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[Illustration: HIS BOARD WAS RAISED ON THE CREST OF A WAVE AND
THEN TOSSED OVER THE FALLS]
Twilight Animal Series
WASHER THE RACCOON
by
GEORGE ETHELBERT WALSH
Author of "Bumper the White Rabbit," "Bumper the White Rabbit
in the Woods," "Bumper the White Rabbit and His Foes," "Bumper
the White Rabbit and His Friends," "Bobby Gray Squirrel," "Bobby
Gray Squirrel's Adventures," Etc.
Colored Illustrations by Edwin John Prittie
The John C. Winston Company
Chicago Philadelphia Toronto
* * * * * *
TWILIGHT ANIMAL SERIES
FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
FROM 4 TO 10 YEARS OF AGE
By
GEORGE ETHELBERT WALSH
LIST OF TITLES
1 BUMPER THE WHITE RABBIT
2 BUMPER THE WHITE RABBIT IN THE WOODS
3 BUMPER THE WHITE RABBIT AND HIS FOES
4 BUMPER THE WHITE RABBIT AND HIS FRIENDS
5 BOBBY GRAY SQUIRREL
6 BOBBY GRAY SQUIRREL'S ADVENTURES
7 BUSTER THE BIG BROWN BEAR
8 BUSTER THE BIG BROWN BEAR'S ADVENTURES
9 WHITE TAIL THE DEER
10 WHITE TAIL THE DEER'S ADVENTURES
11 WASHER, THE RACCOON
(Other titles in preparation)
Issued in uniform style with this volume
PRICE 65 CENTS EACH, Postpaid
EACH VOLUME CONTAINS COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS
* * * * * *
Printed in U. S. A.
Copyright 1922 by
The John C. Winston Company
Copyright MCMXVII by George E. Walsh
INTRODUCTION TO THE TWILIGHT ANIMAL STORIES
BY THE AUTHOR
All little boys and girls who love animals should become acquainted
with Bumper the white rabbit, with Bobby Gray Squirrel, with Buster
the bear, and with White Tail the deer, for they are all a jolly lot,
brave and fearless in danger, and so lovable that you won't lay
down any one of the books without saying wistfully, "I almost wish
I had them really and truly as friends and not just storybook
acquaintances." That, of course, is a splendid wish; but none of us
could afford to have a big menagerie of wild animals, and that's just
what you would have to do if you went outside of the books. Bumper had
many friends, such as Mr. Blind Rabbit, Fuzzy Wuzz and Goggle Eyes,
his country cousins; and Bobby Gray Squirrel had his near cousins,
Stripe the chipmunk and Webb the flying squirrel; while Buster and
White Tail were favored with an endless number of friends and
relatives. If we turned them all loose from the books, and put them
in a ten acre lot--but no, ten acres wouldn't be big enough to
accommodate them, perhaps not a hundred acres.
So we will leave them just where they are--in the books--and read
about them, and let our imaginations take us to them where we can see
them playing, skipping, singing, and sometimes fighting, and if we
read very carefully, and _think_ as we go along, we may come to know
them even better than if we went out hunting for them.
Another thing we should remember. By leaving them in the books,
hundreds and thousands of other boys and girls can enjoy them, too,
sharing with us the pleasures of the imagination, which after all is
one of the greatest things in the world. In gathering them together in
a real menagerie, we would be selfish both to Bumper, Bobby, Buster,
White Tail and their friends as well as to thousands of other little
readers who could not share them with us. So these books of Twilight
Animal Stories are dedicated to all little boys and girls who love
wild animals. All others are forbidden to read them! They wouldn't
understand them if they did.
So come out into the woods with me, and let us listen and watch, and I
promise you it will be worth while.
CONTENTS
Washer's First Adventures 9
Washer is Carried to the Wolf's Den 15
Mother Wolf Takes a Hand 21
Mother Wolf Saves Washer's Life 27
Sneaky Visits Black Wolf 35
Mother Wolf Decides to Adopt Washer 43
Washer Learns He is Not a Wolf 51
The Cubs Tree a Stranger 59
Washer Saves One of His Own People 67
Mother Wolf Listens to Washer's Story 75
Washer is Introduced to the Wolf Pack 83
Black Wolf Defies the Pack 91
Washer Goes to the Silver Birch Grove 99
Washer Is Freed by Strangers 107
The Cubs Listen to Washer's Plea 115
Washer Finds His Mother and Brothers 123
WASHER THE RACCOON
STORY ONE
WASHER'S FIRST ADVENTURE
Washer was the youngest of a family of three Raccoons, born in the
woods close to the shores of Beaver Pond, and not half a mile from
Rocky Falls where the water, as you know, turns into silvery spray
that sparkles in the sun-shine like diamonds and rubies. And, indeed,
the animals and birds of the North Woods much prefer this glittering
spray and foam that rise in a steady cloud from the bottom of the
falls to all the jewels and gems ever dug out of the earth! For,
though each drop sparkles but a moment, and then vanishes from sight,
there are a million others to follow it, and when you bathe in them
they wash and scour away the dirt, and make you clean and fresh in
body and soul.
Washer had his first great adventure at Rocky Falls, and it is a
wonder that he ever lived to tell the tale, for the water which flows
over the falls is almost as cruel and terrible as it is sparkling and
inviting. But Washer knew nothing of this then, for he was a very
young Raccoon, and not quite responsible for all he did. Perhaps it
was Mother Raccoon that was to blame, for it was her duty to look
after her little ones until they were old enough to hunt for
themselves. It is a law of the woods that any mother of bird or animal
who neglects its young shall be punished.
