot;</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Before Mr. 'Coon could go on with his story, Mr. Rabbit
+said that of course if that old tale had helped Mr. 'Coon
+out of trouble he was very glad, but that it wasn't at all
+true, and that some time <i>he</i> would tell them himself the
+true story of how it happened.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all said that they hoped he would, for they'd
+always wanted to hear that story told right, and then Mr.
+'Coon went on with his adventure.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon said that when Mr. Dog said, "Tell me another,"
+he knew he was in a good-humor, and that he felt better
+and better himself. "I thought if Mr. Man didn't come
+back too soon," he said, "I might get along pretty well
+with Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<p>"'I know another story, Mr. Dog,' I said&mdash;'the funniest
+story there is. It would make you laugh until you fell
+over the edge of the world, but I can't tell it here.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Why,' he said&mdash;'why can't you tell it here as well as
+anywhere?'</p>
+
+<p>"'Because it has to be acted,' I said, 'and my hands
+are tied.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Will you tell it if I untie your hands?' said Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<p>"'Well,' I said, 'I'll begin it, and you can see how it goes.'</p>
+
+<p>"So Mr. Dog came over and untied my hands, for he said
+he could tie them again before Mr. Man came back, because
+he knew Mr. Man hadn't found that hammer yet.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"'You can't get loose with just your hands untied, can
+you?' he said.</p>
+
+<p>"'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, pleasant and polite
+as could be.</p>
+
+<p>"'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<p>"So I twisted and pulled, and of course I couldn't get
+loose.</p>
+
+<p>"'Now tell the story,' said Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<p>"So I said: 'Once there was a man who had a very bad
+pain in his chest, and he took all kinds of medicine, and it
+didn't do him any good. And one day the Old Wise Man
+of the Woods told him if he would rub his chest with one
+hand and pat his head with the other, it might draw the pain
+out the top and cure him. So the man with the pain in
+his chest tried it, and he did it this way.'</p>
+
+<p>"Then I showed Mr. Dog just how he did it, and Mr. Dog
+thought that was funny, and laughed a good deal.</p>
+
+<p>"'Go on and tell the rest of it,' he said. 'What happened
+after that?'</p>
+
+<p>"But I let on as if I'd just remembered something, and
+I said, 'Oh, Mr. Dog, I'm <i>so</i> sorry, but I can't tell the
+rest of that story here, and it's the funniest part, too. I
+know you'd laugh till you rolled over the edge of the world.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Why can't you tell the rest of that story here as well
+as anywhere?' said Mr. Dog, looking anxious.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"'Because it has to be acted with the feet,' I said, 'and
+my feet are tied.'</p>
+
+<p>"'Will you tell it if I untie your feet?' said Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<p>"'Well, I'll do the best I can,' I said.</p>
+
+<p>"So Mr. Dog came over and untied my feet. He said he
+knew that Mr. Man hadn't found the nails or the pieces
+to make the box yet, and there would be plenty of time
+to tie me again before Mr. Man got back.</p>
+
+<p>"'You can't get loose, anyway, with just your hands
+and feet untied, can you?' he said.</p>
+
+<p>"'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, more pleasant and
+polite than ever.</p>
+
+<p>"'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<p>"So I squirmed and twisted, but of course with a strong
+string around my waist and tied behind I couldn't do anything.</p>
+
+<p>"'Now go on with the story,' said Mr. Dog.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 337px;"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></a>
+<img src="images/gs11.png" width="337" height="430" alt="&quot;AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE ENOUGH&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE ENOUGH&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"'Well,' I said, 'the pain left his chest, but it went into
+his back, and he had a most terrible time, until one day
+the Old Wise Man of the Woods came along and told him
+that he thought he ought to know enough by this time
+to rub his back where the pain was and pat his head at the
+same time to draw it out at the top. So then the man with
+the pain rubbed his back and patted his head this way,'
+and I showed Mr. Dog how he did it; and I rubbed a good
+while about where the knot was, and made a face to show<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
+how the man with the pain looked, and then I said the
+pain came back into his chest again instead of being drawn
+out at the top; and I changed about and rubbed there
+awhile, and then I went around to my back again, chasing
+that pain first one side and the other; and then I said that
+the Old Wise Man of the Woods came along one day and
+told him that he must kick with his feet too if he ever
+wanted to get rid of that pain, because, after all, it might
+have to be kicked out at the bottom; and when I began
+to kick and dance with both feet and to rub with my
+hands at the same time, Mr. Dog gave a great big laugh&mdash;the
+biggest laugh I ever heard anybody give&mdash;and fell right
+down and rolled over and over, and did roll off the edge
+of the world, sure enough.</p>
+
+<p>"I heard him go clattering into a lot of brush and blackberry
+bushes that are down there, and just then I got
+that back knot untied, and I stepped over and looked down
+at Mr. Dog, who had lodged in a brier patch on a shelf about
+ten feet below the edge, where Mr. Man would have to get
+him up with a ladder or a rope.</p>
+
+<p>"'Do you want to hear the rest of the story, Mr. Dog?'
+I said.</p>
+
+<p>"'I'll story <i>you</i>,' he said, 'when I catch you!'</p>
+
+<p>"'I told you you'd laugh till you fell off the edge of the
+world,' I said.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 358px;">
+<img src="images/gs12.png" width="358" height="415" alt="&quot;I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY GOOD-BYE&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY GOOD-BYE&quot;</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"'I'll make <i>you</i> laugh,' he said, 'when I catch you!'</p>
+
+<p>"Then I saw he was cross about something, and I set
+out for home without waiting to say good-bye to Mr. Man,
+for I didn't want to waste any more time, though I missed
+my supper and got a scolding besides.</p>
+
+<p>"But I was glad I didn't bring home a black eye and
+scratched nose, and I'm more glad than ever now that Mr.
+Man didn't get back in time with that box, or I might
+be in a menagerie this minute instead of sitting here
+smoking and telling stories and having a good time on
+Christmas Day."</p>
+
+<p>The Story Teller looks down at the Little Lady.</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad Mr. 'Coon didn't get into the menagerie, aren't
+you?" she says.</p>
+
+<p>"Very glad," says the Story Teller.</p>
+
+<p>"He went lickety-split home, didn't he?"</p>
+
+<p>"He did that!"</p>
+
+<p>"I like them to go lickety-split better than lickety-cut,
+don't you?" says the Little Lady. "They seem to go so
+much faster."</p>
+
+<p>"Ever so much faster," says the Story Teller.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE WIDOW CROW'S BOARDING-HOUSE</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>EARLY DOINGS OF THE HOLLOW TREE
+PEOPLE AND HOW THEY FOUND A HOME</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>ANYBODY can tell by her face that the Little Lady
+has some plan of her own when the Story Teller is
+ready next evening to "sit by the fire and spin."</div>
+
+<p>"I want you to tell me," she says, climbing up into
+her place, "how the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black
+Crow ever got to living together in the Hollow Tree."</p>
+
+<p>That frightens the Story Teller. He is all ready with
+something different.</p>
+
+<p>"Good gracious!" he says, "that is an old story that all
+the Deep Woods People have known ever so long."</p>
+
+<p>"But I don't know it," says the Little Lady, "and I'd
+like to know that before you tell anything else. Rock, and
+tell it."</p>
+
+<p>So the Story Teller rocks slowly, and smokes, and almost<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
+forgets the Little Lady in remembering that far-away time,
+and presently he begins.</p>
+
+<p>Well, it was all so long ago that perhaps I can't remember
+it very well. Mr. 'Possum was a young man in those days&mdash;a
+nice spry young fellow; and he used to think it was a
+good deal of fun to let Mr. Dog&mdash;who wasn't friendly then,
+of course&mdash;try to catch him; and when Mr. Dog would get
+pretty close and come panting up behind him, Mr. 'Possum
+would scramble up a tree, and run out on to the longest
+limb and swing from it, head down, and laugh, and say:</p>
+
+<p>"Come right up, Mr. Dog! Always at home to you, Mr.
+Dog! Don't stop to knock!"</p>
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 384px;"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"></a>
+<img src="images/gs13.png" width="384" height="440" alt="CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG" title="" />
+<span class="caption">CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG</span>
+</div>
+<p>And then Mr. Dog would race around under the tree
+and make a great to do, and sometimes Mr. 'Possum would
+swing back and forth, and pretty soon give a great big
+swing and let go, and Mr. Dog would think surely he had
+him then, and bark and run to the place where he thought
+he was going to drop. Only Mr. 'Possum didn't drop&mdash;not
+far; for he had his limb all picked out, and he would
+catch it with his tail as he went by, and it would bend and
+sway with him, and he would laugh, and call again:</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go, Mr. Dog! Mr. Man can get up the cows
+alone to-night!"</p>
+
+
+
+<p>And then Mr. Dog would remember that he was a good
+ways from home, and that if he wasn't there in time to help<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
+Mr. Man get up the cows there might be trouble; and he
+would set out lickety-split for home, with Mr. 'Possum
+calling to him as he ran.</p>
+
+<p>But one time Mr. 'Possum made a mistake. He didn't
+know it, but he was getting older and a good deal fatter than
+he had been at first, and when he swung out for another limb
+that way, and let go, he missed the limb and came clattering
+down right in front of Mr. Dog. He wasn't hurt much,
+for the ground was soft, and there was a nice thick bed of
+leaves; but I tell you he was scared, and when Mr. Dog
+jumped right on top of him, and grabbed him, he gave
+himself up for lost, sure enough.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. 'Possum is smart in some ways, and he knows
+how to play "dead" better than any other animal there is.
+He knew that Mr. Dog would want to show him to Mr.
+Man, and that he was too heavy for Mr. Dog to carry. He
+had thought about all that, and decided what to do just
+in that little second between the limb and the ground, for
+Mr. 'Possum can think quick enough when anything like
+that happens.</p>
+
+<p>So when he struck the ground he just gave one little kick
+with his hind foot and a kind of a sigh, as if he was drawing
+his last breath, and laid there: and even when Mr. Dog
+grabbed him and shook him he never let on, but acted almost
+deader than if he had been really dead and no mistake.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Dog stood with his paws out and his nose down
+close, listening, and barking once in a while, and thinking
+maybe he would come to pretty soon, but Mr. 'Possum
+still never let on, or breathed the least little bit, and directly
+Mr. Dog started to drag him toward Mr. Man's house.</p>
+
+<p>That was a hard job, and every little way Mr. Dog
+would stop and shake Mr. 'Possum and bark and listen to
+see if he was really dead, and after a while he decided that
+he was, and started to get Mr. Man to come and fetch Mr.
+'Possum home. But he only went a few steps, the first
+time, and just as Mr. 'Possum was about to jump up and
+run he came hurrying back, and stood over him and barked
+and barked as loud as ever he could for Mr. Man to come
+and see what he had for him. But Mr. Man was too far
+away, and even if he heard Mr. Dog he didn't think it worth
+while to come.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. Dog tried to get Mr. 'Possum on his shoulder,
+to carry him that way; but Mr. 'Possum made himself so
+limp and loose and heavy that every time Mr. Dog would
+get him nearly up he would slide off again and fall all in a
+heap on the leaves; and Mr. Dog couldn't help believing
+that he was dead, to see him lying there all doubled up,
+just as he happened to drop.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 390px;"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a>
+<img src="images/gs14.png" width="390" height="414" alt="SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. &#39;POSSUM ON HIS SHOULDER" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. &#39;POSSUM ON HIS SHOULDER</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>So, then, by-and-by Mr. Dog really did start for Mr. Man's,
+and Mr. 'Possum lay still, and just opened one eye the least<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>
+bit to see how far Mr. Dog had gone, and when he had gone
+far enough Mr. 'Possum jumped up quick as a wink and
+scampered up a tree, and ran out on a limb and swung with
+his head down, and called out:</p>
+
+<p>"Don't go away, Mr. Dog! We've had such a nice
+visit together! Don't go off mad, Mr. Dog! Come back and
+stay till the cows come home!"</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Dog was mad, I <i>tell</i> you, and told him what
+he'd do next time; and he set out for home fast as he could
+travel, and went in the back way and hid, for Mr. Man was
+already getting up the cows when he got there.</p>
+
+<p>Well, Mr. 'Possum didn't try that swinging trick on Mr.
+Dog any more. He found out that it was dangerous, the
+way he was getting, and that made him think he ought to
+change his habits in other ways too. For one thing, he
+decided he ought to have some regular place to stay where
+he could eat and sleep and feel at home, instead of just
+travelling about and putting up for the night wherever
+he happened to be.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum was always quite stylish, too, and had a good
+many nice clothes, and it wasn't good for them to be packed
+about all the time; and once some of his best things got
+rained on and he had to sleep on them for a long time to
+get them pressed out smooth again.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. 'Possum made up his mind to find a home. He<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
+was an old bachelor and never wanted to be anything else,
+because he liked to have his own way, and go out all times
+of the night, and sleep late if he wanted to. So he made
+up his mind to look up a good place to board&mdash;some place
+that would be like a home to him&mdash;perhaps in a private
+family.</p>
+
+<p>One day when he was walking through the woods thinking
+about it, and wondering how he ought to begin to find
+a place like that, he met Mr. Z. 'Coon, who was one of his
+oldest friends in the Big Deep Woods. They had often been
+hunting together, especially nights, for Mr. 'Coon and
+Mr. 'Possum always like that time best for hunting, and
+have better luck in the dark than any other time. Mr.
+'Coon had had his troubles with Mr. Dog, too, and had
+come very near getting caught one night when Mr. Man
+and some of his friends were out with Mr. Dog and his
+relatives and several guns looking for a good Sunday dinner.
+Mr. 'Coon <i>would</i> have got caught that time, only
+when Mr. Man cut the tree down that he was in he gave
+a big jump as the tree was falling and landed in another
+tree, and then ran out on a limb and jumped to another
+tree that wasn't so far away, and then to another, so that
+Mr. Man and his friends and all the dog family lost track
+of him entirely.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 344px;"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></a>
+<img src="images/gs15.png" width="344" height="409" alt="HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>But Mr. 'Coon was tired of that kind of thing too, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>
+wanted some place where he could be comfortable, and where
+he could lock the door nights and feel safe. Mr. 'Coon was
+a bachelor, like Mr. 'Possum, though he had once been disappointed
+in love, and told about it sometimes, and looked
+sad, and even shed tears.</p>
+
+<p>So when he met Mr. 'Possum that day they walked along
+and talked about finding a place to live, and just as they
+were wondering what they ought to do they happened to
+notice, right in front of them, a little piece of birch bark
+tacked up on a tree, and when they read it, it said:</p>
+
+<div class='center'>
+MRS. WIDOW CROW.<br />
+WILL TAKE A FEW GUESTS.<br />
+SINGLE GENTLEMEN PREFERRED;<br />
+PLEASANT LOCATION NEAR<br />
+RACE-TRACK.<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum scratched his head and tried to think,
+and Mr. 'Coon scratched <i>his</i> head and tried to think, and
+pretty soon Mr. 'Coon said:</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 425px;"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></a>
+<img src="images/gs16.png" width="425" height="416" alt="THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, I know about that. That's Mr. Crow's mother-in-law.
+He had a wife until last year, and his mother-in-law
+used to live with them. I believe she was pretty cross,
+but I've heard Mr. Crow say she was a good cook, and that
+he had learned to cook a great many things himself. I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
+heard some time ago that she had moved over by the race-track,
+and perhaps Mr. Crow is boarding with her. Let's go
+over and see."</p>
+
+<p>So away they went, saying how nice it would be to be
+really settled, and pretty soon they got over to Mrs. Widow
+Crow's, and there, sure enough, they saw Mr. Crow out in
+the yard cutting wood for his mother-in-law; and when
+they asked him about the advertisement, he said he was
+helping her to get started, and she had two nice rooms,
+and that Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon would be just the ones
+to fill them.</p>
+
+<p>So they went right in and saw Mrs. Widow Crow about it,
+and by night they had their things moved and were all
+settled, and Widow Crow got a nice supper for them, and
+Mr. Crow helped her, and worked as hard as if he were a
+hired man instead of a boarder like the others, which he was,
+because he paid for his room as much as anybody, and got
+scolded besides when he didn't do things to suit his mother-in-law.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE FINDING OF THE HOLLOW TREE</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>HOW THE 'COON AND 'POSSUM
+AND THE OLD BLACK CROW MOVED
+AND SET UP HOUSEKEEPING</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>WELL, the Widow Crow set a very good table, and
+everything in her boarding-house went along
+quite well for a while, and Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon both said what a good thing it was to have a
+home, and Mr. Crow said so too, though he didn't look as
+if he enjoyed <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 't'">it</ins> as much as he said, for his mother-in-law
+kept him so busy cutting and carrying wood and helping
+her with the cooking that he never had any time for himself
+at all.</div>
+
+<p>Even when Mr. Rabbit and some of his friends had the
+great fall handicap race he had to stay at home and peel
+potatoes, and not see it, besides being scolded all the time
+for wanting to go to such a thing as a rabbit race anyway.
+And Mr. Crow was sad because it reminded him of his
+married life, which he was trying to forget&mdash;Mrs. Crow
+having been the image of his mother-in-law and exactly
+like her about races and peeling potatoes and such things.</p>
+
+<p>And by-and-by, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon didn't like
+it so much, either. Widow Crow got so she scolded them,
+too, about their habits, especially about being out nights
+and lying in bed next morning, and she wouldn't give them
+any breakfast unless they got up in time.</p>
+
+<p>At last she even asked them to take care of their own
+rooms and to do other work, the same as Mr. Crow did;
+and she didn't cook as good things, nor as many of them,
+as she did when they first came. Then one day when they
+complained a little&mdash;not very much, for they were afraid of
+the Widow Crow, but a little&mdash;she told them that if they
+didn't like what she gave them they could find a place they
+liked better, and that she was tired of their ways anyhow.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 417px;"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"></a>
+<img src="images/gs17.png" width="417" height="424" alt="HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES" title="" />
+<span class="caption">HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>So then Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum all got
+together and talked it over. And Mr. Crow said <i>they</i> might
+be pretty tired of it, but that they couldn't in a hundred
+years, thinking night and day, think how tired of it <i>he</i> was.
+He said if they would just say the word he would take
+the things that belonged to him out of that house, and the
+three of them would find some good place and all live together,
+and never have anything more to do with mothers-in-law
+or their families. He said he knew how to cook as<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
+pleasant place and wasn't henpecked to death.</p>
+
+<p>And he said if they moved his things they had better do
+it at night while his mother-in-law was asleep, so as not
+to disturb her.</p>
+
+<p>Well, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon both spoke right up
+and said <i>they'd</i> go in a minute, and that they'd hunt up
+the place to live that very day, though it wasn't the best
+time of year to move. And Mr. Crow said:</p>
+
+<p>"I know where there's a big Hollow Tree that would be
+<i>just</i> the place. It's the biggest tree in the Big Deep Woods.
+It has three big hollow branches that would do for rooms,
+and with a little work it could be made into the finest place
+anywhere. The Old Wise Man of the Woods once lived
+there and fixed it all up with nice stairs, and a fireplace,
+and windows, and doors with good latches on them, and it's
+still just as he left it. All it needs are a few repairs, and we
+could move right in. I found it once as I was flying over,
+and I could tell <i>you</i>, so you could find it. It's in a thick
+swampy place, and you would never guess it was there if you
+didn't know it. Mr. Dog knows about it, but he never could
+get in if we kept the door latched, and it's not so far away
+from Mr. Man's that we could not borrow, when we ran out
+of little things we needed."</p>
+
+<p>Well, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon took the directions<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
+from Mr. Crow, and went right off to look at the Hollow
+Tree that very day, and decided they'd take it, and pitched
+in to clean it up and get it ready to live in. And next day
+they came with a hammer and some nails and worked all
+day again, and Mr. Rabbit heard the noise and came over
+and looked through the place and said how nice it was; and
+they were so tired at night that they never thought of going
+out, and were up early for breakfast.</p>
+
+<p>Widow Crow was so surprised she forgot what she had
+always scolded them for before, and scolded them this time
+for getting up so early that they had to stand around and
+wait for breakfast to be put on the table. But they didn't
+seem to mind the scolding at all, and Mr. Crow looked
+happier than he had looked for months, and skipped around
+and helped set the table, and brought in a big wood-box
+full of wood, and when Widow Crow scolded him for getting
+chips on the floor he laughed. Then she boxed his ears and
+told him he ought to remember the poor Missing One at
+such a time, and Mr. Crow said he did, and could almost
+imagine she was there now.</p>
+
+<p>Well, Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum got the Hollow Tree
+all ready, that day, and that night they moved.</p>
+
+<p>The Widow Crow was pretty fat, and liked to go to bed
+early, and sleep sound, and leave Mr. Crow to do the evening
+dishes; and that evening Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
+pitched in and helped him, and they got through in a jiffy
+and began to move.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Crow said he knew his own things, and that he wouldn't
+take any that belonged to the Missing One, because they
+had mostly come from her mother; and, besides, they would
+be a sad reminder, and didn't seem to go with the kind of
+a place they had planned to have. He said if they didn't
+have enough things they could borrow a few from Mr. Man
+when Mr. Man went away and left his windows open, and
+that they wouldn't need much to begin with.</p>
+
+<p>So then they got Mr. Crow's cook-stove out of the back
+store-room, and a table that was his, and some chairs from
+different parts of the house, and a few dishes which had come
+to him from his side of the family, and they tiptoed around
+and listened now and then at Widow Crow's door to be sure
+she was asleep.</p>
+
+<p>They knew she <i>was</i> by the sound; but still they were very
+quiet until Mr. 'Possum started to bring a rocking-chair
+of Mr. Crow's down-stairs and somehow got his legs through
+the rounds and fell and rolled clear to the bottom, expressing
+his feelings as he came down.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 423px;"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a>
+<img src="images/gs18.png" width="423" height="399" alt="LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW&#39;S DOOR TO BE SURE SHE WAS ASLEEP" title="" />
+<span class="caption">LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW&#39;S DOOR TO BE SURE SHE WAS ASLEEP</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>That woke up Widow Crow with a jump, and she sat
+up in bed and called "Thieves!" and "Help!" and Mr. Crow
+ran to her door and said that it wasn't anything, only those
+scamps Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had been out late again.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>
+He said they had brought home one of Mr. Man's beehives
+and had dropped it because the bees woke up just as they
+were climbing the stairs.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mrs. Crow called out quick, and said for him not
+to dare to open that door and let those pesky bees into her
+room, and that she hoped they'd sting that 'Possum and
+'Coon until they wouldn't be able to tell themselves apart.
+She said she bet she'd get that pair out of her house if she
+lived through the night. Then she rolled over and went
+to sleep again, and Mr. 'Possum got up and limped a little,
+but wasn't much damaged, and they got all the things
+outside and loaded up, and set out for the Hollow Tree.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 376px;"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></a>
+<img src="images/gs19.png" width="376" height="419" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID HE&#39;D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE THINGS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID HE&#39;D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE THINGS</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>It was moonlight and Mr. Crow led the way, and the
+minute they were far enough off to be sure they wouldn't
+wake up Widow Crow they sang the chorus of a song that
+Mr. Rabbit had made for them the day before when he
+called at the Hollow Tree, and they had told him what they
+were going to do. That was the "Hollow Tree Song,"
+which, of course, everybody in the Big Deep Woods knows
+now, but it had never been sung there before, and when
+they joined in the chorus,</p>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+Then here's to the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And the 'Coon with a one, two, three!</span><br />
+And here's to the hollow, hollow, hollow, hollow, hollow&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Then here's to the Hollow Tree,</span><br />
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class='unindent'>Mr. Owl, who was watching them from a limb overhead,
+thought he had never heard anything quite so fine.</div>
+
+<p>Well, they couldn't get along very fast, for the things
+got so heavy and they had to rest so often that it began
+to look as if they wouldn't get to the Hollow Tree by morning.
+But just as they got out into a little open place that
+was about half-way there they saw somebody coming,
+and who do you suppose it was?</p>
+
+<p>"I know," says the Little Lady, "it was the Old Wise
+Man of the Woods, to tell them they couldn't have his house."</p>
+
+<p>No, he didn't live there any more&mdash;he had gone away for
+good. No, it wasn't the Old Wise Man; it was Mr. Rabbit
+and Mr. Turtle, coming to help them move. Mr. Rabbit
+had gone all the way to the Wide Blue Water after Mr.
+Turtle because he is so strong, and they would have been
+there a good deal sooner, only Mr. Turtle didn't get home
+till late, and travels slow.</p>
+
+<p>Well, it wasn't so hard to move after that. They just
+set the cook-stove on Mr. Turtle's back and piled on as
+much as would stay on, and he kept telling them to put
+on more, until pretty soon Mr. 'Possum said that he would
+just get on and hold the things from slipping off, which he
+did, and sat on the stove and rode and swung his feet and
+held the other things, while Mr. Crow and the rest walked
+and carried what was left.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 314px;">
+<img src="images/gs20.png" width="314" height="429" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM AND MR. &#39;COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM AND MR. &#39;COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And when they got to the Hollow Tree it was just about
+sun-up, and Mr. 'Possum said if they didn't have breakfast
+pretty soon he would starve to death with being up all
+night and working so hard holding on those things.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. Crow told him that he and Mr. 'Coon could
+set up the stove, and that he would unpack the food and
+stir up something as quick as he could if the others would
+bring a little wood and some water from the spring, and
+place the things around inside; for he saw a cloud coming,
+he said, and it might rain. And Mr. 'Possum and Mr.
+'Coon tried to put up the stove in a hurry, and the pieces
+of pipe didn't fit very well, and they came as near having
+a quarrel over it as they ever did over anything, for even
+the best friends can't always put up stovepipe together
+without thinking and sometimes saying unpleasant things
+about each other, especially when they are hungry and not
+very warm and the house is all upset. Mr. 'Coon said he
+only wished he had another hand and he would do that
+job alone, and Mr. 'Possum told him that if he'd been provided
+with a handy and useful tail he'd <i>have</i> the same as
+another hand, and could work more and not wish so
+much.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rabbit came to help them, and just as they got
+it about up it all came down again, and Mr. Crow said that
+if they'd all go away he'd set up the stove himself; which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
+he did in about a minute, and had a fire in it and the coffee
+on in no time.</p>
+
+<p>Then the others rushed around and got the things straightened
+out, and a fire in the fireplace, and they said how nice
+their rooms were, and when Mr. Crow called they all came
+hurrying down, and in about another minute the 'Coon and
+'Possum and the Old Black Crow, with Mr. Rabbit and Mr.
+Turtle, all sat down to the first meal in the Hollow Tree.</p>
+
+<p>It was then that Jack Rabbit read all of the "Hollow Tree
+Song" he had made for them, and they all sang it together;
+and then the storm that Mr. Crow had seen coming did
+come, and they shut all the doors and windows tight, and
+sat before the fire and smoked and went to sleep, because
+they were so tired with being up all night.</p>
+
+<p>And that was the first day in the Hollow Tree, and how
+the 'Possum and 'Coon and Old Black Crow came to live
+there, and they live there still.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. RABBIT TELLS SOME INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>THE Little Lady waited until the Story Teller had
+lit his pipe and sat looking into the great open fire,
+where there was a hickory log so big that it had
+taken the Story Teller and the Little Lady's mother
+with two pairs of ice-tongs to drag it to the hearth and
+get it into place. Pretty soon the Little Lady had crept
+in between the Story Teller's knees. Then in another minute
+she was on one of his knees, helping him rock. Then
+she said:</div>
+
+<p>"Did Mr. Rabbit tell his story next? He promised to
+tell about losing his tail, you know."</p>
+
+<p>The Story Teller took his pipe from his mouth a moment,
+and sat thinking and gazing at the big log, which perhaps
+reminded him of one of the limbs of the Hollow Tree, where
+the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow lived and
+had their friends visit them that long-ago snowy Christmastime.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Why, yes," he said, "that's so, Mr. Rabbit <i>did</i> tell
+that story. When Mr. 'Coon got through telling how he
+came near getting into a menagerie, they all said that it
+certainly was a very narrow escape, and Mr. 'Coon said he
+shouldn't wonder if that menagerie had to quit business,
+just because he wasn't in it; and Mr. 'Possum said he
+thought if anything would <i>save</i> a menagerie that would,
+for it would keep them from being eaten out of house and
+home."</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Coon said that if that was so, Mr. 'Possum
+had saved at least three menageries by staying right where
+he was in the Big Deep Woods. This made Mr. Squirrel
+and Mr. Robin laugh, and the rest wondered what those
+two gigglers had noticed that was funny. Then they all
+knocked the ashes out of their pipes again, and walked over
+to the window, and looked at the snow banking up outside
+and piling up on the bare limbs of the big trees. They said
+how early it got dark this time of year, especially on a cloudy
+day. And pretty soon Mr. Crow said they had just about
+time for one more story before supper, and that Mr. Rabbit
+ought to tell now about how, a long time ago, his family
+had lost their tails. Mr. Rabbit didn't seem to feel
+very anxious to tell it, but they told him that he had
+promised, and that now was as good a time as any, so
+they went back and sat down, and Mr. Rabbit told them<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='center'><br />THE TRUE STORY OF THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE, AND
+HOW JACK RABBIT LOST HIS TAIL</div>
+
+<p>"Once upon a time," he said, "a great many great-grandfathers
+back, my family had long bushy tails, like Mr.
+Squirrel and Mr. Fox, only a good deal longer and finer
+and softer, and <i>very handsome</i>."</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Rabbit said that, Mr. Squirrel sniffed and
+twitched his nose and gave his nice bushy tail a flirt, but
+he didn't say anything. Mr. Rabbit went right on.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, there was one fine, handsome rabbit who had the
+longest and plumiest tail of any of the family, and was very
+proud of it. He was my twenty-seventh great-grandfather,
+and was called 'Mr. Hare.' He was young and smart then,
+and thought he was a good deal smarter than he really was,
+though he was smart enough and handsome enough to set
+the style for all the other rabbits, and not much ever
+happened to him, because he could beat anything running
+that there was in the Big Deep Woods.</p>
+
+<p>"That twenty-seventh great-grandfather of mine was
+very proud of his running, and used to brag that in a foot-race
+he could beat anything that lived between the Wide Grass
+Lands and the Edge of the World. He used to talk about
+it to almost everybody that came along, and one day when
+he met one of the Turtle family who used to be called 'Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>
+Tortoise' in those days, he stopped and began to brag to
+him how fast he could run and how nobody in the Big Deep
+Woods dared to race with him.</p>
+
+<p>"But Mr. Turtle, he just smiled a little and said: 'Oh,
+pshaw! you can't run very fast. I believe I can beat you
+myself!'</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that did make Grandfather Hare laugh&mdash;and made
+him a little mad, too.</p>
+
+<p>"'You!' he said. 'Why, I'll give you within ten yards
+of that rail fence of Mr. Man's, half a mile away, and then
+beat you across it. Just travel along, and some time this
+afternoon, when you get down that way, I'll come back and
+let you see me go by. But you'll have to look quick if you
+see me, for I'll be going fast.'</p>
+
+<p>"But Mr. Tortoise said he didn't want any start at all,
+that he was ready to begin the race right then; and that
+made Grandpaw Hare laugh so loud that Mr. Fox heard
+him as he was passing, and came over to see what the fun
+was. Then he said that he hadn't much to do for a few
+minutes, and that he'd stay and act as judge. He thought
+a race like that wouldn't last long; and it didn't, though it
+wasn't at all the kind of a race he had expected.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, he put Mr. Tortoise and my twenty-seventh great-grandfather
+side by side, and then he stood off and said,
+'Go!' and thought it would all be over in a minute.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 462px;">
+<img src="images/gs21.png" width="462" height="317" alt="MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN&#39;T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW MINUTES AND HE&#39;D ACT AS JUDGE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN&#39;T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW MINUTES AND HE&#39;D ACT AS JUDGE</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Grandpaw Hare gave one great big leap, about twenty
+feet long, and then stopped. He was in no hurry, and he
+wanted to have some fun with Mr. Tortoise. He looked
+around to where Mr. Tortoise was coming straddling and
+panting along, and he laughed and rolled over to see how
+solemn he looked, and how he was travelling as if he meant
+to get somewhere before dark. He was down on all fours
+so he could use all his legs at once, and anybody would think,
+to look at him, that he really expected to win that race.</p>
+
+<p>"The more my Grandpaw Hare looked at him the more
+he laughed, and then he would make another long leap
+forward and stop, and look back, and wait for Mr. Tortoise
+to catch up again.</p>
+
+<p>"Then he would call to him, or maybe go back and take
+roundin's on him, and say, 'Come along there, old tobacco-box.
+Are you tied to something?' Mr. Fox would laugh
+a good deal, too, and he told my ancestor to go on and
+finish the race&mdash;that he couldn't wait around there all day.
+And pretty soon he said if they were going to fool along
+like that, he'd just go down to the fence and take a nap till
+they got there; and for Grandpaw Rabbit to call to him
+when he really started to come, so he could wake up and
+judge the finish.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Fox he loped away to the fence and laid down
+and went to sleep in the shade, and Grandpaw Hare thought<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
+it would be fun to pretend to be asleep, too. I've heard a
+story told about it that says that he really did go to sleep,
+and that Mr. Tortoise went by him and got to the fence before
+he woke up. But that is not the way it happened. My
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather was too smart to go to
+sleep, and even if he had gone to sleep, Mr. Tortoise made
+enough noise pawing and scratching along through the grass
+and gravel to wake up forty of our family.</p>
+
+<p>"My ancestor would wait until he came grinding along
+and got up even with him, then suddenly he'd sit up as if
+he'd been waked out of a nice dream and say, 'Hello, old
+coffee-mill! What do you want to wake me up for when
+I'm trying to get a nap?' Then he would laugh a big
+laugh and make another leap, and lie down and pretend
+again, with his fine plumy tail very handsome in the
+sun.</p>
+
+<p>"But Grandpaw Hare carried the joke a little too far.
+He kept letting Mr. Tortoise get up a little closer and closer
+every time, until Mr. Tortoise would almost step on him
+before he would move. And that was just what Mr. Tortoise
+wanted, for about the next time he came along he came
+right up behind my ancestor, but instead of stepping on him,
+he gave his head a quick snap, just as if he were catching
+fish, and grabbed my Grandpaw Hare by that beautiful
+plumy tail, and held on, and pinched, and my ancestor gave<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
+a squeal and a holler and set out for that rail fence, telling
+his troubles as he came.</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Fox had gone sound asleep and didn't hear the
+rumpus at first, and when he did, he thought grandpaw
+was just calling to him to wake up and be ready to judge
+the race, so he sat up quick and watched them come. He
+saw my twenty-seventh great-grandfather sailing along, just
+touching the highest points, with something that looked like
+an old black wash-pan tied to his tail.</p>
+
+<p>"When Mr. Fox saw what it was, he just laid down and
+laughed and rolled over, and then hopped up on the top rail
+and called, out 'All right, I'm awake, Mr. Hare! Come
+right along, Mr. Hare; you'll beat him yet!'</p>
+
+<p>"Then he saw my ancestor stop and shake himself, and
+paw, and roll over, to try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, which
+of course he couldn't do, for, as we all know, whenever any
+of the Turtle family get a grip they never let go till it
+thunders, and this was a bright day. So pretty soon grandpaw
+was up and running again with Mr. Tortoise sailing out
+behind and Mr. Fox laughing to see them come, and calling
+out: 'Come right along, Mr. Hare! come right along!
+You'll beat him yet!'</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 480px;"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></a>
+<img src="images/gs22.png" width="480" height="308" alt="SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"But Mr. Fox made a mistake about that. Grandpaw
+Hare was really ahead, of course, when he came down the
+homestretch, but when he got pretty close to the fence he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
+made one more try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, and gave himself
+and his tail a great big swing, and Mr. Tortoise didn't
+let go quite quick enough, and off came my twenty-seventh
+great-grandfather's beautiful plumy tail, and away went
+Mr. Tortoise with it, clear over the top rail of the fence, and
+landed in a brier patch on the other side.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, Grandpaw Hare was in such a state as you never
+heard of! He forgot all about the race at first, and just
+raved about his great loss, and borrowed Mr. Fox's handkerchief
+to tie up what was left, and said that he never in the
+world could show his face before folks again.</p>
+
+<p>"And Mr. Fox stopped laughing as soon as he could,
+and was really quite sorry for him, and even Mr. Tortoise
+looked through the fence, and asked him if he didn't think
+it could be spliced and be almost as good as ever.</p>
+
+<p>"He said he hadn't meant to commit any damage, and that
+he hoped Mr. Hare would live to forgive him, and that now
+there was no reason why my grandpaw shouldn't beat him
+in the next race.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 355px;"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></a>
+<img src="images/gs23.png" width="355" height="429" alt="AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Then my ancestor remembered about the race and forgot
+his other loss for a minute, and declared that Mr. Tortoise
+didn't win the race at all&mdash;that he couldn't have covered
+that much ground in a half a day alone, and he asked Mr.
+Fox if he was going to let that great straddle-bug ruin his
+reputation for speed and make him the laughing-stock of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
+the Big Deep Woods, besides all the other damage he had
+done.</p>
+
+<p>"Then Mr. Fox scratched his head, and thought about it,
+and said he didn't see how he could help giving the race
+to Mr. Tortoise, for it was to be the first one across the
+fence, and that Mr. Tortoise was certainly the first one
+across, and that he'd gone over the top rail in style.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that made Grandpaw Hare madder than ever.
+He didn't say another word, but just picked up his property
+that Mr. Tortoise handed him through the fence, and set
+out for home by a back way, studying what he ought to do
+to keep everybody from laughing at him, and thinking that
+if he didn't do something he'd have to leave the country
+or drown himself, for he had always been so proud that if
+people laughed at him he knew he could never show his
+face again.</p>
+
+<p>"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the true story of that
+old race between the Hare and the Tortoise, and of how
+the first Rabbit came to lose his tail. I've never told it before,
+and none of my family ever did; but so many stories
+have been told about the way those things happened that
+we might just as well have this one, which is the only true
+one so far as I know."</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 410px;"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101"></a>
+<img src="images/gs24.png" width="410" height="408" alt="SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rabbit lit his pipe and leaned back and smoked.
+Mr. Dog said it was a fine story, and he wished he could
+have seen that race, and Mr. Turtle looked as if he wanted
+to say something, and did open his mouth to say it, but Mr.
+Crow spoke up, and asked what happened after that to Mr.
+Rabbit's twenty-seventh great-grandfather, and how it was
+that the rest of the Rabbits had short tails, too.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rabbit said that that was another story, and
+Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin wanted him to tell it right
+away, but Mr. Crow said they'd better have supper now,
+and Mr. 'Possum thought that was a good plan, and Mr.
+'Coon, too, and then they all hurried around to get up some
+sticks of wood from down-stairs, and to set the table, and
+everybody helped, so they could get through early and have
+a nice long evening.</p>
+
+<p>And all the time the snow was coming down outside
+and piling higher and higher, and they were being snowed
+in without knowing it, for it was getting too dark to see
+much when they tried again to look out the window through
+the gloom of the Big Deep Woods.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE FOURTH SNOWED-IN STORY</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. JACK RABBIT CONTINUES
+HIS FAMILY HISTORY</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>"DID they have enough left for supper&mdash;enough for
+all the visitors, I mean?" asks the Little Lady the
+next evening, when the Story Teller is ready to go
+on with the history of the Hollow Tree.</div>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, they had plenty for supper, and more, too.
+They had been getting ready a good while for just such a
+time as this, and had carried in a lot of food, and they had a
+good many nice things down in the store-room where the
+wood was, but they didn't need those yet. They just put
+on what they had left from their big dinner, and Mr. Crow
+stirred up a pan of hot biscuits by his best receipt, and they
+passed them back and forth across the table so much that
+Mr. 'Possum said they went like hot cakes, sure enough,
+and always took two when they came his way."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And they talked a good deal about the stories that Mr.
+'Coon and Mr. Rabbit had told them, and everybody thought
+how sly and smart Mr. 'Coon had been to fool Mr. Dog
+that way; and Mr. 'Coon said that, now he came to think
+it over, he supposed it was a pretty good trick, though it
+really hadn't seemed so specially great to him at the time.
+He said he didn't think it half as smart as Mr. Tortoise's
+trick on Mr. Rabbit's Grandpaw Hare, when he beat him
+in the foot-race and went over the fence first, taking Mr.
+Hare's tail with him. And then they wondered if that
+had all really happened as Mr. Rabbit had told it&mdash;all but
+Mr. Turtle, who just sat and smiled to himself and didn't
+say anything at all, except "Please pass the biscuits," now
+and then, when he saw the plate being set down in front of
+Mr. 'Possum.</p>
+
+<p>Then by-and-by they all got through and hurried up and
+cleared off the table, and lit their pipes, and went back to
+the fire, and pretty soon Jack Rabbit began to tell</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'><br />HOW THE REST OF THE RABBITS LOST THEIR TAILS</div>
+
+<p>"Well," he said, "my twenty-seventh great-grandfather
+Hare didn't go out again for several days. He put up a sign
+that said 'Not at Home,' on his door, and then tried a few
+experiments, to see what could be done.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 429px;">
+<img src="images/gs25.png" width="429" height="400" alt="TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"He first tried to splice his property back into place, as
+Mr. Tortoise had told him he might, but that plan didn't
+work worth a cent. He never could get it spliced on straight,
+and if he did get it about right, it would lop over or sag down
+or something as soon as he moved, and when he looked at
+himself in the glass he made up his mind that he'd rather
+do without his nice plumy brush altogether than to go out
+into society with it in that condition.</p>
+
+<p>"So he gave it up and put on some nice all-healing ointment,
+and before long what there was left of it was all well,
+and a nice bunch of soft, white cottony fur had grown out
+over the scar, and Grandpaw Hare thought when he looked
+at himself in the glass that it was really quite becoming,
+though he knew the rest of his family would always be saying
+things about it, and besides they would laugh at him for
+letting Mr. Tortoise beat him in a foot-race.</p>
+
+<p>"Sometimes, when there was nobody around, my grandfather
+would go out into the sun and light his pipe and lean
+up against a big stone, or maybe a stump, and think it over.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 357px;"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109"></a>
+<img src="images/gs26.png" width="357" height="424" alt="GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER" title="" />
+<span class="caption">GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"And one morning, as he sat there thinking, he made up
+his mind what he would do. Mr. Lion lived in the Big
+Deep Woods in those days, and he was King. Whenever
+anything happened among the Deep Woods People that
+they couldn't decide for themselves, they went to where
+King Lion lived, in a house all by himself over by the Big<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
+West Hills, and he used to settle the question; and sometimes,
+when somebody that wasn't very old, and maybe was plump
+and tender, had done something that wasn't just right,
+King Lion would look at him and growl and say it was too
+bad for any one so young to do such things, and especially
+for them to grow up and keep on doing them; so he would
+have him for breakfast, or maybe for dinner, and that would
+settle everything in the easiest and shortest way.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course Grandfather Hare knew very well that Mr.
+Tortoise and Mr. Fox wouldn't go with him to King Lion,
+for they would be afraid to, after what they had done, so he
+made up his mind to go alone and tell him the whole story,
+because he was as sure as anything that King Lion would
+decide that he had really won the race, and would be his
+friend, which would make all the other Deep Woods People
+jealous and proud of him again, and perhaps make them
+wish they had nice bunches of white cottony fur in the
+place of long dragging tails that were always in the
+way.</p>
+
+<p>"And then some day he would show King Lion where Mr.
+Fox and Mr. Tortoise lived.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 363px;"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111"></a>
+<img src="images/gs27.png" width="363" height="442" alt="SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"My Grandfather Hare didn't stop a minute after he
+thought of that, but just set out for King Lion's house over
+at the foot of the Big West Hills. He had to pass by Mr.
+Fox's house, and Mr. Fox called to him, but Grandpaw<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>
+Hare just set up his ears as proud as could be and went by,
+lickety-split, without looking at Mr. Fox at all.</p>
+
+<p>"It was a good way to King Lion's house, but Grandpaw
+Hare didn't waste any time, and he was there almost before
+he knew it.</p>
+
+<p>"When he got to King Lion's door he hammered on the
+knocker, and when nobody came right away he thought
+maybe the King was out for a walk. But that wasn't so.
+King Lion had been sick for two or three days, and he was
+still in bed, and had to get up and get something around him
+before he could let Grandpaw in.</p>
+
+<p>"Grandpaw Hare had sat down on the steps to wait, when
+all at once the door opened behind him and he felt something
+grab him by the collar and swing him in and set him down
+hard on a seat, and then he saw it was King Lion, and he
+didn't much like his looks.</p>
+
+<p>"'So it was you, was it, making that noise?' he said.
+'Well, I'm glad to see you, for I was just thinking about
+having a nice rabbit for breakfast.'</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 454px;"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113"></a>
+<img src="images/gs28.png" width="454" height="291" alt="&quot;&#39;GLAD TO SEE YOU,&#39; SAID KING LION; &#39;I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR BREAKFAST&#39;&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;&#39;GLAD TO SEE YOU,&#39; SAID KING LION; &#39;I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR BREAKFAST&#39;&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Then my twenty-seventh great-grandfather knew he'd
+made a mistake, coming to see King Lion when he was
+feeling that way, and he had to think pretty quick to know
+what to say. But our family have always been pretty quick
+in their thoughts, and Grandpaw Hare spoke right up as
+polite as could be, and said he would do anything he could<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>
+to find a nice young plump rabbit for King Lion, and that
+he would even be proud to be a king's breakfast himself,
+only he wasn't so very young nor so very plump, and, besides,
+there was that old prophecy about the king and the cotton-tailed
+rabbit, which of course, he said, King Lion must
+have heard about.</p>
+
+<p>"Then King Lion said that my twenty-seventh great-grandfather
+was plenty young enough and plenty plump
+enough, and that he'd never heard of any prophecy about
+a cotton-tailed rabbit, and that he'd never heard of a cotton-tailed
+rabbit, either.</p>
+
+<p>"Then Grandpaw Hare just got up and turned around,
+and as he turned he said, as solemnly as he could:</p>
+
+<div class='poem2'>
+'When the King eats a hare with a cotton tail,<br />
+Then the King's good health will fail.'<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>"Well, that scared the King a good deal, for he was just
+getting over one sick spell, and he was afraid if he had
+another right away he'd die sure. He sat down and asked
+Grandpaw Hare to tell him how he came to have a tail like
+that, and grandpaw told him, and it made the King laugh
+and laugh, until he got well, and he said it was the best
+joke he ever heard of, and that he'd have given some of the
+best ornaments off of his crown to have seen that race.</p>
+
+<p>"And the better King Lion felt the hungrier he got, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span>
+when my Grandfather Hare asked him if he wouldn't decide
+the race in his favor, he just glared at him and said if he
+didn't get out of there and hunt him up a nice, young,
+plump, long-tailed rabbit, he'd eat him&mdash;cotton tail, prophecy,
+and all&mdash;for he didn't go much on prophecies anyway.</p>
+
+<p>"Then Grandpaw Hare got right up and said, 'Good-day'
+and backed out and made tracks for the rest of his family,
+and told them that King Lion had just got up from a
+sick spell that had given him an appetite for long-tailed
+rabbits. He said that the King had sent him out to get one,
+and that King Lion would most likely be along himself
+pretty soon. He said the sooner the Rabbit family took
+pattern after the new cotton-tailed style the more apt
+they'd be to live to a green old age and have descendants.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, that was a busy day in the Big Deep Woods. The
+Rabbit family got in line by a big smooth stump that they
+picked out for the purpose, and grandpaw attended to the
+job for them, and called out 'Next!' as they marched by.
