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diff --git a/5701.txt b/5701.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1833629..0000000 --- a/5701.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2063 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Sleepy-Time Tales: The Tale of Fatty Coon, by -Arthur Scott Bailey - -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: Sleepy-Time Tales: The Tale of Fatty Coon - -Author: Arthur Scott Bailey - -Posting Date: January 26, 2013 [EBook #5701] -Release Date: May, 2004 -First Posted: August 12, 2002 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALE OF FATTY COON *** - - - - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team. - - - - - - - - - - - -SLEEPY-TIME TALES - -THE TALE OF FATTY COON - -BY -ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY - -ILLUSTRATED BY -HARRY L. SMITH - - - -NEW YORK - -1915 - - - - -CONTENTS - -I FATTY COON AT HOME - -II FATTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT EGGS - -III FATTY DISCOVERS MRS. TURTLE'S SECRET - -IV FATTY COON'S MISTAKE - -V FATTY COON GOES FISHING - -VI FATTY AND THE GREEN CORN - -VII JOHNNIE GREEN IS DISAPPOINTED - -VIII A TERRIBLE FRIGHT - -IX JOHNNIE GREEN LOSES HIS PET - -X FATTY COON AND THE MONSTER - -XI JASPER JAY TELLS SOME NEWS - -XII FORTY FAT TURKEYS - -XIII FATTY MEETS JIMMY RABBIT - -XIV THE BARBER-SHOP AGAIN - -XV FATTY VISITS THE SMOKEHOUSE - -XVI FATTY COON PLAYS ROBBER - -XVII FATTY FINDS THE MOON - -XVIII THE LOGGERS COME - -XIX FATTY GROWS EVEN FATTER - -XX THE TRACKS IN THE SNOW - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - -FATTY SAW MRS. TURTLE DIGGING IN THE SAND Frontispiece - -FATTY COON CROUCHED CLOSE TO THE WATER'S EDGE - -FATTY WISHED THE DOG WOULD GO AWAY - -FATTY STOPPED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD - -"PLEASE, MR. BEAR, LET GO OF MY TAIL!" FATTY CRIED - -IT HUNG UNDER A TREE, JUST OVER FATTY'S HEAD - - - - -I - -FATTY COON AT HOME - - -Fatty Coon was so fat and round that he looked like a ball of fur, with -a plumelike tail for a handle. But if you looked at him closely you -would have seen a pair of very bright eyes watching you. - -Fatty loved to eat. Yes--he loved eating better than anything else in -the world. That was what made him so fat. And that, too, was what led -him into many adventures. - -Close by a swamp, which lay down in the valley, between Blue Mountain -and Swift River, Fatty Coon lived with his mother and his brother and -his two sisters. Among them all there was what grown people call "a -strong family resemblance," which is the same thing as saying that they -all looked very much alike. The tail of each one of them--mother and -children too--had six black rings around it. Each of them had a dark -brown patch of fur across the face, like a mask. And--what do you -think?--each of them, even Fatty and his brother and his sisters, had a -stiff, white moustache! - -Of course, though they all looked so much alike, you would have known -which was Mrs. Coon, for she was so much bigger than her children. And -you would have known which was Fatty--he was so much rounder than his -brother and his sisters. - -Mrs. Coon's home was in the hollow branch of an old tree. It was a giant -of a tree--a poplar close by a brook which ran into the swamp--and the -branch which was Mrs. Coon's home was as big as most tree-trunks are. - -Blackie was Fatty's brother--for the mask on his face was just a little -darker than the others'. Fluffy was one of Fatty's sisters, because her -fur was just a little fluffier than the other children's. And Cutey was -the other sister's name, because she was so quaint. - -Now, Fatty Coon was forever looking around for something to eat. He was -never satisfied with what his mother brought home for him. No matter how -big a dinner Mrs. Coon set before her family, as soon as he had finished -eating his share Fatty would wipe his white moustache carefully--for all -the world like some old gentleman--and hurry off in search of something -more. - -Sometimes he went to the edge of the brook and tried to catch fish by -hooking them out of the water with his sharp claws. Sometimes he went -over to the swamp and hunted for duck among the tall reeds. And though -he did not yet know how to catch a duck, he could always capture a frog -or two; and Fatty ate them as if he hadn't had a mouthful of food for -days. - -To tell the truth, Fatty would eat almost anything he could get--nuts, -cherries, wild grapes, blackberries, bugs, small snakes, fish, chickens, -honey--there was no end to the different kinds of food he liked. He ate -everything. And he always wanted more. - -"Is this all there is?" Fatty Coon asked his mother one day. He had -gobbled up every bit of the nice fish that Mrs. Coon had brought home -for him. It was gone in no time at all. - -Mrs. Coon sighed. She had heard that question so many times; and she -wished that for once Fatty might have all the dinner he wanted. - -"Yes--that's all," she said, "and I should think that it was enough for -a young coon like you." - -Fatty said nothing more. He wiped his moustache on the back of his hand -(I hope you'll never do that!) and without another word he started off -to see what he could find to eat. - - - - -II - -FATTY LEARNS SOMETHING ABOUT EGGS - - -When Fatty Coon started off alone to find something more to eat, after -finishing the fish that his mother had brought home for him, he did not -know that he was going to have an adventure. He nosed about among the -bushes and the tall grasses and caught a few bugs and a frog or two. But -he didn't think that THAT was much. He didn't seem to have much luck, -down on the ground. So he climbed a tall hemlock, to see if he could -find a squirrel's nest, or some bird's eggs. - -Fatty loved to climb trees. Up in the big hemlock he forgot, for a time, -that he was still hungry. It was delightful to feel the branches swaying -under him, and the bright sunshine was warm upon his back. He climbed -almost to the very tip-top of the tree and wound himself around the -straight stem. The thick, springy branches held him safely, and soon -Fatty was fast asleep. Next to eating, Fatty loved sleeping. And now he -had a good nap. - -Fatty Coon woke up at last, yawned, and slowly unwound himself from the -stem of the tree. He was terribly hungry now. And he felt that he simply -MUST find something to eat at once. - -Without going down to the ground, Fatty climbed over into the top of -another big tree and his little beady, bright eyes began searching all -the branches carefully. Pretty soon Fatty smiled. He smiled because he -was pleased. And he was pleased because he saw exactly what he had been -looking for. Not far below him was a big nest, built of sticks and lined -with bark and moss. It was a crow's nest, Fatty decided, and he lost no -time in slipping down to the crotch of the tree where the nest was -perched. - -There were four white eggs in the nest--the biggest crow's eggs Fatty -had ever seen. And he began to eat them hungrily. His nose became -smeared with egg, but he didn't mind that at all. He kept thinking how -good the eggs tasted--and how he wished there were more of them. - -There was a sudden rush through the branches of the tall tree. And Fatty -Coon caught a hard blow on his head. He felt something sharp sink into -his back, too. And he clutched at the edge of the nest to keep from -falling. - -Fatty was surprised, to say the least, for he had never known crows to -fight like that. And he was frightened, because his back hurt. He -couldn't fight, because he was afraid he would fall if he let go of the -nest. - -There was nothing to do but run home as fast as he could. Fatty tried to -hurry; but there was that bird, beating and clawing his back, and -pulling him first one way and then another. He began to think he would -never reach home. But at last he came to the old poplar where his mother -lived. And soon, to his great joy, he reached the hole in the big -branch; and you may well believe that Fatty was glad to slip down into -the darkness where his mother, and his brother Blackie, and Fluffy and -Cutey his sisters, were all fast asleep. He was glad, because he knew -that no crow could follow him down there. - -Mrs. Coon waked up. She saw that Fatty's back was sadly torn (for coons, -you know, can see in the dark just as well as you can see in the -daylight). - -"What on earth is the matter?" she exclaimed. - -Poor Fatty told her. He cried a little, because his back hurt him, and -because he was so glad to be safe at home once more. - -"What color were those eggs?" Mrs. Coon inquired. - -"White!" said Fatty. - -"Ah, ha!" Mrs. Coon said. "Don't you remember that crows' eggs are a -blueish green? That must have been a goshawk's nest. And a goshawk is -the fiercest of all the hawks there are. It's no wonder your back is -clawed. Come here and let me look at it." - -Fatty Coon felt quite proud, as