THE WINTER SLEEP
Mr. Henry had taken such a liking to Striped Coat that he wanted to make
sure the wild wood pussy would like the cabin well enough to make it a
permanent home. With this in mind he built an underground drain leading
under it to a pile of stones nearby. Safety was even more important than
comfort in the matter of a den, and through this back door Striped Coat
could feel able to go or come when he chose. The stone pile hid the
entrance and allowed no animal larger than he, to enter through its
cracks.
It was a fine arrangement and Striped Coat liked it. He built a big nest
of dry grass, leaves and cotton waste under the cabin and slept there
instead of in his corner back of the wood box, but at night he often
came out of the hole in the floor and walked around the room while Mr.
Henry was eating supper, showing friendliness but in a dignified,
distant way. After eating a few scraps he would go back to the hole,
then out through the drain to the stone pile around which he would walk
for a time scenting the air and making very sure all was well before
leaving for the woods.
[Illustration: Under the persimmon and wild apple trees he picked up
ripe fruit, often shaken down by Possum]
He was growing bigger and finer every day. By the time the frosts of
October had turned the leaves red, sweetened the acorns and numbed the
big insects so that they were more easily caught, his winter coat of fur
to keep him warm in the coming icy weather, was almost at its full
prime, long, almost like velvet in softness, and black as coal, yet so
glossy that it fairly glittered in the sunlight. On his head and neck
stood out the pretty white markings which had given him his name.
His hunts in the woods now were wonderful picnics. In the grassy spots
he could find big, full grown grasshoppers and crickets, as well as
luscious white grubs which dry weather had brought up within an inch or
two of the surface of the ground. Around the grape-vine tangles, and
under the persimmon and wild apple trees he picked up ripe fruit often
shaken down by Possum, and under the white oaks, acorns almost as sweet
as chestnuts, while many other plants, bushes, vines and trees bore
edible things which he liked, such as tubers, berries or seeds. He found
many mice too in their nests of grass, and more yellow jacket and bumble
bee combs than he could eat. No wonder therefore that he was able to
store up a lot of surplus food in the form of fat, to help him live
through the coming winter when bad weather might keep him from finding
more food for weeks at a time.
It is well that Autumn is a time of plenty, for in the North it enables
the animals and even some birds which do not migrate to the warm South,
to gather much more food than they need at the moment. When the cold
winds blow and the ground is frozen it is badly needed. Red Squirrel hid
nuts in forks of limbs and in hollows and crevices, Grey Squirrel buried
a supply in good safe places, Ground Hackie made a granary for himself
underground, the foxes buried things like dead mice, pieces of rabbit,
frogs, snakes, fish and even apples, but creatures like Bear, Woodchuck,
Possum, Coon and Striped Coat just stored, in layers of rich fat around
their body, enough nourishment to carry them through the hard months,
until warm, pleasant days came. Those that were not wise enough to
gather a supply in some form, had a terrible time and often died before
spring.
As Mr. Henry kept open house at the cabin every Sunday, it was usual for
at least one canoe party of his family and friends to come for luncheon
and a walk around the interesting woods. But more interesting to them
than anything else was an occasional glimpse of Striped Coat, who though
usually sleeping in the day time was waked up by the new voices and
often induced to come out for a dainty piece of meat or fish. The
friendliness of this beautiful and entirely free creature of the woods
delighted many a visitor.
When really cold weather set in, Mr. Henry prepared to leave the cabin
until Spring, so he anxiously watched Striped Coat in the hope that
before leaving time came, the wood pussy would hibernate, that is to
say, go to sleep for the winter in the safe, warm nest. His fat would
feed him while he slept, for without exercise he would not need much
nourishment. The woods were well sprinkled with traps and a snow for
tracking might come at any time and help Farmer Slown or other woodsman
to locate his den and set the traps more dangerously unless he was
guarded.
[Illustration: The friendliness of this beautiful and entirely free
creature of the woods delighted many a visitor]
At length a very cold day came and Striped Coat could be heard
remodeling his nest and digging energetically. Mr. Henry watched for him
and was surprised once or twice to see the head of an entirely strange
wood pussy thrust out of the hole in the floor as it looked around. What
it was hunting for, was soon shown by Striped Coat who presently came
out and began dragging at the rug as if to carry it away with him.
"Ah! so that's it," thought the watcher, "you have brought in a friend
to stay with you and need more covers to make him comfortable. Well, you
shall have them!" And as often as Striped Coat came up, he was handed a
ball of cotton waste. Soon he appeared no more and all was quiet except
for the sighing of the north wind outside. Striped Coat had gone
comfortably to sleep, and with him, as in the days when he was little,
was his mother.