+He didn't have to wait, either, for they didn't know what
+minute King Lion might come. Mr. Tortoise and Mr.
+Fox came along and stopped to see the job, and helped
+grandpaw now and then when his arm got tired, and by
+evening there was a pile of tails by that stump as big as
+King Lion's house, and there never was such a call for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
+the all-healing ointment as there was that night in the Big
+Deep Woods.</p>
+
+<p>"And none of our family ever did have tails after that,
+for they never would grow any more, and all the little new
+rabbits just had bunches of cotton, too, and that has never
+changed to this day.</p>
+
+<p>"And when King Lion heard how he'd been fooled by
+Grandpaw Hare with that foolish prophecy that he just
+made up right there, out of his head, he knew that everybody
+would laugh at him as much as he had laughed at
+Mr. Hare, and he moved out of the country and never
+came back, and there's never been a king in the Big Deep
+Woods since, so my twenty-seventh great-grandfather did
+some good, after all.</p>
+
+<p>"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the whole story of the
+Hare and the Tortoise and how the Rabbit family lost their
+tails. It's never been told outside of our family before, but
+it's true, for it's been handed down, word for word, and if
+Mr. Fox or Mr. Tortoise were alive now they would say so."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit filled his pipe and lit it, and Mr. Crow was
+just about to make some remarks, when Mr. Turtle cleared
+his throat and said:</p>
+
+<p>"The story that Mr. Rabbit has been telling is all true,
+every word of it&mdash;I was there."</p>
+
+<p>Then all the Deep Woods People took their pipes out of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
+their mouths and just looked at Mr. Turtle with their mouths
+wide open, and when they could say anything at all, they
+said:</p>
+
+<p>"<i>You were there!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>You see, they could never get used to the notion of Mr.
+Turtle's being so old&mdash;as old as their twenty-seventh great-grandfathers
+would have been, if they had lived.</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said Mr. Turtle, "and it all comes back to me as
+plain as day. It happened two hundred and fifty-eight
+years ago last June. They used to call us the Tortoise
+family then, and I was a young fellow of sixty-seven and
+fond of a joke. But I was surprised when I went sailing
+over that fence, and I didn't mean to carry off Mr. Hare's
+tail. Dear me, how time passes! I'm three hundred and
+twenty-five now, though I don't feel it."</p>
+
+<p>Then they all looked at Mr. Turtle again, for though they
+believed he was old, and might possibly have been there,
+they thought it pretty strange that he could be the very Mr.
+Tortoise who had won the race.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum said, pretty soon, that when anybody said
+a thing like that, there ought to be some way to prove it.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Turtle got up and began taking off his coat,
+and all the others began to get out of the way, for they didn't
+know what was going to happen to Mr. 'Possum, and they
+wanted to be safe; and Mr. 'Possum rolled under the table,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
+and said that he didn't mean anything&mdash;that he loved
+Mr. Turtle, and that Mr. Turtle hadn't understood the way
+he meant it at all.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Turtle wasn't the least bit mad. He just laid
+off his coat, quietly, and unbuttoned his shirt collar, and
+told Mr. 'Coon and Mr. Crow to look on the back of his
+shell.</p>
+
+<p>And then Mr. Dog held a candle, and they all looked,
+one after another, and there, sure enough, carved right in
+Mr. Turtle's shell, were the words:</p>
+
+<div class='center'>
+BEAT MR. HARE<br />
+FOOT-RACE<br />
+JUNE 10, 1649<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>"That," said Mr. Turtle, "was my greatest joke, and I
+had it carved on my shell."</p>
+
+<p>And all the rest of the forest people said that a thing like
+that was worth carving on anybody's shell that had one,
+and when Mr. Turtle put on his coat they gave him the best
+seat by the fire, and sat and looked at him and asked questions
+about it, and finally all went to sleep in their chairs,
+while the fire burned low and the soft snow was banking up
+deeper and deeper, outside, in the dark.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. RABBIT PROPOSES SOMETHING
+TO PASS THE TIME</div>
+
+<div class='cap'>"DID the Hollow Tree People and their company
+sleep in their chairs all night?" asks the Little
+Lady, as soon as she has finished her supper.
+"And were they snowed in when they woke up next
+morning?"</div>
+
+<p>The Story Teller is not quite ready to answer. He has
+to fill his pipe first, and puff a little and look into the fire
+before he sits down, and the Little Lady climbs into her
+place. The Little Lady knows the Story Teller, and waits.
+When he begins to rock a little she knows he has remembered,
+and then pretty soon he tells her about the "Snowed-In"
+Literary Club.</p>
+
+<p>Well, the Hollow Tree People went to sleep there by the
+fire and they stayed asleep a long while, for they were tired<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
+with all the good times and all the good things to eat they
+had been having. And when they woke up once, they
+thought it was still night, for it was dark, though they
+thought it must be about morning, because the fire was
+nearly out, and Mr. 'Possum said if there was anybody who
+wasn't too stiff he wished they'd put on a stick of wood,
+as he was frozen so hard that he knew if he tried to move
+he'd break.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Turtle, who had been drawn up mostly into his
+shell, and Mr. Dog, who was used to getting up at all hours
+of the night, stretched and yawned and crept down after
+some sticks and dry pieces and built up a good fire, and
+pretty soon they were all asleep again, as sound as ever.</p>
+
+<p>And when they woke up next time it was still just as dark,
+and the fire had gone almost out again, and Mr. 'Coon
+and Mr. Crow, too, said they didn't understand it, at all,
+for a fire like that would generally keep all night and all
+day too, and here two fires had burned out and it was still
+as dark as ever. Then Mr. Crow lit a splinter and looked
+at the clock, and said he must have forgotten to wind it, or
+maybe it was because it was so cold, as it had stopped a
+little after twelve, and Mr. 'Possum said that from the way
+he felt it was no wonder the clock had stopped, for if he
+could tell anything by his feelings it must be at least day
+after to-morrow. He said he felt so empty that every time<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span>
+he breathed he could hear the wind whistle through his
+ribs.</p>
+
+<p>That made Mr. Rabbit think of something, and he stepped
+over to the window. Then he pushed it up a little, and put
+out his hand. But he didn't put it out far, for it went right
+into something soft and cold. Mr. Rabbit came over to
+where Mr. Crow was poking up the fire, bringing some of
+the stuff with him.</p>
+
+<p>"Now," he said, "you can all see what's the matter.
+We're snowed in. The snow is up over the window, and
+that's why it's so dark. It may be up over the top of the
+tree, and we may have been asleep here for a week, for all
+we know."</p>
+
+<p>Then they all gathered around to look at the snow, and
+went to the window and got some more, and tried to tell
+whether it was day or night, and Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon
+and Mr. 'Possum ran up-stairs to their rooms, and called
+back that it was day, for the snow hadn't come quite up
+to the tops of their windows.</p>
+
+<p>And it was day, sure enough, and quite late in the afternoon
+at that, but they couldn't tell just what day it was, or
+whether they had slept one night, or two nights, or even
+longer.</p>
+
+<p>Well, of course the first thing was to get something to
+eat and a big fire going, and even Mr. 'Possum scrambled<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span>
+around and helped carry wood, so he could get warm quicker.
+They still had a good deal to eat in the Hollow Tree, and
+they were not much worried. Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon
+remembered another time they were snowed in, when Mr.
+Crow had fed them on Johnnie cake and gravy, and they
+thought that if everything else gave out it would be great
+fun to live like that again.</p>
+
+<p>When they had finished eating breakfast, or dinner, or
+whatever it was, for it was nearer supper-time than anything
+else, they began to think of things to do to amuse themselves,
+and they first thought they'd have some more stories, like
+Mr. Rabbit's.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Rabbit, who is quite literary, and a good poet,
+said it would be better to make it a kind of a club, and
+each have a poem, or a story, or a song; or if anybody
+couldn't do any of those he must dance a jig.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all remembered a poetry club that Mr. Rabbit
+had got up once and how nice it was, and they all said that
+was just the thing, and they got around the table and began
+to work away at whatever they were going to do for the
+"Snowed-In" Literary Club.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 460px;"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125"></a>
+<img src="images/gs29.png" width="460" height="392" alt="GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK" title="" />
+<span class="caption">GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit wasn't very long at his piece, and pretty soon
+he jumped up and said he was through, and Mr. 'Possum
+said that if that was so, he might go down and bring up some
+wood and warm up the brains of the rest of them. So Mr.
+Rabbit stirred up the fire, and sat down and looked into it,
+and read over his poem to himself and changed a word here and
+there, and thought how nice it was; and by-and-by Mr. Dog
+said he was through, and Mr. Robin said he was through, too.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rabbit said he thought that would be more than
+enough for one evening anyway, and that the others might
+finish their pieces to-morrow and have them ready for the
+next evening.</p>
+
+<p>So then they all gathered around the fire again, and everybody
+said that as Mr. Rabbit had thought of the club first,
+he must be the first to read his piece.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit said he was sure it would be more modest
+for some one else to read first, but that he was willing to
+start things going if they wanted him to. Then he stood
+up, and turned a little to the light, and took a nice position,
+and read his poem, which was called</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>SNOWED IN<br />
+
+<i>By J. Rabbit</i></div>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+Oh, the snow lies white in the woods to-night&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The snow lies soft and deep;</span><br />
+And under the snow, I know, oh, ho!<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The flowers of the summer sleep.</span><br />
+The flowers of the summer sleep, I know,<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Snowed in like you and me&mdash;</span><br />
+Under the sheltering leaves, oh, ho,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">As snug and as warm as we&mdash;</span><br />
+As snug and as warm from the winter storm<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">As we of the Hollow Tree.</span><br />
+Snowed in are we in the Hollow Tree,<br />
+And as snug and as warm as they we be&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Snowed in, snowed in,</span><br />
+Are we, are we,<br />
+And as snug as can be in the Hollow Tree,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The wonderful Hollow Tree.</span><br />
+<br />
+Oh, the snow lies cold on wood and wold,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">But never a bit comes in,</span><br />
+As we smoke and eat, and warm our feet,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And sit by the fire and spin:</span><br />
+And what care we for the winter gales,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And what care we for the snow&mdash;</span><br />
+As we sit by the fire and spin our tales<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And think of the things we know?</span><br />
+As we spin our tales in the winter gales<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And wait for the snow to go?</span><br />
+Oh, the winds blow high and the winds blow low,<br />
+But what care we for the wind and snow,<br />
+Spinning our tales of the long ago<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">As snug as snug can be?</span><br />
+For never a bit comes in, comes in,<br />
+As we sit by the fire and spin, and spin<br />
+The tales we know, of the long ago,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">In the wonderful Hollow Tree.</span><br />
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit sat down then, and of course everybody spoke
+up as soon as they could get their breath and said how nice
+it was, and how Mr. Rabbit always expressed himself better
+in poetry than anybody else could in prose, and how the
+words and rhymes just seemed to flow along as if he were
+reeling it off of a spinning-wheel and could keep it up
+all day.</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Rabbit smiled and said he supposed it came
+natural, and that sometimes it was harder to stop than it
+was to start, and that he <i>could</i> keep it up all day as easy
+as not.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said he'd been afraid that was what
+<i>would</i> happen, and that if Mr. Rabbit hadn't stopped pretty
+soon that he&mdash;Mr. 'Possum, of course&mdash;would have been so
+tangled up in his mind that somebody would have had to
+come and undo the knot.</p>
+
+<p>Then he said he wanted to ask some questions. He said
+he wanted to know what "wold" meant, and also what
+Mr. Rabbit meant by spinning their tails. He said he hadn't
+noticed that any of them were spinning their tails, and that
+he couldn't do it if he tried. He said that he could curl
+his tail and hang from a limb or a peg by it, and he had
+found it a good way to go to sleep when things were on his
+mind, and that he generally had better dreams when he
+slept that way.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 330px;">
+<img src="images/gs30.png" width="330" height="409" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT BY SPINNING THEIR TAILS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT BY SPINNING THEIR TAILS</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>He said that of course Mr. Rabbit's poem had been about
+tails of the long ago, and he supposed that he meant the ones
+which his family had lost about three hundred years ago,
+according to Mr. Turtle, but that he didn't believe they
+ever could spin them much, or that Mr. Rabbit could spin
+what he had left.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum was going on to say a good deal more on
+the subject, but Mr. Rabbit interrupted him.</p>
+
+<p>He said he didn't suppose there was anybody else in the
+world whose food seemed to do him so little good as Mr.
+'Possum's, and that very likely it was owing to the habit he
+had of sleeping with his head hanging down in that foolish
+way. He said he had never heard of anybody who ate so
+much and knew so little.</p>
+
+<p>Of course, he said, everybody might not know what
+"wold" meant, as it wasn't used much except by poets who
+used the best words, but that it meant some kind of a field,
+and it was better for winter use, as it rhymed with "cold"
+and was nearly always used that way. As for Mr. 'Possum's
+other remark, he said he couldn't imagine how anybody
+would suppose that the tales he meant were those other tails
+which were made to wave or wag or flirt or hang from limbs
+by, instead of being stories to be told or written, just as the
+Deep Woods People were telling and writing them now.
+He said there was an old expression about having a peg<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
+to hang a tale on, and that it was most likely gotten up by
+one of Mr. 'Possum's ancestors or somebody who knew as
+little about such things as Mr. 'Possum, and that another
+old expression which said "Thereby hangs a tale" was just
+like it, because the kind of tales he meant didn't hang, but
+were always told or written, while the other kind always
+did hang, and were never told or written, but were only
+sometimes told or written about, and it made him feel sad,
+he said, to have to explain his poem in that simple way.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said that he was sorry Mr. Rabbit
+felt that way, because he didn't feel at all that way himself,
+and had only been trying to discuss Mr. Rabbit's nice poem.
+He said that of course Mr. Rabbit couldn't be expected to
+know much about tails, never having had a real one himself,
+and would be likely to get mixed up when he tried to write
+on the subject. He said he wouldn't mention such things
+again, and that he was sorry and hoped that Mr. Rabbit
+would forgive him.</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Rabbit said that he was sorry, too&mdash;sorry for
+Mr. 'Possum&mdash;and that he thought whoever was ready had
+better read the next piece.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Dog said that he supposed that he was as ready
+as he'd ever be, and that he'd like to read his and get it off
+his mind, so he wouldn't be so nervous and could enjoy
+listening to the others. He wasn't used to such things, he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span>
+said, and couldn't be original like Mr. Rabbit, but he knew
+a story that was told among the fowls in Mr. Man's barn-yard,
+and that he had tried to write it in a simple way that
+even Mr. 'Possum would understand. His story was about
+a duck&mdash;a young and foolish duck&mdash;who got into trouble,
+and Mr. Dog said he had made a few sketches to go with it,
+and that they could be handed around while he was reading.
+Now he would begin, he said, and the name of his story was</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>ERASTUS, THE ROBBER DUCK<br />
+
+<i>By Mr. Dog, with Sketches</i></div>
+
+<div class='blockquot'>
+<p>Once upon a time there was a foolish young duck named
+Erastus (called 'Rastus, for short). He was an only child,
+and lived with his mother in a small house on the bank of
+a pond at the foot of the farm-yard.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus thought himself a brave duck; he would chase
+his shadow, and was not afraid of quite a large worm.</p>
+
+<p>As he grew older he did not tell his mother everything.
+Once he slipped away, and went swimming alone. Then a
+worm larger than any he had ever seen came up out of the
+water, and would have swallowed Erastus if he had not
+reached the shore just in time, and gone screaming to his
+mother.</p>
+
+<p>His mother said the great worm was a water-snake, and
+she told Erastus snake-stories which gave him bad dreams.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 360px;">
+<img src="images/gs31.png" width="360" height="412" alt="MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Erastus grew quite fast, and soon thought he was nearly
+grown up. Once he tried to smoke with some other young
+ducks behind the barn. It made Erastus sick, and his mother
+found it out. She gave Erastus some unpleasant medicine,
+and made him stay in bed a week.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus decided that he would run away. While his
+mother was taking her morning bath he packed his things
+in a little valise she had given him for Christmas. Then he
+slipped out the back door and made for the woods as fast
+as he could go. He had made up his mind to be a robber,
+and make a great deal of money by taking it away from other
+people.</p>
+
+<p>He had begun by taking a small toy pistol which belonged
+to Mr. Man's little boy. He wore it at his side. His mother
+had read to him about robbers. Erastus also had on his
+nice new coat and pretty vest.</p>
+
+<p>He did not rob anybody that day. There was nothing
+in the woods but trees and vines. Erastus tripped over the
+vines and hurt himself, and lost the toy pistol.</p>
+
+<p>Then it came night, and he was very lonesome. For the
+first time in his life Erastus missed his mother. There was
+a nice full moon, but Erastus did not care for it. Some of
+the black shadows about him looked as if they might be
+live things. By-and-by he heard a noise near him.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus the Robber Duck started to run; but he was lost,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>
+and did not know which way to go. All at once he was
+face to face with some large animal. It wore a long cape
+and a mask. It also carried a real pistol which it pointed at
+Erastus and told him to hold up his wings. Erastus the
+Robber Duck held up his wings as high as possible, and tried
+to get them higher. It did not seem to Erastus that he could
+hold them up high enough. His mother had read to him
+about robbers.</p>
+
+<p>Then the robber took all the things that Erastus had in
+his pockets. He took his new knife and his little watch;
+also the nice bag which his mother had given him for Christmas.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus kept his wings up a good while after the robber
+had gone. He was afraid the robber had not gone far
+enough. When he put them down they were cramped and
+sore. Then he heard something again, and thought it was
+the robber coming back after his clothes.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus fled with great speed, taking off his garments as
+he ran. At last he reached the edge of the wood, not far
+from <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'were'">where</ins> he lived. It was just morning, and his mother
+saw him coming. She looked sad, and embraced him.</p>
+
+<p>It was the first time Erastus had been out all night.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus was not allowed to go swimming or even to leave
+the yard for a long time. Whenever he remembered that
+night in the woods he shivered, and his mother thought he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>
+had a chill. Then she would put him to bed and give
+him some of the unpleasant medicine.</p>
+
+<p>Erastus did not tell his mother <i>all</i> that had happened
+that night for a good while. He was ashamed to do so.
+But one day when he seemed quite sick and his mother was
+frightened, he broke down and told her all about it. Then
+his mother forgave him, and he got well right away.</p>
+
+<p>After that Erastus behaved, and grew to be the best and
+largest duck in Mr. Man's farm-yard.</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>While Mr. Dog had been reading his story the Hollow
+Tree People&mdash;the 'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old
+Black Crow&mdash;had been leaning forward and almost holding
+their breath, and Mr. Dog felt a good deal flattered when he
+noticed how interested they were. When he sat down he
+saw that Mr. 'Possum's mouth was open and his tongue
+fairly hanging out with being so excited.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 443px;"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137"></a>
+<img src="images/gs32.png" width="443" height="342" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY, BUT IT COULDN&#39;T BE TRUE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY, BUT IT COULDN&#39;T BE TRUE</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then before any of the others could say a word, Mr.
+'Possum said that it might be a good enough story, but that
+it couldn't be true. He said that he wasn't a judge of
+stories, but that he was a judge of ducks&mdash;young ducks, or
+old either&mdash;and that no young duck could pass the night
+in the Big Deep Woods and get home at sunrise or any
+other time, unless all the other animals were snowed in or
+locked up in a menagerie, and that the animal that had met
+Erastus might have robbed him, of course, but he would
+have eaten him first, and then carried off what was left,
+unless, of course, that robber was a rabbit, and he said that
+he didn't believe any rabbit would have spunk enough to be
+in that business.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit was about to say something just then, but
+Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon both interrupted and said they
+thought Mr. 'Possum was right for once, except about Mr.
+Rabbit, who was plenty brave enough, but too much of a
+gentleman to be out robbing people at night when he could
+be at home in bed asleep. Then Mr. Dog said:</p>
+
+<p>"I don't know whether the story is true or not. I wrote
+it down as I heard it among Mr. Man's fowls, and I know
+the duck that they still call Erastus, and he's the finest,
+fattest&mdash;"</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Dog didn't get any further. For the Hollow
+Tree People broke in and said, all together:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, take us to see him, Mr. Dog! Or perhaps you could
+bring him to see us. Invite him to spend an evening with
+us in the Hollow Tree. Tell him we will have him for
+dinner and invite our friends. Oh, do, Mr. Dog!"</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Dog knew what they meant by having him for
+dinner, and he said he guessed Mr. Man would not be willing
+to have Erastus go out on an invitation like that, and that if
+Erastus came, Mr. Man might take a notion to visit the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>
+Hollow Tree himself. Then the Hollow Tree People all said,
+"Oh, never mind about Erastus! He's probably old and
+disagreeable anyway. We don't think we would care for
+him. But it was a nice story&mdash;very nice, indeed."</p>
+
+<p>And pretty soon Mr. Dog said he'd been thinking about
+the robber animal, too, and had made up his mind that it
+might have been one of Mr. Cat's family&mdash;for Mr. Man's
+little boy and girl had a book with a nice poem in it about
+a robber cat, and a robber dog, too, though he didn't think
+that the dog could have been any of <i>his</i> family. Mr. Cat,
+he said, would not be likely to care for Erastus, feathers
+and all, that way, and no doubt it really was Mr. Cat who
+robbed him. Mr. Dog said that he had once heard of a
+Mr. Cat who wanted to be king&mdash;perhaps after Mr. Lion
+had gone out of the king business, and that there was an old
+poem about it that Mr. Dog's mother used to sing to him,
+but he didn't think it had ever been put into a book. He
+said there were a good many things in it he didn't suppose
+the Hollow Tree People would understand because it was
+about a different kind of a country&mdash;where his mother had
+been born&mdash;but that if they really would like to hear it he
+would try to remember it for them, as it would be something
+different from anything they had been used to. Then the
+Hollow Tree People and their friends all said how glad they
+would be to hear it, for they always liked to hear about<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>
+new things and new parts of the country; so Mr. Dog
+said that if some of the others would read or sing or dance
+their jigs first, perhaps it would come to him and he would
+sing it for them by and by.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Robin spoke up and said that he thought Mr.
+Dog's story had a good moral in it, and he said that <i>his</i>
+story (Mr. Robin's, of course) was that kind of a story, too.
+Perhaps he'd better tell it now, he said, while their minds
+were running that way, though as for Mr. 'Possum's mind
+it seemed to be more on how good Erastus might be cooked
+than how good he had become in his behavior. He was
+sorry, he said, that his story didn't have any ducks in it,
+young or old, but that perhaps Mr. 'Possum and the others
+would be willing to wait for the nice pair of cooked ones
+now hanging in Mr. Crow's pantry, to be served at the end
+of the literary exercises.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. 'Possum said "No," he wasn't willing to wait
+any longer&mdash;that Mr. Dog's story and the mention of those
+nice cooked fowls was more than he could bear, and that
+if it was all the same to Mr. Robin and the others he voted
+to have supper first, and then he'd be better able to stand a
+strictly moral story on a full stomach.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon said that was a good idea, and
+Mr. Rabbit said he thought they'd better postpone Mr.
+Robin's story until the next evening, as Mr. 'Possum had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
+taken up so much time with his arguments that he must
+be hungrier than usual, and if he put in as much more time
+eating, it would be morning before they were ready to go on
+with the literary programme.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all looked at the clock and saw that it really
+was getting late, though that was the only way they could
+tell, for the snow covered all the windows and made no
+difference between day and night in the Hollow Tree.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB&mdash;Part II</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. RABBIT STARTS SOME NEW
+AMUSEMENTS</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>IT was still dark in the Hollow Tree when the Deep
+Woods People woke up next morning, but they knew
+what was the matter now, and could tell by the clock
+and the fire that it was day outside, even before Mr. 'Possum
+ran up to his room and looked out the window and came
+back shivering, because he said the snow was blowing and
+drifting and some had drifted in around his windows and
+made his room as cold as all outdoors. He said he was
+willing to stay by the fire while this spell lasted, and take
+such exercise as he needed by moving his chair around to
+the table when he wanted to eat.</div>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon said that Mr. 'Possum might exercise himself on
+a little wood for the cook-stove in Mr. Crow's kitchen if he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>
+wanted any breakfast, and that if this spell kept up long
+enough, they wouldn't have anything left but exercise to keep
+them alive.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. 'Possum went down-stairs after an armful of
+stove-wood, and he stayed a good while, though they didn't
+notice it at the time. Then they all helped with the breakfast,
+and after breakfast they pushed back all the things
+and played "Blind Man's Buff," for Mr. Rabbit said that
+even if moving his chair from the fire to the table and back
+again was enough exercise for Mr. 'Possum, it wasn't enough
+for <i>him</i>, and the others said so, too.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 433px;"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147"></a>
+<img src="images/gs33.png" width="433" height="376" alt="SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD BE &quot;IT&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD BE &quot;IT&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>So then Mr. Rabbit said they must choose who would be
+"It" first, and they all stood in a row and Mr. Rabbit said:</p>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+"Hi, ho, hickory dee&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">One for you and one for me;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">One for the ones you try to find,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">And one for the one that wears the blind,"</span><br />
+</div>
+
+<div class='unindent'>which was a rigmarole Mr. Rabbit had made up himself
+to use in games where somebody had to be "It," and Mr.
+Rabbit said it around and around the circle on the different
+ones&mdash;one word for each one&mdash;until he came to the word
+"blind" and that was Mr. 'Possum, who had to put on the
+handkerchief and do more exercising than any of them, until
+he caught Mr. Turtle, who had to be "It" quite often,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
+because he couldn't get out of the way as well as the
+others.</div>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum was "It" a good deal, too, and Mr.
+'Coon, and all the rest, though Mr. Robin was "It" less
+than anybody, because he was so little and spry that he
+could get out of the way.</p>
+
+<p>Then when they were tired of "Blind Man's Buff" they
+played "Pussy Wants a Corner" and "Forfeits," and Mr.
+'Possum had to make a speech to redeem his forfeit, and he
+began:</p>
+
+<p>"<span class="smcap">Ladies and Gentlemen</span>" (though there were no ladies
+present)&mdash;"I am pleased to see you all here this evening"
+(though it wasn't evening) "looking so well dressed and
+well fed. It is better to be well fed than well dressed. It
+is better to be well dressed than not dressed at all. It is
+better to be not dressed at all than not fed at all. Ladies
+and gentlemen, I thank you for your kind attention and
+applause"&mdash;though they hadn't applauded yet, but they did,
+right away, and said it was a good speech, and Mr. Crow said
+it reminded him that it was about dinner-time, and that he
+would need some more wood.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. 'Possum got right up to get the stove-wood again,
+which everybody thought was very good of Mr. 'Possum,
+who wasn't usually so spry and willing.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 422px;"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149"></a>
+<img src="images/gs34.png" width="422" height="388" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO MORE EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO MORE EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then in the afternoon they had games again, but nice<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>
+quiet games, for they were all glad to sit down, and they
+played "Button! Button! Who's Got the Button?" and nobody
+could tell when Mr. 'Possum had the button, for his
+face didn't show it, because he was nearly always looking
+straight into the fire, and seemed to be thinking about
+something away off. And when the fire got low, he always
+jumped up and offered to go down into the store-room after
+the wood, and they all said how willing and spry Mr. 'Possum
+was getting all at once, and when he stayed a good
+while down-stairs they didn't think anything about it&mdash;not
+at the time&mdash;or if they did they only thought he was
+picking out the best pieces to burn. They played "Drop
+the Handkerchief," too, and when they got through Mr.
+Rabbit performed some tricks with the handkerchief and
+the button that made even Mr. 'Possum pay attention
+because they were so wonderful.</p>
+
+<p>There was one trick especially that Mr. Rabbit did a
+great many times because they liked it so much, and were
+so anxious to guess how it was done. Mr. Rabbit told them
+it was a trick that had come down to him from his thirty-second
+great-grandfather, and must never be told to any one.</p>
+
+<p>It was a trick where he laid the button in the centre of
+the handkerchief and then folded the corners down on it,
+and pressed them down each time so that they could see
+that the button was still there, and he would let them press<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
+on it, too, to prove it, and then when he would lift up the
+handkerchief by the two corners nearest him there would
+be no button at all, and he would find it on the mantel-shelf
+or perhaps on Mr. Crow's bald head, or in Mr. 'Possum's
+pocket, or some place like that. But one time, when Mr.
+Rabbit had done it over and over, and maybe had grown
+a little careless, he lifted the handkerchief by the corners
+nearest him, and there was the button sticking fast, right
+in the centre of the handkerchief, for it had a little beeswax
+on it, to make it stick to one of the corners next to Mr.
+Rabbit, and by some mistake Mr. Rabbit had turned the
+button upside down!</p>
+
+<p>Then they all laughed, and all began to try it for themselves,
+and Mr. Rabbit laughed too, though perhaps he
+didn't feel much like it, and told them that they had learned
+one of the greatest secrets in his family, and that he would
+now tell them the adage that went with it if they would
+promise never to tell either the secret or the adage, and they
+all promised, and Mr. Rabbit told them the adage, which was:</p>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+"When beeswax grows on the button-tree,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">No one knows what the weather'll be."</span><br />
+</div>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 395px;"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152"></a>
+<img src="images/gs35.png" width="395" height="413" alt="WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON MR. CROW&#39;S BALD HEAD" title="" />
+<span class="caption">WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON MR. CROW&#39;S BALD HEAD</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"That," said Mr. Rabbit, "is a very old adage. I don't
+know what it means exactly, but I'm sure it means something,
+because old adages always do mean something,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
+though often nobody can find out just what it is, and the
+less they seem to mean the better they are, as adages. There
+are a great many old adages in our family, and they have
+often got my ancestors out of trouble. When we didn't
+have an old one to fit the trouble we made a new one, and
+by-and-by it got old too, and useful in different ways, because
+by that time it didn't seem to mean anything special,
+and could be used almost anywhere."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Deep Woods People all said there was never
+anybody who knew so much and could do so many things
+as Mr. Jack Rabbit, and how proud they all were to have
+him in their midst, and Mr. Rabbit showed them how to do
+all the tricks he knew, and they all practised them and tried
+them on each other until Mr. Crow said he must look after
+the supper, and Mr. 'Possum ran right off after an armful
+of stove-wood, and everybody helped with everything there
+was to do, for they were having such a good time and were
+so hungry.</p>
+
+<p>And after supper they all sat around the fire again and
+smoked a little before anybody said anything, until by-and-by
+Mr. Rabbit said that they would go on now with the
+literary club, and that Mr. Robin might read the story he
+had mentioned the night before.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Robin got up, and stood on a chair, and made a
+nice bow. He said it was not really his own story he had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
+written, but one that his grandmother used to tell him sometimes,
+though he didn't think it had ever been put into a
+book.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rabbit spoke up and said that that didn't
+matter, that of course everybody couldn't be original,
+and that the story itself was the main thing and the way
+you told it. He said if Mr. Robin would go right on with
+the story now it would save time. So then they all knocked
+the ashes out of their pipes&mdash;all except Mr. Robin, who
+began right off to read his story:</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE DISCONTENTED FOX</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. ROBIN TELLS HOW A FOX
+LEARNED A GOOD LESSON BY
+TAKING A LONG JOURNEY</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>ONCE upon a time there was a Fox who lived at
+the foot of a hill and had a <i>nice garden</i>. One
+morning when he began to hoe in it he got tired,
+and the sun was <i>very hot</i>. Then the Fox didn't like to
+hoe any more, and made up his mind that it wasn't very
+pleasant to have a garden, anyway.</div>
+
+<p>So then he started out to travel and find <i>pleasant things</i>.
+He put on his best clothes, and the first house he came to
+belonged to a Rabbit who kept bees. And the Rabbit
+showed the Fox his bees and how to take out the honey.
+And the Fox said, "What <i><ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'pleasan'">pleasant</ins> work!</i>" and wanted to
+take out honey too. But when he did there was a bee
+on the honey, and it stung the Fox on the nose. And that
+hurt the Fox, and his nose began to swell up, and he said:
+"This is not pleasant work <i>at all!</i>" and of course it wasn't&mdash;not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span>
+for <i>him</i>&mdash;though the Rabbit seemed to enjoy it <i>more
+than ever</i>.</p>
+
+<p>So the Fox travelled on, and the next house he came to
+belonged to a Crow who made pies. And the Fox looked
+at him awhile and said, "What <i>pleasant work!</i>" And the
+Crow let the Fox help him, and when the Fox went to take
+a pie out of the oven he burnt his fingers <i>quite badly</i>. Then
+he said, "No, it is <i>not</i> pleasant work&mdash;not for <i>me!</i>" and that
+was true, though the Crow seemed to enjoy it <i>more than ever</i>.</p>
+
+<p>So the Fox went on again, and the next house he came
+to belonged to a 'Coon who milked cows. And the Fox
+watched him milk, and pretty soon he said: "What pleasant
+work that <i>is!</i> Let <i>me</i> milk." So the 'Coon let the Fox
+milk, and the Cow put her foot in the milk-pail and upset
+it <i>all over</i> the Fox's nice <i>new clothes</i>. And the Fox was mad,
+and said: "This work is not in the <i>least</i> pleasant!" and he
+<i>hurried away</i>, though the 'Coon seemed to enjoy it <i>more
+than ever</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And the next house the Fox came to belonged to a Cat
+who played the fiddle. And the Fox listened awhile
+and said: "What pleasant work that <i>must be!</i>" and he
+borrowed the Cat's fiddle. But when he started down the
+road playing, a Man ran around the corner and shot a loud
+gun at him, and that was not pleasant, <i>either</i>, though the Cat
+seemed to enjoy it <i>more than ever</i>.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So the Fox kept on travelling and <i>doing</i> things that he
+thought would be <i>pleasant</i>, but that did not turn out to <i>be</i>
+pleasant&mdash;not for <i>him</i>&mdash;until by-and-by he had travelled
+<i>clear around the world</i> and had come up on the other side,
+<i>back</i> to his <i>own garden</i> again. And his garden was just
+the same as he had left it, only the things had grown bigger,
+and there were <i>some weeds</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And the Fox jumped over the fence and commenced to
+<i>hoe</i> the <i>weeds</i>, and pretty soon he said, "Why, this is <i>pleasant!</i>"
+Then he hoed some more, and said, "Why, what
+pleasant work <i>this is!</i>"</p>
+
+<p>So he kept on hoeing and finding it pleasant until by-and-by
+the weeds were <i>all gone</i>, and the <i>Rabbit</i> and the <i>Crow</i>
+and the <i>Cat</i> and the <i>'Coon</i> came and traded him honey and
+pies and milk and music for vegetables, because he had the
+best garden in the world. And he <i>has yet!</i></p>
+
+<hr style="width: 45%;" />
+
+<p>When Mr. Robin got through and sat down, Mr. Squirrel
+spoke up and said it was a good story because it had a moral
+lesson in it and taught folks to like the things they knew best
+how to do, and Mr. 'Possum said yes, that might be so, but
+that the story couldn't be true, because none of those animals
+would have enjoyed seeing that Fox leave them, but would
+have persuaded him to stay and help them, and would have
+taught him to do most of the work.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Robin spoke up and said that Mr. 'Possum
+thought everybody was like himself, and that anyway Mr.
+'Possum didn't need the lesson in that story, for he already
+liked to do the things he could do best, which were to eat
+and sleep and let other people do the work, though of course
+he had been very good about getting the wood, lately, which
+certainly was unusual.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said he didn't see why Mr. Robin
+should speak in that cross way when he had only meant to
+be kind and show him the mistake in his story, so he could
+fix it right. And Mr. Rabbit said that as Mr. 'Possum
+seemed to know so much how stories and poems ought to
+be written, perhaps he'd show now what he could do in that
+line himself.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum said he hadn't written anything because
+it was too much trouble, but that he would tell them a story
+if they would like to hear it&mdash;something that had really
+happened, because he had been there, and was old enough
+to remember.</p>
+
+<p>But before he began Mr. Robin said that as they had
+not cared much about his story he would like to recite a
+few lines he had thought of, which would perhaps explain
+how he felt, and all the animals said, "Of course, go right
+on," and Mr. Robin bowed and recited a little poem he had
+made, called<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>ONLY ME<br />
+
+<i>By C. Robin</i></div>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+How came a little bird like me<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">A place in this fine group to win?</span><br />
+My mind is small&mdash;it has to be&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">The little place I keep it in.</span><br />
+How came a little bird like me<br />
+To be here in the Hollow Tree?<br />
+<br />
+When all the others know so much,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">And are so strong and gifted too,</span><br />
+How can I dare to speak of such<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">As I can know, and think, and do?</span><br />
+How can a little bird like me<br />
+Belong here in the Hollow Tree?<br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 378px;"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162"></a>
+<img src="images/gs36.png" width="378" height="405" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID HE HADN&#39;T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL BY WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID HE HADN&#39;T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL BY WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Well, when Mr. Robin finished that, all the others spoke
+right up and said that Mr. Robin must never write anything
+so sad as that again. They said his story was just as good
+as it could be, and that Mr. Robin was one of the smartest
+ones there; and Mr. 'Possum burst into tears, and said that
+he hadn't meant anything at all by what he had said about the
+story, and that some time, when they were all alone, Mr.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>
+Robin must tell it to him again, and he would try to have
+sense enough to understand it.</p>
+
+<p>Then he ran over to Mr. Robin, and was going to embrace
+him and weep on his shoulder, and would very likely have
+mashed him if Mr. Turtle hadn't dragged him back to his
+seat and told him that he had done damage enough to
+people's feelings without killing anybody, and the best
+thing he could do now would be to go on with a story of
+his own if he had any.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. 'Possum said he was too sleepy now, so Mr. Dog
+sang the poem which he had promised the evening before
+because, he said, singing would be a nice thing to go to sleep
+on. Mr. Dog's song was called</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>THE CAT WHO WOULD BE KING</div>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+There was cat who kept a store,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">With other cats for customers.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">His milk and mice</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">All packed in ice&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">His catnip all in canisters.</span><br />
+<br />
+Fresh milk he furnished every day&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Two times a day and sometimes three&mdash;</span><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span><br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 475px;">
+<img src="images/gs37.png" width="475" height="433" alt="AND SO THIS CAT GREW RICH AND FAT" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AND SO THIS CAT GREW RICH AND FAT</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">And so this cat</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Grew rich and fat</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And proud as any cat could be.</span><br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+But though so fat and rich he grew<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He was not satisfied at all&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">At last quoth he,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">"A king I'll be</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Of other cats both great and small."</span><br />
+</div>
+
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 427px;">
+<img src="images/gs38.png" width="427" height="500" alt="Cat in crown" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+Then hied he to the tinner cat,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Who made for him a tinsel crown,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">And on the street,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">A king complete,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He soon went marching up and down.</span><br />
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 457px;">
+<img src="images/gs39.png" width="457" height="474" alt="Proud cats" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+Now, many cats came out to see,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And some were filled with awe at him;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">While some, alack,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Behind his back</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Did laugh and point a paw at him.</span><br />
+<br /></div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 450px;">
+<img src="images/gs40.png" width="450" height="440" alt="HIS CLERKS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">HIS CLERKS</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+Mice, milk, and catnip did he scorn;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He went to business less and less&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">And everywhere</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">He wore an air</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Of arrogance and haughtiness.</span><br />
+<br />
+His clerks ate catnip all day long&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">They spent much time in idle play;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">They left the mice</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">From off the ice&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">They trusted cats who could not pay.</span><br />
+<br /></div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 431px;">
+<img src="images/gs41.png" width="431" height="500" alt="A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+While happy in his tin-shop crown<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Each day the king went marching out,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Elate because</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">He thought he was</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 2em;">The kind of king you read about.</span><br />
+<br />
+But lo, one day, he strolled too far,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And in a dim and dismal place</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">A cat he met,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Quite small, and yet</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">A solemn look was in his face.</span><br />
+<br />
+One fiery eye this feline wore&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">A waif he was of low degree&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">No gaudy dress</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Did he possess,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Nor yet a handsome cat was he.</span><br />
+<br />
+But lo, he smote that spurious king<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And stripped him of his tinsel crown,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Then like the wind</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Full close behind</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He chased His Highness into town.</span><br />
+<br />
+With cheers his subjects saw him come.<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He did not pause&mdash;he did not stop,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">But straight ahead</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">He wildly fled</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Till he was safe within his shop.</span><br />
+<br />
+He caught his breath and gazed about&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">A sorry sight did he behold:</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">No catnip there</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Or watchful care&mdash;</span><br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 2em;">No mice and milk and joy of old.</span><br />
+<br />
+He heaved a sigh and dropped a tear&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">He sent those idle clerks away&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Quoth he, "My pride</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">Is satisfied;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">This kingdom business does not pay."</span><br />
+<br />
+With care once more he runs his store,<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">His catnip all in canisters&mdash;</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">His milk and mice</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 4em;">All packed in ice,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left: 2em;">And humbly serves his customers.</span><br />
+<br /></div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 281px;">
+<img src="images/gs42.png" width="281" height="427" alt="QUOTH HE, &quot;MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM BUSINESS DOES NOT PAY&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">QUOTH HE, &quot;MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM BUSINESS DOES NOT PAY&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span><br /><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span></p>
+<h2>MR. 'POSSUM'S GREAT STORY</h2>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. 'POSSUM TELLS THE STRANGE ADVENTURES
+OF THE 'POSSUM FAMILY,
+TO THE SURPRISE OF HIS FRIENDS</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>"NOW this," said the Story Teller, "is the story
+that Mr. 'Possum told the 'Snowed-In' Literary
+Club in the Hollow Tree. It must be a true story,
+because Mr. 'Possum said so, and, besides, anybody that
+knows Mr. 'Possum would know that he could never in the
+world have made it up out of his head."</div>
+
+<p>The Little Lady doesn't quite like that.</p>
+
+<p>"But Mr. 'Possum is smart," she says. "He knows ever
+so much."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh yes, of course, and that's why he never <i>has</i> to make
+up things. He just tells what he knows, and this time he
+told</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>HOW UNCLE SILAS AND AUNT MELISSY MOVED</div>
+
+<p>"You may remember," he said, "my telling you once
+about Uncle Silas and Aunt Melissy Lovejoy, who lived in<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
+a nice place just beyond the Wide Paw-paw Hollows, and
+how Uncle Silas once visited Cousin Glenwood in town
+and came home all dressed up, leading a game chicken,
+and with a bag of shinny-sticks, and a young man to wait
+on him; and how Aunt Melissy&mdash;instead of being pleased,
+as Uncle Silas thought she would be&mdash;got mad when she
+saw him, and made him and the young man take off all
+their nice clothes and go to work in the garden, and kept
+them at it with that bag of shinny-sticks until fall.<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a></p>
+
+<p>"Well, this story is about them, too. I went to live with
+them soon after that, because I lost both of my parents
+one night when Mr. Man was hunting in the Black
+Bottoms for something to put in a pan with some sweet
+potatoes he had raised that year, and I suppose I would
+have been used with sweet potatoes too if I hadn't come
+away from there pretty lively instead of trying our old
+playing-dead trick on Mr. Man and his friends.</p>
+
+<p>"I thought right away that Mr. Man might know the
+trick, so I didn't wait to try it myself, but took out for the
+Wide Paw-paw Hollows, to visit Uncle Silas Lovejoy, who
+was an uncle on my mother's side, and Aunt Melissy and my
+little cousins; and they all seemed glad to see me, especially
+my little cousins, until they found they had to give me some
+of their things and most of their food, because I was young<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>
+and growing, besides being quite sad about my folks, and
+so, of course, had to eat a good deal to keep well and from
+taking my loss too hard.</p>
+
+<p>"But by-and-by Uncle Lovejoy said that he didn't believe
+that he and the hired man&mdash;who was the same one he had
+brought home to wait on him when he came from town&mdash;to
+be his valet, he said&mdash;though he got to be a hired man
+right after Aunt Melissy met him and got hold of the shinny-sticks&mdash;Aunt
+Melissy being a spry, stirring person who
+liked to see people busy. I remember how she used to keep
+me and my little cousins busy until sometimes I wished I
+had stayed with my folks and put up with the sweet potatoes
+and let Uncle Silas and his family alone."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum stopped to light his pipe, and Mr. Rabbit
+said that he supposed, of course, Mr. 'Possum knew his
+story and how to tell it, but that if he ever intended to finish
+what Uncle Lovejoy had said about himself and the hired
+man he wished he'd get at it pretty soon.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum said of course he meant to, as soon as he
+could get his breath, and think a minute. "Well, then," he
+said, "Uncle Silas told Aunt Melissy that he didn't believe
+he and the hired man could raise and catch enough for the
+family since I had come to stay with them, and he thought
+they had better move farther west to a place where the land
+was better and where Mr. Man's chickens were not kept<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>
+up in such close, unhealthy places, but were allowed to
+roost out in the open air, on the fences and in the trees.
+He said he didn't think their house was quite stylish enough
+either, which he knew would strike Aunt Melissy, who was
+a Glenwood, and primpy, and fond of the best things.</p>
+
+<p>"So then we began to pack up right away, and Uncle
+Silas and Aunt Melissy quarrelled a good deal about what
+was worth taking and what wasn't, and they took turns
+scolding the hired man about a good many things he didn't
+do and almost all of the things he did do, and my little
+cousins and I had a fine time running through the empty
+rooms and playing with things we had never seen before,
+but we had to keep out of Aunt Melissy's reach if we wanted
+to enjoy it much.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, by-and-by we were all packed up and ready to
+start. We had everything in bundles or tied together,
+and Aunt Melissy had arranged a big bundle for Uncle
+Silas to carry, and several things to tie and hang about on
+his person in different places, and she had fixed up the hired
+man too, besides some bundles for me and my little cousins.</p>
+
+<p>"Aunt Melissy said she would take charge of the lunch-basket
+and lead the way, and she was all dressed up and
+carried an umbrella, and didn't look much as if she belonged
+to the rest of our crowd.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 438px;"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179"></a>
+<img src="images/gs43.png" width="438" height="370" alt="AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE SILAS, AND SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED MAN TOO" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE SILAS, AND SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED MAN TOO</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"It was pretty early when we started, for it was getting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
+dangerous to camp out in that section, and we wanted to get
+as far as we could the first day, though we didn't any of
+us have any idea then how long a trip we <i>would</i> make that
+day, nor of the way we were going to make it. Nobody
+could guess a guess like that, even if he was the best guesser
+in the world and made his living that way."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum stopped to light his pipe again, and said
+that if anybody wanted a chance to guess how far they went
+that first day and how they travelled, they could guess now.