The nature of the punishment has never been told, but in the case of
Washer's mother you can easily guess what it was. It was an uneasy
conscience that her neglect had caused her child's death, and she
would never see him again.
But Washer apparently had as many lives as a cat, for he was not
killed, and he lived long after his mother had given up all hopes of
ever seeing him again. No one--certainly no Raccoon--had ever gone
over Rocky Falls, and been heard of afterward. Therefore, Washer was
dead. Mother Raccoon believed that, and reported the sad news to all
her family and friends.
It was a bright, sunny day. Washer had been playing near the edge of
the river above the falls with his two brothers--playing very much as
three boys or three girls would do if let loose in the woods. They
were only baby Raccoons, and could not run very fast, and every time
they dipped a paw in the water they squealed and made a great noise.
It was perfectly safe near the shore, for a big tree blown down by the
wind cut off the swift current of the river and formed a little back
eddy. Mother Raccoon had told them they could wade around in the shoal
water, but she didn't say anything about not going in anywhere else.
Washer did not think he was doing anything wrong, therefore, when
growing tired of wading he crawled far out on the end of the big tree
lying on its side to watch the swift current flowing by. Pieces of
drift-wood, twigs, knots and sticks of wood of all sizes passed him in
an endless procession. He snatched at some of these with his paws, and
caught one or two.
Each time he was successful, he squealed with delight. Of course, he
grew bolder and more reckless until finally he stood on the end of the
very last branch of the fallen tree. From there he could reach more
sticks floating down stream. One particularly big one attracted his
attention. It was a little further out than the others, but Washer was
sure he could reach it.
But he missed it by an inch, and the force of the blow with his paw at
the stick unbalanced him. He clutched frantically at the tree branch.
It broke off close to the trunk, and Washer toppled over into the
deep, dark stream.
When he came up to the surface, he squealed as loud as he could:
"Help! Help!"
His two brothers playing inshore heard the cry, but they thought it
was one of Washer's tricks, and they paid no attention to it. But
Mother Raccoon, who had been dozing in the bushes, was quick to note
the cry of alarm, and she sprang up a stump to look around.
She had just one last glimpse of Washer. He was in the river,
struggling to crawl upon the big board that had caused his mishap.
Then board and Raccoon disappeared in the smother of the rapids, which
began just above the falls.
Mother Raccoon ran frantically along the banks of the river, calling
to Washer, but she knew there was no help for him. Nothing that she
could do would rescue him from the terrible adventure ahead.
Washer himself was more surprised than frightened at first. He was not
exactly afraid of the water, and the ducking didn't bother him; but
when he managed to climb upon the board and looked around he began to
feel more frightened than surprised. His frail boat was being twisted
and whirled around like a top, making him dizzy; the shore was
rushing past him, and all about him was foam and spray that sparkled
and glittered in the sun-light. But just then Washer wasn't much
interested in things that glistened.
He saw the top of the falls ahead. Toward that he was being hurried,
and the further he drifted the rougher grew the waters. His board
pitched and tossed, making it difficult for the baby Raccoon to cling
to it.
Washer was frightened, and in his fear he called loudly for his
mother; but the roar of the falls ahead drowned his voice.
It all happened quickly, and the end came before Washer could call
many times for his mother. His board was raised on the crest of a
wave, and then tossed over the falls, with Washer clinging desperately
to it.
Down, down, they went together, the water blinding and suffocating
him. It seemed as if the falls were miles and miles high, and that he
would never reach the river below. Of course, they were not as many
feet high as Washer mistook for miles. But it was high enough to kill
or drown most animals who went over the precipice.
It is hard to say just what saved Washer. Perhaps it was because he
was tougher than most Raccoons, or because he clung to the board and
when it bobbed up to the surface it had to bring him up with it.
Anyway, Washer finally got the spray out of his eyes, and found
himself floating down the lower river with the falls behind him.
He had taken the dip of death, and survived it. He was out of all
immediate danger. For the first time then he had eyes to admire the
sparkling mist and spray rising like a million diamonds from the top
and bottom of the falls.
"I must get ashore now, and dry myself," he said to himself. "I was
never so wet in all my life."
He began paddling with his front paws, and in this way gradually
directed his raft toward the shore. When he was near enough he took a
flying leap and landed on a log and clung to it.
But he was in a strange country, and far from home, and he began to be
afraid again. Just when he thought he would break down and cry, he
heard a sniffing noise in the bushes, and looking up he found himself
face to face with a big, shaggy animal, whose fierce, glaring eyes
sent the shivers all through him. It was Sneaky the Wolf, who had been
watching him land, and in the next story you will hear of what Sneaky
did to him.
STORY TWO
WASHER IS CARRIED TO THE WOLF'S DEN
Washer felt his little heart throb at the sight of the yellow eyes
watching him, and the shaggy body of Sneaky seemed bigger than that of
any animal he had ever dreamed of in the North Woods. Washer gave a
frenzied little squeak, and tried to hop back upon his raft; but he
did not get far. Sneaky pounced down upon him, and the double row of
white teeth closed upon his back and scruff of the neck.
"Oh, please--please, don't kill me!" shrieked Washer, almost fainting
from fear.
But Sneaky paid no attention to his appeal. The powerful jaws held him
a prisoner. Every moment Washer expected they would close tighter and
crunch his bones.
But apparently the Wolf had no idea of killing him right away. Washer,
young as he was, knew that many of the wild animals of the woods
teased and tortured their victims before killing them. Some of his own
people had been guilty of this very cruelty. Washer, knowing now how
it felt, decided that if he ever escaped he would never torture any
one--no, never, not as long as he lived!