his mother examined the marks of the -goshawk's cruel claws. And he didn't feel half as sorry for himself as -you might think, for he remembered how good the eggs had tasted. He only -wished there had been a dozen of them. - - - - -III - -FATTY DISCOVERS MRS. TURTLE'S SECRET - - -After his adventure with the goshawk Fatty Coon did not go near the -tree-tops for a long time. Whenever he left home he would crawl down the -old poplar tree in which he lived; and he wouldn't climb a single tree -until he came home again. Somehow, he felt safer on the ground. You see, -he hadn't forgotten the fright he had had, nor how the goshawk's claws -had hurt his back. - -It was just three days after his scare, to be exact, when Fatty Coon -found himself on the bank of the creek which flowed slowly into Swift -River. Fatty had been looking for frogs, but he had had no luck at all. -To tell the truth, Fatty was a little too young to catch frogs easily, -even when he found one; and he was a good deal too fat, for he was so -plump that he was not very spry. - -Now, Fatty was hiding behind some tall rushes, and his sharp little eyes -were looking all about him, and his nose was twitching as he sniffed the -air. He wished he might find a frog. But not one frog appeared. Fatty -began to think that some other coon must have visited the creek just -before him and caught them all. And then he forgot all about frogs. - -Yes! Frogs passed completely out of Fatty Coon's mind. For whom should -he spy but Mrs. Turtle! He saw her little black head first, bobbing -along through the water of the creek. She was swimming toward the bank -where Fatty was hidden. And pretty soon she pulled herself out of the -water and waddled a short distance along the sand at the edge of the -creek. - -Mrs. Turtle stopped then; and for a few minutes she was very busy about -something. First she dug a hole in the sand. And Fatty wondered what she -was looking for. But he kept very quiet. And after a time Mrs. Turtle -splashed into the creek again and paddled away. But before she left she -scooped sand into the hole she had dug. Before she left the place she -looked all around, as if to make sure that no one had seen her. And as -she waddled slowly to the water Fatty could see that she was smiling as -if she was very well pleased about something. She seemed to have a -secret. - -Fatty Coon had grown very curious, as he watched Mrs. Turtle. And just -as soon as she was out of sight he came out from his hiding place in the -tall reeds and trotted down to the edge of the creek. He went straight -to the spot where Mrs. Turtle had dug the hole and filled it up again. -And Fatty was so eager to know what she had been doing that he began to -dig in the very spot where Mrs. Turtle had dug before him. - -It took Fatty Coon only about six seconds to discover Mrs. Turtle's -secret. For he did not have to paw away much of the sand before he came -upon--what do you suppose? Eggs! Turtles' eggs! Twenty-seven round, -white eggs, which Mrs. Turtle had left there in the warm sand to hatch. -THAT was why she looked all around to make sure that no one saw her. -THAT was why she seemed so pleased. For Mrs. Turtle fully expected that -after a time twenty-seven little turtles would hatch from those -eggs--just as chickens do--and dig their way out of the sand. - -But it never happened that way at all. For as soon as he got over his -surprise at seeing them, Fatty Coon began at once to eat those -twenty-seven eggs. They were delicious. And as he finished the last -one he couldn't help thinking how lucky he had been. - - - - -IV - -FATTY COON'S MISTAKE - - -Fatty Coon was very fond of squirrels. And you may think it strange when -I tell you that not one of the squirrels anywhere around Blue Mountain -was the least bit fond of Fatty Coon. But when I say that Fatty Coon was -fond of squirrels, I mean that he liked to eat them. So of course you -will understand now why the squirrels did not care for Fatty at all. In -fact, they usually kept just as far away from him as they could. - -It was easy, in the daytime, for the squirrels to keep out of Fatty's -way, when he wandered through the tree-tops, for the squirrels were much -sprier than Fatty. But at night--ah! that was a very different matter. -For Fatty Coon's eyes were even sharper in the dark than they were in -the daylight; but the poor squirrels were just as blind as you are when -you are safely tucked in bed and the light is put out. - -Yes--when the squirrels were in bed at night, up in their nests in the -trees, they could see very little. And you couldn't say they were SAFE -in bed, because they never knew when Fatty Coon, or his mother, or his -brother, or one of his sisters, or some cousin of his, might come along -and catch them before they knew it. - -Fatty thought it great sport to hunt squirrels at night. Whenever he -tried it he usually managed to get a good meal. And after he had almost -forgotten about the fright the goshawk had given him in the tall hemlock -he began to roam through the tree-tops every night in search of -squirrels and sleeping birds. - -But a night came at last when Fatty was well punished for hunting -squirrels. He had climbed half-way to the top of a big chestnut tree, -when he spied a hole in the trunk. He rather thought that some squirrels -lived inside that hole. And as he listened for a few seconds he could -hear something moving about inside. Yes! Fatty was sure that there was a -squirrel in there--probably several squirrels. - -Fatty Coon's eyes turned green. It was a way they had, whenever he was -about to eat anything, or whenever he played with his brother Blackie, -or Fluffy and Cutey, his sisters; or whenever he was frightened. And now -Fatty was so sure that he was going to have a fine lunch that his eyes -turned as green as a cat's. He reached a paw inside the hole and felt -all around. - -WOW! Fatty gave a cry; and he pulled his paw out much faster than he had -put it in. Something had given him a cruel dig. And in a jiffy Fatty saw -what that "something" was. It was a grumpy old tramp coon, whom Fatty -had never seen before. - -"What do you mean, you young rascal, by disturbing me like this?" the -ragged stranger cried. - -"Please, sir, I never knew it was you," Fatty stammered. - -"Never knew it was me! Who did you think it was?" - -"A--a squirrel!" Fatty said faintly. And he whimpered a little, because -his paw hurt him. - -"Ho, ho! That's a good one! That's a good joke!" The tramp coon laughed -heartily. And then he scowled so fiercely that poor Fatty nearly tumbled -out of the tree. "You go home," he said to Fatty. "And don't you let me -catch you around here again. You hear?" - -"Yes, sir!" Fatty said. And home he went. And you may be sure that he -let THAT tree alone after that. He never went near it again. - - - - -V - -FATTY COON GOES FISHING - - -One day Fatty Coon was strolling along the brook which flowed not far -from his home. He stopped now and then, to crouch close to the water's -edge, in the hope of catching a fish. And one time, when he lay quite -still among the rocks, at the side of a deep pool, with his eyes -searching the clear water, Fatty Coon suddenly saw something bright, all -yellow and red, that lighted on the water right before him. It was a -bug, or a huge fly. And Fatty was very fond of bugs--to eat, you know. -So he lost no time. The bright thing had scarcely settled on the water -when Fatty reached out and seized it. He put it into his mouth, when the -strangest thing happened. Fatty felt himself pulled right over into the -water. - -He was surprised, for he never knew a bug or a fly to be so strong as -that. Something pricked his cheek and Fatty thought that the bright -thing had stung him. He tried to take it out of his mouth, and he was -surprised again. Whatever the thing was, it seemed to be stuck fast in -his mouth. And all the time Fatty was being dragged along through the -water. He began to be frightened. And for the first time he noticed that -there was a slender line which stretched from his mouth straight across -the pool. As he looked along the line Fatty saw a man at the other end -of it--a man, standing on the other side of the brook! And he was -pulling Fatty toward him as fast as he could. - -Do you wonder that Fatty Coon was frightened? He jumped back--as well as -he could, in the water--and tried to swim away. His mouth hurt; but he -plunged and pulled just the same, and jerked his head and squirmed and -wriggled and twisted. And just as Fatty had almost given up hope of -getting free, the gay-colored bug, or fly, or whatever it was, flew out -of his mouth and took the line with it. At least, that was what Fatty -Coon thought. And he swam quickly to the bank and scampered into the -bushes. - -Now, this was what really happened. Farmer Green had come up the brook -to catch trout. On the end of his fish-line he had tied a make-believe -fly, with a hook hidden under