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The Bedtime Story-Books
THE ADVENTURES OF UNC' BILLY POSSUM
by
THORNTON W. BURGESS
Author of _The Adventures of Peter Cottontail_, _Old Mother West Wind_,
etc.
With Illustrations by HARRISON CADY
Boston
Little, Brown, and Company
1920
[Illustration: Reddy Fox sprang up as if some one had stuck a pin into
him. FRONTISPIECE.]
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. UNC' BILLY POSSUM IS CAUGHT
II. REDDY FOX THINKS HE SEES A GHOST
III. UNC' BILLY POSSUM SENDS FOR HIS FAMILY
IV. BOBBY COON ENTERS THE WRONG HOUSE
V. BOBBY COON IS WAKED UP
VI. SAMMY JAY LEARNS PETER RABBIT'S SECRET
VII. FOUR LITTLE SCAMPS PLAN MISCHIEF
VIII. PETER RABBIT SENDS OUT WORD
IX. MR. TOAD AND PRICKLY PORKY PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER
X. THE RUNAWAY CABBAGE
XI. REDDY FOX GOES HUNGRY
XII. PRICKLY PORKY MAKES HIMSELF AT HOME
XIII. UNC' BILLY POSSUM GROWS HUNGRY
XIV. OLD MRS. POSSUM GROWS WORRIED
XV. THE FOOLISHNESS OF UNC' BILLY POSSUM
XVI. WHY UNC' BILLY POSSUM DIDN'T GO HOME
XVII. UNC' BILLY POSSUM LIES LOW
XVIII. UNC' BILLY POSSUM IS A PRISONER
XIX. WHAT THE SNOW DID
XX. UNC' BILLY POSSUM WISHES HE HAD SNOWSHOES
XXI. FARMER BROWN'S BOY CHOPS DOWN A TREE
XXII. WHERE UNC' BILLY POSSUM WAS
XXIII. HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL MAKES AN UNEXPECTED CALL
XXIV. HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL HELPS UNC' BILLY POSSUM
XXV. HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL'S BRIGHT IDEA
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
REDDY FOX SPRANG UP AS IF SOME ONE HAD STUCK A PIN INTO HIM
MY! MY! MY! SUCH A RUMPUS AS THERE WAS RIGHT AWAY IN THAT
HOLLOW TREE!
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" EXCLAIMED THE OTHERS ALL TOGETHER
HE JUST ATE AND ATE AND ATE UNTIL HE COULDN'T EAT ANOTHER ONE
THERE ALL THE WAY FROM FARMER BROWN'S HEN-HOUSE, WAS A BROAD TRAIL
IN THE SMOOTH WHITE SNOW
"YO' TELL UNC' BILLY POSSUM THAT AH DON' CARE IF HE NEVER COMES BACK"
I
UNC' BILLY POSSUM IS CAUGHT
The Green Meadows were thrown into great excitement late one
afternoon, just as the black shadows came creeping down from the
Purple Hills. Reddy Fox brought the news, and when he told it he
grinned as if he enjoyed it and was glad of it.
"Old Billy Possum is dead. I know it because I saw Farmer Brown's boy
carrying him home by the tail," said Reddy. "So you see he wasn't so
smart as you thought he was," he added maliciously.
No one really believed Reddy Fox, for every one knows that he seldom
tells the truth, but when Jimmy Skunk came mournfully down the Crooked
Little Path and said that it was true, they had to believe it. Then
everybody began to talk about Unc' Billy and say nice things about him
and tell how much they had enjoyed having him live in the Green Forest
since he came up from "Ol' Virginny." That is, everybody but Reddy Fox
said so. Reddy said that it served Unc' Billy right, because he was of
no account, anyway. Then everybody began to hoot and hiss at Reddy
until he was glad enough to slink away.
And while they were all saying such nice things about him, Unc' Billy
Possum was having an exciting adventure. For once he had been too
bold. He had gone up to Farmer Brown's hen-house before dark. Jimmy
Skunk had tried to stop him, but he had heeded Jimmy Skunk not at
all. He had said that he was hungry and wanted an egg, and he couldn't
wait till dark to get it. So off he had started, for Unc' Billy Possum
is very headstrong and obstinate.
He had reached the hen-house and slipped inside without being seen.
The nests were full of eggs, and soon Unc' Billy was enjoying his
feast so that he forgot to keep watch. Suddenly the door opened, and
in stepped Farmer Brown's boy to get some eggs for supper. There was
no time to run. Unc' Billy just dropped right down in his tracks as if
he were dead.
When Farmer Brown's boy saw him, he didn't know what to make of him,
for he had never seen Unc' Billy before.
"Well, well, I wonder what happened to this fellow," said Farmer
Brown's boy, turning Unc' Billy over with the toe of one foot. "He
certainly is dead enough, whatever killed him. I wonder what he was
doing in here."
Then he saw some egg on Unc' Billy's lips. "Ho! ho!" shouted Farmer
Brown's boy. "So you are the thief who has been getting my eggs!" And
picking up Unc' Billy by the tail, he started with him for the house.
As they passed the woodpile, he tossed Unc' Billy on the
chopping-block while he gathered an armful of kindlings to take to the
house. When he turned to pick up Unc' Billy again, Unc' Billy wasn't
there.
Farmer Brown's boy dropped his wood and hunted everywhere, but not a
trace of Unc' Billy could he find.
II
REDDY FOX THINKS HE SEES A GHOST
Reddy Fox came down the Lone Little Path through the Green Forest on
his way to the Green Meadows. He had brushed his red coat until it
shone. His white waistcoat was spotless, and he carried his big tail
high in the air, that it might not become soiled. Reddy was feeling as
fine as he looked. He would have liked to sing, but every time he
tried his voice cracked, and he was afraid that some one would hear
him and laugh at him. If there is one thing that Reddy Fox dislikes
more than another, it is being laughed at.