+But the Hollow Tree People said they didn't want to
+guess, and they did want Mr. 'Possum to go ahead and tell
+them about it.</p>
+
+<p>"Well," said Mr. 'Possum, "we travelled fifty miles that
+first day, and we travelled it in less than two hours."</p>
+
+<p>"Fifty miles in two hours!" said all the Hollow Tree
+People. And Jack Rabbit said:</p>
+
+<p>"Why, a menagerie like that couldn't travel fifty miles
+in two years!"</p>
+
+<p>"But we did, though," said Mr. 'Possum; "we travelled
+it in a balloon."</p>
+
+<p>"In a balloon!"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, not exactly in a balloon, but <i>with</i> a balloon. It
+happened just as I'm going to tell you.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 347px;"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181"></a>
+<img src="images/gs44.png" width="347" height="432" alt="DIDN&#39;T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF OUR CROWD" title="" />
+<span class="caption">DIDN&#39;T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF OUR CROWD</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"We went along pretty well until we got to the Wide
+Grass Lands, though Aunt Melissy scolded Uncle Silas a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
+good deal because he got behind and didn't stand up in a
+nice stylish way with all the things he had to carry, and she
+used her umbrella once on the hired man because he dropped
+the clock.</p>
+
+<p>"When we got out to the Wide Grass Lands there was a
+high east wind blowing, getting ready for a storm, and when
+we got on top of a little grassy hill close to the Wide Blue
+Water it blew Uncle Silas and the hired man so they could
+hardly stand up, and it turned Aunt Melissy's umbrella
+wrong side out, which made her mad, and she said that it
+was Uncle Silas's fault and mine, and that she had never
+wanted to move anyway.</p>
+
+<p>"But just then one of my little cousins looked up in the
+sky and said, 'Oh, look at that funny bird!' and we all looked
+up, and there was a great big long bag of a thing coming right
+toward us, not very high up, and Uncle Silas spoke up and
+said 'That's a balloon,' for Uncle Silas had seen one in town
+when he was there visiting Cousin Glenwood, and the hired
+man, too. Then while we were all standing there watching
+it, we saw that there was a long rope that hung from the
+balloon most to the ground, and that it had something tied
+to the end of it (a big iron thing with a lot of hooks on it),
+and that it was swooping down straight toward us.</p>
+
+<p>"Uncle Silas called out as loud as he could, 'That's
+the anchor! Look out!' but it was too late to look out, for it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>
+was coming as fast as the wind blew the balloon, and Uncle
+Silas and the hired man being loaded with the things couldn't
+move very quick, and the rest of us were too scared to know
+which way to jump, and down came that thing right among
+us, and I saw it catch among Uncle Silas's furniture and
+the hired man's, and I heard Uncle Silas say, 'Grab hold,
+all of you!' and we all did, some one way and some another,
+and away we went.</p>
+
+<p>"Well, it was certainly very curious how we all were lucky
+enough to get hold of that anchor, with all our bundles and
+things; but of course we could do it better than if we had not
+been given those nice useful tails which belong to our family.
+I had hold that way, and some of the others did, too. Uncle
+Silas didn't need to hold on at all, for some of the furniture
+was tied to him, and he just sat back in a chair that was hung
+on behind and took it easy, though he did drop some of his
+things when he first got aboard, and Aunt Melissy scolded
+him for that as soon as she caught her breath and got over
+being frightened and was sitting up on her part of the anchor
+enjoying the scenery.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 333px;"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184"></a>
+<img src="images/gs45.png" width="333" height="437" alt="THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST AFTER IT GOT OUR FAMILY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST AFTER IT GOT OUR FAMILY</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"I never had such a trip as that before, and never expect
+to have one again. The balloon went over the Wide Blue
+Water just after it got our family, and we were all afraid we
+would be let down in it and drowned; but the people who
+were in the balloon threw out something heavy which we<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>
+thought at first they were throwing at us, but it must have
+been something to make the balloon go up; for we did go up
+until Aunt Melissy said if we'd just get a little nearer one
+of those clouds she'd step out on it and live there, as she'd
+always wanted to do since she was a child.</p>
+
+<p>"Then we all sat up and held on tight, above and below,
+and said what a nice day it was to travel, and that we'd always
+travel that way hereafter; and Uncle Silas and the hired
+man unhooked their furniture, so they could land easier
+when the time came, and Aunt Melissy passed around the
+lunch, and we looked down and saw the water and the land
+again and a lot of houses and trees, and Aunt Melissy said
+that nobody could ever made her believe the world was that
+big if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.</p>
+
+<p>"And Uncle Silas and the hired man said that of course
+this was going pretty fast, but that they had travelled a
+good deal faster sometimes when they were in town with
+Cousin Glenwood, and pretty soon he showed us the town
+where Cousin Glenwood lived, and he and the hired man
+tried to point out the house to us, but they couldn't agree
+about which it was because the houses didn't look the same
+from up there in the air as they did from down on the
+ground.</p>
+
+<p>"I know I shall never forget that trip. We saw ever so
+many different Mr. Men and Mr. Dogs, and animals of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>
+every kind, and houses that had chimneys taller than any
+tree, and a good many things that even Uncle Silas did not
+know about. Then by-and-by we came to some woods
+again&mdash;the biggest kind of Big Deep Woods&mdash;and we saw
+that we were getting close to the tree-tops, and we were
+all afraid we would get hit by the branches and maybe
+knocked off with our things.</p>
+
+<p>"And pretty soon, sure enough, that anchor did drop
+right down among the trees, and such a clapping and scratching
+as we did get!</p>
+
+<p>"We shut our eyes and held on, and some of our furniture
+was brushed off of Uncle Silas and the hired man, and
+Aunt Melissy lost her umbrella, and I lost a toy chicken,
+which I could never find again. Then all at once there
+was a big sudden jerk that jarred Uncle Silas loose, and made
+Aunt Melissy holler that she was killed, and knocked the
+breath out of the rest of us for a few minutes.</p>
+
+<p>"But we were all there, and the anchor was fast on the
+limb of a big tree&mdash;a tree almost as big as the Hollow Tree,
+and hollow, just like it, with a nice handy place to go in.</p>
+
+<p>"So when we got our senses back we picked up all our
+things that we could find, and moved into the new place, and
+Aunt Melissy looked at the clock, which was still running,
+and it was just a little over two hours since we started.</p>
+
+<p>"Then pretty soon we heard Mr. Man and his friends<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>
+who had been up in the balloon coming, and we stayed close
+inside till they had taken the anchor and everything away,
+and after that, when it was getting dark, Uncle Silas and the
+hired man went out and found, not very far off, where there
+were some nice chickens that roosted in handy places, and
+brought home two or three, and Aunt Melissy set up the stove
+and cooked up a good supper, and we all sat around the
+kitchen fire, and the storm that the east wind had been blowing
+up came along sure enough and it rained all night, but
+we were snug and dry, and went to sleep mostly in beds
+made down on the floor, and lay there listening to the rain
+and thinking what a nice journey we'd had and what a
+good new home we'd found.</p>
+
+<p>"And it <i>was</i> a good place, for I lived there till I grew up,
+and if I'm not mistaken some of Uncle Silas's and Aunt
+Melissy's children live there still. I haven't heard from any
+of them for a long time, but I am thinking of going on a
+visit over that way in the spring, and if that balloon is still
+running I'm going to travel with it.</p>
+
+<p>"And that," said Mr. 'Possum, "is a true story&mdash;all true,
+every word, for I was there."</p>
+
+<p>Nobody said anything for a minute or two after Mr.
+'Possum had finished his story&mdash;nobody <i>could</i> say anything.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Rabbit coughed a little and remarked that he
+was glad that Mr. 'Possum said that the story was true,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>
+for no one would ever have suspected it. He said if Mr.
+'Possum hadn't said it was true he would have thought it
+was one of those pleasant dreams that Mr. 'Possum had when
+he slept hanging to a peg head down.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Turtle, who had been sitting with his eyes shut
+and looking as if he were asleep, knocked the ashes out of
+his pipe, and said that what Mr. 'Possum had told them was
+true&mdash;at least, <i>some</i> of it was true; for he himself had been
+sitting in the door of his house on the shore of the Wide Blue
+Water when the balloon passed over, and he had seen Uncle
+Silas Lovejoy's family sitting up there anchored and comfortable;
+and he had picked up a chair that Uncle Silas had
+dropped, and he had it in his house to this day, it being
+a good strong chair and better than any that was made
+nowadays.</p>
+
+<p>Well, of course after that nobody said anything about
+Mr. 'Possum's story not being true, for they remembered
+how old and wise Mr. Turtle was and could always prove
+things, and they all talked about it a great deal, and asked
+Mr. 'Possum a good many questions.</p>
+
+<p>They said how nice it was to know somebody who had
+had an adventure like that, and Mr. Rabbit changed his
+seat so he could be next to Mr. 'Possum, because he said he
+wanted to write it all down to keep.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 351px;"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189"></a>
+<img src="images/gs46.png" width="351" height="437" alt="MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. &#39;POSSUM HAD TOLD THEM WAS TRUE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. &#39;POSSUM HAD TOLD THEM WAS TRUE</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum said he never would forget how good<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
+those chickens tasted that first night in the new home, and
+that Mr. Rabbit mustn't forget to put them in.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all remembered that they were hungry now,
+and Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin hustled
+around to get a bite to eat before bedtime, and Mr. 'Possum
+hurried down to bring up the stove-wood, and was gone quite
+awhile, though nobody spoke of it&mdash;not then&mdash;even if they
+did wonder about it a little&mdash;and after supper they all sat
+around the fire again and smoked and dropped off to sleep
+while the clock ticked and the blaze flickered about and
+made queer shadows on the wall of the Hollow Tree.</p>
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> <i>Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book.</i></p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p>
+<h2>THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF</h2><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='chapsum'>HOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE
+HAVE A MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR,
+AND WHAT BECOMES OF HIM</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>"WHAT made Mr. 'Possum so anxious to get the
+wood, and what made him stay down-stairs so
+long when he went after it?" asks the Little
+Lady next evening, when the Story Teller is lighting his
+pipe and getting ready to remember the history of the
+Hollow Tree.</div>
+
+<p>"We're coming to that. You may be sure there was
+some reason for it, for Mr. 'Possum doesn't hurry after
+wood or stay long in a cold place if he can help it, unless
+he has something on his mind. Perhaps some of the Deep
+Woods People thought of that too, but if they did they didn't
+say anything&mdash;not at the time. I suppose they thought
+it didn't matter much, anyhow, if they got the wood."</p>
+
+<p>So they went right on having a good time, keeping up a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
+nice fire, and eating up whatever they had; for they thought
+the big snow couldn't last as long as their wood and their
+things to eat, and every day they went up to look out of the
+up-stairs windows to see how much had melted, and every
+day they found it just about the same, only maybe a little
+crustier on top, and the weather stayed <i>very cold</i>.</p>
+
+<p>But they didn't mind it so long as they were warm and
+not hungry, and they played games, and recited their pieces,
+and sang, and danced, and said they had never had such a
+good time in all their lives.</p>
+
+<p>But one day when Mr. Crow went down into the store-room
+for supplies he found that he was at the bottom of
+the barrel of everything they had, and he came up looking
+pretty sober, though he didn't say anything about it&mdash;not
+then, for he knew there were plenty of bones and odds and
+ends he could scrape up, and he had a little flour and some
+meal in his pantry; so he could make soup and gravy and
+johnny-cake and hash, which he did right away, and they
+all said how fine such things were for a change, and told
+Mr. Crow to go right on making them as long as he wanted
+to, even if the snow stayed on till spring. And Mr. 'Possum
+and Mr. 'Coon said it was like old times, and that Mr. Crow
+was probably the very best provider in the Big Deep Woods.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 429px;"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195"></a>
+<img src="images/gs47.png" width="429" height="362" alt="ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL OF EVERYTHING" title="" />
+<span class="caption">ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL OF EVERYTHING</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Mr. Crow smiled, too, but he didn't feel like it much, for
+he knew that even johnny-cake and gravy wouldn't last<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>
+forever, and that unless the snow went away pretty soon
+they would all be hungry and cold, for the wood was getting
+low, too.</p>
+
+<p>And one morning, when Mr. Crow went to his meal-sack
+and his flour-bag and his pile of odds and ends there was
+just barely enough for breakfast, and hardly that. And
+Mr. Crow didn't like to tell them about it, for he knew they
+all thought he could keep right on making johnny-cake and
+gravy forever, because they didn't have to stop to think
+where things came from, as he did, and he was afraid they
+would blame him when there was nothing more left.</p>
+
+<p>So the Old Black Crow tried to step around lively and
+look pleasant, to keep anybody from noticing, because he
+thought it might turn warm that day and melt the snow;
+and when breakfast was ready he put on what there was
+and said he hadn't cooked very much because he had heard
+that light breakfasts were better for people who stayed in
+the house a good deal, and as for himself, he said he guessed
+he wouldn't eat any breakfast that morning at all.</p>
+
+<p>Then while the others were eating he crept down-stairs
+and looked at the empty boxes and barrels and the few
+sticks of wood that were left, and he knew that if that snow
+didn't melt off right away they were going to have a <i>very
+hard time</i>. Then he came back up in the big living-room
+and went on up-stairs to his own room, to look out the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>
+window to see if it wasn't going to be a warm, melting
+day. But Mr. Crow came back pretty soon. He came back
+in a hurry, too, and he slammed his door and locked it, and
+then let go of everything and just slid down-stairs. Then
+the Deep Woods People jumped up quick from the table
+and ran to him, for they thought he was having a fit of some
+kind, and they still thought so when they looked into his
+face: for Mr. Crow's eyes were rolled up and his bill was
+pale, and when he tried to speak he couldn't. And Mr.
+Rabbit said it was because Mr. Crow had done without his
+breakfast, and he ran to get something from the table; but
+Mr. Crow couldn't eat, and then they saw that some of the
+feathers on top of his head were turning gray, and they knew
+he had seen some awful thing just that little moment he was
+in his room.</p>
+
+<p>So then they all looked at one another and wondered what
+it was, and they were glad Mr. Crow had locked the door.
+Then they carried him over to the fire, and pretty soon he
+got so he could whisper a little, and when they knew what
+he was saying they understood why he was so scared and
+why he had locked the door; for the words that Mr. Crow
+kept whispering over and over were: "Old Hungry-Wolf!
+Old Hungry-Wolf! Old Hungry-Wolf!"</p>
+
+<p>All the Deep Woods People know what that means.
+They know that when Old Hungry-Wolf comes, or even<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
+when you hear him bark, it means that there is no food left
+in the Big Deep Woods for anybody, and that nobody can
+tell how long it will be before there <i>will</i> be food again. And
+all the Deep Woods People stood still and held their breath
+and listened for the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf, because
+they knew Mr. Crow had seen his face looking in the window.
+And they all thought they heard it, except Mr.
+'Possum, who said he didn't believe it was Old Hungry-Wolf
+at all that Mr. Crow had seen, but only Mr. Gray
+Wolf himself, who had perhaps slipped out and travelled
+over the snow to see if they were all at home and comfortable.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Crow said:</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; it was Old Hungry-Wolf! He was big and
+black, and I saw his great fiery eyes!"</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum looked very brave, and said he would
+see if Old Hungry-Wolf was looking into his window too,
+and he went right up, and soon came back and said there
+wasn't any big black face at his window, and he thought that
+Mr. Crow's empty stomach had made him imagine things.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. 'Coon said that he would go up to <i>his</i> room
+if the others would like to come along, and they could see
+for themselves whether Old Hungry-Wolf was trying to get
+in or not.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 369px;"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199"></a>
+<img src="images/gs48.png" width="369" height="431" alt="THEN MR. &#39;COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THEN MR. &#39;COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then they all went very quietly up Mr. 'Coon's stair
+(all except Mr. 'Possum, who stayed with Mr. Crow), and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
+they opened Mr. 'Coon's door and took one look inside, and
+then Mr. 'Coon he slammed <i>his</i> door shut, and locked it,
+and they all let go of everything and came sliding down
+in a heap, for they had seen the great fiery eyes and black
+face of Old Hungry-Wolf glaring in at Mr. 'Coon's window.</p>
+
+<p>So they all huddled around the fire and lit their pipes&mdash;for
+they still had some tobacco&mdash;and smoked, but didn't say
+anything, until by-and-by Mr. Crow told them that there
+wasn't another bite to eat in the house and very little wood,
+and that that was the reason why Old Hungry-Wolf had
+come. And they talked about it in whispers&mdash;whether they
+ought to exercise any more, because though exercise would
+help them to keep warm and save wood, it would make them
+hungrier. And some of them said they thought they would
+try to go to sleep like Mr. Bear, who slept all winter and never
+knew that he was hungry until spring. So they kept talking,
+and now and then they would stop and listen, and they all
+said they could hear the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf&mdash;all
+except Mr. 'Possum, which was strange, because Mr. 'Possum
+is fond of good things and would be apt to be the very
+first to hear Old Hungry's bark.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 352px;"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201"></a>
+<img src="images/gs49.png" width="352" height="415" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO AFTER A PIECE OF WOOD" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO AFTER A PIECE OF WOOD</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>And when the fire got very low and it was getting cold,
+Mr. 'Possum said for them not to move; that he would go
+down after a piece of wood, and he would attend to the fire
+as long as the wood lasted, and try to make it last as long
+as possible. And every time the fire got very low Mr.
+'Possum would bring a piece of wood, and sometimes he
+stayed a good while (just for one piece of wood), but they
+still didn't think much about it&mdash;not then. What they did
+think about was how hungry they were, and Mr. 'Crow said
+he knew he could eat as much as the old ancestor of his
+that was told about in a book which he had once borrowed
+from Mr. Man's little boy who had left it out in the yard at
+dinner-time.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all begged Mr. Crow to get the book and
+read it to them, and perhaps they could imagine they were
+not so hungry. So Mr. Crow brought the book and read
+them the poem about</p>
+
+
+<div class='center'>THE RAVENOUS RAVEN</div>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+Oh, there was an old raven as black as could be,<br />
+And a wonderful sort of a raven was he;<br />
+For his house he kept tidy, his yard he kept neat,<br />
+And he cooked the most marvellous dainties to eat.<br />
+He could roast, he could toast, he could bake, he could fry,<br />
+He could stir up a cake in the wink of an eye,<br />
+He could boil, he could broil, he could grill, he could stew&mdash;<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>Oh, there wasn't a thing that this bird couldn't do.<br />
+He would smoke in the sun when the mornings were fair,<br />
+And his plans for new puddings and pies would prepare;<br />
+But, alas! like the famous Jim Crow with his shelf,<br />
+He was greedy, and ate all his dainties himself.<br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 301px;">
+<img src="images/gs50.png" width="301" height="391" alt="HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE FAIR" title="" />
+<span class="caption">HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE FAIR</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class="poem"><br />
+It was true he was proud of the things he could cook,<br />
+And would call in his neighbors sometimes for a look,<br />
+Or a taste, it may be, when his pastry was fine;<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>But he'd never been known to invite them to dine.<br />
+With a look and a sigh they could stand and behold<br />
+All the puddings so brown and the sauces of gold;<br />
+With a taste and a growl they'd reluctantly go<br />
+Praying vengeance to fall on that greedy old crow.<br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 459px;">
+<img src="images/gs51.png" width="459" height="318" alt="WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD" title="" />
+<span class="caption">WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+Now, one morning near Christmas when holly grows green,<br />
+And the best of good things in the markets are seen,<br />
+He went out for a smoke in the crisp morning air,<br />
+And to think of some holiday dish to prepare.<br />
+Mr. Rabbit had spices to sell at his store,<br />
+Mr. Reynard had tender young chicks by the score,<br />
+And the old raven thought, as he stood there alone,<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>Of the tastiest pastry that ever was known.<br />
+<br />
+Then away to the market he hurried full soon,<br />
+Dropping in for a chat with the 'possum and 'coon<br />
+Just to tell them his plans, which they heard with delight,<br />
+And to ask them to call for a moment that night<br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 446px;">
+<img src="images/gs52.png" width="446" height="396" alt="THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+For a look and a taste of his pastry so fine,<br />
+And he hinted he might even ask them to dine.<br />
+Then he hurried away, and the rest of the day<br />
+Messrs. 'Possum and 'Coon were expectant and gay.<br />
+<br />
+Oh, he hurried away and to market he went,<br />
+And his money for spices and poultry he spent,<br />
+While behind in the market were many, he knew,<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>Who would talk of the marvellous things he would do;<br />
+So with joy in his heart and with twinkling eye<br />
+He returned to his home his new project to try,<br />
+Then to stir and to bake he began right away,<br />
+And his dish was complete at the end of the day.<br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 307px;">
+<img src="images/gs53.png" width="307" height="400" alt="THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+Aye, the marvel was done&mdash;'twas a rich golden hue,<br />
+And its smell was delicious&mdash;the old raven knew<br />
+That he never had made such a pastry before,<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>And a look of deep trouble his countenance wore;<br />
+"For," thought he, "I am certain the 'possum and 'coon<br />
+That I talked with to-day will be coming here soon,<br />
+And expect me to ask them to dine, when, you see,<br />
+There is just a good feast in this dainty for me."<br />
+<br />
+Now, behold, he'd scarce uttered his thoughts when he heard<br />
+At the casement a tapping&mdash;this greedy old bird&mdash;<br />
+And the latch was uplifted, and gayly strode in<br />
+Both the 'coon and the 'possum with faces agrin.<br />
+They were barbered and brushed and arrayed in their best,<br />
+In the holiday fashion their figures were dressed,<br />
+While a look in each face, to the raven at least,<br />
+Said, "We've come here to-night, sir, prepared for a feast."<br />
+<br />
+And the raven he smiled as he said, "Howdy-do?"<br />
+For he'd thought of a plan to get rid of the two;<br />
+And quoth he, "My dear friends, I am sorry to say<br />
+That the wonderful pastry I mentioned to-day<br />
+When it came to be baked was a failure complete,<br />
+Disappointing to taste and disturbing to eat.<br />
+I am sorry, dear friends, for I thought 'twould be fine;<br />
+I am sorry I cannot invite you to dine."<br />
+<br />
+And the 'coon and the 'possum were both sorry, too,<br />
+And suspicious, somewhat, for the raven they knew.<br />
+They declared 'twas too bad all that pudding to waste,<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>And they begged him to give them at least just a taste,<br />
+But he firmly refused and at last they departed,<br />
+While the greedy old crow for the dining-room started,<br />
+And the pie so delicious he piled on his plate,<br />
+And he ate, and he ate, and he ate, and he ate!<br />
+<br /></div>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 455px;">
+<img src="images/gs54.png" width="455" height="406" alt="THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE</span>
+</div>
+
+<div class='poem'><br />
+Well, next morn when the 'possum and 'coon passed along<br />
+They could see at the raven's that something was wrong,<br />
+For no blue curling smoke from the chimney-top came;<br />
+So they opened his door and they called out his name,<br />
+And they entered inside, and behold! on the floor<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>Was the greedy old raven, but greedy no more:<br />
+For his heart it was still&mdash;not a flutter was there&mdash;<br />
+And his toes were turned up and the table was bare;<br />
+Now his epitaph tells to the whole country-side<br />
+How he ate, and he ate, and he ate till he died.<br />
+</div>
+
+<p>When Mr. Crow finished, Mr. Rabbit said it was certainly
+an interesting poem, and if he just had a chance now to eat
+till he died he'd take it, and Mr. 'Coon said he'd give anything
+to know how that pie had tasted, and he didn't see how
+any <i>one</i> pie could be big enough to kill anybody that felt
+as hungry as <i>he</i> did now. And Mr. 'Possum didn't say
+much of anything, but only seemed drowsy and peaceful-like,
+which was curious for <i>him</i> as things were.</p>
+
+<p>Well, all that day, and the next day, and the next, there
+wasn't anything to eat, and they sat as close as they could
+around the little fire and wished they'd saved some of the
+big logs and some of the food, too, that they had used up
+so fast when they thought the big snow would go away. And
+the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf got louder and louder, and he
+began to gnaw, too, and they all heard it, day and night&mdash;all
+except Mr. 'Possum, who said he didn't know why, but
+that for some reason he couldn't hear a sound like that at
+all, which was <i>very</i> strange, indeed.</p>
+
+<p>But there was something else about Mr. 'Possum that
+was strange. He didn't get any thinner. All the others
+began to show the change right away, but Mr. 'Possum still<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
+looked the same, and still kept cheerful, and stepped around
+as lively as ever, and that was <i>very strange</i>.</p>
+
+<p>By-and-by, when Mr. 'Possum had gone down-stairs for
+some barrel staves to burn, for the wood was all gone, Mr.
+Rabbit spoke of it, and said he couldn't understand it;
+and then Mr. 'Coon, who had been thinking about it too,
+said he wondered why it sometimes took Mr. 'Possum so
+long to get a little bit of wood. Then they all remembered
+how Mr. 'Possum had stayed so long down-stairs whenever
+he went, even before Old Hungry-Wolf came to the Hollow
+Tree, and they couldn't understand it <i>at all</i>.</p>
+
+<p>And just then Mr. 'Possum came up with two little barrel
+staves which he had been a long time getting, and they all
+turned and looked at him very closely, which was a thing
+they had never done until that time. And before Mr. 'Possum
+noticed it, they saw him chew&mdash;a kind of last, finishing
+chew&mdash;and then give a little swallow&mdash;a sort of last, finishing
+swallow&mdash;and just then he noticed them watching him,
+and he stopped right in his tracks and dropped the two little
+barrel staves and looked very scared and guilty, which was
+strange, when he had always been so willing about the wood.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all got up out of their chairs and looked straight
+at Mr. 'Possum, and said:</p>
+
+<p>"What was that you were chewing just now?"</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 363px;">
+<img src="images/gs55.png" width="363" height="409" alt="LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. &#39;POSSUM AND SAID, &quot;WHAT WAS THAT YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. &#39;POSSUM AND SAID, &quot;WHAT WAS THAT YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?&quot;</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then they all said:</p>
+
+<p>"What was that you were swallowing just now?"</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all said:</p>
+
+<p>"Why do you always stay so long when you go for wood?"</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all said:</p>
+
+<p>"Why is it that you don't get thin, like the rest of us?"</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all said:</p>
+
+<p>"Why is it you never hear the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf?"</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum said, very weakly:</p>
+
+<p>"I did think I heard it a little while ago."</p>
+
+<p>Then they all said:</p>
+
+<p>"And was that why you went down after wood?"</p>
+
+<p>And once more Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all said:</p>
+
+<p>"What have you got <i>down there</i> to eat? And <i>where</i> do you
+keep it?"</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum seemed to think of something, and
+picked up the two little barrel staves and brought them over
+to the fire and put them on, and looked very friendly, and
+sat down and lit his pipe and smoked a minute, and said
+that climbing the stairs had overcome him a little, and that<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span>
+he wasn't feeling very well, but if they'd let him breathe
+a minute he'd tell them all about it, and how he had been
+preparing a nice surprise for them, for just such a time as
+this; but when he saw they had found out something, it all
+came on him so sudden that, what with climbing the stairs
+and all, he couldn't quite gather himself, but that he was
+all right now, and the surprise was ready.</p>
+
+<p>"Of course you know," Mr. 'Possum said, "that I have
+travelled a good deal, and have seen a good many kinds of
+things happen, and know about what to expect. And when
+I saw how fast we were using up the food, and how deep
+the snow was, I knew we might expect a famine that even
+Mr. Crow's johnny-cake and gravy wouldn't last through;
+and Mr. Crow mentioned something of the kind once himself,
+though he seemed to forget it right away again, for he
+went on giving us just as much as ever. But I didn't forget
+about it, and right away I began laying aside in a quiet place
+some of the things that would keep pretty well, and that we
+would be glad to have when Old Hungry-Wolf should really
+come along and we had learned to live on lighter meals and
+could make things last."</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Possum was going right on, but Mr. 'Coon interrupted
+him, and said that Mr. 'Possum could call it living
+on lighter meals if he wanted to but that he hadn't eaten
+any meal at all for three days, and that if Mr. 'Possum had<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
+put away anything for a hungry time he wished he'd get it
+out right now, without any more explaining, for it was food
+that he wanted and not explanations, and all the others said
+so too.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said he was just coming to that, but
+he only wished to say a few words about it because they
+had seemed to think that he was doing something that he
+shouldn't, when he was really trying to save them from Old
+Hungry-Wolf, and he said he had kept his surprise as long
+as he could, so it would last longer, and that he had been
+pretending not to hear Old Hungry's bark just to keep
+their spirits up, and he supposed one of the reasons why he
+hadn't got any thinner was because he hadn't been so
+worried, and had kept happy in the nice surprise he had all
+the time, just saving it for when they would begin to need
+it most. As to what he had been chewing and swallowing
+when he came up-stairs, Mr. 'Possum said that he had been
+taking just the least little taste of some of the things to see
+if they were keeping well&mdash;some nice cooked chickens, for
+instance, from a lot that Mr. Crow had on hand and didn't
+remember about, and a young turkey or two, and a few ducks,
+and a bushel or so of apples, and a half a barrel of doughnuts,
+and&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. 'Possum didn't get any further, for all the Deep
+Woods People made a wild scramble for the stairs, with<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
+Mr. 'Possum after them, and when they got down in the
+store-room he took them behind one of the big roots of the
+Hollow Tree, and there was a passageway that none of them
+had ever suspected, and Mr. 'Possum lit a candle and led
+them through it and out into a sort of cave, and there, sure
+enough, were all the things he had told them about and
+some mince-pies besides. And there was even some wood,
+for Mr. 'Possum had worked hard to lay away a supply of
+things for a long snowed-in time.</p>
+
+<p>Then all the Hollow Tree People sat right down there
+and had some of the things, and by-and-by they carried some
+more up-stairs, and some wood, too, and built up a fine big
+fire, and lit their pipes and smoked, and forgot everything
+unpleasant in the world. And they all said how smart and
+good Mr. 'Possum was to save all that food for the very
+time when they would need it most, when all the rest of them
+had been just eating it up as fast as possible and would have
+been now without a thing in the world except for Mr.
+'Possum.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum asked them if they could hear Old
+Hungry-Wolf any more, and they listened but they couldn't
+hear a sound, and then they went up into Mr. Crow's room,
+and into Mr. 'Coon's room, and into Mr. 'Possum's room,
+and they couldn't see a thing of him anywhere, though it
+was just the time of day to see him, for it was late in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>
+evening&mdash;the time Old Hungry-Wolf is most likely to look
+in the window.</p>
+
+<p>And that night it turned warm, and the big snow began to
+thaw; and it thawed, and it thawed, and all the brooks and
+rivers came up, and even the Wide Blue Water rose so that
+the Deep Woods Company had to stay a little longer in the
+Hollow Tree, even when all the snow was nearly gone.
+Mr. Rabbit was pretty anxious to get home, and started
+out one afternoon with Mr. Turtle along, because Mr.
+Turtle is a good swimmer. But there was too much water
+to cross and they came back again just at sunset, and Mr.
+Crow let them in,<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> so they had to wait several days longer.
+But Mr. 'Possum's food lasted, and by the time it was gone they
+could get plenty more; and when they all went away and left
+the three Hollow Tree People together again, they were very
+happy because they had had such a good time; and the 'Coon
+and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow were as good friends
+as ever, though the gray feathers on the top of Mr. Crow's
+head never did turn quite black again, and some of
+the Deep Woods People call him "Silver-Top" to this
+day.</p>
+
+<p>The Little Lady looks anxiously at the Story Teller.</p>
+
+<p>"Did Old Hungry-Wolf ever get inside of the Hollow
+Tree?" she asks.</p>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p>
+<p>"No, he never did get inside; they only saw him through
+the window, and heard him bark."</p>
+
+<p>"And why couldn't Mr. 'Possum ever hear him sometimes?"</p>
+
+<p>"Well, you see, Old Hungry isn't a real wolf, but only a
+shadow wolf&mdash;the shadow of famine. He only looks in
+when people dread famine, and he only barks and gnaws
+when they feel it. A famine, you know, is when one is very
+hungry and there is nothing to eat. I don't think Mr.
+'Possum was very hungry, and he had all those nice things
+laid away, so he would not care much about that old shadow
+wolf, which is only another name for hunger."</p>
+
+<p>The Little Lady clings very close to the Story Teller.</p>
+
+<p>"Will we ever see Old Hungry-Wolf and hear his bark?"</p>
+
+<p>The Story Teller sits up quite straight, and gathers the
+Little Lady tight.</p>
+
+<p>"Good gracious, no!" he says. "He moved out of our
+part of the country before you were born, and we'll take good
+care that he doesn't come back any more."</p>
+
+<p>"I'm glad," says the Little Lady. "You can sing now&mdash;you
+know&mdash;the 'Hollow Tree Song.'"</p>
+<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> See picture on cover.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span></p>
+<h2>AN EARLY SPRING CALL ON MR. BEAR</h2><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='chapsum'>MR. 'POSSUM'S CURIOUS DREAM
+AND WHAT CAME OF IT</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>"WHAT did they do then?" asks the Little Lady.
+"What did the Deep Woods People all do after
+they got through being snowed in?"</div>
+
+<p>"Well, let's see. It got to be spring then pretty soon&mdash;early
+spring&mdash;of course, and Mr. Jack Rabbit went to writing
+poetry and making garden; Mr. Robin went to meet Mrs.
+Robin, who had been spending the winter down South; Mr.
+Squirrel, who is quite young, went to call on a very nice
+young Miss Squirrel over toward the Big West Hills; Mr.
+Dog had to help Mr. Man a good deal with the spring work;
+Mr. Turtle got out all his fishing-things and looked them
+over, and the Hollow Tree People had a general straightening
+up after company. They had a big house-cleaning, of
+course, with most of their things out on the line, and Mr.
+'Possum said that he'd just about as soon be snowed-in for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>
+good as to have to beat carpets and carry furniture up and
+down stairs all the rest of his life."</p>
+
+<p>But they got through at last, and everything was nice
+when they were settled, only there wasn't a great deal to
+be had to eat, because it had been such a long, cold winter
+that things were pretty scarce and hard to get.</p>
+
+<p>One morning Mr. 'Possum said he had had a dream the
+night before, and he wished it would come true. He said
+he had dreamed that they were all invited by Mr. Bear
+to help him eat the spring breakfast which he takes after his
+long winter nap, and that Mr. Bear had about the best
+breakfast he ever sat down to. He said he had eaten it clear
+through, from turkey to mince-pie, only he didn't get the
+mince-pie because Mr. Bear had asked him if he'd have it
+hot or cold, and just as he made up his mind to have some
+of both he woke up and didn't get either.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Coon said he wished he could have a dream
+like that; that he'd take whatever came along and try to
+sleep through it, and Mr. Crow thought a little while and
+said that sometimes dreams came true, especially if you
+helped them a little. He said he hadn't heard anything
+of Mr. Bear this spring, and it was quite likely he had been
+taking a longer nap than usual. It might be a good plan,
+he thought, to drop over that way and just look in in passing,
+because if Mr. Bear should be sitting down to breakfast<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>
+he would be pretty apt to ask them to sit up and have a bite
+while they told him the winter news.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said that he didn't believe anybody
+in the world but Mr. Crow would have thought of that,
+and that hereafter he was going to tell him every dream he
+had. They ought to start right away, he said, because if
+they should get there just as Mr. Bear was clearing off the
+table it would be a good deal worse than not getting the
+mince-pie in his dream.</p>
+
+<p>So they hurried up and put on their best clothes and
+started for Mr. Bear's place, which is over toward the Edge of
+the World, only farther down, in a fine big cave which is
+fixed up as nice as a house and nicer. But when they got
+pretty close to it they didn't go so fast and straight, but just
+sauntered along as if they were only out for a little walk
+and happened to go in that direction, for they thought Mr.
+Bear might be awake and standing in his door.</p>
+
+<p>They met Mr. Rabbit about that time and invited him
+to go along, but Mr. Rabbit said his friendship with Mr.
+Bear was a rather distant one, and that he mostly talked
+to him from across the river or from a hill that had a good
+clear running space on the other slope. He said Mr. Bear's
+taste was good, for he was fond of his family, but that the
+fondness had been all on Mr. Bear's side.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 398px;"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224"></a>
+<img src="images/gs56.png" width="398" height="427" alt="THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY THOUGHT MR. BEAR WAS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY THOUGHT MR. BEAR WAS</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>So the Hollow Tree People went along, saying what a nice<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span>
+man they thought Mr. Bear was, and saying it quite loud,
+and looking every which way, because Mr. Bear might be
+out for a walk too.</p>
+
+<p>But they didn't see him anywhere, and by-and-by they got
+right to the door of his cave and knocked a little, and nobody
+came. Then they listened, but couldn't hear anything at
+first, until Mr. 'Coon, who has very sharp ears, said that he
+was sure he heard Mr. Bear breathing and that he must be
+still asleep. Then the others thought they heard it, too,
+and pretty soon they were sure they heard it, and Mr.
+'Possum said it was too bad to let Mr. Bear oversleep himself
+this fine weather, and that they ought to go in and let
+him know how late it was.</p>
+
+<p>So then they pushed open the door and went tiptoeing in
+to where Mr. Bear was. They thought, of course, he would
+be in bed, but he wasn't. He was sitting up in a big armchair
+in his dressing-gown, with his feet up on a low stool,
+before a fire that had gone out some time in December,
+with a little table by him that had a candle on it which had
+burned down about the time the fire went out. His pipe
+had gone out too, and they knew that Mr. Bear had been
+smoking, and must have been very tired and gone to sleep
+right where he was, and hadn't moved all winter long.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 380px;"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226"></a>
+<img src="images/gs57.png" width="380" height="399" alt="MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO SLEEP RIGHT WHERE HE WAS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO SLEEP RIGHT WHERE HE WAS</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>It wasn't very cheerful in there, so Mr. 'Possum said
+maybe they'd better stir up a little fire to take the chill off<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span>
+before they woke Mr. Bear, and Mr. 'Coon found a fresh
+candle and lighted it, and Mr. Crow put the room to rights a
+little, and wound up the clock, and set it, and started it going.
+Then when the fire got nice and bright they stood around
+and looked at Mr. Bear, and each one said it was a good
+time now to wake him up, but nobody just wanted to do it,
+because Mr. Bear isn't always good-natured, and nobody
+could tell what might happen if he should wake up cross
+and hungry, and he'd be likely to do that if his nap was
+broken too suddenly. Mr. 'Possum said that Mr. Crow
+was the one to do it, as he had first thought of this trip, and
+Mr. Crow said that it was Mr. 'Possum's place, because
+it had been in his dream. Then they both said that as Mr.
+'Coon hadn't done anything at all so far, he might do that.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon said that he'd do it quick enough, only he'd
+been listening to the way Mr. Bear breathed, and he was
+pretty sure he wouldn't be ready to wake up for a week yet,
+and it would be too bad to wake him now when he might
+not have been resting well during the first month or so of
+his nap and was making it up now. He said they could
+look around a little and see if Mr. Bear's things were keeping
+well, and perhaps brush up his pantry so it would be nice
+and clean when he did wake.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow said he'd always wanted to see Mr.
+Bear's pantry, for he'd heard it was such a good place to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span>
+keep things, and perhaps he could get some ideas for the
+Hollow Tree; and Mr. 'Possum said that Mr. Bear had
+the name of having a bigger pantry and more things in it
+than all the rest of the Deep Woods People put together.</p>
+
+<p>So they left Mr. Bear all nice and comfortable, sleeping
+there by the fire, and lit another candle and went over to
+his pantry, which was at the other side of the room, and
+opened the door and looked in.</p>
+
+<p>Well, they couldn't say a word at first, but only just
+looked at one another and at all the things they saw in that
+pantry. First, on the top shelf there was a row of pies,
+clear around. Then on the next shelf there was a row
+of cakes&mdash;first a fruit-cake, then a jelly-cake, then another
+fruit-cake and then another jelly-cake, and the cakes went
+all the way around, too, and some of them had frosting
+on them, and you could see the raisins in the fruit-cake and
+pieces of citron. Then on the next shelf there was a row
+of nice cooked partridges, all the way around, close together.
+And on the shelf below was a row of meat-pies made of
+chicken and turkey and young lamb, and on the shelf below
+that there was a row of nice canned berries, and on the
+floor, all the way around, there were jars of honey&mdash;nice
+comb honey that Mr. Bear had gathered in November
+from bee-trees.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Crow spoke first.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Well, I never," he said, "never in all my life, saw anything
+like it!"</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum both said:</p>
+
+<p>"He can't do it&mdash;a breakfast like that is too much for <i>any</i>
+bear!"</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow said:</p>
+
+<p>"He oughtn't to be <i>allowed</i> to do it. Mr. Bear is too nice
+a man to lose."</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum said:</p>
+
+<p>"He <i>mustn't</i> be allowed to do it&mdash;we'll help him."</p>
+
+<p>"Where do you suppose he begins?" said Mr. 'Coon.</p>
+
+<p>"At the top, very likely," said Mr. Crow. "He's got it
+arranged in courses."</p>
+
+<p>"I don't care where he begins," said Mr. 'Possum; "I'm
+going to begin somewhere, now, and I think I will begin on a
+meat-pie."</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Crow said he thought he'd begin on a nice
+partridge, and Mr. 'Coon said he believed he'd try a mince-pie
+or two first, as a kind of a lining, and then fill in with
+the solid things afterward.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. 'Possum took down his meat-pie, and said he
+hoped this wasn't a dream, and Mr. Crow took down a nice
+brown partridge, and Mr. 'Coon stood up on a chair and
+slipped a mince-pie out of a pan on the top shelf, and everything
+would have been all right, only he lost his balance a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>
+little and let the pie fall. It made quite a smack when it
+struck the floor, and Mr. 'Possum jumped and let his pie
+fall, too, and that made a good deal more of a noise, because
+it was large and in a tin pan.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow blew out the light quick, and they all
+stood perfectly still and listened, for it seemed to them a
+noise like that would wake the dead, much more Mr. Bear,
+and they thought he would be right up and in there after
+them.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Bear was too sound asleep for that. They heard
+him give a little cough and a kind of a grunt mixed with a
+sleepy word or two, and when they peeked out through the
+door, which was open just a little ways, they saw him moving
+about in his chair, trying first one side and then the other,
+as if he wanted to settle down and go to sleep again, which
+he didn't do, but kept right on grunting and sniffing and
+mumbling and trying new positions.</p>
+
+<p>Then, of course, the Hollow Tree People were scared, for
+they knew pretty well he was going to wake up. There
+wasn't any way to get out of Mr. Bear's pantry except by
+the door, and you had to go right by Mr. Bear's chair to
+get out of the cave. So they just stood there, holding their
+breath and trembling, and Mr. 'Possum wished now it <i>was</i>
+a dream, and that he could wake up right away before the
+nightmare began.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Well, Mr. Bear he turned this way and that way, and
+once or twice seemed about to settle down and sleep again;
+but just as they thought he really had done it, he sat up
+pretty straight and looked all around.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Hollow Tree People thought their time had
+come, and they wanted to make a jump, and run for the
+door, only they were afraid to try it. Mr. Bear yawned a
+long yawn, and stretched himself, and rubbed his eyes open,
+and looked over at the fire and down at the candle on the
+table and up at the clock on the mantel. The 'Coon and
+'Possum and the Old Black Crow thought, of course, he'd
+know somebody had been there by all those things being
+set going, and they expected him to roar out something
+terrible and start for the pantry first thing.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Bear didn't seem to understand it at all, or to
+suppose that anything was wrong, and from what he mumbled
+to himself they saw right away that he thought
+he'd been asleep only a little while instead of all winter
+long.</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" they heard him growl, "I must have gone to
+sleep, and was dreaming it's time to wake up. I didn't sleep
+long, though, by the way the fire and the candle look, besides
+it's only a quarter of ten, and I remember winding the clock
+at half after eight. Funny I feel so hungry, after eating a
+big supper only two hours ago. Must be the reason I<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span>
+dreamed it was spring. Humph! guess I'll just eat a piece
+of pie and go to bed."</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Bear got up and held on to his chair to steady
+himself, and yawned some more and rubbed his eyes, for
+he was only about half awake yet, and pretty soon he picked
+up his candle and started for the pantry.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Hollow Tree People felt as if they were going
+to die. They didn't dare to breathe or make the least bit
+of noise, and just huddled back in a corner close to the wall,
+and Mr. 'Possum all at once felt as if he must sneeze right
+away, and Mr. 'Coon would have given anything to be able
+to scratch his back, and Mr. Crow thought if he could only
+cough once more and clear his throat he wouldn't care
+whether he had anything to eat, ever again.</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Bear he came shuffling along toward the pantry
+with his candle all tipped to one side, still rubbing his eyes
+and trying to wake up, and everything was just as still
+as still&mdash;all except a little scratchy sound his claws made
+dragging along the floor, though that wasn't a nice sound
+for the Hollow Tree People to hear. And when he came to
+the pantry door Mr. Bear pushed it open quite wide and
+was coming straight in, only just then he caught his toe a
+little on the door-sill and <i>stumbled</i> in, and that was too much
+for Mr. 'Possum, who turned loose a sneeze that shook the
+world.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon made a dive under Mr.
+Bear's legs, and Mr. 'Possum did too, and down came Mr.
+Bear and down came his candle, and the candle went out,
+but not any quicker than the Hollow Tree People, who
+broke for the cave door and slammed it behind them, and
+struck out for the bushes as if they thought they'd never live
+to get there.</p>
+
+<p>But when they got into some thick hazel brush they stopped
+a minute to breathe, and then they all heard Mr. Bear calling
+"Help! Help!" as loud as he could, and when they listened
+they heard him mention something about an earthquake
+and that the world was coming to an end.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said that from the sound of Mr.
+Bear's voice he seemed to be unhappy about something,
+and that it was too bad for them to just pass right by without
+asking what was the trouble, especially if Mr. Bear, who had
+always been so friendly, should ever hear of it. So then they
+straightened their collars and ties and knocked the dust off
+a little, and Mr. 'Coon scratched his back against a little
+bush and Mr. Crow cleared his throat, and they stepped
+out of the hazel patch and went up to Mr. Bear's door and
+pushed it open a little and called out:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Mr. Bear, do you need any help?"</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 390px;"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234"></a>
+<img src="images/gs58.png" width="390" height="381" alt="MR. &#39;COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>"Oh yes," groaned Mr. Bear, "come quick! I've been
+struck by an earthquake and nearly killed, and everything<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span>
+I've got must be ruined. Bring a light and look at my
+pantry!"</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. 'Coon ran with a splinter from Mr. Bear's fire
+and lit the candle, and Mr. Bear got up, rubbing himself and
+taking on, and began looking at his pantry shelves, which
+made him better right away.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," he said, "how lucky the damage is so small! Only
+two pies and a partridge knocked down, and they are not
+much hurt. I thought everything was lost, and my nerves
+are all upset when I was getting ready for my winter sleep.