its red and yellow wings. He had stolen -along the brook very quietly, so that he wouldn't frighten the fish. And -he had made so little noise that Fatty Coon never heard him at all. -Farmer Green had not seen Fatty, crouched as he was among the stones. -And when Fatty reached out and grabbed the make-believe fly Farmer Green -was even more surprised at what happened than Fatty himself. If the -fish-hook hadn't worked loose from Fatty's mouth Farmer Green would have -caught the queerest fish anybody ever caught, almost. - -Something seemed to amuse Farmer Green, as he watched Fatty dive into -the bushes; and he laughed loud and long. But Fatty Coon didn't laugh at -all. His mouth was too sore; and he was too frightened. But he was very, -very glad that the strange bug had flown away. - - - - -VI - -FATTY AND THE GREEN CORN - - -It was mid-summer when Fatty Coon had what he then believed to be the -finest time in all his life. And later, when he was older, he still -thought that nothing had ever happened to him that was quite so -enjoyable as that surprise his mother gave him when he was a young coon. - -Of course it was something to eat--the surprise. You must have guessed -that, knowing Fatty Coon as you do. - -"Come, children!" Mrs. Coon said. "Come with me! I'm going to give you a -treat--something specially nice." - -"Is it something to eat?" Fatty asked, as they started off in the -direction of Farmer Green's fields. - -"Yes--and the best thing you ever tasted," Mrs. Coon said. - -Fatty was greatly excited. His little bright eyes turned green in the -moonlight. He wondered what the surprise would be. And, as usual, he was -very hungry. He walked close beside his mother, for he wanted to be the -first to taste the surprise. You would think that he would have wanted -his two sisters to taste it first, and his brother Blackie, too. But you -must not forget that Fatty was greedy. And greedy people are not -thoughtful of others. - -When Mrs. Coon turned out of the lane and crawled through the fence, -Fatty squeezed between the rails very nimbly, for him. - -"Here we are!" said his mother. - -Fatty looked about him. They stood in a field grown high with tall -stalks of some sort, which turned to green, ribbon-like leaves half way -up from the ground. Fatty grunted. He was very impolite, you see. - -"Well--what is there to eat that's so fine?" he asked. "This stuff isn't -good. It's like eating reeds." He had already bitten into one of the -stalks. - -"What do you call that?" Mrs. Coon asked. She showed Fatty a long roll -of green that grew out of one of the stalks. - -"That's something like a cattail," said Fatty. "It isn't good to eat." - -"Have you ever tried one?" asked his mother. - -"N--no," Patty said. "But Freddie Bluejay told me they weren't good." - -"He did, did he?" Mrs. Coon said nothing more. She stood up on her hind -legs and pulled one of the tall stalks down until she could reach that -long, green thing that grew there. In a jiffy she had torn it from its -stalk. And then she stripped the green covering off it. "Try that!" said -Mrs. Coon with a smile. - -Of course it was Fatty who tasted it first. He took a good mouthful of -the white kernels, and he was overjoyed. Such sweetness! Such delicious, -milky juice! It was a moment that Fatty never forgot. - -Fatty began tearing down the stalks for himself and he never said -another word until at last he simply had to stop eating just to catch -his breath. - -"What's its name, Mother?" he inquired. - -"Corn, my child." - -"Well, why doesn't Freddie Bluejay like it?" Fatty asked. - -"He's probably very fond of corn," said Mrs. Coon. "And I've no doubt he -was afraid that you would eat up this whole field, once you started." - -"I'd like to," said Fatty, with a sigh. "I'd like to eat all the corn in -the world." - - - - -VII - -JOHNNIE GREEN IS DISAPPOINTED - - -It made Fatty Coon feel sad, just to think that there was that field -full of corn, and that he could never eat all of it. But Fatty made up -his mind that he would do the best he could. He would visit the -cornfield every night and feast on those sweet, tender kernels. - -The very next night Fatty set out toward Farmer Green's. It was hardly -dark. But Fatty could not wait any longer. He could not even wait for -his mother and his sisters and his brother. He hurried away alone. And -when he came in sight of the cornfield he felt better. He had been the -least bit afraid that the corn might be gone. He thought that maybe -Farmer Green had picked it, or that some of the forest people had eaten -it all. But there it was--a forest of corn, waving and rustling in the -moonlight as the breeze touched it. Fatty felt very happy as he slipped -through the rail-fence. - -I wouldn't dare say how many ears of corn Fatty ate that night. And he -would have eaten more, too, if it hadn't been for just one thing. A dog -barked. And that spoiled Fatty's fun. For the dog was altogether too -near for Fatty to feel safe. He even dropped the ear of corn he was -gnawing and hurried toward the woods. - -It was lucky for Fatty that he started when he did. For that dog was -close behind him in no time. There was only one thing to do: Fatty knew -that he must climb a tree at once. So he made for the nearest tree in -sight--a big, spreading oak, which stood all alone just beyond the -fence. And as Fatty crouched on a limb he felt safe enough, though the -dog barked and whined, and leaped against the tree, and made a great -fuss. - -Fatty looked down at the dog and scolded a little. He was not afraid. -But it made him cross to be driven out of the cornfield. And he wished -the dog would go away. But the dog--it was Farmer Green's Spot--the dog -had no idea of leaving. He stayed right there and barked so loudly that -it was not long before Farmer Green and his hired man came in sight. And -with them was Johnnie Green and a little, young dog that had just been -given to him. - -When Farmer Green saw Fatty he seemed disappointed. "He's too young to -bother with," he said. "His skin's not worth much. We'll go 'long and -see what we can find." - -But Johnnie Green stayed behind. He wanted that young coon. And he -intended to have him, too. Leaving the young dog to watch Fatty Coon, -Johnnie went back to the farmhouse. After a while he appeared again with -an axe over his shoulder. And when he began to chop away at the big oak, -Fatty Coon felt very uneasy. Whenever Johnnie drove his axe into the -tree, both the tree and Fatty shivered together. And Fatty began to wish -he had stayed away from the cornfield. But not for long, because Johnnie -Green soon gave up the idea of chopping down the big oak. The wood was -so hard to cut, and the tree was so big, that Johnnie had not chopped -long before he saw that it would take him all night to cut through it. -He looked up longingly at Fatty Coon. And Johnnie started to climb the -tree himself. But the higher he climbed, the higher Fatty climbed. And -Johnnie knew that he could never catch that plump young coon in that -way. - -At last Johnnie Green started off, calling his dog after him. And then -Fatty Coon came down. But he did not go back to the cornfield. He -decided that he had had adventures enough for one night. But Fatty had -learned something--at least he thought he had. For he made up his mind -that once he climbed a tree, no man could reach him. TREES COULD NOT BE -CHOPPED DOWN! That was what Fatty believed. Perhaps you will know, -later, whether Fatty ever found out that he was mistaken. - - - - -VIII - -A TERRIBLE FRIGHT - - -It was the very next night after old dog Spot had treed Fatty Coon in -the big oak near the cornfield. They had finished their evening meal at -Farmer Green's house. The cows were milked, the horses had been fed, the -chickens had all gone to roost. And Farmer Green looked up at the moon, -rising from behind Blue Mountain. - -"We'll go coon-hunting again to-night," he said to Johnnie and the hired -man. "The corn has brought the coons up from the swamp. We'll start as -soon as it grows a little darker." - -Well--after a while they set out for the cornfield. And sure enough! old -Spot soon began to bark. - -"He's treed!" said Farmer Green, pretty soon. And they all hurried over -to the edge of the woods, where Spot had chased a coon up into a tall -chestnut tree. In the moonlight they could see the coon quite plainly. -"Another little feller!" cried Farmer Green. "I declare, all the coons -that come to the cornfield seem to be young ones. This one's no bigger -than the one we saw last night." - -Now, although Farmer Green never guessed it, it was Fatty Coon who was -up there in the tall chestnut. He had run almost to the woods this time, -before he had to take to a tree. In fact, if Spot hadn't been quite so -close to him Fatty could have reached the woods, and then he would have -just jumped from one tree to another. But there were no trees near -enough the big chestnut for