[Illustration: THE 'COON CAUGHT A BAD COLD.]
[Illustration: COUGHED AND TOOK ON.]
One day, early in March and during a long wet spell, the 'Coon caught a
bad cold. The next morning he stayed in bed, and pulled up the covers
and was cross and too sick to go out. This made extra work for the Crow
and the 'Possum, who, of course, had to bring him in his meals and
take care of him, and Mr. 'Coon, who found how nice it was to be
waited on, thought he would take his own time about getting well. He was
sick so long that by and by it set Mr. Crow to thinking, and one day,
all of a sudden, he was taken ill, too, and coughed and took on, and
called across to the others that he was sick and couldn't come out,
either.
This made still more work for the 'Possum, who now had to catch game for
three, besides waiting on sick folks and taking care of their houses. So
by and by Mr. 'Possum got to thinking some, as well as the others, and
one morning, while the Crow and the 'Coon were lying all snug in bed and
laughing to themselves at the trick they were playing, and thinking of
the nice breakfast they were to have, they heard all at once the 'Possum
calling out that hard work and exposure had been too much for him, and
that he was sicker now than both of them put together.
Of course they had to call back to him that they were sorry, and of
course they were sorry in one way, and then each of them lay down to see
which would be the first to starve out.
Mr. 'Possum had a little the best of it at first, because he had brought
in enough the night before to last him for a few meals, but, being very
greedy, he soon ate it all up, and before long was just as hungry as
either the 'Coon or the Crow, and maybe hungrier.
Every day they all grew emptier and emptier. Sometimes Mr. Crow would
get up and slip to the door to see if the 'Possum or the 'Coon was not
starting out for food. Sometimes Mr. 'Possum would peep out to see if
the 'Coon and the Crow were not going. Sometimes Mr. 'Coon would look
out to see if the Crow and the 'Possum hadn't started. Once they all saw
each other, and jumped back like a flash.
[Illustration: GOT UP SOFTLY AND DRESSED.]
That night Mr. 'Possum decided that he couldn't stand it any longer. He
was so thin that his skin hung on him like a bag, and he hardly had
strength enough to curl his tail. So he made a plan to slip through the
parlor down stairs, and out the door at the bottom of the tree to find a
good supper just for himself. A little after dark, when he thought the
others were asleep, he got up softly and dressed himself and took his
shoes in his hand.
He was afraid to put them on, for fear he would wake up the Crow and the
'Coon going down stairs.
Well, he slipped down softly, and was just about half way to the door
when--biff! he ran right against something in the dark----
"But I thought you said once 'possums could see in the dark?"
interrupted the Little Lady, sitting up straight.
They can in just common dark, but this, you see, was hollow tree dark,
which is the very darkest dark there is. So he couldn't see a wink, and
down he came and down came the other thing, too, till pretty soon--biff!
they struck something else, and down all three things came over and
over, rattlety-clatter, to the bottom of the stairs, right on out of the
door into the moonlight, and what do you suppose was there besides Mr.
'Possum?
"I know," said the Little Lady, eagerly. "The 'Coon and the Old Black
Crow?"
[Illustration: LOOKING FOOLISH AND HALF STARVED.]
Exactly. Both of them dressed and looking foolish and half starved, and
each with his shoes in his hand. They had all slipped down softly to get
something to eat, because they were so hungry, and, of course, when they
looked at each other standing there they all knew very well that none of
them had been sick, except Mr. 'Coon a little right at first.
After they had looked at each other for about a minute they all began to
laugh, and they laughed and laughed till they cried, and rolled on the
ground and kept on laughing to think how they all had fooled each other
and been fooled themselves. Then they all hurried off on a big hunt for
game, and didn't get back till sunrise.