Reddy chuckled at his thoughts, and what do you think he was thinking
about? Why, about how he had seen Farmer Brown's boy carrying off
Unc' Billy Possum by the tail the afternoon before. He knew how Farmer
Brown's boy had caught Unc' Billy in the hen-house, and with his own
eyes he had seen Unc' Billy carried off. Of course Unc' Billy was
dead. There could be no doubt about it. And Reddy was glad of it. Yes,
Sir, Reddy was glad of it. Unc' Billy Possum had made altogether too
many friends in the Green Forest and on the Green Meadows, and he had
made Reddy the laughing-stock of them all by the way he had dared
Reddy to meet Bowser the Hound, and actually had waited for Bowser
while Reddy ran away.
Reddy remembered that Unc' Billy's hollow tree was not far away. He
would go over that way, just to have another look at it. So over he
went. There stood the old hollow tree, and half way up was the door
out of which Unc' Billy used to look down on him and grin. It was
Reddy's turn to grin now. Presently he sat down with his back against
the foot of the tree, crossed his legs, looked this way and that way
to make sure that no one was about, and then in a dreadfully cracked
voice he began to sing:
"Ol' Bill Possum, he's gone before!
Ol' Bill Possum, he is no more!
Bill was a scamp, Sir;
Bill was a thief!
Bill stole an egg, Sir;
Bill came to grief.
Ol' Bill Possum, it served him right;
And he is no more, for he died last night."
"Very good, Sah, very good. Ah cert'nly am obliged to yo'all for yo'
serenade," said a voice that seemed to come out of the tree at Reddy's
back.
Reddy Fox sprang up as if some one had stuck a pin into him. Every
hair stood on end, as he looked up at Unc' Billy's doorway. Then his
teeth began to chatter with fright. Looking out of Unc' Billy's
doorway and grinning down at him was something that looked for all the
world like Unc' Billy himself.
"It must be his ghost!" said Reddy, and tucking his tail between his
legs, he started up the Crooked Little Path as fast as his legs could
take him.
Reddy never once looked back. If he had, he might have seen Unc' Billy
Possum climb down from the hollow tree and shake hands with Jimmy
Skunk, who had just come along.
"How did Ah do it? Why, Ah just pretended Ah was daid, when Farmer
Brown's boy caught me," explained Unc' Billy. "Of course he' wouldn't
kill a daid Possum. So when he tossed me down on the chopping-block
and turned his back, Ah just naturally came to life again, and here
Ah am."
Unc' Billy Possum grinned broader than ever, and Jimmy Skunk grinned,
too.
III
UNC' BILLY POSSUM SENDS FOR HIS FAMILY
The news that Unc' Billy Possum wasn't dead at all but was back in his
hollow tree in the Green Forest soon spread through all the Green
Forest and over the Green Meadows. Everybody hastened to pay their
respects, that is everybody but Reddy Fox. Unc' Billy and his partner,
Jimmy Skunk, told every one who called how Reddy Fox had thought that
Unc' Billy was a ghost and had been frightened almost to death, so
that he ran away as fast as his legs could take him. Unc' Billy
grinned as he told how Reddy had sat under the hollow tree and tried
to sing because he was so glad that Unc' Billy was dead, and all the
little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows laughed until
their sides ached when in a funny, cracked voice Unc' Billy sang the
song for them.
Thereafter whenever one of them caught sight of Reddy Fox at a safe
distance, he would shout:
"Ol' Bill Possum, he's gone before!
Ol' Bill Possum, he is no more!"
It got so that Reddy never came down on the Green Meadows in the
daytime, and at night he avoided meeting any one if possible, even his
old friend, Bobby Coon. And of course Reddy Fox hated Unc' Billy
Possum more than ever.
But Unc' Billy didn't care, not he! He knew that all the rest of the
little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows thought him
the smartest of them all, because of the way in which he had fooled
Bowser the Hound and Farmer Brown's boy. He liked his neighbors, he
liked the Green Forest, and so he made up his mind that this was the
place for him to stay.
But in spite of all his friends, Unc' Billy was lonesome. The longer
he stayed, the more lonesome he grew, Unc' Billy wanted his family,
whom he had left way down in "Ol' Virginny." Finally he told Jimmy
Skunk all about it, and for once Unc' Billy had forgotten how to grin.
Yes, Sir, Unc' Billy had forgotten how to grin. Instead he just wept,
wept great big tears of lonesomeness.
"Ah reckon Ah'll have to go back to Ol' Virginny, Ah cert'nly do,"
said Unc' Billy Possum.
Jimmy Skunk grew very thoughtful. Since he and Unc' Billy Possum had
been in partnership, Jimmy had had more eggs to eat than ever before
in his whole life. Now Unc' Billy was talking about going away. Jimmy
thought very hard. Then he had a bright idea.
"Why not send for your family to come here and live in the Green
Forest, Uncle Billy?" he asked.
Unc' Billy stopped crying. His two little eyes looked up sharply. "How
do yo'all reckon Ah can send word?" he asked.
Jimmy scratched his head. "There's Mr. Skimmer the Swallow; he's
fixing to go South. Perhaps he'll take the message to your family,"
said he.
"The very thing!" cried Unc' Billy Possum, wiping his eyes. "Ah thanks
yo', Sah. Ah does, indeed. Ah'll see Mistah Skimmer at once."
And without another word Unc' Billy Possum started down the Crooked
Little Path for the Green Meadows to look for Skimmer the Swallow.
IV
BOBBY COON ENTERS THE WRONG HOUSE
After Unc' Billy Possum had arranged with Skimmer the Swallow, who was
going South, to take a message to his family in "Ol' Virginny,"
telling them to come and join him in the Green Forest, he at once
began to make preparations to receive them. Unc' Billy isn't any too
fond of work. He had a lot rather that some one else should do the
work for him, and he is smart enough to fix it so that usually some
one else does.
But getting ready to receive his family was different. No one else
could arrange things to suit him. This was Unc' Billy's own job, and
he tended right to it every minute of the day. First of all he had to
clean house. He had been keeping bachelor's hall so long in the big
hollow tree that things were not very tidy. So Unc' Billy cleaned
house, and while he worked he whistled and sang. Peter Rabbit, passing
that way, overheard Unc' Billy singing:
"Mah ol' woman is away down Souf--
Come along! Come along!