that. Fatty had to stay right there and wait -for those men to pass on. He wasn't afraid. He felt perfectly safe in -his big tree. And he only smiled when Johnnie Green said to his father-- - -"I wish I had that young coon. He'd make a fine pet." - -"A pet!" exclaimed Farmer Green. "You remember that pet fox you had, -that stole my chickens?" - -"Oh, I'd be careful," Johnnie promised. "Besides, don't you think we -ought to catch him, so he won't eat any more corn?" - -Farmer Green smiled. He had been a boy himself, once upon a time, and he -had not forgotten the pet coon that he had owned when he was just about -Johnnie's age. - -"All right!" he said at last. "I'll give you one more chance, Johnnie. -But you'll have to see that this young coon doesn't kill any of my -poultry." - -Johnnie promised that nothing of the sort should happen. And then his -father and the hired man picked up their axes; and standing on opposite -sides of the tall chestnut tree, they began to chop. - -How the chips did fly! At the very first blow Fatty knew that this was -an entirely different sort of chopping from that which Johnnie had -attempted the night before. The great tree shook as if it knew that it -would soon come crashing down upon the ground. - -And as for Fatty Coon, he could not see but that he must fall when the -tree did. He, too, shivered and shook. And he wrapped himself all the -way around a limb and hung on as tight as ever he could. - - - - -IX - -JOHNNIE GREEN LOSES HIS PET - - -Now, Farmer Green and his hired man had not chopped long before they -stopped to breathe. They had not chopped long--but oh! what great, -yawning holes they had made in the big chestnut! From the limb where he -clung Fatty Coon looked down. The tree no longer shook. And Fatty felt -better at once. You see, he thought that the men would go away, just as -Johnnie had gone away the night before. But they had no such idea at -all. - -"Which way are you going to fell her?" the hired man asked. He said HER, -meaning the TREE, of course. - -"That way!" said Farmer Green, pointing toward the woods. "We'll have to -drop her that way, or she'll fall right across the road, and of course -THAT would never do." - -"But will she clear the trees on the edge of the woods?" The hired man -appeared somewhat doubtful. - -"Oh, to be sure--to be sure!" answered Farmer Green. - -And with that they set to work again. But this time they both chopped on -the same side of the tree--the side toward the woods. - -Now, if Fatty Coon was frightened before, you will believe that he was -still more frightened when the big chestnut tree began to sag. Yes! it -began to lean toward the woods. Slowly, slowly it tipped. And Fatty was -scared half out of his mind. He climbed to the very top of the tree, -because he wanted to get just as far away from those men as he could. -And there he waited. There was nothing else he could do. Yes! he waited -until that awful moment should come when the tree would go crashing down -upon the ground. What was going to happen to him then? Fatty wondered. -And while he was wondering there sounded all at once a great snapping -and splitting. And Fatty felt the tree falling, falling. He could hear -Johnnie Green shouting. And he shut his eyes and held fast to his -branch. Then came the crash. - -When Fatty Coon opened his eyes he expected to see Johnnie Green all -ready to seize him. But to his great surprise he was still far above the -ground. You see, Farmer Green had been mistaken. Either the big chestnut -tree was taller than he had guessed, or the woods were nearer than he -had thought. For instead of dropping upon the ground, Fatty's tree had -fallen right against another tree on the edge of the woods. And there it -lay, half-tipped over, with its branches caught fast in the branches of -that other tree. - -It was no wonder that Johnnie Green shouted. And he shouted still more -loudly when he saw Fatty scramble out of the big chestnut and into the -other tree, and out of that tree and into another, and then out of THAT -tree. Fatty was going straight into the woods. - -It was no wonder that Johnnie Green shouted. For he had lost his pet -coon. He had lost him before he ever had him. And he was sadly -disappointed. - -But Fatty Coon was not disappointed, for he had not wanted to be a pet -at all. And he was very glad--you may be sure--to get safely home once -more. - - - - -X - -FATTY COON AND THE MONSTER - - -One night Fatty Coon was strolling along the road that wound through the -valley. He was in no hurry, for he had just left Farmer Green's apple -orchard, where he had bolted all the apples he could possibly eat. The -night was dark and though it was not very late, all the country people -seemed to be in bed. There were no farmers driving along the road. Fatty -had it all to himself. And so he walked slowly homewards. It was then -that the terrible monster almost caught him. - -This is how it all happened. There was a br-br-br-r-r-r in the air. -Fatty really should have heard it long before he did. But he had eaten -so many apples that he had begun to feel sleepy; and his ears were not -so sharp as they should have been. And when at last Fatty heard that -br-r-r-r it was quite loud. He was startled. And he stopped right in the -middle of the road to listen. Fatty had never heard such a sound before. - -The strange animal was on him before he knew it. Its glaring eyes -blinded him. And if it had not screamed at him Fatty would never have -escaped. It was the terrible screech of the monster which finally made -Fatty jump. It was a frightful cry--like six wildcats all wailing -together. And Fatty leaped to one side of the road just before the -monster reached him. - -The great creature went past Fatty like the wind and tore on up the -hill. He seemed to be running so fast that he could not stop. Fatty -could hear him panting as he climbed the sharp rise of the road. - -Fatty Coon hurried away. He wanted to get home before the monster could -stop and come back to look for him. - -When Fatty told his mother about his narrow escape Mrs. Coon became much -excited. She felt sure that Fatty was not mistaken, for had she not -heard that strange cry herself? - -There it was again! Woo-ooo-ooo-oo-o! It began low, rose to a shriek, -and then died away again. - -Mrs. Coon and Fatty climbed to the very top of their old poplar and -gazed down the valley. - -"Look, Mother!" Fatty cried. "He's stopped at Farmer Green's! You can -see his eyes from here!" - -Mrs. Coon looked. Sure enough! It was just as Fatty said. And that -horrid call echoed across the valley once more. - -Farmer Green stuck his head out of his chamber-window, to see what the -man in the automobile wanted. - -"Where's the nearest village, please?" the stranger asked. And after -Farmer Green had told him the man drove his car on again. - -From their tree-top Fatty and his mother watched the monster dash down -the valley. They knew he had gone, because they could see the gleam of -those awful eyes. - -"Do you suppose he ate up Farmer Green and his family?" Fatty asked in a -frightened voice. - -"I hope so," she said. "Then perhaps there'll be no more traps in the -woods." - -"But who would plant the corn?" Fatty asked. - -Mrs. Coon did not appear to hear his question. - - - - -XI - -JASPER JAY TELLS SOME NEWS - - -It was quite late in the fall, and the weather had grown very cold. Mrs. -Coon and her family had not left their home for several days; but on -this day she thought it would be pleasant to go out in the sunshine and -get a breath of fresh air and a bite to eat. - -Fatty was the only one of her children that was not asleep; and he -complained of being very hungry. So Mrs. Coon decided to take him with -her. - -The hunting was not very good. There were no birds' eggs at all to be -found in the trees. The river and the brook and the creek were all -frozen over, so Fatty and his mother could not catch any fish. And as -for corn--Farmer Green had long ago gathered the last ear of it. Fatty -wished that it was summertime. But it only made him hungrier than ever, -to think of all the good things to eat that summer brings. He was -feeling very unhappy when his mother said to him sharply-- - -"Run up this tree! Hurry, now! Don't ask any questions." - -Now, Fatty did not always mind his mother as quickly as he might have. -But this time he saw that she had stopped and was sniffing the air as if -there was something about it she did not like. - -That was enough for Fatty. He scrambled up the nearest tree. For he knew -that his mother had discovered danger of some sort. - -Mrs. Coon followed close behind Fatty. And they had no sooner hidden in -the branches than Fatty saw what it was that his mother had smelled. - -It was Johnnie Green! He passed right underneath the tree where they -were perched. And as Mrs. Coon peeped down at him she shuddered and -shivered and shook so hard that Fatty couldn't help noticing it. - -"What's