Sneaky picked him up in his mouth, and began trotting away through the
bushes, carrying Washer as easily as a cat carries its kittens. The
jaws of the Wolf were closed uncomfortably tight on his neck, but
after all they did not actually hurt the poor little Raccoon. The
sharp, white teeth did not go through his thick fur and tough skin.
For a long time Sneaky trotted along in a mechanical lope, never once
opening his mouth to speak, although Washer kept pleading with him,
hoping that he would loosen his hold on his neck the minute he opened
his mouth to say a word. Sneaky was too wise for that, for no Wolf can
talk and still keep his mouth closed. He can growl and grumble, but
not actually talk.
They passed through the thickest part of the woods, and then began
climbing a rough trail among the rocks and stones. Then they came to a
brook, which Sneaky crossed by jumping from stone to stone, and after
that the Wolf followed a path that lead to the mouth of a cave.
When Washer saw this he opened his mouth in a series of pitiful cries,
for he knew this was the entrance to the Wolf's den. He could tell
this by the peculiar smell of the place. The air was filled with odors
that made the baby Raccoon hold his breath.
But Sneaky was still silent and dumb. He trotted through the entrance
and disappeared in the darkness of the cave. At first Washer could see
nothing, but then gradually his eyes grew accustomed to the place, and
his last hope vanished when he saw another Wolf almost as big as
Sneaky and three little cubs playing at her feet.
"What have you here, Sneaky?" Mother Wolf growled when her lordly mate
appeared.
Sneaky deposited Washer at the foot of Mother Wolf, and spoke for the
first time. "A nice little dinner for you and the children," he said.
"I brought him home alive so you could show the babies how to kill. It
will be great sport watching them."
At the sound of his voice, Washer made a desperate effort to escape,
but Sneaky's paw came down on his back and held him.
"He's a lively little Raccoon," Sneaky remarked, grinning so his white
teeth showed.
Mother Wolf looked at Washer, turned him over with a paw, and sniffed
at him. Then she raised her head and looked at her mate. "He's only a
baby Raccoon," she said. "Where'd you find the nest? And what did you
do with the others? Ate them up, I suppose! That's why you're so
generous in bringing this one home to us."
Washer thought there was a look of disgust in the eyes and voice, and
Sneaky evidently thought so, too, for he looked a little crestfallen,
and then said: "No, I didn't find his nest. He was floating down the
river on a board, and when he landed I caught him."
Mother Wolf sniffed again, and looked a little incredulous. She turned
Washer over again. "He's a mere baby," she murmured, "not much older
than our dear little ones."
"Yes, and he'll be sweet and tender," added Sneaky, stretching
himself. "It won't hurt our children to eat part of him after they've
killed him."
Mother Wolf did not seem anxious to kill Washer, nor was she ready to
teach her little ones to kill. "We won't kill him today," she said
finally. "My little ones are well fed, and they couldn't eat more
without hurting them. We will keep him until tomorrow."
Sneaky was a little hurt at this remark, for he had planned to help
with the feast when the others had eaten all they wanted, and he
growled disconsolately: "What'll we do with him over night? He'll try
to escape from us when we're asleep."
"Put him in with the children, and I'll watch him," replied Mother
Wolf. "I never sleep with both eyes shut."
Mother Wolf was boss of the den, for Sneaky grumblingly picked up
Washer once more and carried him into the darkest corner of the cave
and dropped him down among the little sleeping cubs. Their warm bodies
felt good to Washer, and he crawled up close to them. He knew that he
would not be killed until the next day, and he was very tired and
sleepy.
Within ten minutes he was sleeping as soundly as the Wolf cubs,
snuggling close up to them with his little body half buried from sight
by the legs and paws of his strange bed fellows. He did not know that
once or twice in the night time, Mother Wolf came over and looked down
at him, with a very, very queer expression in her eyes. Each time, she
walked away, grumbling to herself: "He's only a baby--a little baby."
It was morning before Washer opened his eyes, although it was so dark
in the cave he could not tell that the sun was shining outside. Sneaky
and Mother Wolf were still sleeping, snoring away so that the den was
filled with queer echoes. But if the parents were asleep, the three
little Wolf cubs were wide awake. They were rolling and tumbling over
each other, pulling and hauling each other's tails, and pretending to
bite and scratch. Before Washer realized it he was being hugged and
squeazed and jerked around as if he was a baby wolf, and not a baby
Raccoon.
Of course, his first idea was to snap and bite at the cubs, but on
second thought he decided, not to. If he hurt one of them Sneaky or
Mother Wolf would pounce upon him and kill him in a flash. No, he had
to play carefully with his bed-fellows.
They were soft, warm little bodies rolling all over him, and they
never scratched or bit, but merely pretended to. Washer took care that
he was as gentle, and pretty soon he was so absorbed in the play that
he forgot they were his enemies.
Suddenly he looked up, and saw Mother Wolf standing over him. She had
been watching him for some time. Fearful lest she had come to kill
him, he doubled up in a ball and began to shake and tremble. From
another corner, Sneaky yawned and came forth to look at the cubs.
Mother Wolf turned to him.
"He's very playful," she said. "I don't think I'll kill him today. You
must go out and get me something else to eat."
Sneaky growled his disapproval, but obeyed, and the minute he was gone
Washer felt all his fear vanish. What happened in the cave next will
appear in the following story.