Ain't nothin' sharper than the tongue in her mouf--
Come along! Come along!
She once was pretty, but she ain't no mo',
But she cooks mah meals an' she sweeps mah flo';
She darns mah stockings an' she mends mah coat,
An' she knows jes' how mah chillun fer to tote--
Come along! Come along!
"Mah pickaninnies am a-headin' dis way--
Come along! Come along!
Daddy am a-watchin' fo' 'em day by day--
Come along! Come along!
Mah ol' haid aches when Ah thinks ob de noise
De's boun' to be wid dem gals an' boys,
But Ah doan care if it busts in two
If de good Lord brings dem chillun troo--
Come along! Come along!"
Every little while Unc' Billy Possum would sit down to rest, for he
wasn't used to so much real work. But finally he got his house clean
and made as comfortable as possible, and about that time be began to
think how good an egg would taste. The more he thought about it, the
more he wanted that egg.
"It's no use talking, Ah just naturally has to have that egg," said
Unc' Billy to himself, and off he started for Farmer Brown's.
Now Unc' Billy was hardly out of sight when along came Bobby Coon.
Bobby Coon was absent-minded, or else he was so sleepy that he didn't
know what he was doing, for Bobby Coon had been out all night. Anyway,
when he reached Unc' Billy Possum's hollow tree, he began to climb up
it just as if it were his own. He looked in at Unc' Billy's door.
There was the most comfortable bed that he had seen for a long time.
He looked this way and he looked that way. Nobody was in sight. Then
he looked in at Unc' Billy's door once more. That bed certainly did
look soft and comfortable. Bobby Coon chuckled to himself.
"I believe I'll just see if that bed is as comfortable as it looks,"
said he.
And two minutes later Bobby Coon was curled up fast asleep in Unc'
Billy Possum's bed.
V
BOBBY COON IS WAKED UP
"Dey's a-coming, dey's a-coming, dey's a-coming mighty soon.
But dey can't come soon enuff fo' me!
Dey's a-coming, dey's a-coming at de turning ob de moon,
Whar Ah waits in mah ol' holler tree!"
Unc' Billy Possum was singing to himself, as he slowly trudged home
from Farmer Brown's hen-house. He was feeling very good, very good
indeed, was Unc' Billy Possum. No one appreciates strictly fresh eggs
more than Unc' Billy does, and he had found more than he could eat
waiting for him in Farmer Brown's hen-house. Now his stomach was full,
his house had been cleaned and put to rights, ready for his family
when they should arrive from "Ol' Virginny," and he had nothing to do
but wait for them. So he trudged along and sang in a funny, cracked
voice.
Presently he came to his big hollow tree and started to climb up to
the door of his house. Half way up he broke off short in the middle of
his song and sat down on a convenient branch. He put one ear against
the trunk of the tree and listened. Then he put the other ear against
the tree and listened. There certainly was a funny noise, and it
seemed to come from right inside his hollow tree. Unc' Billy turned
and looked up at his doorway, scratching his head thoughtfully with
one hand.
"Mah goodness!" said Unc' Billy, "it cert'nly sounds like there was
somebody in mah house!"
Then very softly Unc' Billy crept up to his doorway and peeped in. It
was dark inside, so that Unc' Billy could see little else than that
his nice, freshly made, comfortable bed was all mussed up. But if he
couldn't see, he could hear. Oh, yes, indeed, Unc' Billy could hear
perfectly well, and what he heard was a snore! There was some one in
Unc' Billy's house, and more than that, they were fast asleep in Unc'
Billy's bed.
"Mah goodness! Mah goodness!" exclaimed Unc' Billy Possum, and his two
sharp little eyes began to snap. Then he stuck his head in at the door
and shouted:
"Hi, yo'all! What yo' doing in mah house?"
The only answer was another snore. Unc' Billy waited a minute. Then he
put his head in once more.
"Yo' better come out of mah house, Mr. Who-ever-yo'-are, before Ah
comes in and puts yo' out!" shouted Unc' Billy.
The only answer was a snore louder than before. Then Unc' Billy quite
lost his temper. Some one who had no business there was in his house!
He didn't know who it was, and he didn't care. They were going to come
out or he would know why not. Unc' Billy gritted his teeth and in he
went.
My! my! my! such a rumpus as there was right away in that hollow tree!
Peter Rabbit happened to be coming along that way and heard it. Peter
stopped and gazed at the hollow tree with eyes and mouth wide open.
Such a snarling and growling! Then out of the doorway began to fly
leaves and moss. They were part of Unc' Billy's bed. Then Peter saw a
big ringed tail hanging out of the doorway. Peter recognized it right
away. No one possessed a tail like that but Bobby Coon.
In a minute Bobby followed his tail, hastily backing down the tree.
Then Unc' Billy's sharp little old face appeared at the doorway. Unc'
Billy looked down at Peter Rabbit and grinned.
"Ah guess Mistah Coon done make a mistake when he went to bed in mah
house," said he.
And Bobby Coon sheepishly admitted that he did.
VI
SAMMY JAY LEARNS PETER RABBIT'S SECRET
"I'm Mr. Jaybird, tee-hee-hee!
I'm Mr. Jaybird; you watch me!
You've got to rise 'fore break of day
If you want to fool old Mr. Jay."
Over and over Sammy Jay hummed this, as he brushed his handsome blue
and white coat. Then he laughed as he remarked to no one in
particular, for no one was near enough to hear: "Peter Rabbit's got a
secret. When Peter goes about whispering, it's a sure sign that he's
got a secret. He thinks that he can keep it from me, but he can't. Oh,
my, no! I never knew of a secret that could be kept by more than two
people, and already I've seen Peter whisper to five. I'll just see
what Reddy Fox knows about it."
With a flirt of his tail Sammy Jay started for the Green Meadows,
where Reddy Fox was busy hunting for his breakfast.
"It's a fine morning, Reddy Fox," said Sammy Jay.