the matter?" he asked, as soon as Johnnie Green was out of -sight. - -"His cap!" Mrs. Coon exclaimed. "He is wearing a coon-skin cap!" Now do -you wonder that she was upset? "Don't ever go near Farmer Green's -house," she warned Fatty. "You don't want to be made into a cap, or a -pair of gloves, or a coat, or anything like that, do you?" - -"No, indeed, Mother!" Fatty was quite sure that such an adventure -wouldn't please him at all. And he told himself right then and there -that he would never go anywhere near Farmer Green's house. We shall see -how well Fatty remembered. - -That very afternoon Fatty Coon heard some very pleasant news. It was -Jasper Jay who told him. - -Jasper Jay was a very noisy blue jay who lived in the neighborhood. He -did not go south with most of the other birds when the cold weather -came. He liked the winter and he was forever tearing about the woods, -squalling and scolding at everybody. He was a very noisy fellow. - -Well! when Fatty and his mother had reached home after their hunt, Fatty -stayed out of doors. He climbed to the top of a tall pine tree nearby -and stretched himself along a limb, to enjoy the sunshine, which felt -very good upon his broad back. It was there that Jasper Jay found him -and told him the pleasant news. And Fatty was very glad to hear the -news, because he was still hungry. - -This is what Jasper Jay told Fatty: he told him that Farmer Green had as -many as forty fat turkeys, which roosted every night in a spreading oak -in Farmer Green's front yard. - -"If I liked turkeys I would certainly go down there some night and get -one," said Jasper Jay. - - - - -XII - -FORTY FAT TURKEYS - - -When Jasper Jay told Fatty Coon about Farmer Green's forty fat turkeys -Fatty felt hungrier than ever. - -"Oh! I mustn't go near Farmer Green's house!" he said. "My mother told -me to keep away from there. . . . What time did you say the turkeys go -to roost?" - -"Oh! they go to roost every night at sundown," Jasper Jay explained. -"And there they sit, up in the tree, all night long. They're fast -asleep. And you would have no trouble at all in catching as many as you -wanted. . . . But of course, if you're afraid--why there's no use of MY -talking about it. There's a plenty of other coons in these woods who'd -be glad to know about those turkeys. And maybe they'd have the manners -to say 'Thank you!' too." And with a hoarse, sneering laugh Jasper Jay -flew away. - -That was enough for Fatty. He made up his mind that he would show Jasper -Jay that HE was not afraid. And he wanted a turkey to eat, too. He said -nothing to his mother about Jasper's news. But that very night, when the -moon came up, and the lights in Farmer Green's house were all out, Fatty -Coon went stealing across the fields. - -He was not afraid, for he knew that Farmer Green and all his family were -in their beds. And it was so cold that Fatty felt sure that Farmer -Green's dogs would be inside their kennels. - -Fatty did not intend to make any noise. The turkeys were asleep--so -Jasper Jay had told him--and he expected to grab one of them so swiftly -and silently that the other turkeys would never know it. - -When Fatty Coon came to Farmer Green's yard he had no trouble at all in -finding the spreading oak. He could see the turkeys plainly where they -dozed on the bare branches. And in less time than it takes to tell it -Fatty had climbed the tree. On the very lowest limb there was a row of -four plump turkeys, all sound asleep. And Fatty reached out and seized -the nearest one. He seized the turkey by the neck, so that the big bird -could not call out. But Fatty was not quite quick enough. Before he -could pull her off her perch the turkey began to flap her wings, and she -struck the turkey next her, so that THAT turkey woke up and began to -gobble and flap HER wings. Then the next turkey on the limb woke up. And -the first thing that Fatty Coon knew, every one of the thirty-nine -turkeys that were left was going gobble-gob-gob-gob-gobble! And some of -them went sailing off across the yard. One of them lighted on top of the -porch just outside Farmer Green's window and it seemed to Fatty that -that one made the greatest racket of all. - -Farmer Green's window flew up; and Farmer Green's voice called "Spot! -Spot!" - -Fatty Coon did not wait to hear anything more. He dropped the turkey he -had seized and slipped down to the ground. And then he ran toward the -woods as fast as he could go. - -Farmer Green's dog Spot was barking now. And Fatty wanted to climb one -of the trees by the roadside. But he remembered, the narrow escape he -had had when the dog had treed him near the cornfield. So he never -stopped until he reached the woods. Then he went nimbly up into the -trees. And while Spot was barking at the foot of the first tree he -climbed, Fatty was travelling through the tree-tops toward home. - -He never said anything to his mother about Farmer Green's turkeys. But -the next time he saw Jasper Jay Fatty told him exactly what he thought -of him. - -"Ha! ha!" Jasper Jay only laughed. And he did not seem at all surprised -that Fatty had fallen into trouble. To tell the truth, he was only sorry -because Fatty had escaped. Jasper Jay did not like Fatty Coon. And he -had told him about the forty fat turkeys because he hoped that Fatty -would get caught if he tried to steal one of them. - -"Wait till I catch you!" Fatty said. - -But Jasper Jay only laughed harder than ever when Fatty said that. He -seemed to think it was a great joke. He was most annoying. - - - - -XIII - -FATTY MEETS JIMMY RABBIT - - -For once Fatty Coon was not hungry. He had eaten so much of Farmer -Green's corn that he felt as if he could not swallow another mouthful. -He was strolling homewards through the woods when someone called to him. -It was Jimmy Rabbit. - -"Where are you going, Fatty?" Jimmy Rabbit asked. - -"Home!" said Fatty. - -"Are you hungry?" Jimmy Rabbit asked anxiously. - -"I should say not!" Fatty answered. "I've just had the finest meal I -ever ate in my life." - -Jimmy Rabbit seemed to be relieved to hear that. - -"Come on over and play," he said. "My brother and I are playing -barber-shop over in the old sycamore tree; and we need you." - -"All right!" said Fatty. It was not often that any of the smaller -forest-people were willing to play with him, because generally Fatty -couldn't help getting hungry and then he usually tried to eat his -playmates. "What do you need me for?" Fatty asked, as he trudged along -beside Jimmy Rabbit. - -"We need you for the barber's pole," Jimmy explained. "You can come -inside the hollow tree and stick your tail out through a hole. It will -make a fine barber's pole--though the stripes DO run the wrong way, to -be sure." - -Fatty Coon was greatly pleased. He looked around at his tail and felt -very proud. - -"I've got a beautiful tail--haven't I?" he asked. - -"Um--yes!" Jimmy Rabbit replied, "though I must say it isn't one that I -would care for myself... But come along! There may be people waiting to -get their hair cut." - -Sure enough! When they reached the make-believe barber-shop there was a -gray squirrel inside, and Jimmy Rabbit's brother was busily snipping the -fur off Mr. Squirrel's head. - -"How much do you charge for a hair-cut?" Fatty asked. - -"Oh, that depends!" Jimmy Rabbit said. "Mr. Squirrel will pay us six -cabbage leaves. But if we were to cut your hair we'd have to ask more. -We'd want a dozen cabbage leaves, at least." - -"Well, don't I get anything for the use of my tail?" Fatty asked. He had -already stuck it out through the hole; and he had half a mind to pull it -in again. - -Jimmy Rabbit and his brother whispered together for a few moments. - -"I'll tell you what we'll do," Jimmy said. "If you'll let us use your -tail for the barber's pole, we'll cut your hair free. Isn't that fair -enough?" - -Fatty Coon was satisfied. But he insisted that Jimmy begin to cut his -hair at once. - -"I'm doing my part of the work now," he pointed out. "So there's no -reason why you shouldn't do yours." - -With that Jimmy Rabbit began. He clipped and snipped at Fatty's head, -pausing now and then to see the effect. He smiled once in a while, -behind Fatty's back, because Fatty certainly did look funny with his fur -all ragged and uneven. - -"Moustache trimmed?" Jimmy Rabbit asked, when he had finished with -Fatty's head. - -"Certainly--of course!" Fatty Coon answered. And pretty soon Fatty's -long white moustache lay on the floor of the barber-shop. Fatty felt a -bit uneasy as he looked down and saw his beautiful moustache lying at -his feet. "You haven't cut it too short, I hope," he said. - -"No, indeed!" Jimmy Rabbit assured him. "It's the very latest style." - -"What on earth has happened to you?" Mrs. Coon cried,--when Fatty -reached home that night. "Have you been in a fire?" - -"It's the latest style, Mother," Fatty told her. "At least, that's what -Jimmy Rabbit says." He felt the least bit