+How glad I am you happened to be passing. Stay with me,
+and we will eat to quiet our nerves."</p>
+
+<p>Then the Hollow Tree People said that the earthquake
+had made them nervous too, and that perhaps a little food
+would be good for all of them; so they flew around just as
+if they were at home, and brought Mr. Bear's table right
+into the pantry, and some chairs, and set out the very best
+things and told Mr. Bear to sit right up to the table and help
+himself, and then all the others sat up, too, and they ate
+everything clear through, from meat-pie to mince-pie, just
+as if Mr. 'Possum's dream had really come true.</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Bear said he didn't understand how he could
+have such a good appetite when he had such a big supper
+only two hours ago, and he said that there must have been
+two earthquakes, because a noise of some kind had roused<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span>
+him from a little nap he had been taking in his chair, but
+that the real earthquake hadn't happened until he got to the
+pantry door, where he stumbled a little, which seemed to
+touch it off. He said he hoped he'd never live to go through
+with a thing like that again.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Hollow Tree People said they had heard both
+of the shocks, and that the last one was a good deal the worst,
+and that of course such a thing would sound a good deal
+louder in a cave anyway. And by-and-by, when they were
+all through eating, they went in by the fire and sat down and
+smoked, and Mr. Bear said he didn't feel as sleepy as he
+thought he should because he was still upset a good deal
+by the shock, but that he guessed he would just crawl into
+bed while they were there, as it seemed nice to have company.</p>
+
+<p>So he did, and by-and-by he dropped off to sleep again,
+and the Hollow Tree People borrowed a few things, and went
+out softly and shut the door behind them. They stopped
+at Mr. Rabbit's house on the way home, and told him they
+had enjoyed a nice breakfast with Mr. Bear, and how Mr.
+Bear had sent a partridge and a pie and a little pot of honey
+to Mr. Rabbit because of his fondness for the family.
+Then Mr. Rabbit felt quite pleased, because it was too early
+for spring vegetables and hard to get good things for the table.</p>
+
+<p>"And did Mr. Bear sleep all summer?" asks the Little Lady.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 415px;"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237"></a>
+<img src="images/gs59.png" width="415" height="431" alt="MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>No, he woke up again pretty soon, for he had finished<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>
+his nap, and of course the next time when he looked around
+he found his fire out and the candle burned down and the
+clock stopped, so he got up and went outside, and saw it was
+spring and that he had slept a good deal longer than usual.
+But when he went to eat his spring breakfast he couldn't
+understand why he wasn't very hungry, and thought it must
+be because he'd eaten two such big suppers.</p>
+
+<p>"But why didn't the Hollow Tree People tell him it was
+spring and not let him go to bed again?"</p>
+
+<p>Well, I s'pose they thought it wouldn't be very polite to
+tell Mr. Bear how he'd been fooled, and, besides, he needed a
+nice nap again after the earthquake&mdash;anyhow, he thought it
+was an earthquake, and was a good deal upset.</p>
+
+<p>And it was a long time before he found out what <i>had
+really</i> happened, and he never would have known, if Mr.
+Rabbit hadn't seen him fishing one day and thanked him
+from across the river for the nice breakfast he had sent him
+by the Hollow Tree People.</p>
+
+<p>That set Mr. Bear to thinking, and he asked Mr. Rabbit
+a few questions about things in general and earthquakes
+in particular, and the more he found out and thought about
+it the more he began to guess just how it was, and by-and-by
+when he did find out all about it, he didn't care any more, and
+really thought it quite a good joke on himself for falling
+asleep in his chair and sleeping there all winter long.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p>
+<h2>MR. CROW'S GARDEN</h2><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE LEARN
+HOW TO RAISE FINE VEGETABLES</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>ONE morning, right after breakfast in the Hollow
+Tree, Mr. Crow said he'd been thinking of
+something ever since he woke up, and if the 'Coon
+and the 'Possum thought it was a good plan he believed he'd
+do it. He said of course they knew how good Mr. Rabbit's
+garden always was, and how he nearly lived out of it during
+the summer, Mr. Rabbit being a good deal of a vegetarian;
+by which he meant that he liked vegetables better than anything,
+while the Hollow Tree People, Mr. Crow said, were
+a little different in their tastes, though he didn't know just
+what the name for them was. He said he thought they
+might be humanitarians, because they liked the things that
+Mr. Man and other human beings liked, but that he wasn't
+sure whether that was the right name or not.</div>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Possum said for him to never mind about the
+word, but to go on and talk about his plan if it had anything<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span>
+to do with something to eat, for he was getting pretty
+tired of living on little picked-up things such as they had
+been having this hard spring, and Mr. 'Coon said so too.
+So then Mr. Crow said:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, I've been planning to have a garden this spring
+like Mr. Rabbit's."</p>
+
+<p>"Humph!" said Mr. 'Possum, "I thought you were going
+to start a chicken farm."</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Crow said "No," that the Big Deep Woods
+didn't seem a healthy place for chickens, and that they
+could pick up a chicken here and there by-and-by, and then
+if they had nice green pease to go with it, or some green corn,
+or even a tender salad, it would help out, especially when they
+had company like Mr. Robin, or Mr. Squirrel, or Mr. Rabbit,
+who cared for such things.</p>
+
+<p>So then the 'Coon and the 'Possum both said that to have
+green pease and corn was a very good idea, especially when
+such things were mixed with young chickens with plenty
+of dressing and gravy, and that as this was a pleasant morning
+they might walk over and call on Jack Rabbit so that
+the Old Black Crow could find out about planting things.
+Mr. 'Possum said that his uncle Silas Lovejoy always had
+a garden, and he had worked it a good deal when he was
+young, but that he had forgotten just how things should be
+planted, though he knew the moon had something to do<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span>
+with it, and if you didn't get the time right the things that
+ought to grow up would grow down and the down things
+would all grow up, so that you'd have to dig your pease
+and pick your potatoes when the other way was the fashion
+and thought to be better in this climate.</p>
+
+<p>So then the Hollow Tree People put on their things and
+went out into the nice April sunshine and walked over to
+Jack Rabbit's house, saying how pleasant it was to take a
+little walk this way when everything was getting green, and
+they passed by where Mr. and Mrs. Robin were building a
+new nest, and they looked in on a cozy little hollow tree
+where Mr. Squirrel, who had just brought home a young
+wife from over by the Big West Hills, had set up housekeeping
+with everything new except the old-fashioned feather-bed
+and home-made spread which Miss Squirrel had been
+given by her folks. They looked through Mr. Squirrel's
+house and said how snug it was, and that perhaps it would
+be better not to try to furnish it too much at once, as it was
+nice just to get things as one was able, instead of doing
+everything at the start.</p>
+
+<p>When they got to Mr. Rabbit's house he was weaving a
+rag carpet for his front room, and they all stood behind him
+and watched him weave, and by-and-by Mr. 'Coon wanted to
+try it, but he didn't know how to run the treadle exactly,
+and got some of the strands too loose and some too tight,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span>
+so he gave it up, and they all went out to look at Mr.
+Rabbit's garden.</p>
+
+<p>Well, Mr. Rabbit did have a nice garden. It was all
+laid out in rows, and was straight and trim, and there wasn't
+a weed anywhere. He had things up, too&mdash;pease and
+lettuce and radishes&mdash;and he had some tomato-plants growing
+in a box in the house, because it was too early to put
+them out.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Rabbit said that a good many people bought their
+plants, but that he always liked to raise his own from seed,
+because then he knew just what they were and what to expect.
+He told them how to plant the different things and
+about the moon, and said there was an old adage in his
+family that if you remembered it you'd always plant at the
+right time. The adage, he said, was:</p>
+
+<div class='poem'>
+"Pease and beans in the light of the moon&mdash;<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Both in the pot before it's June."</span><br />
+</div>
+
+<p>And of course you only had to change "light" to "dark"
+and use it for turnips and potatoes and such things, though
+really it was sometimes later than June, but June was near
+enough, and rhymed with "moon" better than July and
+August. He said he would give Mr. Crow all the seeds
+he wanted, and that when he was ready to put out tomatoes
+he would let him have plenty of plants too.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Coon said it would be nice to have a few flower
+seeds, and they all looked at Mr. 'Coon because they knew
+he had once been in love, and they thought by his wanting
+flowers that he might be going to get that way again.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. Rabbit said he was fond of flowers, too, especially
+the old-fashioned kind, and he picked out some for
+Mr. 'Coon; and then he went to weaving again, and the Hollow
+Tree People watched him awhile, and he pointed out pieces
+of different clothes he had had that he was weaving into his
+carpet, and they all thought how nice it was to use up one's
+old things that way.</p>
+
+<p>Then by-and-by the Hollow Tree People went back home,
+and they began their garden right away. It was just the
+kind of a day to make garden and they all felt like it, so
+they spaded and hoed and raked, and didn't find it very easy
+because the place had never been used for a garden before,
+and there were some roots and stones; and pretty soon Mr.
+'Possum said that Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon might go on
+with the digging and he would plant the seeds, as he had
+been used to such work when he lived with his uncle Silas
+as a boy.</p>
+
+<p>So then he took the seeds, but he couldn't remember
+Mr. Rabbit's adages which told whether beets and carrots
+and such things as grow below the ground had to be planted
+in the dark of the moon or the light of the moon, and it was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span>
+the same about beans and pease and the things that grow
+above the ground; and when he spoke to Mr. Crow and Mr.
+'Coon about it, one said it was one way and the other the
+other way, and then Mr. 'Possum said he wasn't planting
+the things in the moon anyhow, and he thought Mr. Rabbit
+had made the adages to suit the day he was going to plant
+and that they would work either way.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. 'Possum planted everything there was, and
+showed Mr. 'Coon how to plant his flower seeds; and when
+they were all done they stood off and admired their nice
+garden, and said it was just about as nice as Jack Rabbit's,
+and maybe nicer in some ways, because it had trees around
+it and was a pleasant place to work.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 466px;"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247"></a>
+<img src="images/gs60.png" width="466" height="340" alt="ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER WAY" title="" />
+<span class="caption">ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER WAY</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Well, after that they got up every morning and went
+out to look at their garden, to see if any of the things were
+coming up; and pretty soon they found a good <i>many</i> things
+coming up, but they were not in hills and rows, and Mr.
+'Possum said they were weeds, because he remembered
+that Uncle Silas's weeds had always looked like those, and
+how he and his little cousins had had to hoe them. So then
+they got their hoes and hoed every morning, and by-and-by
+they had to hoe some during the day too, to keep up with
+the weeds, and the sun was pretty hot, and Mr. 'Possum
+did most of his hoeing over by the trees where it
+wasn't so sunny, and said that hereafter he thought it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span>
+would be a good plan to plant all their garden in the
+shade.</p>
+
+<p>And every day they kept looking for the seeds to come up,
+and by-and-by a few did come up, and then they were quite
+proud, and went over and told Jack Rabbit about it, and Mr.
+Rabbit came over to give them some advice, and said he
+thought their garden looked pretty well for being its first
+year and put in late, though it looked to him, he said, as if
+some of it had been planted the wrong time of the moon,
+and he didn't think so much shade was very good for most
+things.</p>
+
+<p>But Mr. 'Possum said he'd rather have more shade and
+less things, and he thought next year he'd let his part of the
+garden out on shares.</p>
+
+<p>Well, it got hotter and hotter, and the weeds grew more
+and more, and the Hollow Tree People had to work and hoe
+and pull nearly all day in the sun to keep up with them,
+and they would have given it up pretty soon, only they
+wanted to show Jack Rabbit that they could have a garden
+too, and by-and-by, when their things got big enough to eat,
+they were so proud that they invited Mr. Rabbit to come
+over for dinner, and they sent word to Mr. Turtle, too, because
+he likes good things and lives alone, not being a family
+man like Mr. Robin and Mr. Squirrel.</p>
+
+<p>Now of course the Hollow Tree People knew that they<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>
+had no such fine things in their garden as Jack Rabbit had
+in his, and they said they couldn't expect to, but they'd try
+to have other things to make up; and Mr. Crow was cooking
+for two whole days getting his chicken-pies and his puddings
+and such things ready for that dinner. And then when the
+morning came for it he was out long before sun-up to pick
+the things in the garden while they were nice and fresh,
+with the dew on them.</p>
+
+<p>But when Mr. Crow looked over his garden he felt pretty
+bad, for, after all, the new potatoes were little and tough, and
+the pease were small and dry, and the beans were thin and
+stringy, and the salad was pretty puny and tasteless, and the
+corn was just nubbins, because it didn't grow in a very good
+place and maybe hadn't been planted or tended very well.
+So Mr. Crow walked up and down the rows and thought a
+good deal, and finally decided that he'd just take a walk over
+toward Jack Rabbit's garden to see if Mr. Rabbit's things
+were really so much better after all.</p>
+
+<p>It was just about sunrise, and Mr. Crow knew Jack
+Rabbit didn't get up so soon, and he made up his mind he
+wouldn't wake him when he got there, but would just take a
+look over his nice garden and come away again. So when
+he got to Mr. Rabbit's back fence he climbed through a
+crack, and sat down in the weeds to rest a little and to look
+around, and he saw that Mr. Rabbit's house was just as still<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span>
+and closed up as could be, and no signs of Jack Rabbit anywhere.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. Crow stepped out into the corn patch and
+looked along at the rows of fine roasting ears, which made
+him feel sad because of those little nubbins in his own garden,
+and then he saw the fine fat pease and beans and salads
+in Jack Rabbit's garden, and it seemed to him that Mr. Rabbit
+could never in the world use up all those things himself.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow decided that he would thin out a few of
+Jack Rabbit's things, which seemed to be too thick anyway
+to do well. It would be too bad to disturb Mr. Rabbit to
+tell him about it, and Mr. Crow didn't have time to wait for
+him to get up if he was going to get his dinner ready on time.</p>
+
+<p>So Mr. Crow picked some large ears of corn and some of
+Mr. Rabbit's best pease and beans and salads, and filled his
+apron with all he could carry, and climbed through the back
+fence again, and took out for home without wasting any more
+time. And when he got there Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum
+were just getting up, and he didn't bother to tell them about
+borrowing from Mr. Rabbit's garden, but set out some
+breakfast, and as soon as it was over pitched in to get ready
+for company. Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum flew around,
+too, to make the room look nice, and by-and-by everything
+was ready, and the table was set, and the Hollow Tree People
+were all dressed up and looking out the window.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 394px;">
+<img src="images/gs61.png" width="394" height="418" alt="MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK RABBIT&#39;S THINGS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK RABBIT&#39;S THINGS</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then pretty soon they saw Mr. Turtle coming through the
+timber, and just then Jack Rabbit came in sight from the
+other direction. Mr. Turtle had brought a basket of mussels,
+which always are nice with a big dinner, like oysters, and
+Mr. Rabbit said he would have brought some things out of
+his garden, only he knew the Hollow Tree People had a
+garden, too, this year, and would want to show what they
+could do in that line themselves. He said he certainly must
+take a look at their garden because he had heard a good deal
+about it from Mr. Robin.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow felt a little chilly, for he happened to
+think that if Mr. Rabbit went out into their garden and
+then saw the fine things which were going to be on the table
+he'd wonder where they came from. So he said right away
+that dinner was all ready, and they'd better sit down while
+things were hot and fresh.</p>
+
+<p>Then they all sat down, and first had the mussels which
+Mr. Turtle had brought, and there were some fine sliced tomatoes
+with them, and Mr. Rabbit said he hadn't supposed
+that such fine big tomatoes as those could come out of a new
+garden that had been planted late, and that he certainly must
+see the vines they came off of before he went home, because
+they were just as big as his tomatoes, if not bigger, and he
+wanted to see just how they could do so well.</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Crow felt <i>real</i> chilly, and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span>
+both said they hadn't supposed their tomatoes were so
+big and ripe, though they hadn't looked at them since yesterday.
+But Mr. Rabbit said that a good many things could
+happen over night, and Mr. Crow changed the subject as
+quick as he could, and said that things always looked bigger
+and better on the table than they did in the garden, but that
+he'd picked all the real big, ripe tomatoes and he didn't
+think there'd be any more.</p>
+
+<p>Then after the mussels they had the chicken-pie, and when
+Mr. Rabbit saw the vegetables that Mr. Crow served with it
+he looked at them and said:</p>
+
+<p>"My, what fine pease and beans, and what splendid corn!
+I am sure your vegetables are as good as anything in my
+garden, if not better. I certainly <i>must see</i> just the spot where
+they grew. I would never have believed you could have
+done it, never, if I hadn't seen them right here on your table
+with my own eyes."</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Turtle said they were the finest he ever tasted,
+and Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon both said they wouldn't
+have believed it themselves yesterday, and it was wonderful
+how much everything had grown over night. Then the Old
+Black Crow choked a little and coughed, and said he didn't
+seem to relish his food, and pretty soon he said that of course
+their garden <i>had</i> done <i>pretty</i> well, but that it was about
+through now, as these were things he had been saving for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span>
+this dinner, and he had gathered all the biggest and best of
+them this morning before Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon were up.</p>
+
+<p>When Mr. Crow said that, Jack Rabbit looked the other
+way and made a very queer face, and you might have thought
+he was trying to keep from laughing if you had seen him,
+but maybe he was only trying to keep from coughing, for
+pretty soon he did cough a little and said that the early
+morning was the proper time to gather vegetables; that one
+could always pick out the best things then, and do it quietly
+before folks were up.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow felt a cold, shaky chill that went all the
+way up and down, and he was afraid to look up, though of
+course he didn't believe Mr. Rabbit knew anything about
+what he had done, only he was afraid that he would look so
+guilty that everybody would see it. He said that his head
+was a little dizzy with being over the hot stove so much, and
+he hoped they wouldn't think of going out until the cool of
+the evening, as the sun would be too much for him, and
+of course he wanted to be with them.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 268px;"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255"></a>
+<img src="images/gs62.png" width="268" height="425" alt="MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Poor Mr. Crow was almost afraid to bring on the salad,
+but he was just as afraid not to. Only he did wish he had
+picked out Mr. Rabbit's smallest bunches instead of his
+biggest ones, for he knew there were no such other salads
+anywhere as those very ones he had borrowed from Mr.
+Rabbit's garden. But he put it off as long as he could, and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span>
+by-and-by Jack Rabbit said that there was one thing he was
+sure the Hollow Tree couldn't beat him on, and that was
+salad. He said he had never had such fine heads as he had
+this year, and that there were a few heads especially that he
+had been saving to show his friends. Then the 'Coon and
+'Possum said "No," their salads were not very much, unless
+they had grown a great deal over night, like the other things&mdash;and
+when Mr. Crow got up to bring them he walked wobbly,
+and everybody said it was too bad that Mr. Crow <i>would</i>
+always go to so much trouble for company.</p>
+
+<p>Well, when he came in with that bowl of salad and set it
+down, Mr. Turtle and Jack Rabbit said, "Did you ever in
+your life!" But Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon just sat and
+looked at it, for they thought it couldn't be true.</p>
+
+<p>Then pretty soon Mr. Rabbit said that he would take back
+everything he had told them about his salad, and that he was
+coming over to take some lessons from the Hollow Tree
+People, and especially from Mr. Crow, on how to raise
+vegetables. He said that there were a good many ways to
+raise vegetables&mdash;some raised them in a garden; some raised
+them in a hothouse; some raised them in the market; but
+that Mr. Crow's way was the best way there was, and he was
+coming over to learn it. He said they must finish their
+dinner before dark, for he certainly must <i>see</i> just where <i>all</i>
+Mr. Crow's wonderful things came from.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow felt the gray spot on his head getting a
+good deal grayer, and he dropped his knife and fork, and
+swallowed two or three times, and tried to smile, though it
+was a sickly smile. He said that Mr. Rabbit was very kind,
+but that Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had done a good deal
+of the work, too.</p>
+
+<p>But Jack Rabbit said "No," that nobody but an industrious
+person like Mr. Crow could have raised <i>those</i>
+vegetables&mdash;a person who got up early, he said, and was
+used to taking a little trouble to get the best things.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. Crow went after the dessert, and was glad enough
+that there were no more vegetables to come, especially of
+that kind.</p>
+
+<p>And Mr. Rabbit seemed to forget about looking at the
+garden until they were all through, and then he said that before
+they went outside he would read a little poem he had
+composed that morning lying in bed and looking at the sunrise
+across his own garden. He said he called it:</p>
+
+<div class='center'>
+ME AND MY GARDEN<br />
+</div><div class='poem'>
+Oh, it's nice to have a garden<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">On which to put my labors.</span><br />
+It's nice to have a garden<br />
+<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">Especially for my neighbors.</span><br />
+<br />
+I like to see it growing<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">When skies are blue above me;</span><br />
+I like to see it gathered<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">By those who really love me.</span><br />
+<br />
+<br />
+I like to think in winter<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Of pleasant summer labors;</span><br />
+Oh, it's nice to have a garden<br />
+<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Especially for my neighbors.</span><br />
+</div>
+
+<p>Everybody said that was a nice poem and sounded just
+like Mr. Rabbit, who was always so free-hearted&mdash;all except
+Mr. Crow, who tried to say it was nice, and couldn't. Then
+Mr. Rabbit said they'd better go out now to see the Hollow
+Tree garden, but Mr. Crow said really he couldn't stand it
+yet, and they could see by his looks that he was feeling pretty
+sick, and Mr. Turtle said it was too bad to think of taking
+Mr. Crow out in the sun when he had worked so hard.</p>
+
+<p>So then they all sat around and smoked and told stories,
+and whenever they stopped Mr. Crow thought of something
+else to do and seemed to get better toward night, and got a
+great deal better when it got dark, and Mr. Jack Rabbit said
+all at once that now it was too late to see the Hollow Tree
+garden, and that he was so sorry, for he knew he could have
+learned something if he could just have one look at it, for nobody
+could see those vegetables and that garden without
+learning a great deal.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 394px;">
+<img src="images/gs63.png" width="394" height="415" alt="JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME" title="" />
+<span class="caption">JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>Then he said he must go, and Mr. Turtle said he guessed
+<i>he</i> must go too, so they both set out for home, and when
+Jack Rabbit got out of sight of the Hollow Tree and into a
+little open moonlight place, he just laid down on the ground
+and rolled over and laughed and kicked his feet, and sat up
+and rocked and looked at the moon and laughed; and he
+capered and laughed all the way home at the good joke he
+had all to himself on Mr. Crow.</p>
+
+<p>For Mr. Rabbit had been lying awake in bed that morning
+when Mr. Crow was in his garden, and he had seen Mr.
+Crow <i>all</i> the time.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span></p><h2>WHEN JACK RABBIT WAS A LITTLE BOY</h2>
+<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class='chapsum'>A STORY OF A VERY LONG TIME AGO</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>THE Little Lady skips first on one foot and then on
+the other foot, around and around, until pretty soon
+she tumbles backward into <i>twelve flower-pots</i>.</div>
+
+<p>That, of course, makes a great damage, and though the
+Little Lady herself isn't hurt to speak of, she is frightened
+very much and has to be comforted by everybody, including
+the Story Teller, who comes last, and finishes up by telling
+about something that happened to Jack Rabbit when <i>he</i>
+was little.</p>
+
+<p>Once upon a time, it begins, when Mr. Jack Rabbit was
+quite small, his mother left him all alone one afternoon while
+she went across the Wide Grass Lands to visit an old aunt of
+hers and take her some of the nice blackberries she had been
+putting up that morning. Mrs. Rabbit had been very busy
+all the forenoon, and little Jack had been watching her and
+making believe he was putting up berries too.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And when Mrs. Rabbit got through she had cleaned her
+stove and polished it as nice as could be; then she gave
+little Jack Rabbit his dinner, with some of the berries that
+were left over, and afterward she washed his face and hands
+and found his blocks for him to play with, besides a new
+stick of red sealing-wax&mdash;the kind she used to seal her cans
+with; for they did not have patent screw-top cans in those
+days, but always sealed the covers on with red sealing-wax.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mrs. Rabbit told little Jack that he could play with
+his blocks, and build houses, with the red stick for a
+chimney, and to be a good boy until she came home. So
+little Jack Rabbit promised, and Mrs. Rabbit kissed him
+twice and took her parasol and her reticule and a can of
+berries, and started. Little Jack would have gone with
+her, only it was too far.</p>
+
+<p>Well, after she had left, little Jack played with his blocks
+and built houses and set the stick of sealing-wax up for a
+brick chimney, and by-and-by he played he was canning
+fruit, and he wished he could have a little stove and little
+cans and a little stick of sealing-wax, so he could really do
+it all just as she did.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 385px;"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265"></a>
+<img src="images/gs64.png" width="385" height="424" alt="TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF BERRIES, AND STARTED" title="" />
+<span class="caption">TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF BERRIES, AND STARTED</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then little Jack Rabbit looked at the nice polished stove
+and wondered how it would be to use that, and to build a
+little fire in it&mdash;just a <i>little</i> fire&mdash;which would make everything<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span>
+seem a good deal more real, he thought, than his make-believe
+stove of blocks.</p>
+
+<p>And pretty soon little Jack opened the stove door and
+looked in, and when he stirred the ashes there were still a
+few live coals there, and when he put in some shavings
+they blazed up, and when he put in some pieces of old
+shingles and things they blazed up too, and when he put
+in some of Mrs. Rabbit's nice dry wood the stove got
+<i>quite hot!</i></p>
+
+<p>Then little Jack Rabbit became somewhat frightened, for
+he had only meant to make a very small fire, and he thought
+this might turn into a big fire. Also, he remembered some
+things his mother had told him about playing with fire and
+about <i>never going near a hot stove</i>. He thought he'd better
+open the stove door a little to see if the fire was getting too
+big, but he was afraid to touch it with his fingers for fear of
+burning them. He had seen his mother use a stick or something
+to open the stove door when it was hot, so he picked
+up the first thing that came handy, which was the stick of
+sealing-wax. But when he touched it to the hot door the
+red stick sputtered a little and left a bright red spot on the
+stove door.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 322px;"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267"></a>
+<img src="images/gs65.png" width="322" height="430" alt="AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO&mdash;MOSTLY ON TOP OF THE STOVE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO&mdash;MOSTLY ON TOP OF THE STOVE</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>Then little Jack forgot all about putting up blackberries,
+admiring that beautiful red spot on the shiny black stove,
+and thinking how nice it would be to make some more like<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span>
+it, which he thought would improve the looks of the stove
+a great deal.</p>
+
+<p>So then he touched it again in another place and made
+another spot, and in another place and made another spot,
+and in a lot of places and made a lot of spots, and he made
+some stripes, too&mdash;mostly on top of the stove, which was
+nice and smooth to mark on, though he made <i>some</i> on the
+pipe. You would hardly have known it was the same stove
+when he got all through, and little Jack thought how beautiful
+it was and how pleased his mother would be when she got
+home and <i>saw</i> it. But then right away he happened to think
+that perhaps she might not be so pleased after all, and the
+more he thought about it the more sure he was that she
+wouldn't like her nice red-striped and spotted stove as well
+as a black one; and, besides, she had told him <i>never</i> to play
+with fire.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 356px;"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269"></a>
+<img src="images/gs66.png" width="356" height="428" alt="LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN&#39;T AT ALL PLEASED" title="" />
+<span class="caption">LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN&#39;T AT ALL PLEASED</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>And just at that moment Mrs. Rabbit herself stepped in
+the door! And when she looked at her red-spotted and
+striped stove and then at little Jack Rabbit, little Jack knew
+perfectly well without her saying a single word that she
+wasn't <i>at all pleased</i>. So he began to cry very loud, and
+started to run, and tripped over his blocks and fell against
+a little stand-table that had Mrs. Rabbit's work-basket on
+it (for Mrs. Rabbit always knit or sewed while she was cooking
+anything), and all the spools and buttons and knitting-work<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span>
+went tumbling, with little Jack Rabbit right among
+them, holloing, "Oh, I'm killed! I'm killed!"&mdash;just sprawling
+there on the floor, afraid to get up, and expecting every
+minute his mother would do something awful.</p>
+
+<p>But Mrs. Rabbit just stood and looked at him over her
+spectacles and then at her red-spotted and striped stove, and
+pretty soon she said:</p>
+
+<p>"Well, this is a lovely mess to come home to!"</p>
+
+<p>Which of course made little Jack take on a good deal worse
+and keep on bawling out that he was killed, until Mrs. Rabbit
+told him that he was making a good deal of noise for a <i>dead</i>
+man, and that if he'd get up and pick up all the things he'd
+upset maybe he'd come to life again.</p>
+
+<p>Then little Jack Rabbit got up and ran to his mother and
+cried against her best dress and got some tears on it, and
+Mrs. Rabbit sat down in her rocker and looked at her stove
+and rocked him until he felt better. And by-and-by she
+changed her dress and went to cleaning her stove while little
+Jack picked up all the things&mdash;all the spools and buttons
+and needles and knitting-work&mdash;every single thing.</p>
+
+<p>And after supper, when he said his prayers and went
+to bed, he promised never to disobey his mother again.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 417px;">
+<img src="images/gs67.png" width="417" height="439" alt="PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN" title="" />
+<span class="caption">PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN</span>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" /><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span></p>
+
+<h2>A HOLLOW TREE PICNIC</h2><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p>
+
+
+<div class='chapsum'>THE LITTLE LADY AND THE STORY
+TELLER, AND THEIR FRIENDS</div>
+
+
+<div class='cap'>NOT far from the House of Low Ceilings, which
+stands on the borders of the Big Deep Woods,
+there is a still smaller house, where, in summertime,
+the Story Teller goes to make up things and write
+them down.</div>
+
+<p>And one warm day he is writing away and not noticing
+what time it is when he thinks he hears somebody step in
+the door. So then he looks around, and he sees a little
+straw hat and a little round red face under it, and then he
+sees a basket, and right away he knows it is the Little Lady.
+And the Little Lady says:</p>
+
+<p>"I've brought the picnic&mdash;did you know it?"</p>
+
+<p>"Why, no!" the Story Teller says, looking surprised. "Is
+it time?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes, and I've got huckleberries and cream, and some hot
+biscuits."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>"Good gracious! Let's see!"</p>
+
+<p>So then the Story Teller looks, and, sure enough, there
+they are, and more things, too; and pretty soon the Little
+Lady and he go down to a very quiet place under some
+hemlock-trees by a big rock where there is a clear brook
+and a spring close by, and they sit down, and the Little
+Lady spreads the picnic all out&mdash;and there is ham too, and
+bread-and-butter, and doughnuts&mdash;and they are so hungry
+that they eat everything, and both dip into one bowl when
+they get to huckleberries and cream.</p>
+
+<p>Then the Little Lady says:</p>
+
+<p>"Now tell me about the Hollow Tree People; they have
+picnics, too."</p>
+
+<p>"Sure enough, they do. And I think I'll have to tell you
+about their very last picnic and what happened."</p>
+
+<p>Well, once upon a time Mr. 'Possum said that he was
+getting tired of sitting down to a table every meal in a close
+room with the smell of cooking coming in, and if Mr. Crow
+would cook up a few things that would taste good cold he'd
+pack the basket (that is, Mr. 'Possum would) and Mr. 'Coon
+could carry it, and they'd go out somewhere and eat their
+dinner in a nice place under the trees.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. 'Coon said he knew a pleasant place to go, and
+Mr. Crow said he'd cook one of Mr. Man's chickens, which
+Mr. 'Possum had brought home the night before, though it<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>
+would take time, he said, because it was pretty old&mdash;Mr.
+'Possum having picked it out in the dark in a hurry.</p>
+
+<p>So then they all flew around and put away things, and
+Mr. Crow got the chicken on while Mr. 'Coon sliced the
+bread and Mr. 'Possum cut the cake, which they had been
+saving for Sunday, and he picked out a pie too, and a nice
+book to read which Mr. Crow had found lying in Mr. Man's
+yard while the folks were at dinner. Then he packed the
+basket all neat and nice, and ate a little piece of the cake
+when Mr. 'Coon had stepped out to see how the chicken was
+coming along, and when the chicken was ready he cut it all
+up nicely, and he tasted of that a little, too, while Mr. Crow
+was getting on his best picnic things to go.</p>
+
+<p>And pretty soon they all started out, and it was so bright
+and sunny that Mr. 'Possum began to sing a little, and
+Mr. 'Coon told him not to make a noise like that or they'd
+have company&mdash;Mr. Dog or Mr. Fox or somebody&mdash;when
+there was only just enough chicken for themselves, which
+made Mr. 'Possum stop right away. And before long they
+came to a very quiet place under some thick hemlock-trees
+behind a stone wall and close to a brook of clear water.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 337px;"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278"></a>
+<img src="images/gs68.png" width="337" height="445" alt="AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>That was the place Mr. 'Coon had thought of, and they
+sat down there and spread out all the things on some moss,
+and everything looked so nice that Mr. 'Possum said they
+ought to come here every day and eat dinner as long as the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span>
+hot weather lasted. Then they were all so hungry that they
+began on the chicken right away, and Mr. 'Possum said
+that maybe he <i>might</i> have picked out a tenderer one, but
+that he didn't think he could have found a bigger one, or
+one that would have lasted longer, and that, after all, size
+and lasting were what one needed for a picnic.</p>
+
+<p>So they ate first one thing and then another, and Mr. 'Coon
+asked if they remembered the time Mr. Dog had come to one
+of their picnics before they were friends with him, when he'd
+really been invited to stay away; and they all laughed when
+they thought how Mr. Rabbit had excused himself, and the
+others, too, one after another, until Mr. Dog had the picnic
+mostly to himself. And by-and-by the Hollow Tree People
+lit their pipes and smoked, and Mr. 'Possum leaned his
+back against a tree and read himself to sleep, and dreamed,
+and had a kind of a nightmare about that other picnic, and
+talked in his sleep about it, which made Mr. 'Coon think of
+something to do.</p>
+
+<p>So then Mr. 'Coon got some long grass and made a strong
+band of it and very carefully tied Mr. 'Possum to the tree,
+and just as Mr. 'Possum began to have his dream again and
+was saying "Oh! Oh! here comes Mr. Dog!" Mr. 'Coon
+gave three loud barks right in Mr. 'Possum's ear, and Mr.
+Crow said "Wake up! Wake up, Mr. 'Possum! Here he
+comes!"<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 324px;">
+<img src="images/gs69.png" width="324" height="403" alt="MR. &#39;POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND READ HIMSELF TO SLEEP" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MR. &#39;POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND READ HIMSELF TO SLEEP</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>And Mr. 'Possum did wake up, and jumped and jerked at
+that band, and holloed out as loud as he could:</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog! Oh, please let me go,
+Mr. Dog!" for he thought it was Mr. Dog that had him, and
+he forgot all about them being friends.</p>
+
+<p>But just then he happened to see Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon
+rolling on the ground and laughing, and he looked down to
+see what had him and found he was tied to a tree, and he
+knew that they had played a joke on him. That made him
+pretty mad at first, and he said if he ever got loose he'd pay
+them back for their smartness.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Coon told him he most likely never would get
+loose if he didn't promise not to do anything, so Mr. 'Possum
+promised, and Mr. 'Coon untied him. Mr. 'Possum said he
+guessed the chicken must have been pretty hard to digest,
+and he knew it was pretty salt, for he was dying for a good
+cold drink.</p>
+
+<p>Then Mr. 'Coon said he knew where there was a spring
+over beyond the wall that had colder water than the brook,
+and he'd show them the way to it. So they climbed over the
+wall and slipped through the bushes to the spring, and all
+took a nice cold drink, and just as they raised their heads
+from drinking they heard somebody say something. And
+they all kept perfectly still and listened, and they heard it
+again, just beyond some bushes.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 428px;">
+<img src="images/gs70.png" width="428" height="423" alt="SO MR. &#39;POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. &#39;COON UNTIED HIM" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SO MR. &#39;POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. &#39;COON UNTIED HIM</span>
+</div><p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span></p>
+
+<p>So then they crept softly in among the green leaves and
+branches and looked through, and what do you think they
+saw?</p>
+
+<p>The Story Teller turns to the Little Lady, who seems a
+good deal excited.</p>
+
+<p>"Why, why, what did they see?" she says. "Tell me,
+quick!"</p>
+
+<p>"Why," the Story Teller goes on, "they saw the Little
+Lady and the Story Teller having a picnic too, with all the
+nice things spread out by a rock, under the hemlock-trees."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," gasps the Little Lady, "did they really see us? and
+are they there now?"</p>
+
+<p>"They might be," says the Story Teller. "The Hollow
+Tree People slip around very softly. Anyway, they were
+there then, and it was the first time they had ever seen the
+Little Lady and the Story Teller so close. And they watched
+them until they were all through with their picnic and had
+gathered up their things. Then the 'Coon and the 'Possum
+and Old Black Crow slipped away again, and crept over the
+wall and gathered up their own things and set out for home
+very happy."</p>
+
+<p>The Little Lady grasps the Story Teller's hand.</p>
+
+<p>"Let's go and see their picnic place!" she says. "They
+may be there now."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 393px;"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284"></a>
+<img src="images/gs71.png" width="393" height="420" alt="&quot;AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?&quot;" title="" />
+<span class="caption">&quot;AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?&quot;</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>So the Little Lady and the Story Teller go softly down to<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span>
+the spring and get a drink; then they creep across to the
+mossy stone wall and peer over, and there, sure enough, is a
+green mossy place in the shade, the very place to spread a
+picnic; and the Little Lady jumps and says "Oh!" for she
+sees something brown whisk into the bushes. Anyhow, she
+knows the Hollow Tree People have been there, for there is
+a little piece of paper on the moss which they must have used
+to wrap up something, and she thinks they most likely heard
+her coming and are just gone.</p>
+
+<p>So the Story Teller lifts her over the wall, and they sit
+down on the green moss of the Hollow Tree picnic place,
+and she leans up against him and listens to the singing of the
+brook, and the Story Teller sings softly too, until by-and-by
+the Little Lady is asleep.</p>
+
+<p>And it may be, as they sit there and drowse and dream, that
+the Hollow Tree People creep up close and watch them.</p>
+
+<p>Who knows?</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/gs72.png" width="300" height="246" alt="Ending image" title="" />
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<div class='tnote'><h3>Transcriber's Notes:</h3>
+<p>Obvious punctuation errors repaired.</p>
+<p>Repeated chapter titles were deleted to avoid repetition for the reader.</p>
+<p>The remaining corrections made are indicated by dotted lines under the corrections. Scroll the mouse over the word and the original text will <ins title="Transcriber's Note: original reads 'apprear'">appear</ins>.</p></div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book, by 
+Albert Bigelow Paine
+
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+Project Gutenberg's The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book, by Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book
+       being a continuation of the stories about the Hollow Tree
+       and Deep Woods people
+
+Author: Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+Illustrator: J. M. Conde
+
+Release Date: February 16, 2012 [EBook #38896]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images generously made available by The
+Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: [See p. 28
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE
+
+Mr. Crow, Mr. Turtle, Mr. 'Coon, Mr. 'Possum, Mr. Robin, Mr. Squirrel,
+Mr. Dog, Mr. Rabbit
+
+THEN MR. DOG SAID: "I KNOW ALL ABOUT MENAGERIES, FOR I HAVE BEEN TO
+ONE"]
+
+
+
+
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK
+
+BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE STORIES ABOUT THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS
+PEOPLE
+
+BY ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE
+
+AUTHOR OF "THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS BOOK"
+
+WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY J. M. CONDE
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    NEW YORK AND LONDON
+    HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
+    M C M X
+
+
+
+
+  BOOKS BY
+  ALBERT BIGELOW PAINE
+
+  THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK.  Crown 8vo $1.50
+
+  THE SHIP-DWELLERS. Illustrated         8vo  1.50
+
+  THE TENT-DWELLERS. Illustrated    Post 8vo  1.50
+
+  THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS BOOK.
+                       Illustrated. Post 8vo  1.50
+
+  FROM VAN-DWELLER TO COMMUTER. Ill'd.
+                                    Post 8vo  1.50
+
+  LIFE OF THOMAS NAST. Ill'd       8vo _net_  5.00
+
+  HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, N. Y.
+
+
+    Copyright, 1910, by HARPER & BROTHERS
+    Published October, 1910
+    _Printed in the United States of America_
+
+
+
+
+    TO ALL DWELLERS IN
+    THE BIG DEEP WOODS OF DREAM
+
+[Illustration: MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY]
+
+
+
+
+EXPLANATION OF MAP
+
+
+THE top of the map is South. This is always so with the Hollow Tree
+People. The cross on the shelf below the edge of the world (where the
+ladder is) is where Mr. Dog landed, and the ladder is the one brought by
+Mr. Man for him to climb back on. The tree that Mr. Man cut down shows
+too. The spot on the edge of the world is where the Hollow Tree People
+sometimes sit and hang their feet over, and talk. A good many paths
+show, but not all by a good deal. The bridge and plank near Mr. Turtle's
+house lead to the Wide Grass Lands and Big West Hills. The spots along
+the Foot Race show where Grandpaw Hare stopped, and the one across the
+fence shows where Mr. Turtle landed. Most of the other things tell what
+they are, and all the things are a good deal farther apart than they
+look. Of course there was not room on the map for everything.
+
+
+
+
+TO FRIENDS OLD AND NEW
+
+
+I WONDER if you have ever heard a story which begins like this: "Once
+upon a time, in the far depths of the Big Deep Woods, there was a Big
+Hollow Tree with three hollow branches. In one of these there lived a
+'Coon, in another a 'Possum, and in the third a Big Black Crow."
+
+That was the way the first story began in a book which told about the
+Hollow Tree People and their friends of the Big Deep Woods who used to
+visit them, and how they all used to sit around the table, or by the
+fire, in the parlor-room down-stairs, where they kept most of their
+things, and ate and talked and had good times together, just like
+folk.[A]
+
+And the stories were told to the Little Lady by the Story Teller, and
+there were pictures made for them by the Artist, and it was all a long
+time ago--so long ago that the Little Lady has grown to be almost a big
+lady now, able to read stories for herself, and to write them, too,
+sometimes.
+
+But the Story Teller and the Artist did not grow any older. The years do
+not make any difference to them. Like the Hollow Tree People they remain
+always the same, for though to see them you might think by their faces
+and the silver glint in their hair that they are older, it would not be
+so, because these things are only a kind of enchantment, made to
+deceive, when all the time they are really with the Hollow Tree People
+in the Big Deep Woods, where years and enchantments do not count. It was
+only Mr. Dog, because he lived too much with Mr. Man, who grew old and
+went away to that Far Land of Evening which lies beyond the sunset,
+taking so many of the Hollow Tree stories with him. We thought these
+stories were lost for good when Mr. Dog left us, but that was not true,
+for there came another Mr. Dog--a nephew of our old friend--and he grew
+up brave and handsome, and learned the ways of the Hollow Tree People,
+and their stories, and all the old tales which the first Mr. Dog did not
+tell.
+
+And now, too, there is another Little Lady--almost exactly like the
+first Little Lady--and it may be that it is this Little Lady, after all,
+who keeps the Artist and the Story Teller young, for when she thought
+they might be growing older, and forgetting, she went with them away
+from the House of Many Windows, in the city, to the House of Low
+Ceilings and Wide Fireplaces--a queer old house like Mr. Rabbit's--built
+within the very borders of the Big Deep Woods, where they could be
+always close to Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, and
+all the others, and so learn all the new tales of the Hollow Tree.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[A] _The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book_, by the same author and
+artist.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+                                             PAGE
+    TO FRIENDS OLD AND NEW                      7
+    THE FIRST SNOWED-IN STORY                  15
+    MR. DOG AT THE CIRCUS                      21
+    THE SECOND SNOWED-IN STORY                 39
+    THE WIDOW CROW'S BOARDING-HOUSE            57
+    THE FINDING OF THE HOLLOW TREE             71
+    THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY                  87
+    THE FOURTH SNOWED-IN STORY                103
+    THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB             119
+    THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB--PART II    143
+    THE DISCONTENTED FOX                      155
+    MR. 'POSSUM'S GREAT STORY                 173
+    THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF               191
+    AN EARLY SPRING CALL ON MR. BEAR          219
+    MR. CROW'S GARDEN                         239
+    WHEN JACK RABBIT WAS A LITTLE BOY         261
+    A HOLLOW TREE PICNIC                      273
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+                                                        PAGE
+  THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS PEOPLE            _Frontispiece_
+  MAP OF THE HOLLOW TREE AND DEEP WOODS COUNTRY           4
+  GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD                          17
+  THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE                          24
+  "SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT"     29
+  "HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT
+        OVER TO ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS"                  31
+  "GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK"                 35
+  ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM    43
+  "THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR"            47
+  "THEN MR. DOG SAID, 'TELL ME ANOTHER'"                 49
+  "AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE
+        ENOUGH"                                          53
+  "I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY
+        GOOD-BYE"                                        55
+  CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG         61
+  SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. 'POSSUM ON HIS
+        SHOULDER                                         64
+  HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN
+        WAY                                              67
+  THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR
+        HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW                                69
+  HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES                  75
+  LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW'S DOOR TO BE
+        SURE SHE WAS ASLEEP                              79
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE'D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE
+        THINGS                                           81
+  MR. 'POSSUM AND MR. 'COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE    83
+  MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW
+        MINUTES AND HE'D ACT AS JUDGE                    93
+  SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS        97
+  AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL        99
+  SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY                        101
+  TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE            107
+  GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER    109
+  SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT            111
+  "'GLAD TO SEE YOU,' SAID KING LION; 'I WAS JUST
+        THINKING ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR
+        BREAKFAST'"                                     113
+  GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK                125
+  MR. 'POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT
+        BY SPINNING THEIR TAILS                         129
+  MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES               133
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY,
+        BUT IT COULDN'T BE TRUE                         137
+  SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD
+        BE "IT"                                         147
+  MR. 'POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO
+        MORE EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM                149
+  WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON
+        MR. CROW'S BALD HEAD                            152
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE HADN'T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL
+        BY WHAT HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY             162
+  AND SO THIS CAT GREW RICH AND FAT                     164
+  HIS CLERKS                                            167
+  A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE                         168
+  QUOTH HE, "MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM
+        BUSINESS DOES NOT PAY"                          171
+  AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE
+        SILAS, AND SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED
+        MAN TOO                                         179
+  DIDN'T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF
+        OUR CROWD                                       181
+  THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST
+        AFTER IT GOT OUR FAMILY                         184
+  MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. 'POSSUM HAD TOLD
+        THEM WAS TRUE                                   189
+  ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF
+        THE BARREL OF EVERYTHING                        195
+  THEN MR. 'COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR                       199
+  MR. 'POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO
+        AFTER A PIECE OF WOOD                           201
+  HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE
+        FAIR                                            203
+  WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD    204
+  THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN               205
+  THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY          206
+  THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE              208
+  LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. 'POSSUM AND SAID, "WHAT
+        WAS THAT YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?"            211
+  THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY
+        THOUGHT MR. BEAR WAS                            224
+  MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO
+        SLEEP RIGHT WHERE HE WAS                        226
+  MR. 'COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH    234
+  MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER          237
+  ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER
+        WAY                                             247
+  MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK
+        RABBIT'S THINGS                                 251
+  MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD      255
+  JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME      259
+  TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF
+        BERRIES, AND STARTED                            265
+  AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO--MOSTLY ON TOP OF
+        THE STOVE                                       267
+  LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN'T
+        AT ALL PLEASED                                  269
+  PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN            271
+  AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO                   278
+  MR. 'POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND
+        READ HIMSELF TO SLEEP                           280
+  SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM     282
+  "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"                     284
+
+
+
+
+THE FIRST SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+[Illustration: GATHERING NICE PIECES OF WOOD]
+
+IN WHICH THE READER LEARNS TO KNOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE AND THEIR
+FRIENDS, AND THE LITTLE LADY, AND THE STORY TELLER
+
+
+NOW this is the beginning of the Hollow Tree stories which the Story
+Teller told the Little Lady in the queer old house which stands in the
+very borders of the Big Deep Woods itself. They were told in the Room of
+the Lowest Ceiling and the Widest Fire--a ceiling so low that when the
+Story Teller stands upright it brushes his hair as he walks, and a fire
+so deep that pieces of large trees do not need to be split but can be
+put on whole. In the old days, several great-grandfathers back, as the
+Hollow Tree People might say, these heavy sticks were drawn in by a
+horse that came right through the door and dragged the wood to the wide
+stone hearth.