"It would be finer, if I could fill my stomach faster," replied Reddy.
"That's a pretty good secret of Peter Rabbit's, isn't it?" asked
Sammy, pretending to look very wise.
Reddy pricked up his sharp little ears.
"What secret?" he demanded.
"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell," retorted Sammy Jay, just
as if he knew all about it, and off he flew to hunt up his cousin,
Blacky the Crow. Blacky knew nothing about Peter Rabbit's secret, nor
did Shadow the Weasel, whom he met by the way. But Sammy Jay was not
in the least bit discouraged.
"I'll try Johnny Chuck; he'll know," said Sammy to himself.
He found Johnny sitting on his doorstep, watching the world go by.
"Good morning, Johnny Chuck," said Sammy, with a low bow.
"Good morning," replied Johnny Chuck, who always is polite.
"Isn't that a fine secret of Peter Rabbit's?" exclaimed Sammy, just as
if he knew all about it.
Johnny Chuck raised his eyebrows and put on the most surprised look.
"Do tell me what it is!" he begged.
"Oh, if you don't know, I won't tell, for that wouldn't be fair,"
replied Sammy, and tried to look very honest and innocent, and then he
flew over to the Green Forest. And as he flew, he said to himself:
"Johnny Chuck can't fool me; he does know Peter Rabbit's secret."
Over in the Green Forest he found Drummer the Woodpecker making a
great racket on the hollow limb of an old chestnut. Sammy sat down
near by and listened. "My, that's fine! I wish I could do that. You
must be practising," said Sammy at the end of a long rat-a-tat-tat.
Drummer the Woodpecker felt very much flattered. "I am," said he. "I'm
practising for Peter Rabbit's party."
"I thought so," replied Sammy Jay. Of course he hadn't thought
anything of the kind.
"Won't Unc' Billy Possum be surprised?" remarked Drummer the
Woodpecker, as he sat down to rest.
"He surely will," replied Sammy Jay, and then he flattered and
flattered Drummer the Woodpecker until finally Drummer told all about
Peter's plan for a surprise party for Unc' Billy Possum.
By and by, as he flew home, Sammy Jay chuckled and said:
"You've got to rise 'fore break of day
If you want to fool old Mr. Jay."
VII
FOUR LITTLE SCAMPS PLAN MISCHIEF
"Some folks think they're mighty smart--
Oh, la me! Oh, la me!
Like the knave who stole the tart--
Oh, la me! Oh, la me!
Some folks will waken up some day--
And find they can't fool Mr. Jay!"
Sammy Jay was mightily pleased with himself. He had found out all
about Peter Rabbit's plan to give Unc' Billy Possum a surprise party
when his family came up from "Ol' Virginny." He had found out that all
the little forest and meadow people but himself and his cousin, Blacky
the Crow, and Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel had been invited, and
that each was to bring something good to eat. Sammy Jay smacked his
lips as he thought of this. Then he looked up at jolly, round, red Mr.
Sun and winked.
Now on all the Green Meadows and in all the Green Forest, there live
no greater scamps than Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow and Reddy Fox and
Shadow the Weasel. The worst of it is, they are not honest. They steal
whenever they get a chance, and always they try to get others into
trouble. That was why Peter Rabbit had left them out, when he planned
his surprise party for Unc' Billy Possum.
Sammy Jay called the three others together under the Lone Pine and
told them all about Peter Rabbit's plan and how they had been left
out. Of course Blacky the Crow and Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel
were angry, very angry indeed, for no one likes to be left out of a
good time. The more Sammy Jay told them, the angrier they grew; and
the angrier they grew, the more Sammy Jay chuckled, way down inside.
Sammy had a plan, and the angrier the others grew, the more likely
were they to help him.
"You wait till I catch Peter Rabbit!" said Reddy Fox and showed all
his teeth. He quite forgot that, despite all his smartness, he never
yet had caught Peter Rabbit.
Blacky the Crow scratched his head thoughtfully. "We can spoil his
surprise by telling Unc' Billy Possum all about it beforehand," said
he.
Sammy Jay winked at each of the others. He cleared his throat and
looked all around, to make sure that no one else was near. Then he
leaned forward and whispered: "Let's invite ourselves to the party."
"What do you mean?" exclaimed the others, all together.
"Just what I say," replied Sammy. "We'll be the real surprise. Before
the party begins, you will hide close to where it is to be. When
everybody has got there and brought all the good things to eat, I'll
come flying along and scream: 'Here comes Bowser the Hound!' Of course
every one will run away, and we'll have all the good things to eat."
"Haw! haw! haw! The very thing! We'll all be there," cried Blacky the
Crow.
The four little scamps shook hands and separated. As they went across
the Green Meadows, Sammy Jay's voice floated back to the Lone Pine. He
was singing, although he has a very poor voice for singing, and this
was his song:
[Illustration: "What do you mean?" exclaimed the others all
together.]
"Some folks think they're mighty smart--
Oh, la me! Oh, la me!
Like the knave who stole the tart--
Oh, la me! Oh, la me!
Some folks will waken up some day--
And find they can't fool Mr. Jay!"
"Is that so? Really now, I want to know," said old Mr. Toad, crawling
from under the very piece of bark on which Sammy Jay had sat when he
told his plan. Then old Mr. Toad winked slowly and solemnly at jolly,
round, red Mr. Sun and started off to find Peter Rabbit.
VIII
PETER RABBIT SENDS OUT WORD
It was a beautiful morning. Everybody said so, and what everybody says
is usually so. Peter Rabbit wore the broadest kind of a smile. He
hopped and skipped all the way down the Lone Little Path on to the
Green Meadows and was waiting there when Old Mother West Wind came
down from the Purple Hills and, turning her big bag upside down,
tumbled out all her children, the Merry Little Breezes, to play. Peter
stopped them before they had a chance to run away. He whispered to
each, and each in turn started to dance across the Green Meadows to
carry the news that this was the day of Peter Rabbit's surprise party
for Unc' Billy Possum, whose family would arrive that very morning
from way down in "Ol' Virginny."