STORY THREE
MOTHER WOLF TAKES A HAND
Washer was very lonely without his mother or brothers, and very
homesick; but the little wolves were so playful they gave him little
time to think of his worry. Whenever he curled up in a corner to mope
and sigh, one of the cubs was sure to creep up behind and roll all
over him. Sometimes they got so mixed up that it was difficult for
Mother Wolf to tell her own children from the raccoon.
Meanwhile, Sneaky had been out hunting, and returned with food for his
family. He flung it to the little cubs, and said:
"Eat, little ones, and may it make you strong and stout of heart like
your father!"
He gave none to Washer, but Mother Wolf stepped in and divided the
food evenly. "Here, Little Stranger of the woods, you must eat too, or
you'll grow thin and die."
Sneaky did not like this, and displayed his sharp, cruel teeth. "Why
should a stranger rob my children of their food?" he asked. "I do not
hunt for another's brat."
"If he doesn't eat," replied Mother Wolf, smiling, "How can he grow
fat? Our children must have their food rich and juicy."
Sneaky grinned at this retort, for it was quite true that all wolves
liked fat little animals. It made the meat so much more delicious. He
was content to hunt food for Washer if it fattened him up for the
cubs.
Every day when he returned to his den, he would ask: "Isn't the Little
Stranger fat enough to kill today?"
And always Mother Wolf would reply: "Not today. We must wait another
day."
Of course, all this conversation worried and frightened Washer, for he
knew that in a short time he would be killed to make food for his
playmates. It sickened and terrified him so that he finally decided to
make the effort to escape from the cave. He had been so gentle, and
appeared so contented, that he was given more liberty each day. When
the cubs played in front of the cave, Washer was permitted to go there
with them.
This gave him an idea. One day when Sneaky was away in the woods
hunting, and Mother Wolf was sleeping in front of the cave, Washer
suggested to the cubs that they play hide and seek in the bushes. This
was great sport, and they began scampering around behind the bushes to
hide.
When it came Washer's turn to hide, he ran further away from the
mouth of the cave than at any time before. He looked around him, and
saw that a deep ravine was just beyond his hiding place.
"Now is my chance," he said to himself. "If I can escape into that
ravine, they'll never catch me. I can hide until night, and then
journey far into the woods."
He had no sooner decided upon this than he began scampering for the
edge of the ravine. If he once reached the edge of the cliff, he could
roll down it, and then hide at the bottom until dark.
He could hear the cubs calling him, but he paid no attention to them.
Liberty was ahead, and he ran with all his might. His legs were short
and weak, and he could not make as good time as he wished. He stumbled
once or twice and rolled over and over. But he was on his feet again,
running for dear life, before you could count ten.
Tired and panting, he finally reached the edge of the ravine. When he
looked down it, he was a little frightened. It was terribly steep and
the bottom a long way off.
"I wonder if it will hurt me," he murmured aloud. "I might run around
it, and not fall in it."
Just when he had made up his mind to do this there was a noise in the
bushes behind him, and through the air came Mother Wolf, loping along
at a tremendous speed. Washer ducked his head, and tried to hide, but
Mother Wolf had seen him. A big paw came down on his back and
flattened him to the earth.
"Where are you going, Little Stranger?" the Wolf asked. "Why are you
running away from us?"
Now Washer's first thought was to deny that he was running away, but
he knew that it was useless to try to deceive Mother Wolf. He realized
now that she had been watching him out of the corners of her eyes all
the time. She had not been asleep at all. So Washer decided to tell
the truth.
"I didn't want to be killed," he said. "I'm growing fatter every day,
and soon you will kill me for your children. O Mother Wolf, do you
know how it feels to be killed?"
"No, I don't suppose I do," was the reply. "I've never been killed."
"Then let me tell you it's worse than anything you can dream of,"
panted Washer.
"How do you know, Little Stranger?" Mother Wolf smiled as she asked
this. "You've never been killed."
"No, but can't you imagine how it would feel?"
"Imagine! What is that? I never heard of such a thing."
"Why--imagination is something that helps you to feel just as if the
real thing was happening."
Mother Wolf released Washer and let him sit up again. She squatted
down before him and looked into his eyes.
"I don't believe wolves have what you call imagination," she replied.
"No, I'm sure they don't. Tell me more what it means."
Washer was a very young little Raccoon to be instructing a full-grown
wolf, but all of his family had been born with imagination. He could
remember how he and his brothers had often listened to the storms
raging through the woods and had tried to imagine how it would feel
without any home to protect them. They had shuddered at the thought
and crept closer together in their nest. But it was very difficult to
tell in words just what imagination was.
"Why, there isn't much more to tell," he replied hesitatingly. "It's
something you have to feel. Have you ever been hurt, Mother Wolf?"
"Yes, I burnt my front paw once in a fire that campers had left in the
woods."
"And it hurt terribly, didn't it?"
Mother Wolf winced and nodded.
"Then," added Washer triumphantly, "if you can feel it now you have
imagination. You don't really feel it now, but you imagine how it
felt."
"Yes," replied Mother Wolf, "but that's something I did feel once. But
I was never killed. So how can I imagine how it would feel to be
killed?"
"Just think of your burnt foot, and then think of being burnt all
over. You would know then how it would feel to be killed. Oh, it's
terrible!"
Mother Wolf was quiet for a long time, and then she looked not
unkindly at Washer. "Was that why you were running away?" she asked
finally.
"Yes, I didn't want to be killed."
"Then listen, Little Stranger," she said. "You're not going to be
killed. I'm going to keep you to play with my little ones, and to
teach them things that no wolf can teach them. I will adopt you, and
make you one of my own children. No harm will ever come to you. Now
come back home with me."