+
+It is at the end of New-Year's Day, and the Little Lady has been
+enjoying her holidays, for Santa Claus found his way down the big stone
+chimney and left a number of things she wanted. Now, when the night is
+coming down outside, and when inside there is a heap of blazing logs and
+a rocking-chair, it is time for the Story Teller. The Story Teller
+generally smokes and looks into the fire when he tells a Hollow Tree
+story, because the Hollow Tree People always smoke and look into the
+fire when _they_ tell _their_ stories, and the Little Lady likes
+everything to be "just the same," and the stories must be always told
+just the same, too. If they are not, she stops the Story Teller and sets
+him right. So while the Little Woman passes to and fro, putting away the
+tea-things, the Story Teller lights his pipe, and rocks, and looks into
+the fire, and holds the Little Lady close, and begins the Tales of the
+Hollow Tree.
+
+"Once upon a time," he begins--
+
+"Once upon a time," murmurs the Little Lady, settling herself.
+
+"Yes, once upon a time, in the old days of the Hollow Tree, when Mr. Dog
+had become friends with the 'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
+who lived in the three hollow branches of the Big Hollow Tree, and used
+to meet together in their parlor-room down-stairs and invite all their
+friends, and have good times together, just like folk--"
+
+"But they live there now, don't they?" interrupts the Little Lady,
+suddenly sitting up, "and still have their friends, just the same?"
+
+"Oh yes, of course, but this was one of the old times, you know."
+
+The Little Lady settles back, satisfied.
+
+"Go on telling, now," she says.
+
+"Well, then, this was one of the times when all the Deep Woods People
+had been invited to the Hollow Tree for Christmas Day, and were snowed
+in. Of course they didn't expect to be snowed in. Nobody ever expects to
+be snowed in till it happens, and then it's too late."
+
+"Was that the Christmas that Mr. Dog played Santa Claus and brought all
+the presents, and Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin and Mr. Turtle and Jack
+Rabbit came over, and they all sat around the fire and ate things and
+told nice stories? You said you would tell about that, and you never
+did."
+
+"I am going to tell it now, as soon as a Little Lady gets real still,"
+says the Story Teller. So then the Little Lady _is_ "real still," and he
+tells the first snowed-in story, which is called:
+
+
+
+
+MR. DOG AT THE CIRCUS
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE LEARN SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT ABOUT SHOWS
+
+
+THAT was a great Christmas in the Hollow Tree. The 'Coon and the 'Possum
+and the Old Black Crow had been getting ready for it for a long time,
+and brought in ever so many nice things to eat, which Mr. Crow had
+cooked for them, for Mr. Crow is the best cook of anybody in the Big
+Deep Woods. Then Mr. Dog had brought a lot of good things, too, which he
+had borrowed from Mr. Man's house, so they had the finest Christmas
+dinner that you can think of, and plenty for the next day when it would
+be even better, because chicken and turkey and dressing and such things
+are always better the next day, and even the _third_ day, with gravy,
+than they are when they are first cooked.
+
+[Illustration: THE PANTRY IN THE HOLLOW TREE]
+
+Then, when they were all through and were standing around, smoking their
+new pipes and looking at each other's new neckties and other Christmas
+things, Mr. Crow said that he and Mr. Squirrel would clear off the table
+if the others would get in some wood and stir up the fire and set the
+room to rights, so they could gather round and be comfortable by-and-by;
+and then, he said, it might snow as much as it liked as long as they had
+plenty of wood and things to eat inside.
+
+So then they all skurried around getting on their things to go out after
+wood--all except Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel, who set about clearing off
+the table and doing up the dishes. And pretty soon Mr. Dog and Mr. 'Coon
+and the rest were hopping about where the snow was falling so soft and
+silent among the big, leafless trees, gathering nice pieces of wood and
+brushing the snow off of them and piling them into the first down-stairs
+of the Hollow Tree, which the 'Coon and 'Possum and Old Black Crow use
+for their wood-house and general store-room. It was great fun, and they
+didn't feel the least bit cold after their warm dinner and with all that
+brisk exercise.
+
+Mr. Robin didn't help carry the wood in. He was hardly strong enough for
+that, but he hopped about and looked for good pieces, and when he found
+one he would call to Mr. 'Coon or Mr. 'Possum, or maybe to one of the
+others, to throw it on his shoulder and carry it in, and then he would
+tell whoever it happened to be how strong he was and how fine he looked
+with that great chunk on his shoulder, and would say that he didn't
+suppose there was another 'Coon, or 'Possum, or Turtle, or Rabbit, or
+Dog that could begin to stand up straight under such a chunk as that
+anywhere outside of a menagerie. Mr. Robin likes to say pleasant things
+to his friends, and is always popular. And each one tried to carry the
+biggest load of wood to show how strong he was, and pretty soon they had
+the lower room of the Hollow Tree piled up high with the finest chunks
+and kindling pieces to be found anywhere. Then they all hurried
+up-stairs, stamping the snow off their feet, and gathered around the
+nice warm fire in the big parlor which was just below the three big
+hollow branches where the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow had
+their rooms.
+
+Mr. Crow and Mr. Squirrel were through with the table by this time, and
+all hands lit their pipes, and looked into the fire, and smoked, and
+rested, and thought a little before they began talking--thinking, of
+course, of what a good time they were having, and how comfortable and
+nice it was to be inside and warm when such a big snow was falling
+outside.
+
+Mr. 'Possum was the first one to say anything. He said he had been
+thinking of what Mr. Robin had said about them being outside of a
+menagerie, and that, come to think about it, he believed he didn't know
+what a menagerie was, unless it was a new name for a big dinner, as that
+was the only thing he could think of now that they were outside of, and
+he said if that was so, and if he could get outside of two menageries,
+he thought he could carry in a bigger chunk than any two chunks there
+were down-stairs.
+
+Then all the others laughed a good deal, and Mr. 'Coon said he had
+thought that perhaps a menagerie was something to wear that would make
+anybody who had it on very strong, and able to stand up under a big
+load, and to eat as much as Mr. 'Possum could, or even more.
+
+But Mr. Robin said that it didn't mean either of those things. He said
+he didn't really know what it did mean himself, but that it must be some
+kind of a place that had a great many large creatures in it, for he had
+heard his grandmother quite often call his grandfather the biggest goose
+outside of a menagerie, though, being very young then, Mr. Robin
+couldn't remember just what she had meant by it.
+
+Mr. Rabbit said he thought that the word "menagerie" sounded like some
+kind of a picnic, with swings and nice lively games, and Mr. Crow said
+that once when he was flying he passed over a place where there was a
+big sign that said "Menagerie" on it, and that there were some tents and
+a crowd of people and a great noise, but that he hadn't seen anything
+that he could carry off without being noticed, so he didn't stop.
+
+Mr. Squirrel thought that from what Mr. Crow said it must be a place
+where there would be a lot of fine things to see, and Mr. Turtle said
+that he was a good deal over three hundred years old and had often heard
+of a menagerie, but that he had never seen one. He said he had always
+supposed that it was a nice pond of clear water, with a lot of happy
+turtles and fish and wild geese and duck and such things, in it, and
+maybe some animals around it, all living happily together, and taken
+care of by Mr. Man, who brought them a great many good things to eat. He
+had always thought he would like to live in a menagerie, he said, but
+that nobody had ever invited him, and he had never happened to come
+across one in his travels.
+
+Mr. Dog hadn't been saying anything all this time, but he knocked the
+ashes out of his pipe now, and filled it up fresh and lit it, and
+cleared his throat, and began to talk. It made him smile, he said, to
+hear the different ways people thought of a thing they had never seen.
+He said that Mr. Turtle was the only one who came anywhere near to what
+a menagerie really was, though of course Mr. Crow _had_ seen one on the
+outside. Then Mr. Dog said:
+
+[Illustration: "SLIPPED IN BEHIND HIM WHEN HE WENT INTO THE TENT"]
+
+"I know all about menageries, on the outside and the inside too, for I
+have been to one. I went once with Mr. Man, though I wasn't really
+invited to go. In fact, Mr. Man invited me to stay at home, and tried to
+slip off from me; but I watched which way he went, and took long
+roundin's on him, and slipped in behind him when he went into the
+tent. He didn't know for a while that I was there, and I wasn't there so
+very long. But it was plenty long enough--a good deal longer than I'd
+ever stay again, unless I was tied.
+
+"I never saw so many wild, fierce-looking creatures in my life as there
+were in that menagerie, and they were just as wild and fierce as they
+looked. They had a lot of cages full of them and they had some outside
+of cages, though I don't know why they should leave any of those
+dangerous animals around where they could damage folks that happened to
+come in reach, as I did. Those animals outside didn't look as wild and
+fierce as those in the cages, but they were.
+
+"I kept in the crowd, close behind Mr. Man at first, and nobody knew I
+was there, but by-and-by he climbed up into a seat to watch some people
+all dressed up in fancy clothes ride around a ring on horses, which I
+didn't care much about, so I slipped away, and went over to where there
+were some things that I wanted to take my time to and see quietly.
+
+"There was an animal about my size and style tied over in one corner of
+the tent, behind a rope, with a sign in front of him which said, 'The
+Only Tame Hyena in the World.' He looked smiling and good-natured, and I
+went over to ask him some questions.
+
+[Illustration: "HE LOOKED SMILING AND GOOD-NATURED, AND I WENT OVER TO
+ASK HIM SOME QUESTIONS"]
+
+"But that sign wasn't true. He wasn't the least bit tame, and I'm sure
+now that he wasn't smiling. He grabbed me before I had a chance to say a
+word, and when I jerked loose, which I did right away, for I didn't want
+to stir up any fuss there, I left quite a piece of my ear with the tame
+hyena, and tripped backward over the rope and rolled right in front of a
+creature called an elephant, about as big as a house and not as useful.
+
+"I suppose they thought _he_ was tame, too, but he must have been tamed
+by the same man, for he grabbed me with a kind of a tail that grew on
+the end of his nose--a thing a good deal like Mr. 'Possum's tail, only
+about a million times as big--and I could hear my ribs crack as he waved
+me up and down.
+
+"Of course, as I say, I didn't want to stir up any fuss, but I couldn't
+keep still under such treatment as that, and I called right out to Mr.
+Man, where he sat looking at the fancy people riding, and told him that
+I had had enough of the show, and if he wanted to take any of me home he
+ought not to wait very long, but come over that way and see if he
+couldn't get the tame elephant to practise that performance on the hyena
+or the next dog, because I had had plenty, and was willing to go home
+just as I was, all in one piece, even if not very lively.
+
+"Mr. Man _came_, too, and so did a lot of the others. They seemed to
+think that I was more to look at than those riding people; and some of
+them laughed, though what there was happening that was funny I have
+never been able to guess to this day. I kept right on telling Mr. Man
+what I wanted him to do, and mebbe I made a good deal of noise about it,
+for it seemed to stir up those other animals. There was a cage full of
+lions that started the most awful roaring you can think of, and a cage
+of crazy-looking things they called monkeys that screeched and howled
+and swung back and forth in rings and held on to the bars, and all the
+other things joined in, until I couldn't tell whether I was still saying
+anything or not. I suppose they were all jealous of the elephant because
+of the fun he was having, and howling to be let out so they could get
+hold of me too.
+
+"Well, you never heard of such a time. It nearly broke up the show.
+Everybody ran over to look, and even the riding people stopped their
+horses to enjoy it, too. If it only hadn't been so dangerous and
+unpleasant I should have been proud of the way they came to see me
+perform.
+
+"But Mr. Man didn't seem to like it much. I heard him tell somebody, as
+loud as he could, that I would be killed, and that I was the best dog he
+ever had, and that if I _was_ killed he'd sue the show.
+
+"That made me proud, too, but I wished he wouldn't wait to sue the
+show, but would do something right away, and just then a man with a
+fancy dress on and a stick with a sharp iron hook on it came running up
+and said something I didn't understand and hit the elephant with the
+hook end of the stick, and he gave me an extra big swing and crack and
+flung me half-way across the tent, where I landed on a bunch of hay
+right in front of a long-necked thing called a camel--another terrible
+tame creature, I suppose--who had me about half eaten up with his old
+long under lip, before Mr. Man could get over there.
+
+"When Mr. Man did get hold of me, he said that I'd better take what was
+left of me home, for they were going to feed the animals pretty soon,
+and that I would likely get mixed up with the bill of fare.
+
+"After that he took me to the entrance and pushed me outside, and I
+heard all those fierce creatures in the cages growl and roar louder than
+ever, as if they had expected to sample me and were sorry to see me go.
+
+[Illustration: "GAVE ME AN EXTRA BIG SWING AND CRACK"]
+
+"That's what a menagerie is--it's a place where they have all the kinds
+of animals and things in the world, for show, and a good many birds, and
+maybe turtles, too, but they don't have any fine clear pond. They have
+just a big tent, like the one Mr. Crow saw, and a lot of cages inside.
+They keep most of the animals in cages, and they ought to keep them all
+there, and I don't think they feed them very much, nor the best
+things, or they wouldn't look so fierce and hungry.
+
+"They just keep them for Mr. Man and his friends to look at and talk
+about, and if Mr. Turtle will take my advice he will keep out of a
+menagerie and live in the Wide Blue Water where he was born. I wouldn't
+have gone there again unless I had been tied and dragged there, or
+unless they had put those tame animals into cages with the others. No
+doubt there are some very fine, strong animals in a menagerie, but they
+wouldn't be there if they could help it, and if anybody ever invites any
+of you to join a menagerie, take my advice and don't do it."
+
+Then Mr. Dog knocked the ashes out of his pipe again, and all the other
+Deep Woods People knocked the ashes out of _their_ pipes, too, and
+filled them up fresh, and one said one thing, and one said another about
+being in a menagerie or out of it, and every one thought it would be a
+terrible thing to be shut up in a cage, except Mr. 'Possum, who said he
+wouldn't mind it if they would let him sleep enough and give him all he
+could eat, but that a cage without those things would be a lonesome
+place.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said that a little adventure had happened to him once
+which he had never mentioned before, because he had never known just
+what to make of it; but he knew now, he said, that he had come very near
+getting into a menagerie, and he would tell them just what happened.
+
+The Story Teller looked down at the quiet figure in his lap. The Little
+Lady's head was nestled close to his shoulder, and her eyes were
+straining very hard to keep open.
+
+"I think we will save Mr. 'Coon's story till another night," he said.
+
+
+
+
+THE SECOND SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+MR. 'COON TELLS HOW HE CAME NEAR BEING A PART OF A MENAGERIE, AND HOW HE
+ONCE TOLD A STORY TO MR. DOG
+
+
+"YOU can tell about Mr. 'Coon, now--the story you didn't tell last
+night, you know," and the Little Lady wriggles herself into a
+comfortable corner just below the Story Teller's smoke, and looks deep
+into a great cavern of glowing embers between the big old andirons,
+where, in her fancy, she can picture the Hollow Tree people and their
+friends.
+
+"Why, yes, let me see--" says the Story Teller.
+
+"Mr. Dog had just told about being at the menagerie, you know, and Mr.
+'Coon was just going to tell how he came very near getting into a
+menagerie himself."
+
+"Oh yes, of course--well, then, all the Hollow Tree people, the 'Coon
+and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, and their friends who were visiting
+them--Mr. Dog and Mr. Robin and Jack Rabbit and Mr. Turtle and Mr.
+Squirrel--knocked the ashes out of their pipes and filled them up
+fresh--"
+
+"No, they had just done that."
+
+"That's so, I forgot. Well, anyway, as soon as they got to smoking and
+settled back around the fire again Mr. 'Coon told them his story, and I
+guess we'll call it
+
+
+    MR. 'COON'S EARLY ADVENTURE
+
+Mr. 'Coon said he was quite young when it happened, and was taking a
+pleasant walk one evening, to think over things a little, and perhaps to
+pick out a handy tree where Mr. Man's chickens roosted, when all at once
+he heard a fierce bark close behind him, and he barely had time to get
+up a tree himself when a strange and very noisy Mr. Dog was leaping
+about at the foot of the tree, making a great fuss, and calling every
+moment for Mr. Man to hurry, for he had a young 'coon treed.
+
+"Of course I laid pretty low when I heard that," Mr. 'Coon said, "for I
+knew that Mr. Man would most likely have a gun, so I got into a bunch of
+leaves and brush that must have been some kind of an old nest and
+scrooched down so that none of me would show.
+
+[Illustration: ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM]
+
+"Then by-and-by I heard some big creature come running through the
+brush, and I peeked over a little, and there, sure enough, was Mr. Man
+with a long gun, and I noticed that he wore a thing on his head--a sort
+of hat, I suppose--made of what looked to be the skin of some relative
+of mine.
+
+"Of course that made me mad. I hadn't cared so much until I saw that;
+but I said right then to myself that any one who would do such a thing
+as that never could be a friend of mine, no matter how much he tried. So
+I scrooched down and laid low in that old nest, and didn't move or let
+on in any way that I was there.
+
+"Then I heard Mr. Man walking around the tree and talking to his dog and
+telling him that there wasn't anything up in that tree at all, and that
+Mr. Dog had just been fooling him. I could tell by his voice that he was
+getting mad at Mr. Dog, and I hoped that he'd get mad enough pretty soon
+to take a stick to him for chasing me up a tree like that, and then
+calling for Mr. Man to come and see me when there wasn't really anything
+to look at.
+
+"But Mr. Dog kept galloping around the tree and barking out, over and
+over, that I was there; that he had seen me, and that he knew that I was
+hiding up there somewhere; and pretty soon I heard Mr. Man going away,
+and I peeked over again.
+
+"Sure enough, he was going, but Mr. Dog was staying right there,
+sitting under the tree and looking up and making a good deal more noise
+than there was any need of to let me know he hadn't gone. I didn't see
+why he stayed there. I wished he'd go away and tend to his own business.
+
+"Being quite young, I still lived with my folks over near the Wide Grass
+Lands, and I wanted to get home for supper. It was a good way to go, for
+the tree I had climbed was over close to the edge of the world where the
+sun and moon rise, and you all know that's a good way, even from here.
+
+"Well, he didn't go, but just sat there, barking up that tree, and after
+a long time I heard somebody coming again, and I peeked over and there
+was Mr. Man, hurrying back, this time with an axe. I knew, right then,
+there was going to be trouble. I knew they were going to cut that tree
+down, and that I should most likely have quite a fuss with Mr. Dog, and
+perhaps go home with a black eye and a scratched nose, and then get
+whipped again for fighting, after I got there."
+
+Mr. 'Coon stopped and knocked the ashes out of his pipe and filled it up
+fresh, and all the others knocked the ashes out of their pipes and
+filled them up fresh, too. Then Mr. 'Possum poked up the fire and told
+Mr. Turtle to bring a stick of wood from down-stairs, and when it was
+blazing up high and bright again they all stepped over to the window a
+minute, to see how hard it was snowing and banking up outside, then
+went back to their chairs around the fire, and stretched out their feet
+and leaned back and smoked, and listened to the rest of Mr. 'Coon's
+story.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said he didn't like the sound of that axe when Mr. Man began
+to cut the tree down.
+
+"Every time he struck the tree I could feel it all through me," he said,
+"and I knew if he kept that noise up long enough it would give me a
+nervous headache. I wished the tree would hurry up and drop, so we could
+have what muss we were going to, and get it over with. I'd have got out
+of that old nest and made a jump for another tree if there had been any
+near enough, but there wasn't, so I just laid low and gritted my teeth
+and let him chop.
+
+"Well, by-and-by that tree began to go down. It seemed to teeter a
+little at first, this way and that; then it went very slow in one
+direction; then it went a little faster; then it went a good deal
+faster; then I suddenly felt like a shooting-star, I came down so fast,
+and there was a big crash, and I thought I had turned into a lot of
+stars, sure enough, and was shooting in every direction, and the next I
+knew I was tied to a tree, hand and foot and around the middle, and Mr.
+Man and Mr. Dog were sitting and looking at me, and grinning, and
+talking about what they were going to do.
+
+[Illustration: "THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR"]
+
+"Mr. Man wasn't scolding Mr. Dog any more. He was telling him what a
+good thing it was they had caught me alive, for now they could sell me
+to a show and get a great deal more for me than they could for my skin.
+I didn't know what a show was, then, or that a show is a menagerie, but
+I know now, and I can see just what they meant.
+
+"Pretty soon Mr. Man told Mr. Dog to stay there and watch me while he
+went home after a box to put me in. He said he didn't think it would be
+safe to carry me in his arms, and he was right about that.
+
+"So then Mr. Man walked off, and left Mr. Dog guarding me, and saying
+unpleasant things to me now and then.
+
+"At first I wouldn't answer him; but pretty soon I happened to think of
+something pleasant to say:
+
+"'Mr. Dog,' I said, 'I know a good story, if you'd like me to tell it.
+Mr. Man may be a good while getting that box, and mebbe you'd like to
+hear something to pass the time.'
+
+"Mr. Dog said he would. He said that Mr. Man would most likely have to
+make the box, and he didn't suppose he knew where the hammer and nails
+were, and it might be dark before Mr. Man got back.
+
+"I felt a good deal better when I heard Mr. Dog say that, and I told him
+a story I knew about how Mr. Rabbit lost his tail, and Mr. Dog laughed
+and seemed to like it, and said, 'Tell me another.'"
+
+[Illustration: "THEN MR. DOG SAID, 'TELL ME ANOTHER'"]
+
+Before Mr. 'Coon could go on with his story, Mr. Rabbit said that of
+course if that old tale had helped Mr. 'Coon out of trouble he was very
+glad, but that it wasn't at all true, and that some time _he_ would tell
+them himself the true story of how it happened.
+
+Then they all said that they hoped he would, for they'd always wanted to
+hear that story told right, and then Mr. 'Coon went on with his
+adventure.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said that when Mr. Dog said, "Tell me another," he knew he was
+in a good-humor, and that he felt better and better himself. "I thought
+if Mr. Man didn't come back too soon," he said, "I might get along
+pretty well with Mr. Dog.
+
+"'I know another story, Mr. Dog,' I said--'the funniest story there is.
+It would make you laugh until you fell over the edge of the world, but I
+can't tell it here.'
+
+"'Why,' he said--'why can't you tell it here as well as anywhere?'
+
+"'Because it has to be acted,' I said, 'and my hands are tied.'
+
+"'Will you tell it if I untie your hands?' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'I'll begin it, and you can see how it goes.'
+
+"So Mr. Dog came over and untied my hands, for he said he could tie them
+again before Mr. Man came back, because he knew Mr. Man hadn't found
+that hammer yet.
+
+"'You can't get loose with just your hands untied, can you?' he said.
+
+"'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, pleasant and polite as could be.
+
+"'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"So I twisted and pulled, and of course I couldn't get loose.
+
+"'Now tell the story,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"So I said: 'Once there was a man who had a very bad pain in his chest,
+and he took all kinds of medicine, and it didn't do him any good. And
+one day the Old Wise Man of the Woods told him if he would rub his chest
+with one hand and pat his head with the other, it might draw the pain
+out the top and cure him. So the man with the pain in his chest tried
+it, and he did it this way.'
+
+"Then I showed Mr. Dog just how he did it, and Mr. Dog thought that was
+funny, and laughed a good deal.
+
+"'Go on and tell the rest of it,' he said. 'What happened after that?'
+
+"But I let on as if I'd just remembered something, and I said, 'Oh, Mr.
+Dog, I'm _so_ sorry, but I can't tell the rest of that story here, and
+it's the funniest part, too. I know you'd laugh till you rolled over the
+edge of the world.'
+
+"'Why can't you tell the rest of that story here as well as anywhere?'
+said Mr. Dog, looking anxious.
+
+"'Because it has to be acted with the feet,' I said, 'and my feet are
+tied.'
+
+"'Will you tell it if I untie your feet?' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"'Well, I'll do the best I can,' I said.
+
+"So Mr. Dog came over and untied my feet. He said he knew that Mr. Man
+hadn't found the nails or the pieces to make the box yet, and there
+would be plenty of time to tie me again before Mr. Man got back.
+
+"'You can't get loose, anyway, with just your hands and feet untied, can
+you?' he said.
+
+"'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, more pleasant and polite than
+ever.
+
+"'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+"So I squirmed and twisted, but of course with a strong string around my
+waist and tied behind I couldn't do anything.
+
+"'Now go on with the story,' said Mr. Dog.
+
+[Illustration: "AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE ENOUGH"]
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'the pain left his chest, but it went into his back,
+and he had a most terrible time, until one day the Old Wise Man of the
+Woods came along and told him that he thought he ought to know enough by
+this time to rub his back where the pain was and pat his head at the
+same time to draw it out at the top. So then the man with the pain
+rubbed his back and patted his head this way,' and I showed Mr. Dog how
+he did it; and I rubbed a good while about where the knot was, and made
+a face to show how the man with the pain looked, and then I said the
+pain came back into his chest again instead of being drawn out at the
+top; and I changed about and rubbed there awhile, and then I went around
+to my back again, chasing that pain first one side and the other; and
+then I said that the Old Wise Man of the Woods came along one day and
+told him that he must kick with his feet too if he ever wanted to get
+rid of that pain, because, after all, it might have to be kicked out at
+the bottom; and when I began to kick and dance with both feet and to rub
+with my hands at the same time, Mr. Dog gave a great big laugh--the
+biggest laugh I ever heard anybody give--and fell right down and rolled
+over and over, and did roll off the edge of the world, sure enough.
+
+"I heard him go clattering into a lot of brush and blackberry bushes
+that are down there, and just then I got that back knot untied, and I
+stepped over and looked down at Mr. Dog, who had lodged in a brier patch
+on a shelf about ten feet below the edge, where Mr. Man would have to
+get him up with a ladder or a rope.
+
+"'Do you want to hear the rest of the story, Mr. Dog?' I said.
+
+"'I'll story _you_,' he said, 'when I catch you!'
+
+"'I told you you'd laugh till you fell off the edge of the world,' I
+said.
+
+[Illustration: "I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY GOOD-BYE"]
+
+"'I'll make _you_ laugh,' he said, 'when I catch you!'
+
+"Then I saw he was cross about something, and I set out for home without
+waiting to say good-bye to Mr. Man, for I didn't want to waste any more
+time, though I missed my supper and got a scolding besides.
+
+"But I was glad I didn't bring home a black eye and scratched nose, and
+I'm more glad than ever now that Mr. Man didn't get back in time with
+that box, or I might be in a menagerie this minute instead of sitting
+here smoking and telling stories and having a good time on Christmas
+Day."
+
+The Story Teller looks down at the Little Lady.
+
+"I'm glad Mr. 'Coon didn't get into the menagerie, aren't you?" she
+says.
+
+"Very glad," says the Story Teller.
+
+"He went lickety-split home, didn't he?"
+
+"He did that!"
+
+"I like them to go lickety-split better than lickety-cut, don't you?"
+says the Little Lady. "They seem to go so much faster."
+
+"Ever so much faster," says the Story Teller.
+
+
+
+
+THE WIDOW CROW'S BOARDING-HOUSE
+
+EARLY DOINGS OF THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE AND HOW THEY FOUND A HOME
+
+
+ANYBODY can tell by her face that the Little Lady has some plan of her
+own when the Story Teller is ready next evening to "sit by the fire and
+spin."
+
+"I want you to tell me," she says, climbing up into her place, "how the
+'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow ever got to living together in
+the Hollow Tree."
+
+That frightens the Story Teller. He is all ready with something
+different.
+
+"Good gracious!" he says, "that is an old story that all the Deep Woods
+People have known ever so long."
+
+"But I don't know it," says the Little Lady, "and I'd like to know that
+before you tell anything else. Rock, and tell it."
+
+So the Story Teller rocks slowly, and smokes, and almost forgets the
+Little Lady in remembering that far-away time, and presently he begins.
+
+Well, it was all so long ago that perhaps I can't remember it very well.
+Mr. 'Possum was a young man in those days--a nice spry young fellow; and
+he used to think it was a good deal of fun to let Mr. Dog--who wasn't
+friendly then, of course--try to catch him; and when Mr. Dog would get
+pretty close and come panting up behind him, Mr. 'Possum would scramble
+up a tree, and run out on to the longest limb and swing from it, head
+down, and laugh, and say:
+
+"Come right up, Mr. Dog! Always at home to you, Mr. Dog! Don't stop to
+knock!"
+
+And then Mr. Dog would race around under the tree and make a great to
+do, and sometimes Mr. 'Possum would swing back and forth, and pretty
+soon give a great big swing and let go, and Mr. Dog would think surely
+he had him then, and bark and run to the place where he thought he was
+going to drop. Only Mr. 'Possum didn't drop--not far; for he had his
+limb all picked out, and he would catch it with his tail as he went by,
+and it would bend and sway with him, and he would laugh, and call again:
+
+"Don't go, Mr. Dog! Mr. Man can get up the cows alone to-night!"
+
+[Illustration: CAME CLATTERING DOWN RIGHT IN FRONT OF MR. DOG]
+
+And then Mr. Dog would remember that he was a good ways from home, and
+that if he wasn't there in time to help Mr. Man get up the cows there
+might be trouble; and he would set out lickety-split for home, with Mr.
+'Possum calling to him as he ran.
+
+But one time Mr. 'Possum made a mistake. He didn't know it, but he was
+getting older and a good deal fatter than he had been at first, and when
+he swung out for another limb that way, and let go, he missed the limb
+and came clattering down right in front of Mr. Dog. He wasn't hurt much,
+for the ground was soft, and there was a nice thick bed of leaves; but I
+tell you he was scared, and when Mr. Dog jumped right on top of him, and
+grabbed him, he gave himself up for lost, sure enough.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum is smart in some ways, and he knows how to play "dead"
+better than any other animal there is. He knew that Mr. Dog would want
+to show him to Mr. Man, and that he was too heavy for Mr. Dog to carry.
+He had thought about all that, and decided what to do just in that
+little second between the limb and the ground, for Mr. 'Possum can think
+quick enough when anything like that happens.
+
+So when he struck the ground he just gave one little kick with his hind
+foot and a kind of a sigh, as if he was drawing his last breath, and
+laid there: and even when Mr. Dog grabbed him and shook him he never let
+on, but acted almost deader than if he had been really dead and no
+mistake.
+
+Then Mr. Dog stood with his paws out and his nose down close, listening,
+and barking once in a while, and thinking maybe he would come to pretty
+soon, but Mr. 'Possum still never let on, or breathed the least little
+bit, and directly Mr. Dog started to drag him toward Mr. Man's house.
+
+That was a hard job, and every little way Mr. Dog would stop and shake
+Mr. 'Possum and bark and listen to see if he was really dead, and after
+a while he decided that he was, and started to get Mr. Man to come and
+fetch Mr. 'Possum home. But he only went a few steps, the first time,
+and just as Mr. 'Possum was about to jump up and run he came hurrying
+back, and stood over him and barked and barked as loud as ever he could
+for Mr. Man to come and see what he had for him. But Mr. Man was too far
+away, and even if he heard Mr. Dog he didn't think it worth while to
+come.
+
+So then Mr. Dog tried to get Mr. 'Possum on his shoulder, to carry him
+that way; but Mr. 'Possum made himself so limp and loose and heavy that
+every time Mr. Dog would get him nearly up he would slide off again and
+fall all in a heap on the leaves; and Mr. Dog couldn't help believing
+that he was dead, to see him lying there all doubled up, just as he
+happened to drop.
+
+[Illustration: SO THEN MR. DOG TRIED TO GET MR. 'POSSUM ON HIS SHOULDER]
+
+So, then, by-and-by Mr. Dog really did start for Mr. Man's, and Mr.
+'Possum lay still, and just opened one eye the least bit to see how
+far Mr. Dog had gone, and when he had gone far enough Mr. 'Possum jumped
+up quick as a wink and scampered up a tree, and ran out on a limb and
+swung with his head down, and called out:
+
+"Don't go away, Mr. Dog! We've had such a nice visit together! Don't go
+off mad, Mr. Dog! Come back and stay till the cows come home!"
+
+Then Mr. Dog was mad, I _tell_ you, and told him what he'd do next time;
+and he set out for home fast as he could travel, and went in the back
+way and hid, for Mr. Man was already getting up the cows when he got
+there.
+
+Well, Mr. 'Possum didn't try that swinging trick on Mr. Dog any more. He
+found out that it was dangerous, the way he was getting, and that made
+him think he ought to change his habits in other ways too. For one
+thing, he decided he ought to have some regular place to stay where he
+could eat and sleep and feel at home, instead of just travelling about
+and putting up for the night wherever he happened to be.
+
+Mr. 'Possum was always quite stylish, too, and had a good many nice
+clothes, and it wasn't good for them to be packed about all the time;
+and once some of his best things got rained on and he had to sleep on
+them for a long time to get them pressed out smooth again.
+
+So Mr. 'Possum made up his mind to find a home. He was an old bachelor
+and never wanted to be anything else, because he liked to have his own
+way, and go out all times of the night, and sleep late if he wanted to.
+So he made up his mind to look up a good place to board--some place that
+would be like a home to him--perhaps in a private family.
+
+One day when he was walking through the woods thinking about it, and
+wondering how he ought to begin to find a place like that, he met Mr. Z.
+'Coon, who was one of his oldest friends in the Big Deep Woods. They had
+often been hunting together, especially nights, for Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+'Possum always like that time best for hunting, and have better luck in
+the dark than any other time. Mr. 'Coon had had his troubles with Mr.
+Dog, too, and had come very near getting caught one night when Mr. Man
+and some of his friends were out with Mr. Dog and his relatives and
+several guns looking for a good Sunday dinner. Mr. 'Coon _would_ have
+got caught that time, only when Mr. Man cut the tree down that he was in
+he gave a big jump as the tree was falling and landed in another tree,
+and then ran out on a limb and jumped to another tree that wasn't so far
+away, and then to another, so that Mr. Man and his friends and all the
+dog family lost track of him entirely.
+
+[Illustration: HE WAS AN OLD BACHELOR AND LIKED TO HAVE HIS OWN WAY]
+
+But Mr. 'Coon was tired of that kind of thing too, and wanted some
+place where he could be comfortable, and where he could lock the door
+nights and feel safe. Mr. 'Coon was a bachelor, like Mr. 'Possum, though
+he had once been disappointed in love, and told about it sometimes, and
+looked sad, and even shed tears.
+
+So when he met Mr. 'Possum that day they walked along and talked about
+finding a place to live, and just as they were wondering what they ought
+to do they happened to notice, right in front of them, a little piece of
+birch bark tacked up on a tree, and when they read it, it said:
+
+    MRS. WIDOW CROW.
+    WILL TAKE A FEW GUESTS.
+    SINGLE GENTLEMEN PREFERRED;
+    PLEASANT LOCATION NEAR
+    RACE-TRACK.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum scratched his head and tried to think, and Mr. 'Coon
+scratched _his_ head and tried to think, and pretty soon Mr. 'Coon said:
+
+[Illustration: THEY SAW MR. CROW OUT IN THE YARD CUTTING WOOD FOR HIS
+MOTHER-IN-LAW]
+
+"Oh yes, I know about that. That's Mr. Crow's mother-in-law. He had a
+wife until last year, and his mother-in-law used to live with them. I
+believe she was pretty cross, but I've heard Mr. Crow say she was a good
+cook, and that he had learned to cook a great many things himself. I
+heard some time ago that she had moved over by the race-track, and
+perhaps Mr. Crow is boarding with her. Let's go over and see."
+
+So away they went, saying how nice it would be to be really settled, and
+pretty soon they got over to Mrs. Widow Crow's, and there, sure enough,
+they saw Mr. Crow out in the yard cutting wood for his mother-in-law;
+and when they asked him about the advertisement, he said he was helping
+her to get started, and she had two nice rooms, and that Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon would be just the ones to fill them.
+
+So they went right in and saw Mrs. Widow Crow about it, and by night
+they had their things moved and were all settled, and Widow Crow got a
+nice supper for them, and Mr. Crow helped her, and worked as hard as if
+he were a hired man instead of a boarder like the others, which he was,
+because he paid for his room as much as anybody, and got scolded besides
+when he didn't do things to suit his mother-in-law.
+
+
+
+
+THE FINDING OF THE HOLLOW TREE
+
+HOW THE 'COON AND 'POSSUM AND THE OLD BLACK CROW MOVED AND SET UP
+HOUSEKEEPING
+
+
+WELL, the Widow Crow set a very good table, and everything in her
+boarding-house went along quite well for a while, and Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon both said what a good thing it was to have a home, and Mr.
+Crow said so too, though he didn't look as if he enjoyed it as much as
+he said, for his mother-in-law kept him so busy cutting and carrying
+wood and helping her with the cooking that he never had any time for
+himself at all.
+
+Even when Mr. Rabbit and some of his friends had the great fall handicap
+race he had to stay at home and peel potatoes, and not see it, besides
+being scolded all the time for wanting to go to such a thing as a rabbit
+race anyway. And Mr. Crow was sad because it reminded him of his
+married life, which he was trying to forget--Mrs. Crow having been the
+image of his mother-in-law and exactly like her about races and peeling
+potatoes and such things.
+
+And by-and-by, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon didn't like it so much, either.
+Widow Crow got so she scolded them, too, about their habits, especially
+about being out nights and lying in bed next morning, and she wouldn't
+give them any breakfast unless they got up in time.
+
+At last she even asked them to take care of their own rooms and to do
+other work, the same as Mr. Crow did; and she didn't cook as good
+things, nor as many of them, as she did when they first came. Then one
+day when they complained a little--not very much, for they were afraid
+of the Widow Crow, but a little--she told them that if they didn't like
+what she gave them they could find a place they liked better, and that
+she was tired of their ways anyhow.
+
+[Illustration: HAD TO STAY AT HOME AND PEEL POTATOES]
+
+So then Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum all got together and
+talked it over. And Mr. Crow said _they_ might be pretty tired of it,
+but that they couldn't in a hundred years, thinking night and day, think
+how tired of it _he_ was. He said if they would just say the word he
+would take the things that belonged to him out of that house, and the
+three of them would find some good place and all live together, and
+never have anything more to do with mothers-in-law or their families. He
+said he knew how to cook as well as she did, and really liked to cook
+when he was in a pleasant place and wasn't henpecked to death.
+
+And he said if they moved his things they had better do it at night
+while his mother-in-law was asleep, so as not to disturb her.
+
+Well, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon both spoke right up and said _they'd_ go
+in a minute, and that they'd hunt up the place to live that very day,
+though it wasn't the best time of year to move. And Mr. Crow said:
+
+"I know where there's a big Hollow Tree that would be _just_ the place.
+It's the biggest tree in the Big Deep Woods. It has three big hollow
+branches that would do for rooms, and with a little work it could be
+made into the finest place anywhere. The Old Wise Man of the Woods once
+lived there and fixed it all up with nice stairs, and a fireplace, and
+windows, and doors with good latches on them, and it's still just as he
+left it. All it needs are a few repairs, and we could move right in. I
+found it once as I was flying over, and I could tell _you_, so you could
+find it. It's in a thick swampy place, and you would never guess it was
+there if you didn't know it. Mr. Dog knows about it, but he never could
+get in if we kept the door latched, and it's not so far away from Mr.
+Man's that we could not borrow, when we ran out of little things we
+needed."
+
+Well, Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon took the directions from Mr. Crow, and
+went right off to look at the Hollow Tree that very day, and decided
+they'd take it, and pitched in to clean it up and get it ready to live
+in. And next day they came with a hammer and some nails and worked all
+day again, and Mr. Rabbit heard the noise and came over and looked
+through the place and said how nice it was; and they were so tired at
+night that they never thought of going out, and were up early for
+breakfast.
+
+Widow Crow was so surprised she forgot what she had always scolded them
+for before, and scolded them this time for getting up so early that they
+had to stand around and wait for breakfast to be put on the table. But
+they didn't seem to mind the scolding at all, and Mr. Crow looked
+happier than he had looked for months, and skipped around and helped set
+the table, and brought in a big wood-box full of wood, and when Widow
+Crow scolded him for getting chips on the floor he laughed. Then she
+boxed his ears and told him he ought to remember the poor Missing One at
+such a time, and Mr. Crow said he did, and could almost imagine she was
+there now.
+
+Well, Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum got the Hollow Tree all ready, that day,
+and that night they moved.
+
+The Widow Crow was pretty fat, and liked to go to bed early, and sleep
+sound, and leave Mr. Crow to do the evening dishes; and that evening Mr.
+'Coon and Mr. 'Possum pitched in and helped him, and they got through
+in a jiffy and began to move.
+
+Mr. Crow said he knew his own things, and that he wouldn't take any that
+belonged to the Missing One, because they had mostly come from her
+mother; and, besides, they would be a sad reminder, and didn't seem to
+go with the kind of a place they had planned to have. He said if they
+didn't have enough things they could borrow a few from Mr. Man when Mr.
+Man went away and left his windows open, and that they wouldn't need
+much to begin with.
+
+So then they got Mr. Crow's cook-stove out of the back store-room, and a
+table that was his, and some chairs from different parts of the house,
+and a few dishes which had come to him from his side of the family, and
+they tiptoed around and listened now and then at Widow Crow's door to be
+sure she was asleep.
+
+They knew she _was_ by the sound; but still they were very quiet until
+Mr. 'Possum started to bring a rocking-chair of Mr. Crow's down-stairs
+and somehow got his legs through the rounds and fell and rolled clear to
+the bottom, expressing his feelings as he came down.
+
+[Illustration: LISTENED NOW AND THEN AT WIDOW CROW'S DOOR TO BE SURE SHE
+WAS ASLEEP]
+
+That woke up Widow Crow with a jump, and she sat up in bed and called
+"Thieves!" and "Help!" and Mr. Crow ran to her door and said that it
+wasn't anything, only those scamps Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had been
+out late again. He said they had brought home one of Mr. Man's
+beehives and had dropped it because the bees woke up just as they were
+climbing the stairs.
+
+Then Mrs. Crow called out quick, and said for him not to dare to open
+that door and let those pesky bees into her room, and that she hoped
+they'd sting that 'Possum and 'Coon until they wouldn't be able to tell
+themselves apart. She said she bet she'd get that pair out of her house
+if she lived through the night. Then she rolled over and went to sleep
+again, and Mr. 'Possum got up and limped a little, but wasn't much
+damaged, and they got all the things outside and loaded up, and set out
+for the Hollow Tree.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE'D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE THINGS]
+
+It was moonlight and Mr. Crow led the way, and the minute they were far
+enough off to be sure they wouldn't wake up Widow Crow they sang the
+chorus of a song that Mr. Rabbit had made for them the day before when
+he called at the Hollow Tree, and they had told him what they were going
+to do. That was the "Hollow Tree Song," which, of course, everybody in
+the Big Deep Woods knows now, but it had never been sung there before,
+and when they joined in the chorus,
+
+    Then here's to the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
+      And the 'Coon with a one, two, three!
+    And here's to the hollow, hollow, hollow, hollow, hollow--
+      Then here's to the Hollow Tree,
+
+Mr. Owl, who was watching them from a limb overhead, thought he had
+never heard anything quite so fine.
+
+Well, they couldn't get along very fast, for the things got so heavy and
+they had to rest so often that it began to look as if they wouldn't get
+to the Hollow Tree by morning. But just as they got out into a little
+open place that was about half-way there they saw somebody coming, and
+who do you suppose it was?
+
+"I know," says the Little Lady, "it was the Old Wise Man of the Woods,
+to tell them they couldn't have his house."
+
+No, he didn't live there any more--he had gone away for good. No, it
+wasn't the Old Wise Man; it was Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Turtle, coming to
+help them move. Mr. Rabbit had gone all the way to the Wide Blue Water
+after Mr. Turtle because he is so strong, and they would have been there
+a good deal sooner, only Mr. Turtle didn't get home till late, and
+travels slow.
+
+Well, it wasn't so hard to move after that. They just set the cook-stove
+on Mr. Turtle's back and piled on as much as would stay on, and he kept
+telling them to put on more, until pretty soon Mr. 'Possum said that he
+would just get on and hold the things from slipping off, which he did,
+and sat on the stove and rode and swung his feet and held the other
+things, while Mr. Crow and the rest walked and carried what was left.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM AND MR. 'COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE]
+
+And when they got to the Hollow Tree it was just about sun-up, and Mr.
+'Possum said if they didn't have breakfast pretty soon he would starve
+to death with being up all night and working so hard holding on those
+things.
+
+So then Mr. Crow told him that he and Mr. 'Coon could set up the stove,
+and that he would unpack the food and stir up something as quick as he
+could if the others would bring a little wood and some water from the
+spring, and place the things around inside; for he saw a cloud coming,
+he said, and it might rain. And Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon tried to put
+up the stove in a hurry, and the pieces of pipe didn't fit very well,
+and they came as near having a quarrel over it as they ever did over
+anything, for even the best friends can't always put up stovepipe
+together without thinking and sometimes saying unpleasant things about
+each other, especially when they are hungry and not very warm and the
+house is all upset. Mr. 'Coon said he only wished he had another hand
+and he would do that job alone, and Mr. 'Possum told him that if he'd
+been provided with a handy and useful tail he'd _have_ the same as
+another hand, and could work more and not wish so much.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit came to help them, and just as they got it about up it
+all came down again, and Mr. Crow said that if they'd all go away he'd
+set up the stove himself; which he did in about a minute, and had a
+fire in it and the coffee on in no time.
+
+Then the others rushed around and got the things straightened out, and a
+fire in the fireplace, and they said how nice their rooms were, and when
+Mr. Crow called they all came hurrying down, and in about another minute
+the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, with Mr. Rabbit and Mr.
+Turtle, all sat down to the first meal in the Hollow Tree.
+
+It was then that Jack Rabbit read all of the "Hollow Tree Song" he had
+made for them, and they all sang it together; and then the storm that
+Mr. Crow had seen coming did come, and they shut all the doors and
+windows tight, and sat before the fire and smoked and went to sleep,
+because they were so tired with being up all night.
+
+And that was the first day in the Hollow Tree, and how the 'Possum and
+'Coon and Old Black Crow came to live there, and they live there
+still.
+
+
+
+
+THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+MR. RABBIT TELLS SOME INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY
+
+
+THE Little Lady waited until the Story Teller had lit his pipe and sat
+looking into the great open fire, where there was a hickory log so big
+that it had taken the Story Teller and the Little Lady's mother with two
+pairs of ice-tongs to drag it to the hearth and get it into place.
+Pretty soon the Little Lady had crept in between the Story Teller's
+knees. Then in another minute she was on one of his knees, helping him
+rock. Then she said:
+
+"Did Mr. Rabbit tell his story next? He promised to tell about losing
+his tail, you know."
+
+The Story Teller took his pipe from his mouth a moment, and sat thinking
+and gazing at the big log, which perhaps reminded him of one of the
+limbs of the Hollow Tree, where the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black
+Crow lived and had their friends visit them that long-ago snowy
+Christmastime.