Sammy Jay had risen very early that morning. Almost at once his sharp
eyes had seen Peter Rabbit sending out the Merry Little Breezes.
Sammy's wits are as sharp as his eyes, and you know it is very hard to
really fool sharp wits. Right away Sammy had guessed what the Merry
Little Breezes were hurrying so for, but he sat and waited and
listened. Pretty soon he heard Drummer the Woodpecker start a long
rat-a-tat-tat over by Unc' Billy Possum's hollow tree. Then Sammy was
sure that this was the day of Peter Rabbit's party. Sammy grinned as
he hurried off to find Blacky the Crow and Reddy Fox and Shadow the
Weasel.
Reddy was not yet out of bed, but when he heard Sammy Jay at his
door, he tumbled out in a hurry. He didn't stop to get any breakfast,
because he had planned to get all he could eat at the party. So he
hurried over to where the party was to be. Very cautiously he crept
up, and when he was quite sure that no one was about, he crawled into
a hollow log which was open at one end. There he stretched himself out
and made himself as comfortable as he could.
Pretty soon Shadow the Weasel joined Reddy Fox in the hollow log, and
they whispered and chuckled while they waited. They knew that Blacky
the Crow was safely hidden in the top of a tall pine, where he could
see all that went on, and that Sammy Jay was flying about over the
Green Meadows and through the Green Forest, pretending that he was
attending wholly to his own business, but really watching all the
preparations for Peter Rabbit's party. At the foot of a tree, in the
top of which Prickly Porky the Porcupine was eating his breakfast, sat
old Mr. Toad, nodding sleepily. Sammy Jay saw him there but, smart as
Sammy is, he didn't once suspect innocent-looking old Mr. Toad. You
see, he didn't know that old Mr. Toad had overheard all of his plans.
IX
MR. TOAD AND PRICKLY PORKY PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER
Slowly Prickly Porky the Porcupine climbed down from the top of the
tall poplar tree where he had been getting his breakfast of tender
young bark. He grunted as he worked his way down, for he had with him
a bundle of bark to take over to Peter Rabbit's surprise party. When
he reached the ground, Prickly Porky shook himself until he rattled
the thousand little spears hidden in his long coat.
"Tee-hee-hee!"
"Who dares to laugh at me?" demanded Pricky Porky, shaking himself
until all the little spears rattled again, and some of them began to
peep out of his long coat.
"No one is laughing at you," replied a voice right behind him.
Prickly Porky turned around. There sat old Mr. Toad. His big mouth was
stretched wide open, and he was laughing all to himself. Something was
tickling old Mr. Toad mightily.
Prickly Porky scowled, and a few more little spears peeped out of his
long coat. You know no one likes to be laughed at, and it certainly
did look as if old Mr. Toad was laughing at him.
Mr. Toad stopped laughing and hopped a step nearer. "It's a joke,"
said he, and slowly winked one eye.
"I don't see any joke," said Prickly Porky, and his voice was very
fretful.
Mr. Toad hopped a step nearer. "Are you going to Peter Rabbit's
party?"
"Of course I am. What a foolish question," replied Prickly Porky.
"To be sure, a very foolish question, a very foolish question,
indeed," assented Mr. Toad. "Do you know that Sammy Jay and Blacky the
Crow and Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel, who have not been invited,
are planning to break up the party and then gobble up all the good
things to eat?" he continued.
Prickly Porky laid down his bundle of tender young bark and stared at
old Mr. Toad, "How do you know?" he demanded.
Old Mr. Toad chuckled deep down in his throat. "I was underneath a
piece of bark on which Sammy Jay was sitting when the plan was made.
Of course he didn't know I was there, and of course I didn't tell
him."
"Of course not," interrupted Prickly Porky, beginning to grin.
"Of course not," continued Mr. Toad, grinning, too. Then he told
Prickly Porky all about the plan he had overheard, how Reddy Fox and
Shadow the Weasel and Blacky the Crow were to hide near Unc' Billy
Possum's hollow tree, and how Sammy Jay was to frighten away everybody
else by pretending that Bowser the Hound was coming.
"Have you told Peter Rabbit?" asked Prickly Porky.
"Not yet, but I'm going to, by and by," replied old Mr. Toad. "But
first, I want you to help me fool Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow and
Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel. Will you?"
"Of course I will if I can, but how can I?" answered Prickly Porky
promptly.
Old Mr. Toad hopped up, and stretching up on tiptoe, whispered in one
of Prickly Porky's ears. Prickly Porky began to smile. Then he began
to chuckle. Finally he laughed until he had to hold his sides.
"Will you do it?" asked Mr. Toad.
Prickly Porky reached for his bundle of tender young bark. "Of course
I will," said he, still chuckling. "Come on, Mr. Toad, it's time we
were going."
X
THE RUNAWAY CABBAGE
Reddy Fox, hiding with Shadow the Weasel in a hollow log near Unc'
Billy Possum's home, nudged Shadow with his elbow.
"I hear some one coming," he whispered.
Shadow peeped out. "It's old Mr. Toad and Prickly Porky," he whispered
back.
Something that sounded very much like a growl sounded way down deep in
the throat of Reddy Fox, for Reddy has no love for Prickly Porky.
"And there comes Jimmy Skunk, with a big-goose egg under each arm!"
continued Shadow, smacking his lips. Reddy Fox wriggled up where he
could peep out, too.
"My goodness! What's that coming down the Lone Little Path?" whispered
Reddy.
Shadow looked. Then he began to laugh, and Reddy began to laugh, too.
But it was laughter that made no sound, for Reddy and Shadow didn't
want any one to know that they were hiding there. It was a funny sight
they were peeping out at. It certainly was a funny sight. Down the
Lone Little Path came Peter Rabbit and his cousin, Juniper the Hare,
rolling a huge cabbage.
Right at the top of a little hill the cabbage got away from them. Down
it started, rolling and bounding along, with Peter Rabbit and Jumper
the Hare frantically trying to catch it. Just ahead was Johnny Chuck
with a big bundle of sweet clover, which he was bringing to Peter
Rabbit's party. He didn't see the big cabbage coming. It knocked his
feet from under him, and down he went with a thump, flat on his back.