Washer's heart gave a great bound of relief, and he licked the paw
near him. He trotted back to the den by the side of Mother Wolf happy
and contented; but in the next story you will hear what Sneaky thought
of this new arrangement.
STORY FOUR
MOTHER WOLF SAVES WASHER'S LIFE
Sneaky came home early that day, bringing with him a good size fox
which he displayed to his young cubs with much satisfaction. Licking
his chops and puffing out his cheeks with pride, he said:
"See what a great hunter I am! Nothing escapes me! I risk my life for
your sakes, and you must learn to be as good hunters when you grow
up."
Mother Wolf smiled a little queerly at the boast of her mate, and when
he was through she asked:
"Did you have to risk your life to catch Mr. Fox?"
Sneaky turned and looked a little sheepish, and answered in a voice of
wounded pride: "Yes, I nearly slipped off the rock into the water
trying to bring him down. It was a great jump I made. It must have
been nearly as long as the river is wide."
"I know you're a great jumper," replied Mother Wolf, still smiling.
"The greatest jump I ever saw you make was when Loup the Lynx pursued
you in the timber below the falls."
Now reference to this adventure always angered Sneaky, for he had not
come out of it with much glory. He had quarreled with Loup over a
prize, and in the end they had snarled and snapped at each other like
two wild cats. Finally, Loup had lost his temper and sprang at
Sneaky's throat, who avoided it by a hair's breadth, and if there
hadn't been a wide chasm near the wolf might have lost his life. With
a tremendous spring he had cleared the chasm where he could defy the
Lynx at a safe distance.
"My dear," Sneaky began, scowling at his mate, "I took that jump just
to show Loup what I could do. If he had followed me, I surely would
have killed him."
Mother Wolf laughed and cuddled up to one of her little ones. "I know,
Sneaky, you're very brave," she said.
That was all, but the way she said it angered Sneaky. It was just as
if she had said, "Oh, yes, you're very brave when there's no danger
around."
Sneaky switched his tail angrily, and bared his white teeth. Just then
he might have done something courageous if there had been a chance,
for he was very sore and disturbed that Mother Wolf should speak of
his bravery in such a flippant way before his children.
Suddenly he caught sight of Washer, who had been looking and listening
in silence. His eyes gleamed with a yellow light.
"Ah!" he said, stretching out a paw and grasping Washer. "Our Little
Stranger is very fat. I think now I'll kill him. Yes, he's very fat,"
he added, as he felt of Washer's ribs.
Washer was so startled and frightened by this sudden attack that he
began squealing and panting for breath. But the louder he cried the
more it pleased Sneaky. The heavy paw pressing down upon his back
threatened to break his spine.
Mother Wolf suddenly sprang to Washer's rescue. Her own eyes showed
baleful yellow, and her teeth, fully as white and long as Sneaky's,
were bared to the gums.
"Take your paw off!" she said sharply. "How dare you act like that? If
you touch one of my children again you'll go forth to hunt and never
return."
"One of your children!" exclaimed Sneaky. "You call this little brat
one of your children!"
"Yes, I have adopted him, and I shall raise him to hunt with the pack.
You cannot hurt him!"
Sneaky was too surprised at first to speak, but after a long pause he
recovered and laid his head back on his shoulders while a most
startling yowl escaped from his throat. It was such a blood-curdling
yelp that Washer cringed and cowered in fear. But it was not a battle
cry; it was simply Sneaky's way of expressing his merriment. Mother
Wolf watched him in silence until he stopped.
"I cannot hurt him!" Sneaky repeated. "My dear, you forget he belongs
to me. I caught him, and to me he belongs. Isn't that the law of the
pack? Who shall deny me what belongs to me?"
"You forget another law of the pack," snapped Mother Wolf. "Half of
the hunt belongs to me and the children. Isn't that the law?"
"Oh, yes, so it is," smiled Sneaky. "Half belongs to my family, and I
shall divide with them. Which half do you want, my dear?"
There was a sinister look in the yellow eyes. Mother Wolf read his
intentions, and so did Washer. Sneaky intended to divide the Raccoon
in two equal halves. How could he do that without killing him?
Mother Wolf seemed puzzled for an instant, for she could not break the
law of the pack, not even to save Washer from death. But an idea came
to her finally, and the light of hope returned to her eyes.
"You cannot divide him until I'm ready, Sneaky," she added. "That also
is a law of the pack. And I'm not a bit hungry now. I've really eaten
more than is good for me. You must save the Little Stranger until I'm
ready to eat my half."
Sneaky was greatly chagrined and angered by Mother Wolf's words, for
he too had to obey the law of the pack, and he knew that what his mate
had said was true. He could not kill Washer without the consent of
Mother Wolf, and right down in his heart he knew that she would never
give that consent. But if there was a law against killing Washer at
once there was none against tormenting him. Sneaky was naturally
cruel, and the thought that he could even in this way made his eyes
light up suddenly.
"I'll wait, my dear, until you are ready to eat your half," he said in
a fawning voice. "The fact is I've eaten rather heartily myself today,
too, and we have this fox for our supper. I'll keep the little brat
until he's needed. Now go back to your corner!"
With that he gave Washer a cuff with his paw that sent him spinning
across the cave.
"Why did you do that?" snarled Mother Wolf, springing before Sneaky.
"I wanted to prepare him for what's coming," drawled Sneaky. "If we
harden and toughen him he won't mind so much being eaten."
He grinned at this remark, and made another dive for Washer; but this
time the little raccoon escaped and burrowed under the wolf cubs to
hide.