uneasy again. - -"Did you let that Jimmy Rabbit do that to you?" Mrs. Coon asked. - -Fatty hung his head. He said nothing at all. But his mother knew. - -"Well! you ARE a sight!" she exclaimed. "It will be months before you -look like my child again. I shall be ashamed to go anywhere with you." - -Fatty Coon felt very foolish. And there was just one thing that kept him -from crying. And THAT was THIS: he made up his mind that when he played -barber-shop with Jimmy Rabbit again he would get even with him. - -But when the next day came, Fatty couldn't find Jimmy Rabbit and his -brother anywhere. They kept out of sight. But they had told all the -other forest-people about the trick they had played on Fatty Coon. And -everywhere Fatty went he heard nothing but hoots and jeers and laughs. -He felt very silly. And he wished that he might meet Jimmy Rabbit and -his brother. - - - - -XIV - -THE BARBER-SHOP AGAIN - - -Although Fatty Coon never could get Jimmy Rabbit and his brother to play -barber-shop with him again, Fatty saw no reason why he should not play -the game without them. So one day he led his brother Blackie over to the -old hollow sycamore. His sisters, Fluffy and Cutey, wanted to go too. -But Fatty would not let them. "Girls can't be barbers," he said. And of -course they could find no answer to that. - -As soon as Fatty and Blackie reached the old sycamore I am sorry to say -that a dispute arose. Each of them wanted to use his own tail for the -barber's pole. They couldn't both stick their tails through the hole in -the tree at the same time. So they finally agreed to take turns. - -Playing barber-shop wasn't so much fun as they had expected, because -nobody would come near to get his hair cut. You see, the smaller -forest-people were all afraid to go inside that old sycamore where Fatty -and Blackie were. There was no telling when the two brothers might get -so hungry they would seize and eat a rabbit or a squirrel or a chipmunk. -And you know it isn't wise to run any such risk as that. - -Fatty offered to cut Blackie's hair. But Blackie remembered what his -mother had said when Fatty came home with his moustache gone and his -head all rough and uneven. So Blackie wouldn't let Fatty touch him. But -HE offered to cut Fatty's hair--what there was left of it. - -"No, thank you!" said Fatty. "I only get my hair cut once a month." Of -course, he had never had his hair cut except that once, in his whole -life. - -Now, since there was so little to do inside the hollow tree, Fatty and -Blackie kept quarreling. Blackie would no sooner stick his tail through -the hole in the side of the tree than Fatty would want HIS turn. And -when Fatty had succeeded in squeezing HIS tail out through the opening -Blackie would insist that Fatty's time was up. - -It was Fatty's turn, and Blackie was shouting to him to stand aside and -give him a chance. - -"I won't!" said Fatty. "I'm going to stay here just as long as I -please." - -The words were hardly out of his mouth when he gave a sharp squeal, as -if something hurt him. And he tried to pull his tail out of the hole. He -wanted to get it out now. But alas! it would not come! It was caught -fast! And the harder Fatty pulled the more it hurt him. - -"Go out and see what's the matter!" he cried to Blackie. - -But Blackie wouldn't stir. He was afraid to leave the shelter of the -hollow tree. - -"It may be a bear that has hold of your tail," he told Fatty. And -somehow, that idea made Fatty tremble all over. - -"Oh, dear! oh, dear!" he wailed. "What shall I do? Oh! whatever shall I -do?" He began to cry. And Blackie cried too. How Fatty wished that his -mother was there to tell him what to do! - -But he knew of no way to fetch her. Even if she were at home she could -never hear him calling from inside the tree. So Fatty gave up all hope -of her helping. - -"Please, Mr. Bear, let go of my tail!" he cried, when he could stand the -pain no longer. - -The only answer that came was a low growl, which frightened Fatty and -Blackie more than ever. And then, just as they both began to howl at the -top of their voices Fatty's tail was suddenly freed. He was pulling on -it so hard that he fell all in a heap on the floor of the barber-shop. -And that surprised him. - -But he was still more surprised when he heard his mother say-- - -"Stop crying and come out--both of you!" Fatty and Blackie scrambled out -of the hollow sycamore. Fatty looked all around. But there was no bear -to be seen anywhere--no one but his mother. - -"Did you frighten the bear away, Mother?" he asked. - -"There was no bear," Mrs. Coon told him. "And it's lucky for you that -there wasn't. I saw your tail sticking out of this tree and I thought I -would teach you a lesson. Now, don't ever do such a foolish thing again. -Just think what a fix you would have been in if Johnnie Green had come -along. He could have caught you just as easily as anything." - -Fatty Coon was so glad to be free once more that he promised to be good -forever after. And he was just as good as any little coon could be--all -the rest of that day. - - - - -XV - -FATTY VISITS THE SMOKE-HOUSE - - -The winter was fast going. And one fine day in February Fatty Coon crept -out of his mother's house to enjoy the warm sunshine--and see what he -could find to eat. - -Fatty was much thinner than he had been in the fall. He had spent so -much of the time sleeping that he had really eaten very little. And now -he hardly knew himself as he looked at his sides. They no longer stuck -out as they had once. - -After nosing about the swamp and the woods all the afternoon Fatty -decided that there was no use in trying to get a meal there. The ground -was covered with snow. And except for rabbit tracks--and a few -squirrels'--he could find nothing that even suggested food. And looking -at those tracks only made him hungrier than ever. - -For a few minutes Fatty thought deeply. And then he turned about and -went straight toward Farmer Green's place. He waited behind the fence -just beyond Farmer Green's house; and when it began to grow dark he -crept across the barnyard. - -As Fatty passed a small, low building he noticed a delicious smell. And -he stopped right there. He had gone far enough. The door was open a -little way. And after one quick look all around--to make sure there was -nobody to see him--Fatty slipped inside. - -It was almost dark inside Farmer Green's smokehouse--for that was what -the small, low building was called. It was almost dark; but Fatty could -see just as well as you and I can see in the daytime. There was a long -row of hams hung up in a line. Underneath them were white ashes, where -Farmer Green had built wood fires, to smoke the hams. But the fires were -out, now; and Fatty was in no danger of being burned. - -The hams were what Fatty Coon had smelled. And the hams were what Fatty -intended to eat. He decided that he would eat them all--though of course -he could never have done that--at least, not in one night; nor in a -week, either. But when it came to eating, Fatty's courage never failed -him. He would have tried to eat an elephant, if he had had the chance. - -Fatty did not stop to look long at that row of hams. He climbed a post -that ran up the side of the house and he crept out along the pole from -which the hams were hung. - -He stopped at the very first ham he came to. There was no sense in going -any further. And Fatty dropped on top of the ham and in a twinkling he -had torn off a big, delicious mouthful. - -Fatty could not eat fast enough. He wished he had two mouths--he was so -hungry. But he did very well, with only ONE. In no time at all he had -made a great hole in the ham. And he had no idea of stopping. But he did -stop. He stopped very suddenly. For the first thing he knew, something -threw him right down upon the floor. And the ham fell on top of him and -nearly knocked him senseless. - -He choked and spluttered; for the ashes filled his mouth and his eyes, -and his ears, too. For a moment he lay there on his back; but soon he -managed to kick the heavy ham off his stomach and then he felt a little -better. But he was terribly frightened. And though his eyes smarted so -he could hardly see, he sprang up and found the doorway. - -Fatty swallowed a whole mouthful of ashes as he dashed across the -barnyard. And he never stopped running until he was almost home. He was -puzzled. Try as he would, he couldn't decide what it was that had flung -him upon the floor. And when he told his mother about his adventure--as -he did a whole month later--she didn't know exactly what had happened, -either. - -"It was some sort of trap, probably," Mrs. Coon said. - -But for once Mrs. Coon was mistaken. - -It was very simple. In his greedy haste Fatty had merely bitten through -the cord that fastened the ham to the pole. And of course it had at once -fallen, carrying Fatty with it! - -But what do you suppose? Afterward, when Fatty had grown up, and had -children of his