Right on top of him fell Jumper the Hare, who was close behind the
runaway cabbage and had no time to turn aside. Over the two of them
fell Peter Rabbit. Such a mix-up!
And the big cabbage kept right on running away. Jimmy Skunk, who never
hurries, heard the noise behind him and turned to see what it all
meant. But he didn't have time to more than blink his eyes before the
runaway cabbage hit him full in the stomach. Down went Jimmy Skunk
with a grunt. One big egg flew over against a tree and broke. Jimmy
landed on the other, and this broke, too.
Such a sight as Jimmy Skunk was! Egg dripped from every part of his
handsome black and white coat. It was in his eyes and all over his
face and dripped from his whiskers. Shadow the Weasel and Reddy Fox,
hiding in the hollow log, laughed until the tears rolled down their
cheeks, though down in the heart of Shadow was bitter disappointment,
for he had planned to steal those very eggs.
Just a little way beyond Jimmy Skunk the runaway cabbage brought up
with a thump against a stump on which sat Striped Chipmunk, with the
pockets in his cheeks filled full of yellow corn. The sudden bump of
the big cabbage made Striped Chipmunk lose his balance, and off he
tumbled, right down on to old Mr. Toad, who had just sat down behind
the stump for a few minutes of rest. It knocked all the wind out of
Mr. Toad, and of course Striped Chipmunk spilled all his corn.
Prickly Porky the Porcupine heard the noise. He looked up to see a
strange thing bounding down the Lone Little Path. Prickly Porky
didn't wait to see what it was. He did just what he always does when
he thinks there may be danger; he rolled himself up with his face
hidden in his waistcoat, and when he did that, the thousand little
spears hidden in his coat stood out until he looked like a giant
chestnut burr.
The runaway cabbage bounced off the stump and hit Prickly Porky. Then
it stopped. Where it had touched Prickly Porky, the sharp little
spears had stuck into it, so that when Peter Rabbit and Jumper the
Hare hurried up, there lay the runaway cabbage, looking for all the
world like a great green pincushion.
XI
REDDY FOX GOES HUNGRY
Like a great green pincushion lay the runaway cabbage of Peter Rabbit
and Jumper the Hare. Every one thought it was the very best joke ever.
Jimmy Skunk had gone off to take a bath and get two more eggs for
Peter Rabbit's party. Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel, peeping out
from the hollow log where they were hiding, could see Jimmy on his way
back with a big goose egg under each arm. Shadow smacked his lips. He
meant to have those eggs himself.
Pretty soon all the little forest and meadow people whom Peter Rabbit
had invited were gathered around the foot of Unc' Billy Possum's
hollow tree, and each had brought something good to eat. My, such a
feast as was spread out there! Now they were waiting for Unc' Billy
Possum, who had gone to meet his family, coming up from "Ol'
Virginny."
Over in the top of a tall pine tree Blacky the Crow was hiding and
chuckling to himself as he watched. Reddy Fox was getting impatient.
He was hungry. He had had no breakfast, and as he lay hiding in the
hollow log, he could peep out and see all the good things, and he
could smell them, too. It seemed as if his stomach would just give him
no peace at all. He wished that Sammy Jay would bring the false
message that Bowser the Hound was coming, so as to frighten all the
rest away.
"I'm nearly starved!" whispered Reddy Fox. "I hope Sammy Jay will
hurry up."
Just then they noticed that Peter Rabbit was very busy. He hopped from
guest to guest and whispered in the ear of each.
"Now I wonder what Peter Rabbit is whispering about," said Reddy.
Suddenly the light at the end of the hollow log disappeared. There was
a queer rattling sound that sent shivers up and down Reddy's backbone.
Prickly Porky the Porcupine had sat down with his back against the end
of the hollow log, and the queer rattling sound was made by the
thousand little spears in his long coat. Reddy Fox and Shadow the
Weasel were in a prison. You see there was no other opening to the
hollow log.
"Never mind," whispered Shadow the Weasel, "he'll go away when Sammy
Jay shouts that Bowser the Hound is coming."
Blacky the Crow, hidden in the top of the tall pine, was also
wondering what Peter was whispering. His sharp eyes watched Peter, and
every time that Peter whispered in the ear of one of the little meadow
or forest people, they would laugh.
Now, Sammy Jay knew nothing about all this. By and by, when he thought
that every one was there, Sammy came flying through the Green Forest,
just as if he knew nothing about Peter Rabbit's party. Now, Sammy,
with all his faults, is one of the best watchmen in the Green Forest.
If there is any danger which his sharp eyes discover, he always
screams at the top of his lungs. So, though he steals and plays tricks
and makes life very uncomfortable for the others, they always stop to
listen when Sammy sounds a warning. Because Sammy knew this he felt
sure of breaking up this party.
As soon as he came in sight of all the little meadow and forest
people, he began to shriek at the top of his lungs.
"Run! run! run! Here comes Bowser the Hound," he shouted.
No one moved, and this puzzled Sammy so that he hardly knew what to
do, but he kept right on shrieking, just as if Bowser was right close
at hand. Still no one moved. Sammy stopped on a tall pine and
pretended to be terribly excited.
"You had better run before Bowser gets here," he shouted.
What do you think happened then? Why, everybody set up a great shout.
"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Peter Rabbit.
"Ho! ho! ho!" shouted Johnny Chuck.
"Hee! hee! hee!" giggled Danny Meadow Mouse.
"What time will Bowser get here?" asked Bobby Coon, gravely.
"Tell Bowser that we are all waiting for him," added Jimmy Skunk.
"Is Bowser quite out of breath?" inquired Jerry Muskrat.
"I would like nothing better than to run a race with Bowser the
Hound," said Jumper the Hare, sitting up very straight.