"Come out of that!" snapped Sneaky.
He began pawing and scratching to get at Washer when something
happened that startled every one in the cave. There was a swift thud
and then a snapping of sharp teeth. A howl of pain escaped Sneaky's
throat, followed by a whimpering cry of fear.
Mother Wolf had sprang at him and caught him by the scruff of the neck
with her powerful jaws, and was shaking him much as a dog would shake
a rat. Her teeth were closed so tight that Sneaky couldn't shake them
loose. Across the den Mother Wolf jerked him, snapping and snarling
and biting until poor Sneaky was terrified. Near the entrance she gave
him an extra bite with her sharp teeth, and said:
"Now go out and hunt for the family, and don't come home again until
you can behave yourself. I won't have you spoiling the tempers of my
children. Away with you!"
And Sneaky cowed and frightened trotted away, while Mother Wolf
returned to the den to calm the fears of her little ones. The next
story will tell of how Washer was brought up by the Wolves.
[Illustration: ACROSS THE DEN MOTHER WOLF JERKED HIM]
STORY FIVE
SNEAKY VISITS BLACK WOLF
Washer was perfectly safe in the den of wolves after that. Sneaky did
not return for a long time, and when he did appear he was so meek and
crestfallen that he hardly dared to say a word. Mother Wolf lorded it
over him, and made him obey her every wish. She even made him take
Washer and the cubs outside to watch them play in front of the cave
while she took a rest.
Washer was a little alarmed at first, but Sneaky never so much as
raised a paw to hurt him. He was in deadly fear of Mother Wolf.
After a while Washer lost all of his natural fear of being killed, and
life became very different to him in the den. It was a pleasant enough
home after all, and he was so grateful to Mother Wolf that he couldn't
do enough to please her. She smiled at him when he ran to do little
errands for her, and patted him on his back. He grew more attentive to
her than were her own children.
The cubs were growing rapidly, and Washer soon saw they would be much
bigger and stronger than he in time; but they looked upon him as one
of the family, and always treated him in a friendly way. They began
calling him Little Brother, and Mother Wolf in time adopted this name.
It was much better than Little Stranger, for Washer was no longer a
stranger, and it seemed absurd to call him that.
Sneaky at first refused to use that name, and when alone with the
raccoon he would often call him "Brat" or "Scamp." Washer didn't mind
this, for he knew Sneaky didn't dare abuse him.
In time the cubs grew so strong and active that they had to spend most
of their time out of doors. They trotted around in the bushes,
exploring the woods further and further away from home. Sneaky and
Mother Wolf watched them with admiring eyes, and encouraged them in
this.
"They will have to learn to hunt for themselves some day," Mother Wolf
said, "and I hope they'll be good hunters."
"If they take after their father they certainly will be," replied
Sneaky, licking his chops with satisfaction.
Mother Wolf did not notice this remark, for she was looking at Washer.
"I wonder what kind of a hunter Little Brother will be," she added.
"Will he hunt like a Wolf or--or like a Raccoon?"
"Like a Raccoon," replied Sneaky. "Can a Wolf change his nature, or a
Raccoon be other than a Raccoon?"
Mother Wolf could not deny the truth of Sneaky's remarks, and she
sighed. Somehow she had grown greatly attached to Little Brother, and
she wanted him to grow up and be like her own children.
"He must be taught to hunt with the pack," she said suddenly. "He will
learn their ways, and do as they do. Yes, we must take him to the pack
and introduce him."
Now this seemed to be a good time for Sneaky to get even with Mother
Wolf for thwarting him in bringing up Washer. What would the others of
the pack say when she brought a Raccoon in place of a Wolf to be
entered as a member? He smiled in his superior sort of way, and nodded
his head.
"I think, my dear," he said, grinning, "you'd better leave Little
Brother home when we take our children to the pack. They'd laugh at
you, and maybe kill Little Brother."
Mother Wolf's eyes looked a little troubled. She hadn't foreseen this
difficulty, and it might be true that the other wolves would refuse to
receive Little Brother as a member. But she had grown so fond of
Washer that she was ready to stand up for him to the end.
"If they won't receive him," she replied, "they'll never get my
children. I'll not let them join the pack."
Sneaky was immediately angered by this threat, and in spite of his
fear of Mother Wolf he jumped to his feet and let out a growl. "You
don't dare do that!" he cried. "Our children must join the pack, and
you can't deny them. I'll see that they join. I'll take them myself."
"Don't get excited, Sneaky," interrupted his mate. "You can't take
them unless I consent."
This also was a law of the pack, and Sneaky was angrier than ever.
"Why do you always want to oppose me?" he cried. "The children are as
dear to me as they are to you, and I must have something to say about
their bringing up. They cannot hunt alone in the woods. If you don't
let them join I'll see Black Wolf, our leader. Yes, I'll see him at
once, and lay the whole matter before him."
Mother Wolf was a little troubled at this, and she tried to dissuade
him. "Wait until it's time to take them to the pack, Sneaky," she said
in a friendly way. "I wouldn't trouble Black Wolf now. He's very
busy, you know."
"No," growled Sneaky stubbornly, "I'll see him at once. I've given in
to you in everything, but now it's my turn to rule, I'll go to Black
Wolf tonight."
Sneaky could be very stubborn if he made up his mind, and Mother Wolf
saw that he was determined now to appeal to the leader of the pack
over her head. She sighed, but pretended not to care.
"All right, Sneaky," she replied meekly, "but see that you tell the
truth, and nothing but the truth."