+
+"Why, yes," he said, "that's so, Mr. Rabbit _did_ tell that story. When
+Mr. 'Coon got through telling how he came near getting into a menagerie,
+they all said that it certainly was a very narrow escape, and Mr. 'Coon
+said he shouldn't wonder if that menagerie had to quit business, just
+because he wasn't in it; and Mr. 'Possum said he thought if anything
+would _save_ a menagerie that would, for it would keep them from being
+eaten out of house and home."
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said that if that was so, Mr. 'Possum had saved at least
+three menageries by staying right where he was in the Big Deep Woods.
+This made Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Robin laugh, and the rest wondered what
+those two gigglers had noticed that was funny. Then they all knocked the
+ashes out of their pipes again, and walked over to the window, and
+looked at the snow banking up outside and piling up on the bare limbs of
+the big trees. They said how early it got dark this time of year,
+especially on a cloudy day. And pretty soon Mr. Crow said they had just
+about time for one more story before supper, and that Mr. Rabbit ought
+to tell now about how, a long time ago, his family had lost their tails.
+Mr. Rabbit didn't seem to feel very anxious to tell it, but they told
+him that he had promised, and that now was as good a time as any, so
+they went back and sat down, and Mr. Rabbit told them
+
+
+THE TRUE STORY OF THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE, AND HOW JACK RABBIT LOST
+HIS TAIL
+
+"Once upon a time," he said, "a great many great-grandfathers back, my
+family had long bushy tails, like Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Fox, only a good
+deal longer and finer and softer, and _very handsome_."
+
+When Mr. Rabbit said that, Mr. Squirrel sniffed and twitched his nose
+and gave his nice bushy tail a flirt, but he didn't say anything. Mr.
+Rabbit went right on.
+
+"Well, there was one fine, handsome rabbit who had the longest and
+plumiest tail of any of the family, and was very proud of it. He was my
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather, and was called 'Mr. Hare.' He was
+young and smart then, and thought he was a good deal smarter than he
+really was, though he was smart enough and handsome enough to set the
+style for all the other rabbits, and not much ever happened to him,
+because he could beat anything running that there was in the Big Deep
+Woods.
+
+"That twenty-seventh great-grandfather of mine was very proud of his
+running, and used to brag that in a foot-race he could beat anything
+that lived between the Wide Grass Lands and the Edge of the World. He
+used to talk about it to almost everybody that came along, and one day
+when he met one of the Turtle family who used to be called 'Mr.
+Tortoise' in those days, he stopped and began to brag to him how fast he
+could run and how nobody in the Big Deep Woods dared to race with him.
+
+"But Mr. Turtle, he just smiled a little and said: 'Oh, pshaw! you can't
+run very fast. I believe I can beat you myself!'
+
+"Well, that did make Grandfather Hare laugh--and made him a little mad,
+too.
+
+"'You!' he said. 'Why, I'll give you within ten yards of that rail fence
+of Mr. Man's, half a mile away, and then beat you across it. Just travel
+along, and some time this afternoon, when you get down that way, I'll
+come back and let you see me go by. But you'll have to look quick if you
+see me, for I'll be going fast.'
+
+"But Mr. Tortoise said he didn't want any start at all, that he was
+ready to begin the race right then; and that made Grandpaw Hare laugh so
+loud that Mr. Fox heard him as he was passing, and came over to see what
+the fun was. Then he said that he hadn't much to do for a few minutes,
+and that he'd stay and act as judge. He thought a race like that
+wouldn't last long; and it didn't, though it wasn't at all the kind of a
+race he had expected.
+
+"Well, he put Mr. Tortoise and my twenty-seventh great-grandfather side
+by side, and then he stood off and said, 'Go!' and thought it would all
+be over in a minute.
+
+[Illustration: MR. FOX SAID HE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO DO FOR A FEW MINUTES
+AND HE'D ACT AS JUDGE]
+
+"Grandpaw Hare gave one great big leap, about twenty feet long, and then
+stopped. He was in no hurry, and he wanted to have some fun with Mr.
+Tortoise. He looked around to where Mr. Tortoise was coming straddling
+and panting along, and he laughed and rolled over to see how solemn he
+looked, and how he was travelling as if he meant to get somewhere before
+dark. He was down on all fours so he could use all his legs at once, and
+anybody would think, to look at him, that he really expected to win that
+race.
+
+"The more my Grandpaw Hare looked at him the more he laughed, and then
+he would make another long leap forward and stop, and look back, and
+wait for Mr. Tortoise to catch up again.
+
+"Then he would call to him, or maybe go back and take roundin's on him,
+and say, 'Come along there, old tobacco-box. Are you tied to something?'
+Mr. Fox would laugh a good deal, too, and he told my ancestor to go on
+and finish the race--that he couldn't wait around there all day. And
+pretty soon he said if they were going to fool along like that, he'd
+just go down to the fence and take a nap till they got there; and for
+Grandpaw Rabbit to call to him when he really started to come, so he
+could wake up and judge the finish.
+
+"Mr. Fox he loped away to the fence and laid down and went to sleep in
+the shade, and Grandpaw Hare thought it would be fun to pretend to be
+asleep, too. I've heard a story told about it that says that he really
+did go to sleep, and that Mr. Tortoise went by him and got to the fence
+before he woke up. But that is not the way it happened. My
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather was too smart to go to sleep, and even
+if he had gone to sleep, Mr. Tortoise made enough noise pawing and
+scratching along through the grass and gravel to wake up forty of our
+family.
+
+"My ancestor would wait until he came grinding along and got up even
+with him, then suddenly he'd sit up as if he'd been waked out of a nice
+dream and say, 'Hello, old coffee-mill! What do you want to wake me up
+for when I'm trying to get a nap?' Then he would laugh a big laugh and
+make another leap, and lie down and pretend again, with his fine plumy
+tail very handsome in the sun.
+
+"But Grandpaw Hare carried the joke a little too far. He kept letting
+Mr. Tortoise get up a little closer and closer every time, until Mr.
+Tortoise would almost step on him before he would move. And that was
+just what Mr. Tortoise wanted, for about the next time he came along he
+came right up behind my ancestor, but instead of stepping on him, he
+gave his head a quick snap, just as if he were catching fish, and
+grabbed my Grandpaw Hare by that beautiful plumy tail, and held on, and
+pinched, and my ancestor gave a squeal and a holler and set out for
+that rail fence, telling his troubles as he came.
+
+"Mr. Fox had gone sound asleep and didn't hear the rumpus at first, and
+when he did, he thought grandpaw was just calling to him to wake up and
+be ready to judge the race, so he sat up quick and watched them come. He
+saw my twenty-seventh great-grandfather sailing along, just touching the
+highest points, with something that looked like an old black wash-pan
+tied to his tail.
+
+"When Mr. Fox saw what it was, he just laid down and laughed and rolled
+over, and then hopped up on the top rail and called, out 'All right, I'm
+awake, Mr. Hare! Come right along, Mr. Hare; you'll beat him yet!'
+
+"Then he saw my ancestor stop and shake himself, and paw, and roll over,
+to try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, which of course he couldn't do, for,
+as we all know, whenever any of the Turtle family get a grip they never
+let go till it thunders, and this was a bright day. So pretty soon
+grandpaw was up and running again with Mr. Tortoise sailing out behind
+and Mr. Fox laughing to see them come, and calling out: 'Come right
+along, Mr. Hare! come right along! You'll beat him yet!'
+
+[Illustration: SAILING ALONG, JUST TOUCHING THE HIGHEST POINTS]
+
+"But Mr. Fox made a mistake about that. Grandpaw Hare was really ahead,
+of course, when he came down the homestretch, but when he got pretty
+close to the fence he made one more try to get Mr. Tortoise loose, and
+gave himself and his tail a great big swing, and Mr. Tortoise didn't let
+go quite quick enough, and off came my twenty-seventh great-grandfather's
+beautiful plumy tail, and away went Mr. Tortoise with it, clear over the
+top rail of the fence, and landed in a brier patch on the other side.
+
+"Well, Grandpaw Hare was in such a state as you never heard of! He
+forgot all about the race at first, and just raved about his great loss,
+and borrowed Mr. Fox's handkerchief to tie up what was left, and said
+that he never in the world could show his face before folks again.
+
+"And Mr. Fox stopped laughing as soon as he could, and was really quite
+sorry for him, and even Mr. Tortoise looked through the fence, and asked
+him if he didn't think it could be spliced and be almost as good as
+ever.
+
+"He said he hadn't meant to commit any damage, and that he hoped Mr.
+Hare would live to forgive him, and that now there was no reason why my
+grandpaw shouldn't beat him in the next race.
+
+[Illustration: AWAY WENT MR. TORTOISE, CLEAR OVER THE TOP RAIL]
+
+"Then my ancestor remembered about the race and forgot his other loss
+for a minute, and declared that Mr. Tortoise didn't win the race at
+all--that he couldn't have covered that much ground in a half a day
+alone, and he asked Mr. Fox if he was going to let that great
+straddle-bug ruin his reputation for speed and make him the
+laughing-stock of the Big Deep Woods, besides all the other damage he
+had done.
+
+"Then Mr. Fox scratched his head, and thought about it, and said he
+didn't see how he could help giving the race to Mr. Tortoise, for it was
+to be the first one across the fence, and that Mr. Tortoise was
+certainly the first one across, and that he'd gone over the top rail in
+style.
+
+"Well, that made Grandpaw Hare madder than ever. He didn't say another
+word, but just picked up his property that Mr. Tortoise handed him
+through the fence, and set out for home by a back way, studying what he
+ought to do to keep everybody from laughing at him, and thinking that if
+he didn't do something he'd have to leave the country or drown himself,
+for he had always been so proud that if people laughed at him he knew he
+could never show his face again.
+
+"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the true story of that old race between
+the Hare and the Tortoise, and of how the first Rabbit came to lose his
+tail. I've never told it before, and none of my family ever did; but so
+many stories have been told about the way those things happened that we
+might just as well have this one, which is the only true one so far as I
+know."
+
+[Illustration: SET OUT FOR HOME BY A BACK WAY]
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit lit his pipe and leaned back and smoked. Mr. Dog said it
+was a fine story, and he wished he could have seen that race, and Mr.
+Turtle looked as if he wanted to say something, and did open his mouth
+to say it, but Mr. Crow spoke up, and asked what happened after that to
+Mr. Rabbit's twenty-seventh great-grandfather, and how it was that the
+rest of the Rabbits had short tails, too.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit said that that was another story, and Mr. Squirrel and
+Mr. Robin wanted him to tell it right away, but Mr. Crow said they'd
+better have supper now, and Mr. 'Possum thought that was a good plan,
+and Mr. 'Coon, too, and then they all hurried around to get up some
+sticks of wood from down-stairs, and to set the table, and everybody
+helped, so they could get through early and have a nice long evening.
+
+And all the time the snow was coming down outside and piling higher and
+higher, and they were being snowed in without knowing it, for it was
+getting too dark to see much when they tried again to look out the
+window through the gloom of the Big Deep Woods.
+
+
+
+
+THE FOURTH SNOWED-IN STORY
+
+MR. JACK RABBIT CONTINUES HIS FAMILY HISTORY
+
+
+"DID they have enough left for supper--enough for all the visitors, I
+mean?" asks the Little Lady the next evening, when the Story Teller is
+ready to go on with the history of the Hollow Tree.
+
+"Oh yes, they had plenty for supper, and more, too. They had been
+getting ready a good while for just such a time as this, and had carried
+in a lot of food, and they had a good many nice things down in the
+store-room where the wood was, but they didn't need those yet. They just
+put on what they had left from their big dinner, and Mr. Crow stirred up
+a pan of hot biscuits by his best receipt, and they passed them back and
+forth across the table so much that Mr. 'Possum said they went like hot
+cakes, sure enough, and always took two when they came his way."
+
+And they talked a good deal about the stories that Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+Rabbit had told them, and everybody thought how sly and smart Mr. 'Coon
+had been to fool Mr. Dog that way; and Mr. 'Coon said that, now he came
+to think it over, he supposed it was a pretty good trick, though it
+really hadn't seemed so specially great to him at the time. He said he
+didn't think it half as smart as Mr. Tortoise's trick on Mr. Rabbit's
+Grandpaw Hare, when he beat him in the foot-race and went over the fence
+first, taking Mr. Hare's tail with him. And then they wondered if that
+had all really happened as Mr. Rabbit had told it--all but Mr. Turtle,
+who just sat and smiled to himself and didn't say anything at all,
+except "Please pass the biscuits," now and then, when he saw the plate
+being set down in front of Mr. 'Possum.
+
+Then by-and-by they all got through and hurried up and cleared off the
+table, and lit their pipes, and went back to the fire, and pretty soon
+Jack Rabbit began to tell
+
+
+HOW THE REST OF THE RABBITS LOST THEIR TAILS
+
+"Well," he said, "my twenty-seventh great-grandfather Hare didn't go out
+again for several days. He put up a sign that said 'Not at Home,' on his
+door, and then tried a few experiments, to see what could be done.
+
+[Illustration: TRIED TO SPLICE HIS PROPERTY BACK IN PLACE]
+
+"He first tried to splice his property back into place, as Mr. Tortoise
+had told him he might, but that plan didn't work worth a cent. He never
+could get it spliced on straight, and if he did get it about right, it
+would lop over or sag down or something as soon as he moved, and when he
+looked at himself in the glass he made up his mind that he'd rather do
+without his nice plumy brush altogether than to go out into society with
+it in that condition.
+
+"So he gave it up and put on some nice all-healing ointment, and before
+long what there was left of it was all well, and a nice bunch of soft,
+white cottony fur had grown out over the scar, and Grandpaw Hare thought
+when he looked at himself in the glass that it was really quite
+becoming, though he knew the rest of his family would always be saying
+things about it, and besides they would laugh at him for letting Mr.
+Tortoise beat him in a foot-race.
+
+"Sometimes, when there was nobody around, my grandfather would go out
+into the sun and light his pipe and lean up against a big stone, or
+maybe a stump, and think it over.
+
+[Illustration: GRANDFATHER WOULD LIGHT HIS PIPE AND THINK IT OVER]
+
+"And one morning, as he sat there thinking, he made up his mind what he
+would do. Mr. Lion lived in the Big Deep Woods in those days, and he was
+King. Whenever anything happened among the Deep Woods People that they
+couldn't decide for themselves, they went to where King Lion lived, in a
+house all by himself over by the Big West Hills, and he used to settle
+the question; and sometimes, when somebody that wasn't very old, and
+maybe was plump and tender, had done something that wasn't just right,
+King Lion would look at him and growl and say it was too bad for any one
+so young to do such things, and especially for them to grow up and keep
+on doing them; so he would have him for breakfast, or maybe for dinner,
+and that would settle everything in the easiest and shortest way.
+
+"Of course Grandfather Hare knew very well that Mr. Tortoise and Mr. Fox
+wouldn't go with him to King Lion, for they would be afraid to, after
+what they had done, so he made up his mind to go alone and tell him the
+whole story, because he was as sure as anything that King Lion would
+decide that he had really won the race, and would be his friend, which
+would make all the other Deep Woods People jealous and proud of him
+again, and perhaps make them wish they had nice bunches of white cottony
+fur in the place of long dragging tails that were always in the way.
+
+"And then some day he would show King Lion where Mr. Fox and Mr.
+Tortoise lived.
+
+[Illustration: SET UP HIS EARS AND WENT BY, LICKETY-SPLIT]
+
+"My Grandfather Hare didn't stop a minute after he thought of that, but
+just set out for King Lion's house over at the foot of the Big West
+Hills. He had to pass by Mr. Fox's house, and Mr. Fox called to him, but
+Grandpaw Hare just set up his ears as proud as could be and went by,
+lickety-split, without looking at Mr. Fox at all.
+
+"It was a good way to King Lion's house, but Grandpaw Hare didn't waste
+any time, and he was there almost before he knew it.
+
+"When he got to King Lion's door he hammered on the knocker, and when
+nobody came right away he thought maybe the King was out for a walk. But
+that wasn't so. King Lion had been sick for two or three days, and he
+was still in bed, and had to get up and get something around him before
+he could let Grandpaw in.
+
+"Grandpaw Hare had sat down on the steps to wait, when all at once the
+door opened behind him and he felt something grab him by the collar and
+swing him in and set him down hard on a seat, and then he saw it was
+King Lion, and he didn't much like his looks.
+
+"'So it was you, was it, making that noise?' he said. 'Well, I'm glad to
+see you, for I was just thinking about having a nice rabbit for
+breakfast.'
+
+[Illustration: "'GLAD TO SEE YOU,' SAID KING LION; 'I WAS JUST THINKING
+ABOUT HAVING A NICE RABBIT FOR BREAKFAST'"]
+
+"Then my twenty-seventh great-grandfather knew he'd made a mistake,
+coming to see King Lion when he was feeling that way, and he had to
+think pretty quick to know what to say. But our family have always been
+pretty quick in their thoughts, and Grandpaw Hare spoke right up as
+polite as could be, and said he would do anything he could to find a
+nice young plump rabbit for King Lion, and that he would even be proud
+to be a king's breakfast himself, only he wasn't so very young nor so
+very plump, and, besides, there was that old prophecy about the king and
+the cotton-tailed rabbit, which of course, he said, King Lion must have
+heard about.
+
+"Then King Lion said that my twenty-seventh great-grandfather was plenty
+young enough and plenty plump enough, and that he'd never heard of any
+prophecy about a cotton-tailed rabbit, and that he'd never heard of a
+cotton-tailed rabbit, either.
+
+"Then Grandpaw Hare just got up and turned around, and as he turned he
+said, as solemnly as he could:
+
+    'When the King eats a hare with a cotton tail,
+    Then the King's good health will fail.'
+
+"Well, that scared the King a good deal, for he was just getting over
+one sick spell, and he was afraid if he had another right away he'd die
+sure. He sat down and asked Grandpaw Hare to tell him how he came to
+have a tail like that, and grandpaw told him, and it made the King laugh
+and laugh, until he got well, and he said it was the best joke he ever
+heard of, and that he'd have given some of the best ornaments off of his
+crown to have seen that race.
+
+"And the better King Lion felt the hungrier he got, and when my
+Grandfather Hare asked him if he wouldn't decide the race in his favor,
+he just glared at him and said if he didn't get out of there and hunt
+him up a nice, young, plump, long-tailed rabbit, he'd eat him--cotton
+tail, prophecy, and all--for he didn't go much on prophecies anyway.
+
+"Then Grandpaw Hare got right up and said, 'Good-day' and backed out and
+made tracks for the rest of his family, and told them that King Lion had
+just got up from a sick spell that had given him an appetite for
+long-tailed rabbits. He said that the King had sent him out to get one,
+and that King Lion would most likely be along himself pretty soon. He
+said the sooner the Rabbit family took pattern after the new
+cotton-tailed style the more apt they'd be to live to a green old age
+and have descendants.
+
+"Well, that was a busy day in the Big Deep Woods. The Rabbit family got
+in line by a big smooth stump that they picked out for the purpose, and
+grandpaw attended to the job for them, and called out 'Next!' as they
+marched by. He didn't have to wait, either, for they didn't know what
+minute King Lion might come. Mr. Tortoise and Mr. Fox came along and
+stopped to see the job, and helped grandpaw now and then when his arm
+got tired, and by evening there was a pile of tails by that stump as big
+as King Lion's house, and there never was such a call for the
+all-healing ointment as there was that night in the Big Deep Woods.
+
+"And none of our family ever did have tails after that, for they never
+would grow any more, and all the little new rabbits just had bunches of
+cotton, too, and that has never changed to this day.
+
+"And when King Lion heard how he'd been fooled by Grandpaw Hare with
+that foolish prophecy that he just made up right there, out of his head,
+he knew that everybody would laugh at him as much as he had laughed at
+Mr. Hare, and he moved out of the country and never came back, and
+there's never been a king in the Big Deep Woods since, so my
+twenty-seventh great-grandfather did some good, after all.
+
+"And that," said Mr. Rabbit, "is the whole story of the Hare and the
+Tortoise and how the Rabbit family lost their tails. It's never been
+told outside of our family before, but it's true, for it's been handed
+down, word for word, and if Mr. Fox or Mr. Tortoise were alive now they
+would say so."
+
+Mr. Rabbit filled his pipe and lit it, and Mr. Crow was just about to
+make some remarks, when Mr. Turtle cleared his throat and said:
+
+"The story that Mr. Rabbit has been telling is all true, every word of
+it--I was there."
+
+Then all the Deep Woods People took their pipes out of their mouths and
+just looked at Mr. Turtle with their mouths wide open, and when they
+could say anything at all, they said:
+
+"_You were there!_"
+
+You see, they could never get used to the notion of Mr. Turtle's being
+so old--as old as their twenty-seventh great-grandfathers would have
+been, if they had lived.
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Turtle, "and it all comes back to me as plain as day. It
+happened two hundred and fifty-eight years ago last June. They used to
+call us the Tortoise family then, and I was a young fellow of
+sixty-seven and fond of a joke. But I was surprised when I went sailing
+over that fence, and I didn't mean to carry off Mr. Hare's tail. Dear
+me, how time passes! I'm three hundred and twenty-five now, though I
+don't feel it."
+
+Then they all looked at Mr. Turtle again, for though they believed he
+was old, and might possibly have been there, they thought it pretty
+strange that he could be the very Mr. Tortoise who had won the race.
+
+Mr. 'Possum said, pretty soon, that when anybody said a thing like that,
+there ought to be some way to prove it.
+
+Then Mr. Turtle got up and began taking off his coat, and all the others
+began to get out of the way, for they didn't know what was going to
+happen to Mr. 'Possum, and they wanted to be safe; and Mr. 'Possum
+rolled under the table, and said that he didn't mean anything--that he
+loved Mr. Turtle, and that Mr. Turtle hadn't understood the way he meant
+it at all.
+
+But Mr. Turtle wasn't the least bit mad. He just laid off his coat,
+quietly, and unbuttoned his shirt collar, and told Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+Crow to look on the back of his shell.
+
+And then Mr. Dog held a candle, and they all looked, one after another,
+and there, sure enough, carved right in Mr. Turtle's shell, were the
+words:
+
+    BEAT MR. HARE
+    FOOT-RACE
+    JUNE 10, 1649
+
+"That," said Mr. Turtle, "was my greatest joke, and I had it carved on
+my shell."
+
+And all the rest of the forest people said that a thing like that was
+worth carving on anybody's shell that had one, and when Mr. Turtle put
+on his coat they gave him the best seat by the fire, and sat and looked
+at him and asked questions about it, and finally all went to sleep in
+their chairs, while the fire burned low and the soft snow was banking up
+deeper and deeper, outside, in the dark.
+
+
+
+
+THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB
+
+MR. RABBIT PROPOSES SOMETHING TO PASS THE TIME
+
+
+"DID the Hollow Tree People and their company sleep in their chairs all
+night?" asks the Little Lady, as soon as she has finished her supper.
+"And were they snowed in when they woke up next morning?"
+
+The Story Teller is not quite ready to answer. He has to fill his pipe
+first, and puff a little and look into the fire before he sits down, and
+the Little Lady climbs into her place. The Little Lady knows the Story
+Teller, and waits. When he begins to rock a little she knows he has
+remembered, and then pretty soon he tells her about the "Snowed-In"
+Literary Club.
+
+Well, the Hollow Tree People went to sleep there by the fire and they
+stayed asleep a long while, for they were tired with all the good times
+and all the good things to eat they had been having. And when they woke
+up once, they thought it was still night, for it was dark, though they
+thought it must be about morning, because the fire was nearly out, and
+Mr. 'Possum said if there was anybody who wasn't too stiff he wished
+they'd put on a stick of wood, as he was frozen so hard that he knew if
+he tried to move he'd break.
+
+So Mr. Turtle, who had been drawn up mostly into his shell, and Mr. Dog,
+who was used to getting up at all hours of the night, stretched and
+yawned and crept down after some sticks and dry pieces and built up a
+good fire, and pretty soon they were all asleep again, as sound as ever.
+
+And when they woke up next time it was still just as dark, and the fire
+had gone almost out again, and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. Crow, too, said they
+didn't understand it, at all, for a fire like that would generally keep
+all night and all day too, and here two fires had burned out and it was
+still as dark as ever. Then Mr. Crow lit a splinter and looked at the
+clock, and said he must have forgotten to wind it, or maybe it was
+because it was so cold, as it had stopped a little after twelve, and Mr.
+'Possum said that from the way he felt it was no wonder the clock had
+stopped, for if he could tell anything by his feelings it must be at
+least day after to-morrow. He said he felt so empty that every time he
+breathed he could hear the wind whistle through his ribs.
+
+That made Mr. Rabbit think of something, and he stepped over to the
+window. Then he pushed it up a little, and put out his hand. But he
+didn't put it out far, for it went right into something soft and cold.
+Mr. Rabbit came over to where Mr. Crow was poking up the fire, bringing
+some of the stuff with him.
+
+"Now," he said, "you can all see what's the matter. We're snowed in. The
+snow is up over the window, and that's why it's so dark. It may be up
+over the top of the tree, and we may have been asleep here for a week,
+for all we know."
+
+Then they all gathered around to look at the snow, and went to the
+window and got some more, and tried to tell whether it was day or night,
+and Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum ran up-stairs to their rooms,
+and called back that it was day, for the snow hadn't come quite up to
+the tops of their windows.
+
+And it was day, sure enough, and quite late in the afternoon at that,
+but they couldn't tell just what day it was, or whether they had slept
+one night, or two nights, or even longer.
+
+Well, of course the first thing was to get something to eat and a big
+fire going, and even Mr. 'Possum scrambled around and helped carry
+wood, so he could get warm quicker. They still had a good deal to eat in
+the Hollow Tree, and they were not much worried. Mr. 'Possum and Mr.
+'Coon remembered another time they were snowed in, when Mr. Crow had fed
+them on Johnnie cake and gravy, and they thought that if everything else
+gave out it would be great fun to live like that again.
+
+When they had finished eating breakfast, or dinner, or whatever it was,
+for it was nearer supper-time than anything else, they began to think of
+things to do to amuse themselves, and they first thought they'd have
+some more stories, like Mr. Rabbit's.
+
+But Mr. Rabbit, who is quite literary, and a good poet, said it would be
+better to make it a kind of a club, and each have a poem, or a story, or
+a song; or if anybody couldn't do any of those he must dance a jig.
+
+Then they all remembered a poetry club that Mr. Rabbit had got up once
+and how nice it was, and they all said that was just the thing, and they
+got around the table and began to work away at whatever they were going
+to do for the "Snowed-In" Literary Club.
+
+[Illustration: GOT AROUND THE TABLE AND BEGAN TO WORK]
+
+Mr. Rabbit wasn't very long at his piece, and pretty soon he jumped up
+and said he was through, and Mr. 'Possum said that if that was so, he
+might go down and bring up some wood and warm up the brains of the rest
+of them. So Mr. Rabbit stirred up the fire, and sat down and looked
+into it, and read over his poem to himself and changed a word here and
+there, and thought how nice it was; and by-and-by Mr. Dog said he was
+through, and Mr. Robin said he was through, too.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit said he thought that would be more than enough for one
+evening anyway, and that the others might finish their pieces to-morrow
+and have them ready for the next evening.
+
+So then they all gathered around the fire again, and everybody said that
+as Mr. Rabbit had thought of the club first, he must be the first to
+read his piece.
+
+Mr. Rabbit said he was sure it would be more modest for some one else to
+read first, but that he was willing to start things going if they wanted
+him to. Then he stood up, and turned a little to the light, and took a
+nice position, and read his poem, which was called
+
+
+SNOWED IN
+
+_By J. Rabbit_
+
+    Oh, the snow lies white in the woods to-night--
+      The snow lies soft and deep;
+    And under the snow, I know, oh, ho!
+      The flowers of the summer sleep.
+    The flowers of the summer sleep, I know,
+      Snowed in like you and me--
+    Under the sheltering leaves, oh, ho,
+      As snug and as warm as we--
+    As snug and as warm from the winter storm
+      As we of the Hollow Tree.
+    Snowed in are we in the Hollow Tree,
+    And as snug and as warm as they we be--
+      Snowed in, snowed in,
+    Are we, are we,
+    And as snug as can be in the Hollow Tree,
+      The wonderful Hollow Tree.
+
+    Oh, the snow lies cold on wood and wold,
+      But never a bit comes in,
+    As we smoke and eat, and warm our feet,
+      And sit by the fire and spin:
+    And what care we for the winter gales,
+      And what care we for the snow--
+    As we sit by the fire and spin our tales
+      And think of the things we know?
+    As we spin our tales in the winter gales
+      And wait for the snow to go?
+    Oh, the winds blow high and the winds blow low,
+    But what care we for the wind and snow,
+    Spinning our tales of the long ago
+      As snug as snug can be?
+    For never a bit comes in, comes in,
+    As we sit by the fire and spin, and spin
+    The tales we know, of the long ago,
+      In the wonderful Hollow Tree.
+
+Mr. Rabbit sat down then, and of course everybody spoke up as soon as
+they could get their breath and said how nice it was, and how Mr. Rabbit
+always expressed himself better in poetry than anybody else could in
+prose, and how the words and rhymes just seemed to flow along as if he
+were reeling it off of a spinning-wheel and could keep it up all day.
+
+And Mr. Rabbit smiled and said he supposed it came natural, and that
+sometimes it was harder to stop than it was to start, and that he
+_could_ keep it up all day as easy as not.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said he'd been afraid that was what _would_ happen, and
+that if Mr. Rabbit hadn't stopped pretty soon that he--Mr. 'Possum, of
+course--would have been so tangled up in his mind that somebody would
+have had to come and undo the knot.
+
+Then he said he wanted to ask some questions. He said he wanted to know
+what "wold" meant, and also what Mr. Rabbit meant by spinning their
+tails. He said he hadn't noticed that any of them were spinning their
+tails, and that he couldn't do it if he tried. He said that he could
+curl his tail and hang from a limb or a peg by it, and he had found it a
+good way to go to sleep when things were on his mind, and that he
+generally had better dreams when he slept that way.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MR. RABBIT MEANT BY
+SPINNING THEIR TAILS]
+
+He said that of course Mr. Rabbit's poem had been about tails of the
+long ago, and he supposed that he meant the ones which his family had
+lost about three hundred years ago, according to Mr. Turtle, but that he
+didn't believe they ever could spin them much, or that Mr. Rabbit could
+spin what he had left.
+
+Mr. 'Possum was going on to say a good deal more on the subject, but Mr.
+Rabbit interrupted him.
+
+He said he didn't suppose there was anybody else in the world whose food
+seemed to do him so little good as Mr. 'Possum's, and that very likely
+it was owing to the habit he had of sleeping with his head hanging down
+in that foolish way. He said he had never heard of anybody who ate so
+much and knew so little.
+
+Of course, he said, everybody might not know what "wold" meant, as it
+wasn't used much except by poets who used the best words, but that it
+meant some kind of a field, and it was better for winter use, as it
+rhymed with "cold" and was nearly always used that way. As for Mr.
+'Possum's other remark, he said he couldn't imagine how anybody would
+suppose that the tales he meant were those other tails which were made
+to wave or wag or flirt or hang from limbs by, instead of being stories
+to be told or written, just as the Deep Woods People were telling and
+writing them now. He said there was an old expression about having a
+peg to hang a tale on, and that it was most likely gotten up by one of
+Mr. 'Possum's ancestors or somebody who knew as little about such things
+as Mr. 'Possum, and that another old expression which said "Thereby
+hangs a tale" was just like it, because the kind of tales he meant
+didn't hang, but were always told or written, while the other kind
+always did hang, and were never told or written, but were only sometimes
+told or written about, and it made him feel sad, he said, to have to
+explain his poem in that simple way.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said that he was sorry Mr. Rabbit felt that way,
+because he didn't feel at all that way himself, and had only been trying
+to discuss Mr. Rabbit's nice poem. He said that of course Mr. Rabbit
+couldn't be expected to know much about tails, never having had a real
+one himself, and would be likely to get mixed up when he tried to write
+on the subject. He said he wouldn't mention such things again, and that
+he was sorry and hoped that Mr. Rabbit would forgive him.
+
+And Mr. Rabbit said that he was sorry, too--sorry for Mr. 'Possum--and
+that he thought whoever was ready had better read the next piece.
+
+Then Mr. Dog said that he supposed that he was as ready as he'd ever be,
+and that he'd like to read his and get it off his mind, so he wouldn't
+be so nervous and could enjoy listening to the others. He wasn't used to
+such things, he said, and couldn't be original like Mr. Rabbit, but he
+knew a story that was told among the fowls in Mr. Man's barn-yard, and
+that he had tried to write it in a simple way that even Mr. 'Possum
+would understand. His story was about a duck--a young and foolish
+duck--who got into trouble, and Mr. Dog said he had made a few sketches
+to go with it, and that they could be handed around while he was
+reading. Now he would begin, he said, and the name of his story was
+
+
+ERASTUS, THE ROBBER DUCK
+
+_By Mr. Dog, with Sketches_
+
+Once upon a time there was a foolish young duck named Erastus (called
+'Rastus, for short). He was an only child, and lived with his mother in
+a small house on the bank of a pond at the foot of the farm-yard.
+
+Erastus thought himself a brave duck; he would chase his shadow, and was
+not afraid of quite a large worm.
+
+As he grew older he did not tell his mother everything. Once he slipped
+away, and went swimming alone. Then a worm larger than any he had ever
+seen came up out of the water, and would have swallowed Erastus if he
+had not reached the shore just in time, and gone screaming to his
+mother.
+
+His mother said the great worm was a water-snake, and she told Erastus
+snake-stories which gave him bad dreams.
+
+[Illustration: MR. DOG SAID HE HAD MADE A FEW SKETCHES]
+
+Erastus grew quite fast, and soon thought he was nearly grown up. Once
+he tried to smoke with some other young ducks behind the barn. It made
+Erastus sick, and his mother found it out. She gave Erastus some
+unpleasant medicine, and made him stay in bed a week.
+
+Erastus decided that he would run away. While his mother was taking her
+morning bath he packed his things in a little valise she had given him
+for Christmas. Then he slipped out the back door and made for the woods
+as fast as he could go. He had made up his mind to be a robber, and make
+a great deal of money by taking it away from other people.
+
+He had begun by taking a small toy pistol which belonged to Mr. Man's
+little boy. He wore it at his side. His mother had read to him about
+robbers. Erastus also had on his nice new coat and pretty vest.
+
+He did not rob anybody that day. There was nothing in the woods but
+trees and vines. Erastus tripped over the vines and hurt himself, and
+lost the toy pistol.
+
+Then it came night, and he was very lonesome. For the first time in his
+life Erastus missed his mother. There was a nice full moon, but Erastus
+did not care for it. Some of the black shadows about him looked as if
+they might be live things. By-and-by he heard a noise near him.
+
+Erastus the Robber Duck started to run; but he was lost, and did not
+know which way to go. All at once he was face to face with some large
+animal. It wore a long cape and a mask. It also carried a real pistol
+which it pointed at Erastus and told him to hold up his wings. Erastus
+the Robber Duck held up his wings as high as possible, and tried to get
+them higher. It did not seem to Erastus that he could hold them up high
+enough. His mother had read to him about robbers.
+
+Then the robber took all the things that Erastus had in his pockets. He
+took his new knife and his little watch; also the nice bag which his
+mother had given him for Christmas.
+
+Erastus kept his wings up a good while after the robber had gone. He was
+afraid the robber had not gone far enough. When he put them down they
+were cramped and sore. Then he heard something again, and thought it was
+the robber coming back after his clothes.
+
+Erastus fled with great speed, taking off his garments as he ran. At
+last he reached the edge of the wood, not far from where he lived. It
+was just morning, and his mother saw him coming. She looked sad, and
+embraced him.
+
+It was the first time Erastus had been out all night.
+
+Erastus was not allowed to go swimming or even to leave the yard for a
+long time. Whenever he remembered that night in the woods he shivered,
+and his mother thought he had a chill. Then she would put him to bed
+and give him some of the unpleasant medicine.
+
+Erastus did not tell his mother _all_ that had happened that night for a
+good while. He was ashamed to do so. But one day when he seemed quite
+sick and his mother was frightened, he broke down and told her all about
+it. Then his mother forgave him, and he got well right away.
+
+After that Erastus behaved, and grew to be the best and largest duck in
+Mr. Man's farm-yard.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+While Mr. Dog had been reading his story the Hollow Tree People--the
+'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old Black Crow--had been leaning forward
+and almost holding their breath, and Mr. Dog felt a good deal flattered
+when he noticed how interested they were. When he sat down he saw that
+Mr. 'Possum's mouth was open and his tongue fairly hanging out with
+being so excited.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID IT MIGHT BE A GOOD ENOUGH STORY, BUT IT
+COULDN'T BE TRUE]
+
+Then before any of the others could say a word, Mr. 'Possum said that it
+might be a good enough story, but that it couldn't be true. He said that
+he wasn't a judge of stories, but that he was a judge of ducks--young
+ducks, or old either--and that no young duck could pass the night in the
+Big Deep Woods and get home at sunrise or any other time, unless all the
+other animals were snowed in or locked up in a menagerie, and that the
+animal that had met Erastus might have robbed him, of course, but he
+would have eaten him first, and then carried off what was left, unless,
+of course, that robber was a rabbit, and he said that he didn't believe
+any rabbit would have spunk enough to be in that business.
+
+Mr. Rabbit was about to say something just then, but Mr. Crow and Mr.
+'Coon both interrupted and said they thought Mr. 'Possum was right for
+once, except about Mr. Rabbit, who was plenty brave enough, but too much
+of a gentleman to be out robbing people at night when he could be at
+home in bed asleep. Then Mr. Dog said:
+
+"I don't know whether the story is true or not. I wrote it down as I
+heard it among Mr. Man's fowls, and I know the duck that they still call
+Erastus, and he's the finest, fattest--"
+
+But Mr. Dog didn't get any further. For the Hollow Tree People broke in
+and said, all together:
+
+"Oh, take us to see him, Mr. Dog! Or perhaps you could bring him to see
+us. Invite him to spend an evening with us in the Hollow Tree. Tell him
+we will have him for dinner and invite our friends. Oh, do, Mr. Dog!"
+
+But Mr. Dog knew what they meant by having him for dinner, and he said
+he guessed Mr. Man would not be willing to have Erastus go out on an
+invitation like that, and that if Erastus came, Mr. Man might take a
+notion to visit the Hollow Tree himself. Then the Hollow Tree People
+all said, "Oh, never mind about Erastus! He's probably old and
+disagreeable anyway. We don't think we would care for him. But it was a
+nice story--very nice, indeed."
+
+And pretty soon Mr. Dog said he'd been thinking about the robber animal,
+too, and had made up his mind that it might have been one of Mr. Cat's
+family--for Mr. Man's little boy and girl had a book with a nice poem in
+it about a robber cat, and a robber dog, too, though he didn't think
+that the dog could have been any of _his_ family. Mr. Cat, he said,
+would not be likely to care for Erastus, feathers and all, that way, and
+no doubt it really was Mr. Cat who robbed him. Mr. Dog said that he had
+once heard of a Mr. Cat who wanted to be king--perhaps after Mr. Lion
+had gone out of the king business, and that there was an old poem about
+it that Mr. Dog's mother used to sing to him, but he didn't think it had
+ever been put into a book. He said there were a good many things in it
+he didn't suppose the Hollow Tree People would understand because it was
+about a different kind of a country--where his mother had been born--but
+that if they really would like to hear it he would try to remember it
+for them, as it would be something different from anything they had been
+used to. Then the Hollow Tree People and their friends all said how glad
+they would be to hear it, for they always liked to hear about new
+things and new parts of the country; so Mr. Dog said that if some of the
+others would read or sing or dance their jigs first, perhaps it would
+come to him and he would sing it for them by and by.
+
+Then Mr. Robin spoke up and said that he thought Mr. Dog's story had a
+good moral in it, and he said that _his_ story (Mr. Robin's, of course)
+was that kind of a story, too. Perhaps he'd better tell it now, he said,
+while their minds were running that way, though as for Mr. 'Possum's
+mind it seemed to be more on how good Erastus might be cooked than how
+good he had become in his behavior. He was sorry, he said, that his
+story didn't have any ducks in it, young or old, but that perhaps Mr.
+'Possum and the others would be willing to wait for the nice pair of
+cooked ones now hanging in Mr. Crow's pantry, to be served at the end of
+the literary exercises.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum said "No," he wasn't willing to wait any longer--that
+Mr. Dog's story and the mention of those nice cooked fowls was more than
+he could bear, and that if it was all the same to Mr. Robin and the
+others he voted to have supper first, and then he'd be better able to
+stand a strictly moral story on a full stomach.
+
+Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon said that was a good idea, and Mr. Rabbit said he
+thought they'd better postpone Mr. Robin's story until the next evening,
+as Mr. 'Possum had taken up so much time with his arguments that he
+must be hungrier than usual, and if he put in as much more time eating,
+it would be morning before they were ready to go on with the literary
+programme.
+
+Then they all looked at the clock and saw that it really was getting
+late, though that was the only way they could tell, for the snow covered
+all the windows and made no difference between day and night in the
+Hollow Tree.
+
+
+
+
+THE "SNOWED-IN" LITERARY CLUB--Part II
+
+MR. RABBIT STARTS SOME NEW AMUSEMENTS
+
+
+IT was still dark in the Hollow Tree when the Deep Woods People woke up
+next morning, but they knew what was the matter now, and could tell by
+the clock and the fire that it was day outside, even before Mr. 'Possum
+ran up to his room and looked out the window and came back shivering,
+because he said the snow was blowing and drifting and some had drifted
+in around his windows and made his room as cold as all outdoors. He said
+he was willing to stay by the fire while this spell lasted, and take
+such exercise as he needed by moving his chair around to the table when
+he wanted to eat.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said that Mr. 'Possum might exercise himself on a little wood
+for the cook-stove in Mr. Crow's kitchen if he wanted any breakfast,
+and that if this spell kept up long enough, they wouldn't have anything
+left but exercise to keep them alive.
+
+So Mr. 'Possum went down-stairs after an armful of stove-wood, and he
+stayed a good while, though they didn't notice it at the time. Then they
+all helped with the breakfast, and after breakfast they pushed back all
+the things and played "Blind Man's Buff," for Mr. Rabbit said that even
+if moving his chair from the fire to the table and back again was enough
+exercise for Mr. 'Possum, it wasn't enough for _him_, and the others
+said so, too.
+
+[Illustration: SO THEN MR. RABBIT SAID THEY MUST CHOOSE WHO WOULD BE
+"IT"]
+
+So then Mr. Rabbit said they must choose who would be "It" first, and
+they all stood in a row and Mr. Rabbit said:
+
+    "Hi, ho, hickory dee--
+     One for you and one for me;
+     One for the ones you try to find,
+     And one for the one that wears the blind,"
+
+which was a rigmarole Mr. Rabbit had made up himself to use in games
+where somebody had to be "It," and Mr. Rabbit said it around and around
+the circle on the different ones--one word for each one--until he came
+to the word "blind" and that was Mr. 'Possum, who had to put on the
+handkerchief and do more exercising than any of them, until he caught
+Mr. Turtle, who had to be "It" quite often, because he couldn't get
+out of the way as well as the others.
+
+And Mr. 'Possum was "It" a good deal, too, and Mr. 'Coon, and all the
+rest, though Mr. Robin was "It" less than anybody, because he was so
+little and spry that he could get out of the way.
+
+Then when they were tired of "Blind Man's Buff" they played "Pussy Wants
+a Corner" and "Forfeits," and Mr. 'Possum had to make a speech to redeem
+his forfeit, and he began:
+
+"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN" (though there were no ladies present)--"I am
+pleased to see you all here this evening" (though it wasn't evening)
+"looking so well dressed and well fed. It is better to be well fed than
+well dressed. It is better to be well dressed than not dressed at all.
+It is better to be not dressed at all than not fed at all. Ladies and
+gentlemen, I thank you for your kind attention and applause"--though
+they hadn't applauded yet, but they did, right away, and said it was a
+good speech, and Mr. Crow said it reminded him that it was about
+dinner-time, and that he would need some more wood.
+
+So Mr. 'Possum got right up to get the stove-wood again, which everybody
+thought was very good of Mr. 'Possum, who wasn't usually so spry and
+willing.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM HAD TO PUT ON THE HANDKERCHIEF AND DO MORE
+EXERCISING THAN ANY OF THEM]
+
+Then in the afternoon they had games again, but nice quiet games, for
+they were all glad to sit down, and they played "Button! Button! Who's
+Got the Button?" and nobody could tell when Mr. 'Possum had the button,
+for his face didn't show it, because he was nearly always looking
+straight into the fire, and seemed to be thinking about something away
+off. And when the fire got low, he always jumped up and offered to go
+down into the store-room after the wood, and they all said how willing
+and spry Mr. 'Possum was getting all at once, and when he stayed a good
+while down-stairs they didn't think anything about it--not at the
+time--or if they did they only thought he was picking out the best
+pieces to burn. They played "Drop the Handkerchief," too, and when they
+got through Mr. Rabbit performed some tricks with the handkerchief and
+the button that made even Mr. 'Possum pay attention because they were so
+wonderful.
+
+There was one trick especially that Mr. Rabbit did a great many times
+because they liked it so much, and were so anxious to guess how it was
+done. Mr. Rabbit told them it was a trick that had come down to him from
+his thirty-second great-grandfather, and must never be told to any one.
+
+It was a trick where he laid the button in the centre of the
+handkerchief and then folded the corners down on it, and pressed them
+down each time so that they could see that the button was still there,
+and he would let them press on it, too, to prove it, and then when he
+would lift up the handkerchief by the two corners nearest him there
+would be no button at all, and he would find it on the mantel-shelf or
+perhaps on Mr. Crow's bald head, or in Mr. 'Possum's pocket, or some
+place like that. But one time, when Mr. Rabbit had done it over and
+over, and maybe had grown a little careless, he lifted the handkerchief
+by the corners nearest him, and there was the button sticking fast,
+right in the centre of the handkerchief, for it had a little beeswax on
+it, to make it stick to one of the corners next to Mr. Rabbit, and by
+some mistake Mr. Rabbit had turned the button upside down!
+
+Then they all laughed, and all began to try it for themselves, and Mr.
+Rabbit laughed too, though perhaps he didn't feel much like it, and told
+them that they had learned one of the greatest secrets in his family,
+and that he would now tell them the adage that went with it if they
+would promise never to tell either the secret or the adage, and they all
+promised, and Mr. Rabbit told them the adage, which was:
+
+    "When beeswax grows on the button-tree,
+     No one knows what the weather'll be."
+
+[Illustration: WOULD FIND IT ON THE MANTEL-SHELF OR PERHAPS ON MR.
+CROW'S BALD HEAD]
+
+"That," said Mr. Rabbit, "is a very old adage. I don't know what it
+means exactly, but I'm sure it means something, because old adages
+always do mean something, though often nobody can find out just what
+it is, and the less they seem to mean the better they are, as adages.
+There are a great many old adages in our family, and they have often got
+my ancestors out of trouble. When we didn't have an old one to fit the
+trouble we made a new one, and by-and-by it got old too, and useful in
+different ways, because by that time it didn't seem to mean anything
+special, and could be used almost anywhere."