Sammy Jay didn't know what to do or what to say. He was just the most
disgusted looking Jay that ever flew through the Green Forest, and all
the time he wondered and wondered and wondered how it could be that
Peter Rabbit and his friends knew that Bowser the Hound was not in the
Green Forest at all. You see, old Mr. Toad had told Peter all about
Sammy's plan, and this is what Peter had been whispering to the
others.
XII
PRICKLY PORKY MAKES HIMSELF AT HOME
Peter Rabbit's party promised to be a great success. When old Mr.
Toad, who had overheard Sammy Jay's plan, had told Peter Rabbit all
about it, he had also told Peter that Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel
were hiding in an old hollow log close by.
Peter had whispered the news in the ear of each of the little forest
and meadow people and had told them how Prickly Porky was even then
sitting with his back against the opening in the hollow log.
Every one had thought this the best joke ever, for, of course, they
all knew that Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel could not get out past
the thousand little spears hidden in the long coat of Prickly Porky.
Prickly Porky settled himself very comfortably and began to tell
stories about his home, way up in the North Woods. Every few minutes
he would rattle the thousand little spears in his coat, and though no
one could see Reddy Fox and Shadow the Weasel inside the hollow log,
every one could guess just how little shivers were running up and down
the backbones of the two little scamps held prisoners there.
Prickly Porky told how in the cold, cold winter the snow piled up and
piled up in his far northern home, until nearly all the forest folk
who lived there had to make a long journey into the South, or else
went into warm, snug hollows in the trees or caves in the rocks and
slept the long winter through, just as Johnny Chuck does. He told how
the Indians came through the great forest on big webbed shoes, that
kept them from sinking into the snow, and hunted for Lightfoot the
Deer, and how they never bothered Prickly Porky, but always treated
him with the greatest respect. He told so many, many interesting
things about the great North Woods, that all the little meadow people
and forest folk gathered close around to listen, but every few
minutes, while he was talking, he would shake his thousand little
spears, and then every one would smile.
Inside the hollow log Reddy Fox was getting stiff and sore, because,
you know, he didn't have room enough to even turn over. Worse still,
he was so hungry that he could cry. You see, he had crept in there
very early in the morning without any breakfast, because he had
planned that when Sammy Jay should break up Peter Rabbit's party, he
would steal all the good things he wanted. Now, he could smell them,
and hear the others talking about the feast they were going to have,
and he knew that not so much as a tiny, tiny crumb would be left for
him, when Prickly Porky should choose to let him out.
Shadow the Weasel felt just as uncomfortable as Reddy Fox, and Shadow
is very short-tempered. Every time Reddy moved and squeezed Shadow,
Shadow would snap at him. Now, of course, they could hear everything
that was said outside, and the things that were said were not pleasant
to listen to. Bobby Coon and Billy Mink and Johnny Chuck and Little
Joe Otter and Jimmy Skunk told about all the mean things and all the
sharp tricks that Reddy Fox and Shadow had done. It made the two
little prisoners so angry that they ground their teeth, but every time
they made the least little movement, Prickly Porky would shake his
thousand little spears and settle himself still more firmly against
the opening in the hollow log. He certainly was enjoying himself. It
tickled him almost to pieces to think how easily he had trapped smart
Reddy Fox, the boaster.
So they waited all the long day for the coming of Unc' Billy Possum's
family, and when at last they did arrive, there was the merriest
surprise party ever seen. Only Sammy Jay, Blacky the Crow, Reddy Fox
and Shadow the Weasel were unhappy, and of course no one cared for
that.
XIII
UNC' BILLY POSSUM GROWS HUNGRY
Unc' Billy Possum spent the very coldest days of winter curled up in
his warm, snug home in the big hollow tree in the Green Forest. Unc'
Billy didn't like the cold weather. Sometimes he would stick his head
out of his doorway and then, as he heard rough Brother North Wind
whooping through the Green Forest, he would turn right around and go
back to his bed for another nap. And all the time he would be saying:
"Way down Souf de sun am shinin'--
Yas, Sah, dat am so!
Fo' dat lan' mah heart am pinin'--
Yas, Sah, dat am so!
"De mocking-bird he sings all day,
De alligators am at play,
De flowers dey am bloomin' fair,
And mah heart aches to be down there--
Yas, Sah, dat am so!"
Now Unc' Billy had prepared for the winter by getting just as fat as
he knew how. He was so fat that he could hardly waddle when Jack Frost
first came to the Green Forest. You see he knew that if he was very,
very fat he wouldn't have to worry about getting anything to eat, not
for a long time, anyway. So when the ice and snow came, and Unc' Billy
decided that it was more comfortable indoors than outdoors, he was
almost as fat as Johnny Chuck was when he went to sleep for the long
winter.
Now Johnny Chuck just slept and slept and slept, without waking once
the whole winter long. But Unc' Billy Possum couldn't sleep like that.
He had to stick his head out every little while to see how the world
was getting along without him. When the sun was bright and the air was
not too cold, Unc' Billy would sometimes climb down from his hollow
tree and walk about a little on the snow. But he didn't enjoy it much.
It made his feet cold, and then he didn't like the tracks he made. He
scowled at them, for he knew well enough that if Farmer Brown's boy
should happen along, he would know right away who had made those
tracks, and then he would hunt for Unc' Billy's home in the hollow
tree. So Unc' Billy didn't go out very much, and very seldom indeed
when the snow was soft.
It seemed to Unc' Billy Possum as if the winter never, never would go.
He was beginning to grow thin now, and of course he was getting
hungry. He began to think about it, and the more he thought about it,
the hungrier he grew. One morning he stuck his head out of his
doorway, and whom should he see trotting along below but Jimmy Skunk.
Jimmy looked fat and comfortable and as if he did not mind the cold
weather at all.
"Good mo'ning, Jimmy Skunk," said Unc' Billy.
Jimmy Skunk looked up. "Hello, Unc' Billy!" he exclaimed. "I haven't
seen you for a long time!"
"Whar yo' been, Jimmy Skunk?" asked Unc' Billy.
Jimmy winked one eye. "Getting my breakfast of nice fresh eggs," he
replied.