own, he often told them about the time he had escaped -from the trap in Farmer Green's smokehouse. - -Fatty's children thought it very exciting. It was their favorite story. -And they made their father tell it over and over again. - - - - -XVI - -FATTY COON PLAYS ROBBER - - -After Fatty Coon played barber-shop with Jimmy Rabbit and his brother it -was a long time before he met them again. But one day Fatty was -wandering through the woods when he caught sight of Jimmy. Jimmy dodged -behind a tree. And Fatty saw Jimmy's brother peep from behind another. -You see, his ears were so long that they stuck far beyond the tree, and -Fatty couldn't help seeing them. - -"Hello!" Fatty called. "I'm glad to see you." And he told the truth, -too. He had been trying to find those two brothers for weeks, because he -wanted to get even with them for cutting off his moustache. Jimmy and -his brother hopped out from behind their trees. - -"Hello!" said Jimmy. "We were just looking for you." Probably he meant -to say, "We were just looking AT you." He was somewhat upset by meeting -Fatty; for he knew that Fatty was angry with him. - -"Oh, ho! You were, were you?" Fatty answered. He began to slide down the -tree he had been climbing. - -Jimmy Rabbit and his brother edged a little further away. - -"Better not come too near us!" he said. "We've both got the pink-eye, -and you don't want to catch it." - -Fatty paused and looked at the brothers. Sure enough! their eyes were as -pink as anything. - -"Does it hurt much?" Fatty asked. - -"Well--it does and it doesn't," Jimmy replied. "I just stuck a brier -into one of my eyes a few minutes ago and it hurt awful, then. But -you'll be perfectly safe, so long as you don't touch us." - -"How long does it last?" Fatty inquired. - -"Probably we'll never get over it," Jimmy Rabbit said cheerfully. And -his brother nodded his head, as much as to say, "That's so!" - -Fatty Coon was just the least bit alarmed. He really thought that there -was something the matter with their eyes. You see, though the Rabbit -brothers' eyes were always pink (for they were born that way), he had -never noticed it before. So Fatty thought it would be safer not to go -too near them. - -"Well, it's too bad," he told Jimmy. "I'm sorry. I wanted to play with -you." - -"Oh, that's all right!" Jimmy said. "We can play, just the same. I'll -tell you what we'll play. We'll play--" - -"Not barber-shop!" Fatty interrupted. "I won't play barber-shop, I never -liked that game." - -Jimmy Rabbit started to smile. But he turned his smile into a sneeze. -And he said-- - -"We'll play robber. You'll like that, I know. And you can be the robber. -You look like one, anyhow." - -That remark made Fatty Coon angry. And he wished that Jimmy hadn't the -pink-eye. He would have liked to make an end of him right then and -there. - -"What do you mean?" he shouted. "Robber nothing! I'm just as good as you -are!" - -"Of course, of course!" Jimmy said hastily. "It's your face, you know, -That black patch covers your eyes just like a robber's mask. That's why -we want you to be the robber." - -Fatty had slipped down his tree to the ground; and now he looked down -into the creek. It was just as Jimmy said. Fatty had never thought of it -before, but the black patch of short fur across the upper part of his -face made him look exactly like a robber. - -"Come on!" said Jimmy. "We can't play the game without you." - -"Well--all right!" said Fatty. He began to feel proud of his mask. "What -shall I do?" - -"You wait right here," Jimmy ordered. "Hide behind that tree. We'll go -into the woods. And when we come back past this spot you jump out and -say 'Hands up!' ... You understand?" - -"Of course!" said Fatty. "But hurry up! Don't be gone long." - -"Leave that to us," said Jimmy Rabbit. He winked at his brother; and -they started off together. - -Fatty Coon did not see that wink. If he had, he wouldn't have waited -there all the afternoon for those Rabbit brothers to return. They never -came back at all. And they told everybody about the trick they had -played on Fatty Coon. For a long time after that wherever Fatty went the -forest-people called "Robber!" after him. And Jasper Jay was the most -annoying of all, because whenever he shouted "Robber!" he always laughed -so loudly and so long. His hoarse screech echoed through the woods. And -the worst of it was, everybody knew what he was laughing at. - - - - -XVII - -FATTY FINDS THE MOON - - -Wandering through the woods one day, Fatty Coon's bright eyes caught a -strange gleam from something--something that shone and glittered out of -the green. Fatty wanted to see what it was, though he hardly thought it -was anything to eat. But whenever he came upon something new he always -wanted to examine it. So now Fatty hurried to see what the strange thing -was. - -It was the oddest thing he had ever found--flat, round, and silvery; and -it hung in the air, under a tree, just over Fatty's head. Fatty Coon -looked carefully at the bright thing. He walked all around it, so he -could see it from all sides. And at last he thought he knew what it was. -He made up his mind that it was the moon! - -He had often seen the moon up in the sky; and here it was, just the same -size exactly, hanging so low that he could have reached it with his paw. -He saw nothing strange in that; for he knew that the moon often touched -the earth. Had he not seen it many a time, resting on the side of Blue -Mountain? One night he had asked his mother if he might go up on the -mountain to play with the moon; but she had only laughed. And here, at -last, was the moon come to him! Fatty was so excited that he ran home as -fast as he could go, to tell his mother, and his brother Blackie, and -Fluffy and Cutey, his sisters. - -"Oh! the moon! the moon!" Fatty shouted. He had run so fast that, being -so plump, he was quite out of breath. And that was all he could say. - -"Well, well! What about the moon!" Mrs. Coon asked. "Anybody would think -you had found it, almost." And she smiled. - -Fatty puffed and gasped. And at last he caught his breath again. - -"Yes--I've found it! It's over in the woods--just a little way from -here!" he said. "Big, and round, and shiny! Let's all go and bring it -home!" - -"Well, well, well!" Mrs. Coon was puzzled. She had never heard of the -moon being found in those woods; and she hardly knew what to think. "Are -you sure?" she asked. - -"Oh, yes, Mother!" Fatty could hardly wait, he was so eager to lead the -way. And with many a shake of the head, Mrs. Coon, with her family, -started off to see the moon. - -"There!" Fatty cried, as they came in sight of the bright, round thing. -"There it is--just as I told you!" And they all set up a great shouting. - -All but Mrs. Coon. She wasn't quite sure, even yet, that Fatty had -really found the moon. And she walked close to the shining thing and -peered at it. But not too close! Mrs. Coon didn't go too near it. And -she told her children quite sternly to stand back. It was well that she -did; for when Mrs. Coon took her eyes off Fatty's moon and looked at the -ground beneath it--well! she jumped back so quickly that she knocked two -of her children flat on the ground. - -A trap! THAT was what Mrs. Coon saw right in front of her. And Farmer -Green, or his boy, or whoever it was that set the trap, had hung that -bright piece of TIN over the trap hoping that one of her family would -see it and play with it--and fall into the trap. Yes--it was a mercy -that Fatty hadn't begun knocking it about. For if he had he would have -stepped right into the trap and it would have shut--SNAP! Just like -that. And there he would have been, caught fast. - -It was no wonder that Mrs. Coon hurried her family away from that spot. -And Fatty led them all home again. He couldn't get away from his moon -fast enough. - - - - -XVIII - -THE LOGGERS COME - - -Fatty Coon was frightened; he had just waked up and he heard a sound -that was exactly like the noise Farmer Green and his hired man had made -when they cut down the tall chestnut tree where he was perched. - -"Oh, Mother! What is it?" he cried. - -"The loggers have come," Mrs. Coon said. "They are cutting down all the -big trees in the swamp." - -"Then we'll have to move, won't we?" Fatty asked. - -"No! They won't touch this tree," his mother told him. "It's an old -tree, and hollow--so they won't chop it down. It's only the good sound -trees that they'll take." - -"But I thought this was a good tree." Fatty was puzzled. - -"So it is, my son! It's a good tree for us. But not for the loggers. -They would have little use for it." - -Fatty Coon felt better when he heard that. And he had a good deal of -fun, peeping down at the loggers and watching them work. But he took -care that they should not see HIM. He knew what their bright axes could -do. - -When night came Fatty had still more fun. When the loggers were asleep -Fatty went to their camp in the woods beside the brook