+
+Then the Deep Woods People all said there was never anybody who knew so
+much and could do so many things as Mr. Jack Rabbit, and how proud they
+all were to have him in their midst, and Mr. Rabbit showed them how to
+do all the tricks he knew, and they all practised them and tried them on
+each other until Mr. Crow said he must look after the supper, and Mr.
+'Possum ran right off after an armful of stove-wood, and everybody
+helped with everything there was to do, for they were having such a good
+time and were so hungry.
+
+And after supper they all sat around the fire again and smoked a little
+before anybody said anything, until by-and-by Mr. Rabbit said that they
+would go on now with the literary club, and that Mr. Robin might read
+the story he had mentioned the night before.
+
+So Mr. Robin got up, and stood on a chair, and made a nice bow. He said
+it was not really his own story he had written, but one that his
+grandmother used to tell him sometimes, though he didn't think it had
+ever been put into a book.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit spoke up and said that that didn't matter, that of
+course everybody couldn't be original, and that the story itself was the
+main thing and the way you told it. He said if Mr. Robin would go right
+on with the story now it would save time. So then they all knocked the
+ashes out of their pipes--all except Mr. Robin, who began right off to
+read his story:
+
+
+
+
+THE DISCONTENTED FOX
+
+MR. ROBIN TELLS HOW A FOX LEARNED A GOOD LESSON BY TAKING A LONG JOURNEY
+
+
+ONCE upon a time there was a Fox who lived at the foot of a hill and had
+a _nice garden_. One morning when he began to hoe in it he got tired,
+and the sun was _very hot_. Then the Fox didn't like to hoe any more,
+and made up his mind that it wasn't very pleasant to have a garden,
+anyway.
+
+So then he started out to travel and find _pleasant things_. He put on
+his best clothes, and the first house he came to belonged to a Rabbit
+who kept bees. And the Rabbit showed the Fox his bees and how to take
+out the honey. And the Fox said, "What _pleasant work_!" and wanted to
+take out honey too. But when he did there was a bee on the honey, and it
+stung the Fox on the nose. And that hurt the Fox, and his nose began to
+swell up, and he said: "This is not pleasant work _at all_!" and of
+course it wasn't--not for _him_--though the Rabbit seemed to enjoy it
+_more than ever_.
+
+So the Fox travelled on, and the next house he came to belonged to a
+Crow who made pies. And the Fox looked at him awhile and said, "What
+_pleasant work_!" And the Crow let the Fox help him, and when the Fox
+went to take a pie out of the oven he burnt his fingers _quite badly_.
+Then he said, "No, it is _not_ pleasant work--not for _me_!" and that
+was true, though the Crow seemed to enjoy it _more than ever_.
+
+So the Fox went on again, and the next house he came to belonged to a
+'Coon who milked cows. And the Fox watched him milk, and pretty soon he
+said: "What pleasant work that _is_! Let _me_ milk." So the 'Coon let
+the Fox milk, and the Cow put her foot in the milk-pail and upset it
+_all over_ the Fox's nice _new clothes_. And the Fox was mad, and said:
+"This work is not in the _least_ pleasant!" and he _hurried away_,
+though the 'Coon seemed to enjoy it _more than ever_.
+
+And the next house the Fox came to belonged to a Cat who played the
+fiddle. And the Fox listened awhile and said: "What pleasant work that
+_must be_!" and he borrowed the Cat's fiddle. But when he started down
+the road playing, a Man ran around the corner and shot a loud gun at
+him, and that was not pleasant, _either_, though the Cat seemed to enjoy
+it _more than ever_.
+
+So the Fox kept on travelling and _doing_ things that he thought would
+be _pleasant_, but that did not turn out to _be_ pleasant--not for
+_him_--until by-and-by he had travelled _clear around the world_ and had
+come up on the other side, _back_ to his _own garden_ again. And his
+garden was just the same as he had left it, only the things had grown
+bigger, and there were _some weeds_.
+
+And the Fox jumped over the fence and commenced to _hoe_ the _weeds_,
+and pretty soon he said, "Why, this is _pleasant_!" Then he hoed some
+more, and said, "Why, what pleasant work _this is_!"
+
+So he kept on hoeing and finding it pleasant until by-and-by the weeds
+were _all gone_, and the _Rabbit_ and the _Crow_ and the _Cat_ and the
+_'Coon_ came and traded him honey and pies and milk and music for
+vegetables, because he had the best garden in the world. And he _has
+yet_!
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+When Mr. Robin got through and sat down, Mr. Squirrel spoke up and said
+it was a good story because it had a moral lesson in it and taught folks
+to like the things they knew best how to do, and Mr. 'Possum said yes,
+that might be so, but that the story couldn't be true, because none of
+those animals would have enjoyed seeing that Fox leave them, but would
+have persuaded him to stay and help them, and would have taught him to
+do most of the work.
+
+Then Mr. Robin spoke up and said that Mr. 'Possum thought everybody was
+like himself, and that anyway Mr. 'Possum didn't need the lesson in that
+story, for he already liked to do the things he could do best, which
+were to eat and sleep and let other people do the work, though of course
+he had been very good about getting the wood, lately, which certainly
+was unusual.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said he didn't see why Mr. Robin should speak in that
+cross way when he had only meant to be kind and show him the mistake in
+his story, so he could fix it right. And Mr. Rabbit said that as Mr.
+'Possum seemed to know so much how stories and poems ought to be
+written, perhaps he'd show now what he could do in that line himself.
+
+Mr. 'Possum said he hadn't written anything because it was too much
+trouble, but that he would tell them a story if they would like to hear
+it--something that had really happened, because he had been there, and
+was old enough to remember.
+
+But before he began Mr. Robin said that as they had not cared much about
+his story he would like to recite a few lines he had thought of, which
+would perhaps explain how he felt, and all the animals said, "Of course,
+go right on," and Mr. Robin bowed and recited a little poem he had made,
+called
+
+
+ONLY ME
+
+_By C. Robin_
+
+    How came a little bird like me
+      A place in this fine group to win?
+    My mind is small--it has to be--
+      The little place I keep it in.
+    How came a little bird like me
+    To be here in the Hollow Tree?
+
+    When all the others know so much,
+      And are so strong and gifted too,
+    How can I dare to speak of such
+      As I can know, and think, and do?
+    How can a little bird like me
+    Belong here in the Hollow Tree?
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE HADN'T MEANT ANYTHING AT ALL BY WHAT
+HE HAD SAID ABOUT THE STORY]
+
+Well, when Mr. Robin finished that, all the others spoke right up and
+said that Mr. Robin must never write anything so sad as that again. They
+said his story was just as good as it could be, and that Mr. Robin was
+one of the smartest ones there; and Mr. 'Possum burst into tears, and
+said that he hadn't meant anything at all by what he had said about the
+story, and that some time, when they were all alone, Mr. Robin must
+tell it to him again, and he would try to have sense enough to
+understand it.
+
+Then he ran over to Mr. Robin, and was going to embrace him and weep on
+his shoulder, and would very likely have mashed him if Mr. Turtle hadn't
+dragged him back to his seat and told him that he had done damage enough
+to people's feelings without killing anybody, and the best thing he
+could do now would be to go on with a story of his own if he had any.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum said he was too sleepy now, so Mr. Dog sang the poem
+which he had promised the evening before because, he said, singing would
+be a nice thing to go to sleep on. Mr. Dog's song was called
+
+
+THE CAT WHO WOULD BE KING
+
+    There was cat who kept a store,
+        With other cats for customers.
+            His milk and mice
+            All packed in ice--
+        His catnip all in canisters.
+
+    Fresh milk he furnished every day--
+        Two times a day and sometimes three--
+            And so this cat
+            Grew rich and fat
+        And proud as any cat could be.
+
+    But though so fat and rich he grew
+        He was not satisfied at all--
+            At last quoth he,
+            "A king I'll be
+        Of other cats both great and small."
+
+[Illustration: AND SO THIS CAT CREW RICH AND FAT]
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    Then hied he to the tinner cat,
+        Who made for him a tinsel crown,
+            And on the street,
+            A king complete,
+        He soon went marching up and down.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+    Now, many cats came out to see,
+        And some were filled with awe at him;
+            While some, alack,
+            Behind his back
+        Did laugh and point a paw at him.
+
+[Illustration: HIS CLERKS]
+
+    Mice, milk, and catnip did he scorn;
+        He went to business less and less--
+            And everywhere
+            He wore an air
+        Of arrogance and haughtiness.
+
+    His clerks ate catnip all day long--
+        They spent much time in idle play;
+            They left the mice
+            From off the ice--
+        They trusted cats who could not pay.
+
+[Illustration: A SOLEMN LOOK WAS IN HIS FACE]
+
+    While happy in his tin-shop crown
+        Each day the king went marching out,
+            Elate because
+            He thought he was
+        The kind of king you read about.
+
+    But lo, one day, he strolled too far,
+        And in a dim and dismal place
+            A cat he met,
+            Quite small, and yet
+        A solemn look was in his face.
+
+    One fiery eye this feline wore--
+        A waif he was of low degree--
+            No gaudy dress
+            Did he possess,
+        Nor yet a handsome cat was he.
+
+    But lo, he smote that spurious king
+        And stripped him of his tinsel crown,
+            Then like the wind
+            Full close behind
+        He chased His Highness into town.
+
+    With cheers his subjects saw him come.
+        He did not pause--he did not stop,
+            But straight ahead
+            He wildly fled
+        Till he was safe within his shop.
+
+    He caught his breath and gazed about--
+        A sorry sight did he behold:
+            No catnip there
+            Or watchful care--
+        No mice and milk and joy of old.
+
+    He heaved a sigh and dropped a tear--
+        He sent those idle clerks away--
+            Quoth he, "My pride
+        Is satisfied;
+        This kingdom business does not pay."
+
+    With care once more he runs his store,
+        His catnip all in canisters--
+            His milk and mice
+            All packed in ice,
+        And humbly serves his customers.
+
+[Illustration: QUOTH HE, "MY PRIDE IS SATISFIED; THIS KINGDOM BUSINESS
+DOES NOT PAY"]
+
+
+
+
+MR. 'POSSUM'S GREAT STORY
+
+MR. 'POSSUM TELLS THE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF THE 'POSSUM FAMILY, TO THE
+SURPRISE OF HIS FRIENDS
+
+
+"NOW this," said the Story Teller, "is the story that Mr. 'Possum told
+the 'Snowed-In' Literary Club in the Hollow Tree. It must be a true
+story, because Mr. 'Possum said so, and, besides, anybody that knows Mr.
+'Possum would know that he could never in the world have made it up out
+of his head."
+
+The Little Lady doesn't quite like that.
+
+"But Mr. 'Possum is smart," she says. "He knows ever so much."
+
+"Oh yes, of course, and that's why he never _has_ to make up things. He
+just tells what he knows, and this time he told
+
+
+HOW UNCLE SILAS AND AUNT MELISSY MOVED
+
+"You may remember," he said, "my telling you once about Uncle Silas and
+Aunt Melissy Lovejoy, who lived in a nice place just beyond the Wide
+Paw-paw Hollows, and how Uncle Silas once visited Cousin Glenwood in
+town and came home all dressed up, leading a game chicken, and with a
+bag of shinny-sticks, and a young man to wait on him; and how Aunt
+Melissy--instead of being pleased, as Uncle Silas thought she would
+be--got mad when she saw him, and made him and the young man take off
+all their nice clothes and go to work in the garden, and kept them at it
+with that bag of shinny-sticks until fall.[B]
+
+"Well, this story is about them, too. I went to live with them soon
+after that, because I lost both of my parents one night when Mr. Man was
+hunting in the Black Bottoms for something to put in a pan with some
+sweet potatoes he had raised that year, and I suppose I would have been
+used with sweet potatoes too if I hadn't come away from there pretty
+lively instead of trying our old playing-dead trick on Mr. Man and his
+friends.
+
+"I thought right away that Mr. Man might know the trick, so I didn't
+wait to try it myself, but took out for the Wide Paw-paw Hollows, to
+visit Uncle Silas Lovejoy, who was an uncle on my mother's side, and
+Aunt Melissy and my little cousins; and they all seemed glad to see me,
+especially my little cousins, until they found they had to give me some
+of their things and most of their food, because I was young and
+growing, besides being quite sad about my folks, and so, of course, had
+to eat a good deal to keep well and from taking my loss too hard.
+
+"But by-and-by Uncle Lovejoy said that he didn't believe that he and the
+hired man--who was the same one he had brought home to wait on him when
+he came from town--to be his valet, he said--though he got to be a hired
+man right after Aunt Melissy met him and got hold of the
+shinny-sticks--Aunt Melissy being a spry, stirring person who liked to
+see people busy. I remember how she used to keep me and my little
+cousins busy until sometimes I wished I had stayed with my folks and put
+up with the sweet potatoes and let Uncle Silas and his family alone."
+
+Mr. 'Possum stopped to light his pipe, and Mr. Rabbit said that he
+supposed, of course, Mr. 'Possum knew his story and how to tell it, but
+that if he ever intended to finish what Uncle Lovejoy had said about
+himself and the hired man he wished he'd get at it pretty soon.
+
+Mr. 'Possum said of course he meant to, as soon as he could get his
+breath, and think a minute. "Well, then," he said, "Uncle Silas told
+Aunt Melissy that he didn't believe he and the hired man could raise and
+catch enough for the family since I had come to stay with them, and he
+thought they had better move farther west to a place where the land was
+better and where Mr. Man's chickens were not kept up in such close,
+unhealthy places, but were allowed to roost out in the open air, on the
+fences and in the trees. He said he didn't think their house was quite
+stylish enough either, which he knew would strike Aunt Melissy, who was
+a Glenwood, and primpy, and fond of the best things.
+
+"So then we began to pack up right away, and Uncle Silas and Aunt
+Melissy quarrelled a good deal about what was worth taking and what
+wasn't, and they took turns scolding the hired man about a good many
+things he didn't do and almost all of the things he did do, and my
+little cousins and I had a fine time running through the empty rooms and
+playing with things we had never seen before, but we had to keep out of
+Aunt Melissy's reach if we wanted to enjoy it much.
+
+"Well, by-and-by we were all packed up and ready to start. We had
+everything in bundles or tied together, and Aunt Melissy had arranged a
+big bundle for Uncle Silas to carry, and several things to tie and hang
+about on his person in different places, and she had fixed up the hired
+man too, besides some bundles for me and my little cousins.
+
+"Aunt Melissy said she would take charge of the lunch-basket and lead
+the way, and she was all dressed up and carried an umbrella, and didn't
+look much as if she belonged to the rest of our crowd.
+
+[Illustration: AUNT MELISSY HAD ARRANGED A BUNDLE FOR UNCLE SILAS, AND
+SHE HAD FIXED UP THE HIRED MAN TOO]
+
+"It was pretty early when we started, for it was getting dangerous to
+camp out in that section, and we wanted to get as far as we could the
+first day, though we didn't any of us have any idea then how long a trip
+we _would_ make that day, nor of the way we were going to make it.
+Nobody could guess a guess like that, even if he was the best guesser in
+the world and made his living that way."
+
+Mr. 'Possum stopped to light his pipe again, and said that if anybody
+wanted a chance to guess how far they went that first day and how they
+travelled, they could guess now. But the Hollow Tree People said they
+didn't want to guess, and they did want Mr. 'Possum to go ahead and tell
+them about it.
+
+"Well," said Mr. 'Possum, "we travelled fifty miles that first day, and
+we travelled it in less than two hours."
+
+"Fifty miles in two hours!" said all the Hollow Tree People. And Jack
+Rabbit said:
+
+"Why, a menagerie like that couldn't travel fifty miles in two years!"
+
+"But we did, though," said Mr. 'Possum; "we travelled it in a balloon."
+
+"In a balloon!"
+
+"Well, not exactly in a balloon, but _with_ a balloon. It happened just
+as I'm going to tell you.
+
+[Illustration: DIDN'T LOOK AS IF SHE BELONGED TO THE REST OF OUR CROWD]
+
+"We went along pretty well until we got to the Wide Grass Lands, though
+Aunt Melissy scolded Uncle Silas a good deal because he got behind and
+didn't stand up in a nice stylish way with all the things he had to
+carry, and she used her umbrella once on the hired man because he
+dropped the clock.
+
+"When we got out to the Wide Grass Lands there was a high east wind
+blowing, getting ready for a storm, and when we got on top of a little
+grassy hill close to the Wide Blue Water it blew Uncle Silas and the
+hired man so they could hardly stand up, and it turned Aunt Melissy's
+umbrella wrong side out, which made her mad, and she said that it was
+Uncle Silas's fault and mine, and that she had never wanted to move
+anyway.
+
+"But just then one of my little cousins looked up in the sky and said,
+'Oh, look at that funny bird!' and we all looked up, and there was a
+great big long bag of a thing coming right toward us, not very high up,
+and Uncle Silas spoke up and said 'That's a balloon,' for Uncle Silas
+had seen one in town when he was there visiting Cousin Glenwood, and the
+hired man, too. Then while we were all standing there watching it, we
+saw that there was a long rope that hung from the balloon most to the
+ground, and that it had something tied to the end of it (a big iron
+thing with a lot of hooks on it), and that it was swooping down straight
+toward us.
+
+"Uncle Silas called out as loud as he could, 'That's the anchor! Look
+out!' but it was too late to look out, for it was coming as fast as the
+wind blew the balloon, and Uncle Silas and the hired man being loaded
+with the things couldn't move very quick, and the rest of us were too
+scared to know which way to jump, and down came that thing right among
+us, and I saw it catch among Uncle Silas's furniture and the hired
+man's, and I heard Uncle Silas say, 'Grab hold, all of you!' and we all
+did, some one way and some another, and away we went.
+
+"Well, it was certainly very curious how we all were lucky enough to get
+hold of that anchor, with all our bundles and things; but of course we
+could do it better than if we had not been given those nice useful tails
+which belong to our family. I had hold that way, and some of the others
+did, too. Uncle Silas didn't need to hold on at all, for some of the
+furniture was tied to him, and he just sat back in a chair that was hung
+on behind and took it easy, though he did drop some of his things when
+he first got aboard, and Aunt Melissy scolded him for that as soon as
+she caught her breath and got over being frightened and was sitting up
+on her part of the anchor enjoying the scenery.
+
+[Illustration: THE BALLOON WENT OVER THE WIDE BLUE WATER JUST AFTER IT
+GOT OUR FAMILY]
+
+"I never had such a trip as that before, and never expect to have one
+again. The balloon went over the Wide Blue Water just after it got our
+family, and we were all afraid we would be let down in it and drowned;
+but the people who were in the balloon threw out something heavy which
+we thought at first they were throwing at us, but it must have been
+something to make the balloon go up; for we did go up until Aunt Melissy
+said if we'd just get a little nearer one of those clouds she'd step out
+on it and live there, as she'd always wanted to do since she was a
+child.
+
+"Then we all sat up and held on tight, above and below, and said what a
+nice day it was to travel, and that we'd always travel that way
+hereafter; and Uncle Silas and the hired man unhooked their furniture,
+so they could land easier when the time came, and Aunt Melissy passed
+around the lunch, and we looked down and saw the water and the land
+again and a lot of houses and trees, and Aunt Melissy said that nobody
+could ever made her believe the world was that big if she hadn't seen it
+with her own eyes.
+
+"And Uncle Silas and the hired man said that of course this was going
+pretty fast, but that they had travelled a good deal faster sometimes
+when they were in town with Cousin Glenwood, and pretty soon he showed
+us the town where Cousin Glenwood lived, and he and the hired man tried
+to point out the house to us, but they couldn't agree about which it was
+because the houses didn't look the same from up there in the air as they
+did from down on the ground.
+
+"I know I shall never forget that trip. We saw ever so many different
+Mr. Men and Mr. Dogs, and animals of every kind, and houses that had
+chimneys taller than any tree, and a good many things that even Uncle
+Silas did not know about. Then by-and-by we came to some woods
+again--the biggest kind of Big Deep Woods--and we saw that we were
+getting close to the tree-tops, and we were all afraid we would get hit
+by the branches and maybe knocked off with our things.
+
+"And pretty soon, sure enough, that anchor did drop right down among the
+trees, and such a clapping and scratching as we did get!
+
+"We shut our eyes and held on, and some of our furniture was brushed off
+of Uncle Silas and the hired man, and Aunt Melissy lost her umbrella,
+and I lost a toy chicken, which I could never find again. Then all at
+once there was a big sudden jerk that jarred Uncle Silas loose, and made
+Aunt Melissy holler that she was killed, and knocked the breath out of
+the rest of us for a few minutes.
+
+"But we were all there, and the anchor was fast on the limb of a big
+tree--a tree almost as big as the Hollow Tree, and hollow, just like it,
+with a nice handy place to go in.
+
+"So when we got our senses back we picked up all our things that we
+could find, and moved into the new place, and Aunt Melissy looked at the
+clock, which was still running, and it was just a little over two hours
+since we started.
+
+"Then pretty soon we heard Mr. Man and his friends who had been up in
+the balloon coming, and we stayed close inside till they had taken the
+anchor and everything away, and after that, when it was getting dark,
+Uncle Silas and the hired man went out and found, not very far off,
+where there were some nice chickens that roosted in handy places, and
+brought home two or three, and Aunt Melissy set up the stove and cooked
+up a good supper, and we all sat around the kitchen fire, and the storm
+that the east wind had been blowing up came along sure enough and it
+rained all night, but we were snug and dry, and went to sleep mostly in
+beds made down on the floor, and lay there listening to the rain and
+thinking what a nice journey we'd had and what a good new home we'd
+found.
+
+"And it _was_ a good place, for I lived there till I grew up, and if I'm
+not mistaken some of Uncle Silas's and Aunt Melissy's children live
+there still. I haven't heard from any of them for a long time, but I am
+thinking of going on a visit over that way in the spring, and if that
+balloon is still running I'm going to travel with it.
+
+"And that," said Mr. 'Possum, "is a true story--all true, every word,
+for I was there."
+
+Nobody said anything for a minute or two after Mr. 'Possum had finished
+his story--nobody _could_ say anything.
+
+Then Mr. Rabbit coughed a little and remarked that he was glad that Mr.
+'Possum said that the story was true, for no one would ever have
+suspected it. He said if Mr. 'Possum hadn't said it was true he would
+have thought it was one of those pleasant dreams that Mr. 'Possum had
+when he slept hanging to a peg head down.
+
+But Mr. Turtle, who had been sitting with his eyes shut and looking as
+if he were asleep, knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and said that what
+Mr. 'Possum had told them was true--at least, _some_ of it was true; for
+he himself had been sitting in the door of his house on the shore of the
+Wide Blue Water when the balloon passed over, and he had seen Uncle
+Silas Lovejoy's family sitting up there anchored and comfortable; and he
+had picked up a chair that Uncle Silas had dropped, and he had it in his
+house to this day, it being a good strong chair and better than any that
+was made nowadays.
+
+Well, of course after that nobody said anything about Mr. 'Possum's
+story not being true, for they remembered how old and wise Mr. Turtle
+was and could always prove things, and they all talked about it a great
+deal, and asked Mr. 'Possum a good many questions.
+
+They said how nice it was to know somebody who had had an adventure like
+that, and Mr. Rabbit changed his seat so he could be next to Mr.
+'Possum, because he said he wanted to write it all down to keep.
+
+[Illustration: MR. TURTLE SAID THAT WHAT MR. 'POSSUM HAD TOLD THEM WAS
+TRUE]
+
+And Mr. 'Possum said he never would forget how good those chickens
+tasted that first night in the new home, and that Mr. Rabbit mustn't
+forget to put them in.
+
+Then they all remembered that they were hungry now, and Mr. Crow and Mr.
+Squirrel and Mr. Robin hustled around to get a bite to eat before
+bedtime, and Mr. 'Possum hurried down to bring up the stove-wood, and
+was gone quite awhile, though nobody spoke of it--not then--even if they
+did wonder about it a little--and after supper they all sat around the
+fire again and smoked and dropped off to sleep while the clock ticked
+and the blaze flickered about and made queer shadows on the wall of the
+Hollow Tree.
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[B] _Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book._
+
+
+
+
+THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF
+
+HOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE HAVE A MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR, AND WHAT
+BECOMES OF HIM
+
+
+"WHAT made Mr. 'Possum so anxious to get the wood, and what made him
+stay down-stairs so long when he went after it?" asks the Little Lady
+next evening, when the Story Teller is lighting his pipe and getting
+ready to remember the history of the Hollow Tree.
+
+"We're coming to that. You may be sure there was some reason for it, for
+Mr. 'Possum doesn't hurry after wood or stay long in a cold place if he
+can help it, unless he has something on his mind. Perhaps some of the
+Deep Woods People thought of that too, but if they did they didn't say
+anything--not at the time. I suppose they thought it didn't matter much,
+anyhow, if they got the wood."
+
+So they went right on having a good time, keeping up a nice fire, and
+eating up whatever they had; for they thought the big snow couldn't last
+as long as their wood and their things to eat, and every day they went
+up to look out of the up-stairs windows to see how much had melted, and
+every day they found it just about the same, only maybe a little
+crustier on top, and the weather stayed _very cold_.
+
+But they didn't mind it so long as they were warm and not hungry, and
+they played games, and recited their pieces, and sang, and danced, and
+said they had never had such a good time in all their lives.
+
+But one day when Mr. Crow went down into the store-room for supplies he
+found that he was at the bottom of the barrel of everything they had,
+and he came up looking pretty sober, though he didn't say anything about
+it--not then, for he knew there were plenty of bones and odds and ends
+he could scrape up, and he had a little flour and some meal in his
+pantry; so he could make soup and gravy and johnny-cake and hash, which
+he did right away, and they all said how fine such things were for a
+change, and told Mr. Crow to go right on making them as long as he
+wanted to, even if the snow stayed on till spring. And Mr. 'Possum and
+Mr. 'Coon said it was like old times, and that Mr. Crow was probably the
+very best provider in the Big Deep Woods.
+
+[Illustration: ONE DAY MR. CROW FOUND HE WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
+OF EVERYTHING]
+
+Mr. Crow smiled, too, but he didn't feel like it much, for he knew that
+even johnny-cake and gravy wouldn't last forever, and that unless the
+snow went away pretty soon they would all be hungry and cold, for the
+wood was getting low, too.
+
+And one morning, when Mr. Crow went to his meal-sack and his flour-bag
+and his pile of odds and ends there was just barely enough for
+breakfast, and hardly that. And Mr. Crow didn't like to tell them about
+it, for he knew they all thought he could keep right on making
+johnny-cake and gravy forever, because they didn't have to stop to think
+where things came from, as he did, and he was afraid they would blame
+him when there was nothing more left.
+
+So the Old Black Crow tried to step around lively and look pleasant, to
+keep anybody from noticing, because he thought it might turn warm that
+day and melt the snow; and when breakfast was ready he put on what there
+was and said he hadn't cooked very much because he had heard that light
+breakfasts were better for people who stayed in the house a good deal,
+and as for himself, he said he guessed he wouldn't eat any breakfast
+that morning at all.
+
+Then while the others were eating he crept down-stairs and looked at the
+empty boxes and barrels and the few sticks of wood that were left, and
+he knew that if that snow didn't melt off right away they were going to
+have a _very hard time_. Then he came back up in the big living-room and
+went on up-stairs to his own room, to look out the window to see if it
+wasn't going to be a warm, melting day. But Mr. Crow came back pretty
+soon. He came back in a hurry, too, and he slammed his door and locked
+it, and then let go of everything and just slid down-stairs. Then the
+Deep Woods People jumped up quick from the table and ran to him, for
+they thought he was having a fit of some kind, and they still thought so
+when they looked into his face: for Mr. Crow's eyes were rolled up and
+his bill was pale, and when he tried to speak he couldn't. And Mr.
+Rabbit said it was because Mr. Crow had done without his breakfast, and
+he ran to get something from the table; but Mr. Crow couldn't eat, and
+then they saw that some of the feathers on top of his head were turning
+gray, and they knew he had seen some awful thing just that little moment
+he was in his room.
+
+So then they all looked at one another and wondered what it was, and
+they were glad Mr. Crow had locked the door. Then they carried him over
+to the fire, and pretty soon he got so he could whisper a little, and
+when they knew what he was saying they understood why he was so scared
+and why he had locked the door; for the words that Mr. Crow kept
+whispering over and over were: "Old Hungry-Wolf! Old Hungry-Wolf! Old
+Hungry-Wolf!"
+
+All the Deep Woods People know what that means. They know that when Old
+Hungry-Wolf comes, or even when you hear him bark, it means that there
+is no food left in the Big Deep Woods for anybody, and that nobody can
+tell how long it will be before there _will_ be food again. And all the
+Deep Woods People stood still and held their breath and listened for the
+bark of Old Hungry-Wolf, because they knew Mr. Crow had seen his face
+looking in the window. And they all thought they heard it, except Mr.
+'Possum, who said he didn't believe it was Old Hungry-Wolf at all that
+Mr. Crow had seen, but only Mr. Gray Wolf himself, who had perhaps
+slipped out and travelled over the snow to see if they were all at home
+and comfortable.
+
+But Mr. Crow said:
+
+"No, no; it was Old Hungry-Wolf! He was big and black, and I saw his
+great fiery eyes!"
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum looked very brave, and said he would see if Old
+Hungry-Wolf was looking into his window too, and he went right up, and
+soon came back and said there wasn't any big black face at his window,
+and he thought that Mr. Crow's empty stomach had made him imagine
+things.
+
+So then Mr. 'Coon said that he would go up to _his_ room if the others
+would like to come along, and they could see for themselves whether Old
+Hungry-Wolf was trying to get in or not.
+
+[Illustration: THEN MR. 'COON SLAMMED HIS DOOR]
+
+Then they all went very quietly up Mr. 'Coon's stair (all except Mr.
+'Possum, who stayed with Mr. Crow), and they opened Mr. 'Coon's door
+and took one look inside, and then Mr. 'Coon he slammed _his_ door shut,
+and locked it, and they all let go of everything and came sliding down
+in a heap, for they had seen the great fiery eyes and black face of Old
+Hungry-Wolf glaring in at Mr. 'Coon's window.
+
+So they all huddled around the fire and lit their pipes--for they still
+had some tobacco--and smoked, but didn't say anything, until by-and-by
+Mr. Crow told them that there wasn't another bite to eat in the house
+and very little wood, and that that was the reason why Old Hungry-Wolf
+had come. And they talked about it in whispers--whether they ought to
+exercise any more, because though exercise would help them to keep warm
+and save wood, it would make them hungrier. And some of them said they
+thought they would try to go to sleep like Mr. Bear, who slept all
+winter and never knew that he was hungry until spring. So they kept
+talking, and now and then they would stop and listen, and they all said
+they could hear the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf--all except Mr. 'Possum,
+which was strange, because Mr. 'Possum is fond of good things and would
+be apt to be the very first to hear Old Hungry's bark.
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID NOT TO MOVE, THAT HE WOULD GO AFTER A
+PIECE OF WOOD]
+
+And when the fire got very low and it was getting cold, Mr. 'Possum said
+for them not to move; that he would go down after a piece of wood, and
+he would attend to the fire as long as the wood lasted, and try to
+make it last as long as possible. And every time the fire got very low
+Mr. 'Possum would bring a piece of wood, and sometimes he stayed a good
+while (just for one piece of wood), but they still didn't think much
+about it--not then. What they did think about was how hungry they were,
+and Mr. 'Crow said he knew he could eat as much as the old ancestor of
+his that was told about in a book which he had once borrowed from Mr.
+Man's little boy who had left it out in the yard at dinner-time.
+
+Then they all begged Mr. Crow to get the book and read it to them, and
+perhaps they could imagine they were not so hungry. So Mr. Crow brought
+the book and read them the poem about
+
+
+THE RAVENOUS RAVEN
+
+    Oh, there was an old raven as black as could be,
+    And a wonderful sort of a raven was he;
+    For his house he kept tidy, his yard he kept neat,
+    And he cooked the most marvellous dainties to eat.
+    He could roast, he could toast, he could bake, he could fry,
+    He could stir up a cake in the wink of an eye,
+    He could boil, he could broil, he could grill, he could stew--
+    Oh, there wasn't a thing that this bird couldn't do.
+    He would smoke in the sun when the mornings were fair,
+    And his plans for new puddings and pies would prepare;
+    But, alas! like the famous Jim Crow with his shelf,
+    He was greedy, and ate all his dainties himself.
+
+[Illustration: HE WOULD SMOKE IN THE SUN WHEN THE MORNINGS WERE FAIR]
+
+    It was true he was proud of the things he could cook,
+    And would call in his neighbors sometimes for a look,
+    Or a taste, it may be, when his pastry was fine;
+    But he'd never been known to invite them to dine.
+    With a look and a sigh they could stand and behold
+    All the puddings so brown and the sauces of gold;
+    With a taste and a growl they'd reluctantly go
+    Praying vengeance to fall on that greedy old crow.
+
+[Illustration: WITH A LOOK AND A SIGH THEY WOULD STAND AND BEHOLD]
+
+    Now, one morning near Christmas when holly grows green,
+    And the best of good things in the markets are seen,
+    He went out for a smoke in the crisp morning air,
+    And to think of some holiday dish to prepare.
+    Mr. Rabbit had spices to sell at his store,
+    Mr. Reynard had tender young chicks by the score,
+    And the old raven thought, as he stood there alone,
+    Of the tastiest pastry that ever was known.
+
+    Then away to the market he hurried full soon,
+    Dropping in for a chat with the 'possum and 'coon
+    Just to tell them his plans, which they heard with delight,
+    And to ask them to call for a moment that night
+
+[Illustration: THE TASTIEST PASTRY THAT EVER WAS KNOWN]
+
+    For a look and a taste of his pastry so fine,
+    And he hinted he might even ask them to dine.
+    Then he hurried away, and the rest of the day
+    Messrs. 'Possum and 'Coon were expectant and gay.
+
+    Oh, he hurried away and to market he went,
+    And his money for spices and poultry he spent,
+    While behind in the market were many, he knew,
+    Who would talk of the marvellous things he would do;
+    So with joy in his heart and with twinkling eye
+    He returned to his home his new project to try,
+    Then to stir and to bake he began right away,
+    And his dish was complete at the end of the day.
+
+[Illustration: THEN TO STIR AND TO BAKE HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY]
+
+    Aye, the marvel was done--'twas a rich golden hue,
+    And its smell was delicious--the old raven knew
+    That he never had made such a pastry before,
+    And a look of deep trouble his countenance wore;
+    "For," thought he, "I am certain the 'possum and 'coon
+    That I talked with to-day will be coming here soon,
+    And expect me to ask them to dine, when, you see,
+    There is just a good feast in this dainty for me."
+
+    Now, behold, he'd scarce uttered his thoughts when he heard
+    At the casement a tapping--this greedy old bird--
+    And the latch was uplifted, and gayly strode in
+    Both the 'coon and the 'possum with faces agrin.
+    They were barbered and brushed and arrayed in their best,
+    In the holiday fashion their figures were dressed,
+    While a look in each face, to the raven at least,
+    Said, "We've come here to-night, sir, prepared for a feast."
+
+    And the raven he smiled as he said, "Howdy-do?"
+    For he'd thought of a plan to get rid of the two;
+    And quoth he, "My dear friends, I am sorry to say
+    That the wonderful pastry I mentioned to-day
+    When it came to be baked was a failure complete,
+    Disappointing to taste and disturbing to eat.
+    I am sorry, dear friends, for I thought 'twould be fine;
+    I am sorry I cannot invite you to dine."
+
+    And the 'coon and the 'possum were both sorry, too,
+    And suspicious, somewhat, for the raven they knew.
+    They declared 'twas too bad all that pudding to waste,
+    And they begged him to give them at least just a taste,
+    But he firmly refused and at last they departed,
+    While the greedy old crow for the dining-room started,
+    And the pie so delicious he piled on his plate,
+    And he ate, and he ate, and he ate, and he ate!
+
+[Illustration: THE GREEDY OLD RAVEN, BUT GREEDY NO MORE]
+
+    Well, next morn when the 'possum and 'coon passed along
+    They could see at the raven's that something was wrong,
+    For no blue curling smoke from the chimney-top came;
+    So they opened his door and they called out his name,
+    And they entered inside, and behold! on the floor
+    Was the greedy old raven, but greedy no more:
+    For his heart it was still--not a flutter was there--
+    And his toes were turned up and the table was bare;
+    Now his epitaph tells to the whole country-side
+    How he ate, and he ate, and he ate till he died.
+
+When Mr. Crow finished, Mr. Rabbit said it was certainly an interesting
+poem, and if he just had a chance now to eat till he died he'd take it,
+and Mr. 'Coon said he'd give anything to know how that pie had tasted,
+and he didn't see how any _one_ pie could be big enough to kill anybody
+that felt as hungry as _he_ did now. And Mr. 'Possum didn't say much of
+anything, but only seemed drowsy and peaceful-like, which was curious
+for _him_ as things were.
+
+Well, all that day, and the next day, and the next, there wasn't
+anything to eat, and they sat as close as they could around the little
+fire and wished they'd saved some of the big logs and some of the food,
+too, that they had used up so fast when they thought the big snow would
+go away. And the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf got louder and louder, and he
+began to gnaw, too, and they all heard it, day and night--all except Mr.
+'Possum, who said he didn't know why, but that for some reason he
+couldn't hear a sound like that at all, which was _very_ strange,
+indeed.
+
+But there was something else about Mr. 'Possum that was strange. He
+didn't get any thinner. All the others began to show the change right
+away, but Mr. 'Possum still looked the same, and still kept cheerful,
+and stepped around as lively as ever, and that was _very strange_.
+
+By-and-by, when Mr. 'Possum had gone down-stairs for some barrel staves
+to burn, for the wood was all gone, Mr. Rabbit spoke of it, and said he
+couldn't understand it; and then Mr. 'Coon, who had been thinking about
+it too, said he wondered why it sometimes took Mr. 'Possum so long to
+get a little bit of wood. Then they all remembered how Mr. 'Possum had
+stayed so long down-stairs whenever he went, even before Old Hungry-Wolf
+came to the Hollow Tree, and they couldn't understand it _at all_.
+
+And just then Mr. 'Possum came up with two little barrel staves which he
+had been a long time getting, and they all turned and looked at him very
+closely, which was a thing they had never done until that time. And
+before Mr. 'Possum noticed it, they saw him chew--a kind of last,
+finishing chew--and then give a little swallow--a sort of last,
+finishing swallow--and just then he noticed them watching him, and he
+stopped right in his tracks and dropped the two little barrel staves and
+looked very scared and guilty, which was strange, when he had always
+been so willing about the wood.
+
+Then they all got up out of their chairs and looked straight at Mr.
+'Possum, and said:
+
+"What was that you were chewing just now?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+[Illustration: LOOKED STRAIGHT AT MR. 'POSSUM AND SAID, "WHAT WAS THAT
+YOU WERE CHEWING JUST NOW?"]
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"What was that you were swallowing just now?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"Why do you always stay so long when you go for wood?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"Why is it that you don't get thin, like the rest of us?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"Why is it you never hear the bark of Old Hungry-Wolf?"
+
+And Mr. 'Possum said, very weakly:
+
+"I did think I heard it a little while ago."
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"And was that why you went down after wood?"
+
+And once more Mr. 'Possum couldn't say a word.
+
+Then they all said:
+
+"What have you got _down there_ to eat? And _where_ do you keep it?"
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum seemed to think of something, and picked up the two
+little barrel staves and brought them over to the fire and put them on,
+and looked very friendly, and sat down and lit his pipe and smoked a
+minute, and said that climbing the stairs had overcome him a little, and
+that he wasn't feeling very well, but if they'd let him breathe a
+minute he'd tell them all about it, and how he had been preparing a nice
+surprise for them, for just such a time as this; but when he saw they
+had found out something, it all came on him so sudden that, what with
+climbing the stairs and all, he couldn't quite gather himself, but that
+he was all right now, and the surprise was ready.
+
+"Of course you know," Mr. 'Possum said, "that I have travelled a good
+deal, and have seen a good many kinds of things happen, and know about
+what to expect. And when I saw how fast we were using up the food, and
+how deep the snow was, I knew we might expect a famine that even Mr.
+Crow's johnny-cake and gravy wouldn't last through; and Mr. Crow
+mentioned something of the kind once himself, though he seemed to forget
+it right away again, for he went on giving us just as much as ever. But
+I didn't forget about it, and right away I began laying aside in a quiet
+place some of the things that would keep pretty well, and that we would
+be glad to have when Old Hungry-Wolf should really come along and we had
+learned to live on lighter meals and could make things last."
+
+Mr. 'Possum was going right on, but Mr. 'Coon interrupted him, and said
+that Mr. 'Possum could call it living on lighter meals if he wanted to
+but that he hadn't eaten any meal at all for three days, and that if Mr.
+'Possum had put away anything for a hungry time he wished he'd get it
+out right now, without any more explaining, for it was food that he
+wanted and not explanations, and all the others said so too.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said he was just coming to that, but he only wished to
+say a few words about it because they had seemed to think that he was
+doing something that he shouldn't, when he was really trying to save
+them from Old Hungry-Wolf, and he said he had kept his surprise as long
+as he could, so it would last longer, and that he had been pretending
+not to hear Old Hungry's bark just to keep their spirits up, and he
+supposed one of the reasons why he hadn't got any thinner was because he
+hadn't been so worried, and had kept happy in the nice surprise he had
+all the time, just saving it for when they would begin to need it most.
+As to what he had been chewing and swallowing when he came up-stairs,
+Mr. 'Possum said that he had been taking just the least little taste of
+some of the things to see if they were keeping well--some nice cooked
+chickens, for instance, from a lot that Mr. Crow had on hand and didn't
+remember about, and a young turkey or two, and a few ducks, and a bushel
+or so of apples, and a half a barrel of doughnuts, and--
+
+But Mr. 'Possum didn't get any further, for all the Deep Woods People
+made a wild scramble for the stairs, with Mr. 'Possum after them, and
+when they got down in the store-room he took them behind one of the big
+roots of the Hollow Tree, and there was a passageway that none of them
+had ever suspected, and Mr. 'Possum lit a candle and led them through it
+and out into a sort of cave, and there, sure enough, were all the things
+he had told them about and some mince-pies besides. And there was even
+some wood, for Mr. 'Possum had worked hard to lay away a supply of
+things for a long snowed-in time.
+
+Then all the Hollow Tree People sat right down there and had some of the
+things, and by-and-by they carried some more up-stairs, and some wood,
+too, and built up a fine big fire, and lit their pipes and smoked, and
+forgot everything unpleasant in the world. And they all said how smart
+and good Mr. 'Possum was to save all that food for the very time when
+they would need it most, when all the rest of them had been just eating
+it up as fast as possible and would have been now without a thing in the
+world except for Mr. 'Possum.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum asked them if they could hear Old Hungry-Wolf any more,
+and they listened but they couldn't hear a sound, and then they went up
+into Mr. Crow's room, and into Mr. 'Coon's room, and into Mr. 'Possum's
+room, and they couldn't see a thing of him anywhere, though it was just
+the time of day to see him, for it was late in the evening--the time
+Old Hungry-Wolf is most likely to look in the window.
+
+And that night it turned warm, and the big snow began to thaw; and it
+thawed, and it thawed, and all the brooks and rivers came up, and even
+the Wide Blue Water rose so that the Deep Woods Company had to stay a
+little longer in the Hollow Tree, even when all the snow was nearly
+gone. Mr. Rabbit was pretty anxious to get home, and started out one
+afternoon with Mr. Turtle along, because Mr. Turtle is a good swimmer.
+But there was too much water to cross and they came back again just at
+sunset, and Mr. Crow let them in,[C] so they had to wait several days
+longer. But Mr. 'Possum's food lasted, and by the time it was gone they
+could get plenty more; and when they all went away and left the three
+Hollow Tree People together again, they were very happy because they had
+had such a good time; and the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
+were as good friends as ever, though the gray feathers on the top of Mr.
+Crow's head never did turn quite black again, and some of the Deep Woods
+People call him "Silver-Top" to this day.
+
+The Little Lady looks anxiously at the Story Teller.
+
+"Did Old Hungry-Wolf ever get inside of the Hollow Tree?" she asks.
+
+"No, he never did get inside; they only saw him through the window, and
+heard him bark."
+
+"And why couldn't Mr. 'Possum ever hear him sometimes?"
+
+"Well, you see, Old Hungry isn't a real wolf, but only a shadow
+wolf--the shadow of famine. He only looks in when people dread famine,
+and he only barks and gnaws when they feel it. A famine, you know, is
+when one is very hungry and there is nothing to eat. I don't think Mr.
+'Possum was very hungry, and he had all those nice things laid away, so
+he would not care much about that old shadow wolf, which is only another
+name for hunger."
+
+The Little Lady clings very close to the Story Teller.
+
+"Will we ever see Old Hungry-Wolf and hear his bark?"
+
+The Story Teller sits up quite straight, and gathers the Little Lady
+tight.
+
+"Good gracious, no!" he says. "He moved out of our part of the country
+before you were born, and we'll take good care that he doesn't come back
+any more."
+
+"I'm glad," says the Little Lady. "You can sing now--you know--the
+'Hollow Tree Song.'"
+
+FOOTNOTE:
+
+[C] See picture on cover.
+
+
+
+
+AN EARLY SPRING CALL ON MR. BEAR
+
+MR. 'POSSUM'S CURIOUS DREAM AND WHAT CAME OF IT
+
+
+"WHAT did they do then?" asks the Little Lady. "What did the Deep Woods
+People all do after they got through being snowed in?"
+
+"Well, let's see. It got to be spring then pretty soon--early spring--of
+course, and Mr. Jack Rabbit went to writing poetry and making garden;
+Mr. Robin went to meet Mrs. Robin, who had been spending the winter down
+South; Mr. Squirrel, who is quite young, went to call on a very nice
+young Miss Squirrel over toward the Big West Hills; Mr. Dog had to help
+Mr. Man a good deal with the spring work; Mr. Turtle got out all his
+fishing-things and looked them over, and the Hollow Tree People had a
+general straightening up after company. They had a big house-cleaning,
+of course, with most of their things out on the line, and Mr. 'Possum
+said that he'd just about as soon be snowed-in for good as to have to
+beat carpets and carry furniture up and down stairs all the rest of his
+life."
+
+But they got through at last, and everything was nice when they were
+settled, only there wasn't a great deal to be had to eat, because it had
+been such a long, cold winter that things were pretty scarce and hard to
+get.
+
+One morning Mr. 'Possum said he had had a dream the night before, and he
+wished it would come true. He said he had dreamed that they were all
+invited by Mr. Bear to help him eat the spring breakfast which he takes
+after his long winter nap, and that Mr. Bear had about the best
+breakfast he ever sat down to. He said he had eaten it clear through,
+from turkey to mince-pie, only he didn't get the mince-pie because Mr.