"Trust me for that," was the grinning reply.
And that very night Sneaky trotted away through the dark woods to
where Black Wolf lived in a den by himself. Black Wolf was not only
the leader of the pack, but a big powerful creature with hair so long
and shaggy that no animal who tried to kill him could bite through it
to reach his flesh. He had eyes that could see through the blackest
night, and muscles that were like steel.
He received Sneaky with a growl of discontent, for he had traveled far
that day to settle another family dispute among his people, and he was
very tired and drowsy.
"What do you want, Sneaky?" he demanded fiercely. "Can't you see I'm
tired and sleepy?"
"Yes, Black Wolf, I know you've earned a good night's rest, but I
bring a gift to you," replied Sneaky, laying before the leader the leg
of a lamb he had stolen from a farm-house on his way.
"Thanks," replied Black Wolf, sniffing to see if it was fresh meat.
"I'll eat it in the morning."
He closed his eyes, and soon would have been snoring if Sneaky hadn't
continued. "I came to see you for another reason," he added. "I want
to lay a question before you. Is it against the law of the pack to
admit a Raccoon as a member?"
Black Wolf opened one eye, and said crossly: "Why do you want to
bother me with such a foolish question, Sneaky! I'm in no mood for
joking."
"This is no joke, Black Wolf. It's very serious. My mate has brought
up a Raccoon as one of her children, and now she intends to bring him
to the pack for admission. What message shall I carry back to her?"
Black Wolf snorted, and raised his head long enough to think. Then, in
a loud voice he added: "Go back and tell her that if she brings a
Raccoon to the pack we'll pounce upon him and eat him alive. Go and
tell her that I, Black Wolf, leader of the pack, has given his word."
"Thank you," replied Sneaky, bowing low, and crawling out of the den.
He had obtained just the message he wanted, and he couldn't hurry fast
enough to deliver it to Mother Wolf. In the next story we will see
what Mother Wolf thought of it.
STORY SIX
MOTHER WOLF DECIDES TO ADOPT WASHER
Sneaky returned home and entered the den with every appearance of
being greatly pleased with himself. He licked his chops, smiled at the
cubs, and said a pleasant word of of greeting to Mother Wolf. Indeed,
he was so polite and agreeable that Washer wondered if something had
happened to change his disposition for good; but Mother Wolf was not
at all deceived. She understood that Sneaky had some important news on
his mind that he was anxious to get off.
After a while, when the little ones were outside of the den playing,
she humored him with a smile, and said: "Why don't you tell me now,
Sneaky? You've been dying to get it off your mind. Now's a good time."
"What do you mean my dear?" he asked, opening one eye, and looking as
surprised and innocent as a baby.
"Don't put on that innocent air," protested his mate impatiently.
"I've lived long enough with you to know when important news is
bothering you. Now out with it!"
Sneaky yawned dreadfully long, and stretched his limbs in the most
deliberate manner. He knew that Mother Wolf was as impatient to hear
the news as he was to tell it. So he did not propose to humor her
right away.
"You surprise me, my dear," he said finally. "What news do you speak
of? I'm not a carrier of tales like Grayback the Weasel or Mr. Fox. I
wouldn't stoop to such things."
Mother Wolf laughed so hard that she had to hold her sides with both
front paws. There was no way to tease Sneaky equal to that of laughing
at his serious remarks. In a few minutes his face grew red and his
ears lay back, and all the innocent expression vanished from his eyes.
"I don't see anything to laugh at," he growled. "Why don't you tell me
what it is, and I'll join you if it's worth a laugh. It's very
ill-mannered of any one to laugh alone in company!"
"Yes, I suppose it is," replied Mother Wolf, wiping her eyes.
"But"--regarding him slyly out of the corner of her eyes--"I didn't
know you were company, Sneaky. Are you?"
"Never mind such foolish questions!" was the quick retort. "What were
you laughing at--_me_?"
"Why, no, Sneaky, not at you. I wouldn't do such a thing. But I was
laughing at what you had on your mind."
"What had I on my mind?"
"The news that Black Wolf sent to me."
Sneaky was a little taken back by this remark, for he hadn't mentioned
any message from Black Wolf.
"How do you know I've been to see Black Wolf?" he asked after a pause.
"You said you we're going. Didn't you expect me to believe you? Surely
you haven't begun fibbing to me at your time of life, have you,
Sneaky?"
"No, of course not," he stammered. "I didn't mean that. Yes, I've been
to see Black Wolf."
"And he sent a message with you for me?"
"Well, now that you speak of it I remember he did," replied Sneaky,
squatting down on his haunches.
"Then why didn't you say so at first?" snapped Mother Wolf. "Why did
you pretend surprise, and try to look so innocent? I knew all the time
you had a message for me, and it was because you were trying so hard
to look innocent that made me laugh. Sneaky, you're not a good actor.
I wouldn't try it again if I were you."
His pride was wounded at this denial of all talent for acting, and
Sneaky dropped his nose down between his paws and looked very
crestfallen. "I suppose," he grumbled, "you think you know so much you
could tell me what Black Wolf's message is."
Mother Wolf paused before him and looked silently into his eyes before
she spoke again. Then she nodded her head. "I think I could almost
guess it."
"Then it isn't necessary for me to tell you," replied Sneaky, thinking
he had cornered her this time.