and he found many -good things to eat. He did not know the names of all the goodies; but he -ate them just the same. He 'specially liked some potatoes which the -careless cook had left in a pan near the open camp-fire. The fire was -out. And the pan rested on a stump close beside it. Fatty Coon climbed -up and crawled right inside the pan. And after he had had one taste of -those potatoes he grew so excited--they were so good--that he tipped the -pan off the stump and the potatoes rolled right into the ashes. - -Fatty had jumped to one side, when the tin pan fell. It made a great -clatter; and he kept very still for a few moments, while he listened. -But no one stirred. And then Fatty jumped plump into the ashes. - -WHEW! He jumped out again as fast as he could; for beneath the ashes -there were plenty of hot coals. Fatty stood in them for not more than -three seconds, but that was quite long enough. The bottoms of his feet -burned as if a hundred hornets had stung them. - -He stood first on one foot and then on another. If you could have seen -him you would have thought Fatty was dancing. And you might have -laughed, because he looked funny. - -But Fatty Coon did not laugh. In fact, he came very near crying. And he -did not wait to eat another mouthful. He limped along toward home. And -it was several days before he stirred out of his mother's house again. -He just lay in his bed and waited until his burns were well again. - -It was very hard. For Fatty did not like to think of all those good -things to eat that he was missing. And he hoped the loggers would not go -away before his feet were well again. - - - - -XIX - -FATTY GROWS EVEN FATTER - - -When Fatty Coon's burned feet were well once more, the very first night -he left his mother's house he went straight to the loggers' camp. He did -not wait long after dark, because he was afraid that some of his -neighbors might have found that there were good things to eat about the -camp. And Fatty wanted them all. - -To his delight, there were goodies almost without end. He nosed about, -picking up potato peelings, and bits of bacon. And perhaps the best of -all was a piece of cornbread, which Fatty fairly gobbled. And then he -found a box half-full of something--scraps that tasted like apples, only -they were not round like apples, and they were quite dry, instead of -being juicy. But Fatty liked them; and he ate them all, down to the -smallest bit. - -He was thirsty, then. So he went down to the brook, which ran close by -the camp. The loggers had cut a hole through the ice, so they could get -water. And Fatty crept close to the edge of the hole and drank. He drank -a great deal of water, because he was very thirsty. And when he had -finished he sat down on the ice for a time. He did not care to stir -about just then. And he did not think he would ever want anything to eat -again. - -At last Fatty Coon rose to his feet. He felt very queer. There was a -strange, tight feeling about his stomach. And his sides were no longer -thin. They stuck out just as they had before winter came--only more so. -And what alarmed Fatty was this: his sides seemed to be sticking out -more and more all the time. - -He wondered what he had been eating. Those dry things that tasted like -apples--he wondered what they were. - -Now, there was some printing on the outside of the box which held those -queer, spongy, flat things. Of course, Fatty Coon could not read, so the -printing did him no good at all. But if you had seen the box, and if you -are old enough to read, you would have known that the printing said: - -EVAPORATED APPLES - -Now, evaporated apples are nothing more or less than dried apples. The -cook of the loggers' camp used them to make apple pies. And first, -before making his pies, he always soaked them in water so they would -swell. - -Now you see what made Fatty Coon feel so queer and uncomfortable. He had -first eaten his dried apples. And then he had soaked them, by drinking -out of the brook. It was no wonder that his sides stuck out, for the -apples that he had bolted were swelling and puffing him out until he -felt that he should burst. In fact, the wonder of it was that he was -able to get through his mother's doorway, when he reached home. - -But he did it, though it cost him a few groans. And he frightened his -mother, too. - -"I only hope you're not poisoned," she said, when Fatty told her what he -had been doing. - -And that remark frightened Fatty more than ever. He was sure he was -never going to feel any better. - -Poor Mrs. Coon was much worried all the rest of the night. But when -morning came she knew that Fatty was out of danger. She knew it because -of something he said. It was this: - -"Oh, dear! I wish I had something to eat!" - - - - -XX - -THE TRACKS IN THE SNOW - - -One fine winter's day Fatty Coon came upon the queerest tracks in the -snow. They were huge--a great deal bigger, even, than bear-tracks, which -Fatty had sometimes seen, for once in a while, before the weather grew -too cold, and he fell into his winter's sleep, a bear would come down -into the valley from his home on Blue Mountain. - -But these were six times as big as bear tracks. And Fatty felt a shiver -of fear run up and down his back. - -He followed the trail a little way. But he was very careful. He was -always ready to scramble up a tree, in case he should suddenly see the -strange animal--or rather, in case the strange animal should see HIM. - -The great tracks led straight toward Farmer Green's house. And Fatty did -not want to go there. So he hurried home to ask his mother what he had -found. Mrs. Coon listened to Fatty's story. - -"I think it must be the monster that almost caught me in the road last -summer," said Fatty, meaning the automobile that had given him a great -fright. "Maybe he's come back again to catch Farmer Green and his family -... Do you suppose he's eaten them up?" - -Mrs. Coon was puzzled. And she was somewhat alarmed, too. She wanted to -see those strange tracks herself. So she told her other children not to -step a foot out of the house until she came back. And then she asked -Fatty to run along and show her where he had come upon the monster's -trail. - -Fatty Coon felt very important, as he led the way across the swamp and -into the woods. It was not often that he could show his mother anything. -And he was so proud that he almost forgot his fright. - -"I guess you're glad I have sharp eyes," he said, as they hurried along. - -"If the tracks are as big as you say they are, your eyes wouldn't have -to be very sharp to see them," his mother told him. Mrs. Coon never -liked to hear her children boast. She knew that boasting is one of the -most unpleasant things anyone can do. - -"Well--maybe you don't think I saw the monster's tracks at all," said -Fatty. "Maybe you don't think I heard him screech--" - -"When did you hear him screech?" Mrs. Coon asked. "This is the first -you've said about SCREECHING. When was it?" - -"Last summer," Fatty answered. - -Mrs. Coon didn't smile. Perhaps she was too worried for that. - -"It may not be the same monster," she said. "It may not be a monster at -all." - -But by this time Fatty was sure he was right. He was sure he knew more -than his mother. - -"Why can't we go right over to Farmer Green's and take some of his -chickens?" he asked. "The monster has probably eaten him by this time, -and all his family, too." - -But Mrs. Coon would do no such thing. - -"Show me the tracks," she said firmly. And so they went on into the -woods. - -"There they are!" Fatty cried, a few minutes later. "See, Mother! -They're even bigger than I said." He heard a funny noise behind him, -then. And when Fatty Coon looked around he saw that his mother was -actually holding her sides, she was laughing so hard. - -"Those are Farmer Green's tracks," she said, as soon as she could stop -laughing long enough to speak. - -"What--as big as that?" Fatty pointed at the huge prints in the snow. - -"Snowshoes!" Mrs. Coon said. "He was wearing snowshoes--great frames -made of thongs and sticks, to keep him from sinking into the snow." - -So that was all there was to Fatty's monster. Somehow, he was -disappointed. But he was very glad he had said nothing to Jasper Jay -about his strange animal. For if he had, he knew he would never have -heard the last of it. - -And Fatty was glad about another thing, too. He felt very happy that his -mother had not let him go after Farmer Green's chickens. - -THE END - - - - - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Sleepy-Time Tales: The Tale of Fatty -Coon, by Arthur Scott Bailey - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALE OF FATTY COON *** - -***** This file should be named 5701.txt or 5701.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/7/0/5701/ - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team. - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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