+Bear had asked him if he'd have it hot or cold, and just as he made up
+his mind to have some of both he woke up and didn't get either.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said he wished he could have a dream like that; that he'd
+take whatever came along and try to sleep through it, and Mr. Crow
+thought a little while and said that sometimes dreams came true,
+especially if you helped them a little. He said he hadn't heard anything
+of Mr. Bear this spring, and it was quite likely he had been taking a
+longer nap than usual. It might be a good plan, he thought, to drop over
+that way and just look in in passing, because if Mr. Bear should be
+sitting down to breakfast he would be pretty apt to ask them to sit up
+and have a bite while they told him the winter news.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said that he didn't believe anybody in the world but
+Mr. Crow would have thought of that, and that hereafter he was going to
+tell him every dream he had. They ought to start right away, he said,
+because if they should get there just as Mr. Bear was clearing off the
+table it would be a good deal worse than not getting the mince-pie in
+his dream.
+
+So they hurried up and put on their best clothes and started for Mr.
+Bear's place, which is over toward the Edge of the World, only farther
+down, in a fine big cave which is fixed up as nice as a house and nicer.
+But when they got pretty close to it they didn't go so fast and
+straight, but just sauntered along as if they were only out for a little
+walk and happened to go in that direction, for they thought Mr. Bear
+might be awake and standing in his door.
+
+They met Mr. Rabbit about that time and invited him to go along, but Mr.
+Rabbit said his friendship with Mr. Bear was a rather distant one, and
+that he mostly talked to him from across the river or from a hill that
+had a good clear running space on the other slope. He said Mr. Bear's
+taste was good, for he was fond of his family, but that the fondness had
+been all on Mr. Bear's side.
+
+[Illustration: THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY THOUGHT MR.
+BEAR WAS]
+
+So the Hollow Tree People went along, saying what a nice man they
+thought Mr. Bear was, and saying it quite loud, and looking every which
+way, because Mr. Bear might be out for a walk too.
+
+But they didn't see him anywhere, and by-and-by they got right to the
+door of his cave and knocked a little, and nobody came. Then they
+listened, but couldn't hear anything at first, until Mr. 'Coon, who has
+very sharp ears, said that he was sure he heard Mr. Bear breathing and
+that he must be still asleep. Then the others thought they heard it,
+too, and pretty soon they were sure they heard it, and Mr. 'Possum said
+it was too bad to let Mr. Bear oversleep himself this fine weather, and
+that they ought to go in and let him know how late it was.
+
+So then they pushed open the door and went tiptoeing in to where Mr.
+Bear was. They thought, of course, he would be in bed, but he wasn't. He
+was sitting up in a big armchair in his dressing-gown, with his feet up
+on a low stool, before a fire that had gone out some time in December,
+with a little table by him that had a candle on it which had burned down
+about the time the fire went out. His pipe had gone out too, and they
+knew that Mr. Bear had been smoking, and must have been very tired and
+gone to sleep right where he was, and hadn't moved all winter long.
+
+[Illustration: MR. BEAR MUST HAVE BEEN VERY TIRED AND GONE TO SLEEP
+RIGHT WHERE HE WAS]
+
+It wasn't very cheerful in there, so Mr. 'Possum said maybe they'd
+better stir up a little fire to take the chill off before they woke
+Mr. Bear, and Mr. 'Coon found a fresh candle and lighted it, and Mr.
+Crow put the room to rights a little, and wound up the clock, and set
+it, and started it going. Then when the fire got nice and bright they
+stood around and looked at Mr. Bear, and each one said it was a good
+time now to wake him up, but nobody just wanted to do it, because Mr.
+Bear isn't always good-natured, and nobody could tell what might happen
+if he should wake up cross and hungry, and he'd be likely to do that if
+his nap was broken too suddenly. Mr. 'Possum said that Mr. Crow was the
+one to do it, as he had first thought of this trip, and Mr. Crow said
+that it was Mr. 'Possum's place, because it had been in his dream. Then
+they both said that as Mr. 'Coon hadn't done anything at all so far, he
+might do that.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said that he'd do it quick enough, only he'd been listening to
+the way Mr. Bear breathed, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be ready
+to wake up for a week yet, and it would be too bad to wake him now when
+he might not have been resting well during the first month or so of his
+nap and was making it up now. He said they could look around a little
+and see if Mr. Bear's things were keeping well, and perhaps brush up his
+pantry so it would be nice and clean when he did wake.
+
+Then Mr. Crow said he'd always wanted to see Mr. Bear's pantry, for he'd
+heard it was such a good place to keep things, and perhaps he could get
+some ideas for the Hollow Tree; and Mr. 'Possum said that Mr. Bear had
+the name of having a bigger pantry and more things in it than all the
+rest of the Deep Woods People put together.
+
+So they left Mr. Bear all nice and comfortable, sleeping there by the
+fire, and lit another candle and went over to his pantry, which was at
+the other side of the room, and opened the door and looked in.
+
+Well, they couldn't say a word at first, but only just looked at one
+another and at all the things they saw in that pantry. First, on the top
+shelf there was a row of pies, clear around. Then on the next shelf
+there was a row of cakes--first a fruit-cake, then a jelly-cake, then
+another fruit-cake and then another jelly-cake, and the cakes went all
+the way around, too, and some of them had frosting on them, and you
+could see the raisins in the fruit-cake and pieces of citron. Then on
+the next shelf there was a row of nice cooked partridges, all the way
+around, close together. And on the shelf below was a row of meat-pies
+made of chicken and turkey and young lamb, and on the shelf below that
+there was a row of nice canned berries, and on the floor, all the way
+around, there were jars of honey--nice comb honey that Mr. Bear had
+gathered in November from bee-trees.
+
+Mr. Crow spoke first.
+
+"Well, I never," he said, "never in all my life, saw anything like it!"
+
+And Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum both said:
+
+"He can't do it--a breakfast like that is too much for _any_ bear!"
+
+Then Mr. Crow said:
+
+"He oughtn't to be _allowed_ to do it. Mr. Bear is too nice a man to
+lose."
+
+And Mr. 'Possum said:
+
+"He _mustn't_ be allowed to do it--we'll help him."
+
+"Where do you suppose he begins?" said Mr. 'Coon.
+
+"At the top, very likely," said Mr. Crow. "He's got it arranged in
+courses."
+
+"I don't care where he begins," said Mr. 'Possum; "I'm going to begin
+somewhere, now, and I think I will begin on a meat-pie."
+
+And Mr. Crow said he thought he'd begin on a nice partridge, and Mr.
+'Coon said he believed he'd try a mince-pie or two first, as a kind of a
+lining, and then fill in with the solid things afterward.
+
+So then Mr. 'Possum took down his meat-pie, and said he hoped this
+wasn't a dream, and Mr. Crow took down a nice brown partridge, and Mr.
+'Coon stood up on a chair and slipped a mince-pie out of a pan on the
+top shelf, and everything would have been all right, only he lost his
+balance a little and let the pie fall. It made quite a smack when it
+struck the floor, and Mr. 'Possum jumped and let his pie fall, too, and
+that made a good deal more of a noise, because it was large and in a tin
+pan.
+
+Then Mr. Crow blew out the light quick, and they all stood perfectly
+still and listened, for it seemed to them a noise like that would wake
+the dead, much more Mr. Bear, and they thought he would be right up and
+in there after them.
+
+But Mr. Bear was too sound asleep for that. They heard him give a little
+cough and a kind of a grunt mixed with a sleepy word or two, and when
+they peeked out through the door, which was open just a little ways,
+they saw him moving about in his chair, trying first one side and then
+the other, as if he wanted to settle down and go to sleep again, which
+he didn't do, but kept right on grunting and sniffing and mumbling and
+trying new positions.
+
+Then, of course, the Hollow Tree People were scared, for they knew
+pretty well he was going to wake up. There wasn't any way to get out of
+Mr. Bear's pantry except by the door, and you had to go right by Mr.
+Bear's chair to get out of the cave. So they just stood there, holding
+their breath and trembling, and Mr. 'Possum wished now it _was_ a dream,
+and that he could wake up right away before the nightmare began.
+
+Well, Mr. Bear he turned this way and that way, and once or twice seemed
+about to settle down and sleep again; but just as they thought he really
+had done it, he sat up pretty straight and looked all around.
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People thought their time had come, and they wanted
+to make a jump, and run for the door, only they were afraid to try it.
+Mr. Bear yawned a long yawn, and stretched himself, and rubbed his eyes
+open, and looked over at the fire and down at the candle on the table
+and up at the clock on the mantel. The 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old
+Black Crow thought, of course, he'd know somebody had been there by all
+those things being set going, and they expected him to roar out
+something terrible and start for the pantry first thing.
+
+But Mr. Bear didn't seem to understand it at all, or to suppose that
+anything was wrong, and from what he mumbled to himself they saw right
+away that he thought he'd been asleep only a little while instead of all
+winter long.
+
+"Humph!" they heard him growl, "I must have gone to sleep, and was
+dreaming it's time to wake up. I didn't sleep long, though, by the way
+the fire and the candle look, besides it's only a quarter of ten, and I
+remember winding the clock at half after eight. Funny I feel so hungry,
+after eating a big supper only two hours ago. Must be the reason I
+dreamed it was spring. Humph! guess I'll just eat a piece of pie and go
+to bed."
+
+So Mr. Bear got up and held on to his chair to steady himself, and
+yawned some more and rubbed his eyes, for he was only about half awake
+yet, and pretty soon he picked up his candle and started for the pantry.
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People felt as if they were going to die. They
+didn't dare to breathe or make the least bit of noise, and just huddled
+back in a corner close to the wall, and Mr. 'Possum all at once felt as
+if he must sneeze right away, and Mr. 'Coon would have given anything to
+be able to scratch his back, and Mr. Crow thought if he could only cough
+once more and clear his throat he wouldn't care whether he had anything
+to eat, ever again.
+
+And Mr. Bear he came shuffling along toward the pantry with his candle
+all tipped to one side, still rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up,
+and everything was just as still as still--all except a little scratchy
+sound his claws made dragging along the floor, though that wasn't a nice
+sound for the Hollow Tree People to hear. And when he came to the pantry
+door Mr. Bear pushed it open quite wide and was coming straight in, only
+just then he caught his toe a little on the door-sill and _stumbled_ in,
+and that was too much for Mr. 'Possum, who turned loose a sneeze that
+shook the world.
+
+Then Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon made a dive under Mr. Bear's legs, and Mr.
+'Possum did too, and down came Mr. Bear and down came his candle, and
+the candle went out, but not any quicker than the Hollow Tree People,
+who broke for the cave door and slammed it behind them, and struck out
+for the bushes as if they thought they'd never live to get there.
+
+But when they got into some thick hazel brush they stopped a minute to
+breathe, and then they all heard Mr. Bear calling "Help! Help!" as loud
+as he could, and when they listened they heard him mention something
+about an earthquake and that the world was coming to an end.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said that from the sound of Mr. Bear's voice he seemed
+to be unhappy about something, and that it was too bad for them to just
+pass right by without asking what was the trouble, especially if Mr.
+Bear, who had always been so friendly, should ever hear of it. So then
+they straightened their collars and ties and knocked the dust off a
+little, and Mr. 'Coon scratched his back against a little bush and Mr.
+Crow cleared his throat, and they stepped out of the hazel patch and
+went up to Mr. Bear's door and pushed it open a little and called out:
+
+"Oh, Mr. Bear, do you need any help?"
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'COON SCRATCHED HIS BACK AGAINST A LITTLE BUSH]
+
+"Oh yes," groaned Mr. Bear, "come quick! I've been struck by an
+earthquake and nearly killed, and everything I've got must be ruined.
+Bring a light and look at my pantry!"
+
+So then Mr. 'Coon ran with a splinter from Mr. Bear's fire and lit the
+candle, and Mr. Bear got up, rubbing himself and taking on, and began
+looking at his pantry shelves, which made him better right away.
+
+"Oh," he said, "how lucky the damage is so small! Only two pies and a
+partridge knocked down, and they are not much hurt. I thought everything
+was lost, and my nerves are all upset when I was getting ready for my
+winter sleep. How glad I am you happened to be passing. Stay with me,
+and we will eat to quiet our nerves."
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People said that the earthquake had made them
+nervous too, and that perhaps a little food would be good for all of
+them; so they flew around just as if they were at home, and brought Mr.
+Bear's table right into the pantry, and some chairs, and set out the
+very best things and told Mr. Bear to sit right up to the table and help
+himself, and then all the others sat up, too, and they ate everything
+clear through, from meat-pie to mince-pie, just as if Mr. 'Possum's
+dream had really come true.
+
+And Mr. Bear said he didn't understand how he could have such a good
+appetite when he had such a big supper only two hours ago, and he said
+that there must have been two earthquakes, because a noise of some kind
+had roused him from a little nap he had been taking in his chair, but
+that the real earthquake hadn't happened until he got to the pantry
+door, where he stumbled a little, which seemed to touch it off. He said
+he hoped he'd never live to go through with a thing like that again.
+
+Then the Hollow Tree People said they had heard both of the shocks, and
+that the last one was a good deal the worst, and that of course such a
+thing would sound a good deal louder in a cave anyway. And by-and-by,
+when they were all through eating, they went in by the fire and sat down
+and smoked, and Mr. Bear said he didn't feel as sleepy as he thought he
+should because he was still upset a good deal by the shock, but that he
+guessed he would just crawl into bed while they were there, as it seemed
+nice to have company.
+
+So he did, and by-and-by he dropped off to sleep again, and the Hollow
+Tree People borrowed a few things, and went out softly and shut the door
+behind them. They stopped at Mr. Rabbit's house on the way home, and
+told him they had enjoyed a nice breakfast with Mr. Bear, and how Mr.
+Bear had sent a partridge and a pie and a little pot of honey to Mr.
+Rabbit because of his fondness for the family. Then Mr. Rabbit felt
+quite pleased, because it was too early for spring vegetables and hard
+to get good things for the table.
+
+"And did Mr. Bear sleep all summer?" asks the Little Lady.
+
+[Illustration: MR. RABBIT THANKED HIM FROM ACROSS THE RIVER]
+
+No, he woke up again pretty soon, for he had finished his nap, and of
+course the next time when he looked around he found his fire out and the
+candle burned down and the clock stopped, so he got up and went outside,
+and saw it was spring and that he had slept a good deal longer than
+usual. But when he went to eat his spring breakfast he couldn't
+understand why he wasn't very hungry, and thought it must be because
+he'd eaten two such big suppers.
+
+"But why didn't the Hollow Tree People tell him it was spring and not
+let him go to bed again?"
+
+Well, I s'pose they thought it wouldn't be very polite to tell Mr. Bear
+how he'd been fooled, and, besides, he needed a nice nap again after the
+earthquake--anyhow, he thought it was an earthquake, and was a good deal
+upset.
+
+And it was a long time before he found out what _had really_ happened,
+and he never would have known, if Mr. Rabbit hadn't seen him fishing one
+day and thanked him from across the river for the nice breakfast he had
+sent him by the Hollow Tree People.
+
+That set Mr. Bear to thinking, and he asked Mr. Rabbit a few questions
+about things in general and earthquakes in particular, and the more he
+found out and thought about it the more he began to guess just how it
+was, and by-and-by when he did find out all about it, he didn't care any
+more, and really thought it quite a good joke on himself for falling
+asleep in his chair and sleeping there all winter long.
+
+
+
+
+MR. CROW'S GARDEN
+
+THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE LEARN HOW TO RAISE FINE VEGETABLES
+
+
+ONE morning, right after breakfast in the Hollow Tree, Mr. Crow said
+he'd been thinking of something ever since he woke up, and if the 'Coon
+and the 'Possum thought it was a good plan he believed he'd do it. He
+said of course they knew how good Mr. Rabbit's garden always was, and
+how he nearly lived out of it during the summer, Mr. Rabbit being a good
+deal of a vegetarian; by which he meant that he liked vegetables better
+than anything, while the Hollow Tree People, Mr. Crow said, were a
+little different in their tastes, though he didn't know just what the
+name for them was. He said he thought they might be humanitarians,
+because they liked the things that Mr. Man and other human beings liked,
+but that he wasn't sure whether that was the right name or not.
+
+Then Mr. 'Possum said for him to never mind about the word, but to go on
+and talk about his plan if it had anything to do with something to eat,
+for he was getting pretty tired of living on little picked-up things
+such as they had been having this hard spring, and Mr. 'Coon said so
+too. So then Mr. Crow said:
+
+"Well, I've been planning to have a garden this spring like Mr.
+Rabbit's."
+
+"Humph!" said Mr. 'Possum, "I thought you were going to start a chicken
+farm."
+
+But Mr. Crow said "No," that the Big Deep Woods didn't seem a healthy
+place for chickens, and that they could pick up a chicken here and there
+by-and-by, and then if they had nice green pease to go with it, or some
+green corn, or even a tender salad, it would help out, especially when
+they had company like Mr. Robin, or Mr. Squirrel, or Mr. Rabbit, who
+cared for such things.
+
+So then the 'Coon and the 'Possum both said that to have green pease and
+corn was a very good idea, especially when such things were mixed with
+young chickens with plenty of dressing and gravy, and that as this was a
+pleasant morning they might walk over and call on Jack Rabbit so that
+the Old Black Crow could find out about planting things. Mr. 'Possum
+said that his uncle Silas Lovejoy always had a garden, and he had worked
+it a good deal when he was young, but that he had forgotten just how
+things should be planted, though he knew the moon had something to do
+with it, and if you didn't get the time right the things that ought to
+grow up would grow down and the down things would all grow up, so that
+you'd have to dig your pease and pick your potatoes when the other way
+was the fashion and thought to be better in this climate.
+
+So then the Hollow Tree People put on their things and went out into the
+nice April sunshine and walked over to Jack Rabbit's house, saying how
+pleasant it was to take a little walk this way when everything was
+getting green, and they passed by where Mr. and Mrs. Robin were building
+a new nest, and they looked in on a cozy little hollow tree where Mr.
+Squirrel, who had just brought home a young wife from over by the Big
+West Hills, had set up housekeeping with everything new except the
+old-fashioned feather-bed and home-made spread which Miss Squirrel had
+been given by her folks. They looked through Mr. Squirrel's house and
+said how snug it was, and that perhaps it would be better not to try to
+furnish it too much at once, as it was nice just to get things as one
+was able, instead of doing everything at the start.
+
+When they got to Mr. Rabbit's house he was weaving a rag carpet for his
+front room, and they all stood behind him and watched him weave, and
+by-and-by Mr. 'Coon wanted to try it, but he didn't know how to run the
+treadle exactly, and got some of the strands too loose and some too
+tight, so he gave it up, and they all went out to look at Mr. Rabbit's
+garden.
+
+Well, Mr. Rabbit did have a nice garden. It was all laid out in rows,
+and was straight and trim, and there wasn't a weed anywhere. He had
+things up, too--pease and lettuce and radishes--and he had some
+tomato-plants growing in a box in the house, because it was too early to
+put them out.
+
+Mr. Rabbit said that a good many people bought their plants, but that he
+always liked to raise his own from seed, because then he knew just what
+they were and what to expect. He told them how to plant the different
+things and about the moon, and said there was an old adage in his family
+that if you remembered it you'd always plant at the right time. The
+adage, he said, was:
+
+    "Pease and beans in the light of the moon--
+     Both in the pot before it's June."
+
+And of course you only had to change "light" to "dark" and use it for
+turnips and potatoes and such things, though really it was sometimes
+later than June, but June was near enough, and rhymed with "moon" better
+than July and August. He said he would give Mr. Crow all the seeds he
+wanted, and that when he was ready to put out tomatoes he would let him
+have plenty of plants too.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said it would be nice to have a few flower seeds, and
+they all looked at Mr. 'Coon because they knew he had once been in love,
+and they thought by his wanting flowers that he might be going to get
+that way again.
+
+But Mr. Rabbit said he was fond of flowers, too, especially the
+old-fashioned kind, and he picked out some for Mr. 'Coon; and then he
+went to weaving again, and the Hollow Tree People watched him awhile,
+and he pointed out pieces of different clothes he had had that he was
+weaving into his carpet, and they all thought how nice it was to use up
+one's old things that way.
+
+Then by-and-by the Hollow Tree People went back home, and they began
+their garden right away. It was just the kind of a day to make garden
+and they all felt like it, so they spaded and hoed and raked, and didn't
+find it very easy because the place had never been used for a garden
+before, and there were some roots and stones; and pretty soon Mr.
+'Possum said that Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon might go on with the digging
+and he would plant the seeds, as he had been used to such work when he
+lived with his uncle Silas as a boy.
+
+So then he took the seeds, but he couldn't remember Mr. Rabbit's adages
+which told whether beets and carrots and such things as grow below the
+ground had to be planted in the dark of the moon or the light of the
+moon, and it was the same about beans and pease and the things that
+grow above the ground; and when he spoke to Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon about
+it, one said it was one way and the other the other way, and then Mr.
+'Possum said he wasn't planting the things in the moon anyhow, and he
+thought Mr. Rabbit had made the adages to suit the day he was going to
+plant and that they would work either way.
+
+So then Mr. 'Possum planted everything there was, and showed Mr. 'Coon
+how to plant his flower seeds; and when they were all done they stood
+off and admired their nice garden, and said it was just about as nice as
+Jack Rabbit's, and maybe nicer in some ways, because it had trees around
+it and was a pleasant place to work.
+
+[Illustration: ONE SAID IT WAS ONE WAY AND THE OTHER THE OTHER WAY]
+
+Well, after that they got up every morning and went out to look at their
+garden, to see if any of the things were coming up; and pretty soon they
+found a good _many_ things coming up, but they were not in hills and
+rows, and Mr. 'Possum said they were weeds, because he remembered that
+Uncle Silas's weeds had always looked like those, and how he and his
+little cousins had had to hoe them. So then they got their hoes and hoed
+every morning, and by-and-by they had to hoe some during the day too, to
+keep up with the weeds, and the sun was pretty hot, and Mr. 'Possum did
+most of his hoeing over by the trees where it wasn't so sunny, and said
+that hereafter he thought it would be a good plan to plant all their
+garden in the shade.
+
+And every day they kept looking for the seeds to come up, and by-and-by
+a few did come up, and then they were quite proud, and went over and
+told Jack Rabbit about it, and Mr. Rabbit came over to give them some
+advice, and said he thought their garden looked pretty well for being
+its first year and put in late, though it looked to him, he said, as if
+some of it had been planted the wrong time of the moon, and he didn't
+think so much shade was very good for most things.
+
+But Mr. 'Possum said he'd rather have more shade and less things, and he
+thought next year he'd let his part of the garden out on shares.
+
+Well, it got hotter and hotter, and the weeds grew more and more, and
+the Hollow Tree People had to work and hoe and pull nearly all day in
+the sun to keep up with them, and they would have given it up pretty
+soon, only they wanted to show Jack Rabbit that they could have a garden
+too, and by-and-by, when their things got big enough to eat, they were
+so proud that they invited Mr. Rabbit to come over for dinner, and they
+sent word to Mr. Turtle, too, because he likes good things and lives
+alone, not being a family man like Mr. Robin and Mr. Squirrel.
+
+Now of course the Hollow Tree People knew that they had no such fine
+things in their garden as Jack Rabbit had in his, and they said they
+couldn't expect to, but they'd try to have other things to make up; and
+Mr. Crow was cooking for two whole days getting his chicken-pies and his
+puddings and such things ready for that dinner. And then when the
+morning came for it he was out long before sun-up to pick the things in
+the garden while they were nice and fresh, with the dew on them.
+
+But when Mr. Crow looked over his garden he felt pretty bad, for, after
+all, the new potatoes were little and tough, and the pease were small
+and dry, and the beans were thin and stringy, and the salad was pretty
+puny and tasteless, and the corn was just nubbins, because it didn't
+grow in a very good place and maybe hadn't been planted or tended very
+well. So Mr. Crow walked up and down the rows and thought a good deal,
+and finally decided that he'd just take a walk over toward Jack Rabbit's
+garden to see if Mr. Rabbit's things were really so much better after
+all.
+
+It was just about sunrise, and Mr. Crow knew Jack Rabbit didn't get up
+so soon, and he made up his mind he wouldn't wake him when he got there,
+but would just take a look over his nice garden and come away again. So
+when he got to Mr. Rabbit's back fence he climbed through a crack, and
+sat down in the weeds to rest a little and to look around, and he saw
+that Mr. Rabbit's house was just as still and closed up as could be,
+and no signs of Jack Rabbit anywhere.
+
+So then Mr. Crow stepped out into the corn patch and looked along at the
+rows of fine roasting ears, which made him feel sad because of those
+little nubbins in his own garden, and then he saw the fine fat pease and
+beans and salads in Jack Rabbit's garden, and it seemed to him that Mr.
+Rabbit could never in the world use up all those things himself.
+
+Then Mr. Crow decided that he would thin out a few of Jack Rabbit's
+things, which seemed to be too thick anyway to do well. It would be too
+bad to disturb Mr. Rabbit to tell him about it, and Mr. Crow didn't have
+time to wait for him to get up if he was going to get his dinner ready
+on time.
+
+So Mr. Crow picked some large ears of corn and some of Mr. Rabbit's best
+pease and beans and salads, and filled his apron with all he could
+carry, and climbed through the back fence again, and took out for home
+without wasting any more time. And when he got there Mr. 'Coon and Mr.
+'Possum were just getting up, and he didn't bother to tell them about
+borrowing from Mr. Rabbit's garden, but set out some breakfast, and as
+soon as it was over pitched in to get ready for company. Mr. 'Coon and
+Mr. 'Possum flew around, too, to make the room look nice, and by-and-by
+everything was ready, and the table was set, and the Hollow Tree People
+were all dressed up and looking out the window.
+
+[Illustration: MR. CROW DECIDED TO THIN OUT A FEW OF JACK RABBIT'S
+THINGS]
+
+Then pretty soon they saw Mr. Turtle coming through the timber, and just
+then Jack Rabbit came in sight from the other direction. Mr. Turtle had
+brought a basket of mussels, which always are nice with a big dinner,
+like oysters, and Mr. Rabbit said he would have brought some things out
+of his garden, only he knew the Hollow Tree People had a garden, too,
+this year, and would want to show what they could do in that line
+themselves. He said he certainly must take a look at their garden
+because he had heard a good deal about it from Mr. Robin.
+
+Then Mr. Crow felt a little chilly, for he happened to think that if Mr.
+Rabbit went out into their garden and then saw the fine things which
+were going to be on the table he'd wonder where they came from. So he
+said right away that dinner was all ready, and they'd better sit down
+while things were hot and fresh.
+
+Then they all sat down, and first had the mussels which Mr. Turtle had
+brought, and there were some fine sliced tomatoes with them, and Mr.
+Rabbit said he hadn't supposed that such fine big tomatoes as those
+could come out of a new garden that had been planted late, and that he
+certainly must see the vines they came off of before he went home,
+because they were just as big as his tomatoes, if not bigger, and he
+wanted to see just how they could do so well.
+
+And Mr. Crow felt _real_ chilly, and Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum both
+said they hadn't supposed their tomatoes were so big and ripe, though
+they hadn't looked at them since yesterday. But Mr. Rabbit said that a
+good many things could happen over night, and Mr. Crow changed the
+subject as quick as he could, and said that things always looked bigger
+and better on the table than they did in the garden, but that he'd
+picked all the real big, ripe tomatoes and he didn't think there'd be
+any more.
+
+Then after the mussels they had the chicken-pie, and when Mr. Rabbit saw
+the vegetables that Mr. Crow served with it he looked at them and said:
+
+"My, what fine pease and beans, and what splendid corn! I am sure your
+vegetables are as good as anything in my garden, if not better. I
+certainly _must see_ just the spot where they grew. I would never have
+believed you could have done it, never, if I hadn't seen them right here
+on your table with my own eyes."
+
+Then Mr. Turtle said they were the finest he ever tasted, and Mr.
+'Possum and Mr. 'Coon both said they wouldn't have believed it
+themselves yesterday, and it was wonderful how much everything had grown
+over night. Then the Old Black Crow choked a little and coughed, and
+said he didn't seem to relish his food, and pretty soon he said that of
+course their garden _had_ done _pretty_ well, but that it was about
+through now, as these were things he had been saving for this dinner,
+and he had gathered all the biggest and best of them this morning before
+Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon were up.
+
+When Mr. Crow said that, Jack Rabbit looked the other way and made a
+very queer face, and you might have thought he was trying to keep from
+laughing if you had seen him, but maybe he was only trying to keep from
+coughing, for pretty soon he did cough a little and said that the early
+morning was the proper time to gather vegetables; that one could always
+pick out the best things then, and do it quietly before folks were up.
+
+Then Mr. Crow felt a cold, shaky chill that went all the way up and
+down, and he was afraid to look up, though of course he didn't believe
+Mr. Rabbit knew anything about what he had done, only he was afraid that
+he would look so guilty that everybody would see it. He said that his
+head was a little dizzy with being over the hot stove so much, and he
+hoped they wouldn't think of going out until the cool of the evening, as
+the sun would be too much for him, and of course he wanted to be with
+them.
+
+[Illustration: MR. CROW WAS ALMOST AFRAID TO BRING ON THE SALAD]
+
+Poor Mr. Crow was almost afraid to bring on the salad, but he was just
+as afraid not to. Only he did wish he had picked out Mr. Rabbit's
+smallest bunches instead of his biggest ones, for he knew there were no
+such other salads anywhere as those very ones he had borrowed from Mr.
+Rabbit's garden. But he put it off as long as he could, and by-and-by
+Jack Rabbit said that there was one thing he was sure the Hollow Tree
+couldn't beat him on, and that was salad. He said he had never had such
+fine heads as he had this year, and that there were a few heads
+especially that he had been saving to show his friends. Then the 'Coon
+and 'Possum said "No," their salads were not very much, unless they had
+grown a great deal over night, like the other things--and when Mr. Crow
+got up to bring them he walked wobbly, and everybody said it was too bad
+that Mr. Crow _would_ always go to so much trouble for company.
+
+Well, when he came in with that bowl of salad and set it down, Mr.
+Turtle and Jack Rabbit said, "Did you ever in your life!" But Mr.
+'Possum and Mr. 'Coon just sat and looked at it, for they thought it
+couldn't be true.
+
+Then pretty soon Mr. Rabbit said that he would take back everything he
+had told them about his salad, and that he was coming over to take some
+lessons from the Hollow Tree People, and especially from Mr. Crow, on
+how to raise vegetables. He said that there were a good many ways to
+raise vegetables--some raised them in a garden; some raised them in a
+hothouse; some raised them in the market; but that Mr. Crow's way was
+the best way there was, and he was coming over to learn it. He said they
+must finish their dinner before dark, for he certainly must _see_ just
+where _all_ Mr. Crow's wonderful things came from.
+
+Then Mr. Crow felt the gray spot on his head getting a good deal grayer,
+and he dropped his knife and fork, and swallowed two or three times, and
+tried to smile, though it was a sickly smile. He said that Mr. Rabbit
+was very kind, but that Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had done a good deal
+of the work, too.
+
+But Jack Rabbit said "No," that nobody but an industrious person like
+Mr. Crow could have raised _those_ vegetables--a person who got up
+early, he said, and was used to taking a little trouble to get the best
+things.
+
+Then Mr. Crow went after the dessert, and was glad enough that there
+were no more vegetables to come, especially of that kind.
+
+And Mr. Rabbit seemed to forget about looking at the garden until they
+were all through, and then he said that before they went outside he
+would read a little poem he had composed that morning lying in bed and
+looking at the sunrise across his own garden. He said he called it:
+
+        ME AND MY GARDEN
+
+    Oh, it's nice to have a garden
+      On which to put my labors.
+    It's nice to have a garden
+      Especially for my neighbors.
+
+    I like to see it growing
+      When skies are blue above me;
+    I like to see it gathered
+      By those who really love me.
+
+    I like to think in winter
+      Of pleasant summer labors;
+    Oh, it's nice to have a garden
+      Especially for my neighbors.
+
+Everybody said that was a nice poem and sounded just like Mr. Rabbit,
+who was always so free-hearted--all except Mr. Crow, who tried to say it
+was nice, and couldn't. Then Mr. Rabbit said they'd better go out now to
+see the Hollow Tree garden, but Mr. Crow said really he couldn't stand
+it yet, and they could see by his looks that he was feeling pretty sick,
+and Mr. Turtle said it was too bad to think of taking Mr. Crow out in
+the sun when he had worked so hard.
+
+So then they all sat around and smoked and told stories, and whenever
+they stopped Mr. Crow thought of something else to do and seemed to get
+better toward night, and got a great deal better when it got dark, and
+Mr. Jack Rabbit said all at once that now it was too late to see the
+Hollow Tree garden, and that he was so sorry, for he knew he could have
+learned something if he could just have one look at it, for nobody could
+see those vegetables and that garden without learning a great deal.
+
+[Illustration: JACK RABBIT CAPERED AND LAUGHED ALL THE WAY HOME]
+
+Then he said he must go, and Mr. Turtle said he guessed _he_ must go
+too, so they both set out for home, and when Jack Rabbit got out of
+sight of the Hollow Tree and into a little open moonlight place, he just
+laid down on the ground and rolled over and laughed and kicked his feet,
+and sat up and rocked and looked at the moon and laughed; and he capered
+and laughed all the way home at the good joke he had all to himself on
+Mr. Crow.
+
+For Mr. Rabbit had been lying awake in bed that morning when Mr. Crow
+was in his garden, and he had seen Mr. Crow _all_ the time.
+
+
+
+
+WHEN JACK RABBIT WAS A LITTLE BOY
+
+A STORY OF A VERY LONG TIME AGO
+
+
+THE Little Lady skips first on one foot and then on the other foot,
+around and around, until pretty soon she tumbles backward into _twelve
+flower-pots_.
+
+That, of course, makes a great damage, and though the Little Lady
+herself isn't hurt to speak of, she is frightened very much and has to
+be comforted by everybody, including the Story Teller, who comes last,
+and finishes up by telling about something that happened to Jack Rabbit
+when _he_ was little.
+
+Once upon a time, it begins, when Mr. Jack Rabbit was quite small, his
+mother left him all alone one afternoon while she went across the Wide
+Grass Lands to visit an old aunt of hers and take her some of the nice
+blackberries she had been putting up that morning. Mrs. Rabbit had been
+very busy all the forenoon, and little Jack had been watching her and
+making believe he was putting up berries too.
+
+And when Mrs. Rabbit got through she had cleaned her stove and polished
+it as nice as could be; then she gave little Jack Rabbit his dinner,
+with some of the berries that were left over, and afterward she washed
+his face and hands and found his blocks for him to play with, besides a
+new stick of red sealing-wax--the kind she used to seal her cans with;
+for they did not have patent screw-top cans in those days, but always
+sealed the covers on with red sealing-wax.
+
+Then Mrs. Rabbit told little Jack that he could play with his blocks,
+and build houses, with the red stick for a chimney, and to be a good boy
+until she came home. So little Jack Rabbit promised, and Mrs. Rabbit
+kissed him twice and took her parasol and her reticule and a can of
+berries, and started. Little Jack would have gone with her, only it was
+too far.
+
+Well, after she had left, little Jack played with his blocks and built
+houses and set the stick of sealing-wax up for a brick chimney, and
+by-and-by he played he was canning fruit, and he wished he could have a
+little stove and little cans and a little stick of sealing-wax, so he
+could really do it all just as she did.
+
+[Illustration: TOOK HER PARASOL AND HER RETICULE AND A CAN OF BERRIES,
+AND STARTED]
+
+Then little Jack Rabbit looked at the nice polished stove and wondered
+how it would be to use that, and to build a little fire in it--just a
+_little_ fire--which would make everything seem a good deal more real,
+he thought, than his make-believe stove of blocks.
+
+And pretty soon little Jack opened the stove door and looked in, and
+when he stirred the ashes there were still a few live coals there, and
+when he put in some shavings they blazed up, and when he put in some
+pieces of old shingles and things they blazed up too, and when he put in
+some of Mrs. Rabbit's nice dry wood the stove got _quite hot_!
+
+Then little Jack Rabbit became somewhat frightened, for he had only
+meant to make a very small fire, and he thought this might turn into a
+big fire. Also, he remembered some things his mother had told him about
+playing with fire and about _never going near a hot stove_. He thought
+he'd better open the stove door a little to see if the fire was getting
+too big, but he was afraid to touch it with his fingers for fear of
+burning them. He had seen his mother use a stick or something to open
+the stove door when it was hot, so he picked up the first thing that
+came handy, which was the stick of sealing-wax. But when he touched it
+to the hot door the red stick sputtered a little and left a bright red
+spot on the stove door.
+
+[Illustration: AND HE MADE SOME STRIPES, TOO--MOSTLY ON TOP OF THE
+STOVE]
+
+Then little Jack forgot all about putting up blackberries, admiring that
+beautiful red spot on the shiny black stove, and thinking how nice it
+would be to make some more like it, which he thought would improve the
+looks of the stove a great deal.
+
+So then he touched it again in another place and made another spot, and
+in another place and made another spot, and in a lot of places and made
+a lot of spots, and he made some stripes, too--mostly on top of the
+stove, which was nice and smooth to mark on, though he made _some_ on
+the pipe. You would hardly have known it was the same stove when he got
+all through, and little Jack thought how beautiful it was and how
+pleased his mother would be when she got home and _saw_ it. But then
+right away he happened to think that perhaps she might not be so pleased
+after all, and the more he thought about it the more sure he was that
+she wouldn't like her nice red-striped and spotted stove as well as a
+black one; and, besides, she had told him _never_ to play with fire.
+
+[Illustration: LITTLE JACK KNEW PERFECTLY WELL THAT SHE WASN'T AT ALL
+PLEASED]
+
+And just at that moment Mrs. Rabbit herself stepped in the door! And
+when she looked at her red-spotted and striped stove and then at little
+Jack Rabbit, little Jack knew perfectly well without her saying a single
+word that she wasn't _at all pleased_. So he began to cry very loud, and
+started to run, and tripped over his blocks and fell against a little
+stand-table that had Mrs. Rabbit's work-basket on it (for Mrs. Rabbit
+always knit or sewed while she was cooking anything), and all the spools
+and buttons and knitting-work went tumbling, with little Jack Rabbit
+right among them, holloing, "Oh, I'm killed! I'm killed!"--just
+sprawling there on the floor, afraid to get up, and expecting every
+minute his mother would do something awful.
+
+But Mrs. Rabbit just stood and looked at him over her spectacles and
+then at her red-spotted and striped stove, and pretty soon she said:
+
+"Well, this is a lovely mess to come home to!"
+
+Which of course made little Jack take on a good deal worse and keep on
+bawling out that he was killed, until Mrs. Rabbit told him that he was
+making a good deal of noise for a _dead_ man, and that if he'd get up
+and pick up all the things he'd upset maybe he'd come to life again.
+
+Then little Jack Rabbit got up and ran to his mother and cried against
+her best dress and got some tears on it, and Mrs. Rabbit sat down in her
+rocker and looked at her stove and rocked him until he felt better. And
+by-and-by she changed her dress and went to cleaning her stove while
+little Jack picked up all the things--all the spools and buttons and
+needles and knitting-work--every single thing.
+
+And after supper, when he said his prayers and went to bed, he promised
+never to disobey his mother again.
+
+[Illustration: PROMISED NEVER TO DISOBEY HIS MOTHER AGAIN]
+
+
+
+
+A HOLLOW TREE PICNIC
+
+THE LITTLE LADY AND THE STORY TELLER, AND THEIR FRIENDS
+
+
+NOT far from the House of Low Ceilings, which stands on the borders of
+the Big Deep Woods, there is a still smaller house, where, in
+summertime, the Story Teller goes to make up things and write them down.
+
+And one warm day he is writing away and not noticing what time it is
+when he thinks he hears somebody step in the door. So then he looks
+around, and he sees a little straw hat and a little round red face under
+it, and then he sees a basket, and right away he knows it is the Little
+Lady. And the Little Lady says:
+
+"I've brought the picnic--did you know it?"
+
+"Why, no!" the Story Teller says, looking surprised. "Is it time?"
+
+"Yes, and I've got huckleberries and cream, and some hot biscuits."
+
+"Good gracious! Let's see!"
+
+So then the Story Teller looks, and, sure enough, there they are, and
+more things, too; and pretty soon the Little Lady and he go down to a
+very quiet place under some hemlock-trees by a big rock where there is a
+clear brook and a spring close by, and they sit down, and the Little
+Lady spreads the picnic all out--and there is ham too, and
+bread-and-butter, and doughnuts--and they are so hungry that they eat
+everything, and both dip into one bowl when they get to huckleberries
+and cream.
+
+Then the Little Lady says:
+
+"Now tell me about the Hollow Tree People; they have picnics, too."
+
+"Sure enough, they do. And I think I'll have to tell you about their
+very last picnic and what happened."
+
+Well, once upon a time Mr. 'Possum said that he was getting tired of
+sitting down to a table every meal in a close room with the smell of
+cooking coming in, and if Mr. Crow would cook up a few things that would
+taste good cold he'd pack the basket (that is, Mr. 'Possum would) and
+Mr. 'Coon could carry it, and they'd go out somewhere and eat their
+dinner in a nice place under the trees.
+
+Mr. 'Coon said he knew a pleasant place to go, and Mr. Crow said he'd
+cook one of Mr. Man's chickens, which Mr. 'Possum had brought home the
+night before, though it would take time, he said, because it was pretty
+old--Mr. 'Possum having picked it out in the dark in a hurry.
+
+So then they all flew around and put away things, and Mr. Crow got the
+chicken on while Mr. 'Coon sliced the bread and Mr. 'Possum cut the
+cake, which they had been saving for Sunday, and he picked out a pie
+too, and a nice book to read which Mr. Crow had found lying in Mr. Man's
+yard while the folks were at dinner. Then he packed the basket all neat
+and nice, and ate a little piece of the cake when Mr. 'Coon had stepped
+out to see how the chicken was coming along, and when the chicken was
+ready he cut it all up nicely, and he tasted of that a little, too,
+while Mr. Crow was getting on his best picnic things to go.
+
+And pretty soon they all started out, and it was so bright and sunny
+that Mr. 'Possum began to sing a little, and Mr. 'Coon told him not to
+make a noise like that or they'd have company--Mr. Dog or Mr. Fox or
+somebody--when there was only just enough chicken for themselves, which
+made Mr. 'Possum stop right away. And before long they came to a very
+quiet place under some thick hemlock-trees behind a stone wall and close
+to a brook of clear water.
+
+[Illustration: AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO]
+
+That was the place Mr. 'Coon had thought of, and they sat down there and
+spread out all the things on some moss, and everything looked so nice
+that Mr. 'Possum said they ought to come here every day and eat dinner
+as long as the hot weather lasted. Then they were all so hungry that
+they began on the chicken right away, and Mr. 'Possum said that maybe he
+_might_ have picked out a tenderer one, but that he didn't think he
+could have found a bigger one, or one that would have lasted longer, and
+that, after all, size and lasting were what one needed for a picnic.
+
+So they ate first one thing and then another, and Mr. 'Coon asked if
+they remembered the time Mr. Dog had come to one of their picnics before
+they were friends with him, when he'd really been invited to stay away;
+and they all laughed when they thought how Mr. Rabbit had excused
+himself, and the others, too, one after another, until Mr. Dog had the
+picnic mostly to himself. And by-and-by the Hollow Tree People lit their
+pipes and smoked, and Mr. 'Possum leaned his back against a tree and
+read himself to sleep, and dreamed, and had a kind of a nightmare about
+that other picnic, and talked in his sleep about it, which made Mr.
+'Coon think of something to do.
+
+So then Mr. 'Coon got some long grass and made a strong band of it and
+very carefully tied Mr. 'Possum to the tree, and just as Mr. 'Possum
+began to have his dream again and was saying "Oh! Oh! here comes Mr.
+Dog!" Mr. 'Coon gave three loud barks right in Mr. 'Possum's ear, and
+Mr. Crow said "Wake up! Wake up, Mr. 'Possum! Here he comes!"
+
+[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND READ
+HIMSELF TO SLEEP]
+
+And Mr. 'Possum did wake up, and jumped and jerked at that band, and
+holloed out as loud as he could:
+
+"Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog! Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog!" for he
+thought it was Mr. Dog that had him, and he forgot all about them being
+friends.
+
+But just then he happened to see Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon rolling on the
+ground and laughing, and he looked down to see what had him and found he
+was tied to a tree, and he knew that they had played a joke on him. That
+made him pretty mad at first, and he said if he ever got loose he'd pay
+them back for their smartness.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon told him he most likely never would get loose if he
+didn't promise not to do anything, so Mr. 'Possum promised, and Mr.
+'Coon untied him. Mr. 'Possum said he guessed the chicken must have been
+pretty hard to digest, and he knew it was pretty salt, for he was dying
+for a good cold drink.
+
+Then Mr. 'Coon said he knew where there was a spring over beyond the
+wall that had colder water than the brook, and he'd show them the way to
+it. So they climbed over the wall and slipped through the bushes to the
+spring, and all took a nice cold drink, and just as they raised their
+heads from drinking they heard somebody say something. And they all kept
+perfectly still and listened, and they heard it again, just beyond some
+bushes.
+
+[Illustration: SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM]
+
+So then they crept softly in among the green leaves and branches and
+looked through, and what do you think they saw?
+
+The Story Teller turns to the Little Lady, who seems a good deal
+excited.
+
+"Why, why, what did they see?" she says. "Tell me, quick!"
+
+"Why," the Story Teller goes on, "they saw the Little Lady and the Story
+Teller having a picnic too, with all the nice things spread out by a
+rock, under the hemlock-trees."
+
+"Oh," gasps the Little Lady, "did they really see us? and are they there
+now?"
+
+"They might be," says the Story Teller. "The Hollow Tree People slip
+around very softly. Anyway, they were there then, and it was the first
+time they had ever seen the Little Lady and the Story Teller so close.
+And they watched them until they were all through with their picnic and
+had gathered up their things. Then the 'Coon and the 'Possum and Old
+Black Crow slipped away again, and crept over the wall and gathered up
+their own things and set out for home very happy."
+
+The Little Lady grasps the Story Teller's hand.
+
+"Let's go and see their picnic place!" she says. "They may be there
+now."
+
+[Illustration: "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"]
+
+So the Little Lady and the Story Teller go softly down to the spring
+and get a drink; then they creep across to the mossy stone wall and peer
+over, and there, sure enough, is a green mossy place in the shade, the
+very place to spread a picnic; and the Little Lady jumps and says "Oh!"
+for she sees something brown whisk into the bushes. Anyhow, she knows
+the Hollow Tree People have been there, for there is a little piece of
+paper on the moss which they must have used to wrap up something, and
+she thinks they most likely heard her coming and are just gone.
+
+So the Story Teller lifts her over the wall, and they sit down on the
+green moss of the Hollow Tree picnic place, and she leans up against him
+and listens to the singing of the brook, and the Story Teller sings
+softly too, until by-and-by the Little Lady is asleep.
+
+And it may be, as they sit there and drowse and dream, that the Hollow
+Tree People creep up close and watch them.
+
+Who knows?
+
+[Illustration]
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Notes:
+
+Obvious punctuation errors repaired.
+
+Repeated chapter titles were deleted to avoid repetition for the reader.
+
+Page 73, "t" changed to "it" (enjoyed it as much as)
+
+Page 135, "were" changed to "where" (from where he lived)
+
+Page 157, "pleasan" changed to "pleasant" (pleasant work)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book, by
+Albert Bigelow Paine
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HOLLOW TREE SNOWED-IN BOOK ***
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