"Black Wolf was very much surprised and disgusted when you told him I
was to bring Little Brother into the pack," she went on, ignoring his
remark, "and of course you didn't help matters any by telling my side
of the story. You didn't tell Black Wolf how I had brought Little
Brother up as my own child until I loved him as much as any of the
cubs. You didn't tell him that from the first you wanted to kill him,
and that you were anxious to get rid of him, and turn him loose in the
woods so the whole pack could hunt him. You didn't tell him that he
had been with us for so long that he was more Wolf than Raccoon, and
that his own people would not accept him, and if we abandoned him he
would be without any family or friends. Oh, no you didn't explain any
of these things to Black Wolf!"
"But, my dear, how could you expect me in a few minutes to tell all
that?" protested Sneaky. "Black Wolf was very tired and surly, and he
didn't want to talk to me at all. If I hadn't taken a present to him
he would have turned me out without listening."
Mother Wolf nodded. "I can quite understand that, Sneaky. He's
bothered to death by settling the quarrels of the pack. It's not all
pleasure in being a leader."
"I should think not. It's a terribly responsible position, and I know
if I were leader I'd have my time well occupied."
"Yes, I think you would. You wouldn't have time to be interfering with
home matters so much. It must be great to be the mate of the leader of
the pack."
Sneaky raised his head and flashed an angry glance at Mother Wolf, for
her words recalled something unpleasant to the memory. When a young
Wolf, with eyes always smiling and laughing, and hair long and curly
as the silk of the corn tassel, Mother Wolf was the envy of every
hunter of the pack, and Black Wolf had cast envious eyes upon her
before he had been chosen leader. Sneaky recalled also that he had
deceived Black Wolf by telling him one day that Mother Wolf had
promised to be his mate, although no such promise had then been made.
He wondered if Mother Wolf had ever found out his little deception,
and if Black Wolf suspected anything. This doubt had given him many
unpleasant moments.
His wandering thoughts were suddenly recalled to the present by Mother
Wolf. "Black Wolf told you," she said quietly, "that if I brought
Little Brother to the pack council he'd refuse to receive him as a
member. Isn't that what he said?"
"Yes," admited Sneaky, "and he said something more. If you bring
Little Brother before him, he'll order the whole pack to pounce on him
and kill him."
"He said that!" exclaimed Mother Wolf in alarm. "Black Wolf sent that
message to me."
"Yes," replied Sneaky, smiling. "Now if you love Little Brother you
will keep him away from the pack council. You'd better turn him loose
and let him return to his own people."
Mother Wolf was silent a moment. Then she raised her head, and said
defiantly: "No, I'll never do that. His own people would reject him.
I've brought him up, and I'll always be a mother to him unless he
turns against me, and even then I shall continue to love him."
She stopped before adding her final challenge. "And, listen, Sneaky, I
shall take him before the pack council, and if Black Wolf orders the
pack to pounce on him they'll have to fight me first."
Sneaky was so troubled by this that he had nothing to say. In the next
story Washer shows the cubs a trick.
STORY SEVEN
WASHER LEARNS HE IS NOT A WOLF
Washer the Raccoon had been hunting with his Wolf brothers in the
woods around their cave den. This was a part of their education.
Mother Wolf would take them for a walk some distance from the cave,
and teach them to pick up the scent of other animals on the wind.
Sometimes it would be Browny the Muskrat or Sleepy the Opossum and
again that of White Tail the Deer or Puma the Mountain Lion who had
wandered away from their natural haunts.
Whatever animal it was they scented, Mother Wolf would caution them to
follow it carefully, sneaking through the bushes with padded feet so
as not to break a twig. She herself would remain behind so that all
the responsibility of the hunt would be on her children.
In the early days of these lessons, Washer was the quickest to learn,
and the quickest to follow the scent. He was older than his Wolf
Brothers, and this accounted for his quickness. He could run faster
than any of them, although his legs were shorter, and could climb up
embankments and rocks without losing his foothold.
"Well done, Little Brother," Mother Wolf would say proudly when he had
out-distanced all his brothers. "Some day you will be a mighty hunter.
Who knows but you may be leader of the pack yet."
Now Mother Wolf loved the stray little orphan so much that she was
blind to many things that she should have thought of. For one thing no
raccoon was ever as large as a wolf, as strong, nor as fleet of foot.
It was because Washer had the start in life that he seemed bigger and
quicker of mind than her own children.
As the days and weeks passed, the Wolf cubs grew amazingly. They
caught up to Washer, and then surpassed him in size. Their legs grew
long and slender, and one day in a race Washer was left behind in
spite of all that he could do. It was the first race with the cubs he
had ever lost.
"Hi! What's the matter, Little Brother?" the cubs called to him.
"You're lazy today!"
"Yes, maybe I am," replied Washer, but he had an uneasy feeling that
it was something more than laziness. His shorter legs could go as fast
as his brother's, but they could not cover so much ground.
The next day it was the same. They had all started on a scamper for
the brook, with Washer in the lead at the beginning, but long before
they reached the water the raccoon was behind.
"Lazy again, Little Brother!" they laughed when he came up to them.
"No, I couldn't run any faster," Washer replied truthfully. "You've
got longer legs than mine, and I can't keep up with you."
"So they are longer," replied the cubs, looking at their own long
legs.
"And you have stronger teeth and jaws than I have," continued Washer.
"You grow much faster. I don't seem to grow at all any more."
"Oh, your time will come," they answered, not wishing to offend him.
They continued to play together as formerly, but Washer always had to
be given a head start in a race. Then one day another thing surprised
them. They were tearing at their food when Washer found that he could
no longer hold his own in this battle. The cubs had more powerful jaws
than he, and they jerked the food away from him and gobbled it up.
"I didn't get half my share," Washer grumbled.
"Why not? Can't you help yourself?"