Unc' Billy Possum's mouth began to water. "Did yo' leave any?" he
anxiously inquired.
Jimmy Skunk allowed that he did, and Unc' Billy gave a long sigh, as
he watched Jimmy Skunk amble off up the Lone Little Path. Unc' Billy
couldn't sleep any more now. No, Sir, he couldn't sleep a wink. All he
could do was to think how hungry he was. He would shut his eyes, and
then it seemed as if he could see right into Farmer Brown's hen-house,
and there were eggs, eggs, eggs, everywhere. Finally Unc' Billy made
up his mind.
"Ah'm going up there the very first dark night!" said he.
XIV
OLD MRS. POSSUM GROWS WORRIED
Old Mrs. Possum counted her babies to be sure that they all were
tucked snug and warm in their bed in the old hollow tree in the Green
Forest. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." They were
all there. Mrs. Possum looked at them with a great deal of pride and
sighed as she thought of how soon they would be leaving the old hollow
tree to see the great world and make homes for themselves. Just as
soon as the beautiful spring came, they would one by one slip away.
Mrs. Possum sighed again. She didn't like winter. No, Sir, she didn't
like winter one bit. But when she thought of how her babies would
leave her, she almost wished that spring never would come.
Sure that her babies were warm and comfortable, old Mrs. Possum went
to the door and looked out. It was plain to be seen that Mrs. Possum
was worried. That was the tenth time she had looked out in half an
hour. Her sharp little old face looked sharper than ever. It always
looks sharper when she is worried, just as the tongues of some people
always grow sharper when they are worried.
"Ah don' see what can be keepin' mah ol' man! Ah'm plumb worried to
death," muttered old Mrs. Possum.
Right that very minute she heard a noise outside that made her hurry
to the door and thrust her head out once more. It was Sammy Jay,
shrieking:
"Thief! Thief! Thief!" at the top of his lungs.
"He's a thief himself and just a low-down mischief-maker, for all his
smart clo'es, but he knows a powerful lot about what is going on in
the Green Forest, and perhaps he has seen mah ol' man," said old Mrs.
Possum, as she tried to make her sharp face as pleasant as possible.
She looked over at Sammy Jay, who was in the next tree, and smiled,
and when she smiled she showed all her sharp teeth.
"Good mo'ning, Brer Jay," said she.
"Hello!" exclaimed Sammy Jay, not at all politely. "Where's Uncle
Billy Possum?"
Old Mrs. Possum shook her head, and the worried look came back into
her face, although she tried hard, oh, so hard, not to let it.
"He done go out fo' a walk," replied old Mrs. Possum. "Ah reckons
yo'all just got up, or yo' would have met up with him somewhere."
Old Mrs. Possum said this just to try to make Sammy Jay talk, for
Sammy is very quick-tempered, and quick-tempered people often say a
lot more than they mean to. You see, Mrs. Possum was quite sure that
if Sammy Jay knew how worried she was over Unc' Billy Possum, he would
refuse to tell her whether or not he had seen Unc' Billy, for Sammy
Jay is mean and loves to torment others.
Sammy's temper flared up right away. "I've been up ever since sun-up!"
he sputtered. "Your old man isn't anywhere in the Green Forest, unless
he's gone to sleep in some other hollow tree, and I wouldn't blame him
a bit if he had! No, Sir, I wouldn't blame him the least bit!"
"Keep your temper, Brer Jay!
Keep your temper, do, Oh pray!"
said old Mrs. Possum, grinning in the most aggravating way as she
turned back to her babies. She had found out what she wanted to
know--Sammy Jay had seen nothing of Unc' Billy Possum. Old Mrs. Possum
sat down with her head in her hands. She was more worried than ever.
XV
THE FOOLISHNESS OF UNC' BILLY POSSUM
If Unc' Billy Possum hadn't happened to look out of his doorway in the
big hollow tree in the Green Forest, or if Jimmy Skunk hadn't happened
to come along just that very minute, or if Unc' Billy hadn't asked
Jimmy where he had been, or if Jimmy hadn't mentioned nice fresh eggs,
Unc' Billy wouldn't have been foolish, and old Mrs. Possum wouldn't
have been worried. But all those things did happen.
After Jimmy Skunk had mentioned his fine breakfast of fresh eggs, Unc'
Billy Possum couldn't think of anything else. He knew well enough
where Jimmy had found those eggs. Yes, indeed, Unc' Billy knew all
about it. He could shut his eyes and just see the inside of Farmer
Brown's hen-house with the rows of hens and roosters sitting on the
roosts at one end, their heads tucked under their wings. He could see
the rows of nests and the beautiful brown eggs in them. Jimmy Skunk
couldn't climb, and so he could have gotten only the eggs in the lower
nests. Now if he, Unc' Billy, had been there, he could have climbed to
the very topmost nest and--but what was the use of thinking about it?
He hadn't been there, and he couldn't go now, because it was daylight.
All the rest of the day Unc' Billy tried to sleep, but when he did
sleep he dreamed about eggs, nice, fresh, delicious eggs, and when he
was awake he though about eggs. It made him more and more uneasy and
fidgety. Old Mrs. Possum couldn't stand it.
"What all am the matter with yo'?" she snapped. "Ah do wish yo' would
keep still a minute!"
Unc' Billy muttered something, but all that Mrs. Possum could hear was
"eggs."
"Now don't yo'all get to thinking of such foolishness as eggs," she
commanded. "It isn't safe to be snooping around Farmer Brown's
hen-house when there's snow on the ground. Yo' just fo'get all about
eggs! Do yo' hear what Ah say?"
Unc' Billy nodded that he did. But just the same he couldn't think of
anything else. He knew that old Mrs. Possum was right, and that it
wasn't safe to go fooling around Farmer Brown's hen-house and leaving
his tracks for everybody who came along to see. Just the same, Unc'
Billy felt that he had got to have a nice fresh egg. He had got to
have it. That is all there was about it.
As soon as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had gone to bed behind the Purple
Hills that night, Unc' Billy crept out of his home in the hollow tree.
"Where are yo' going?" demanded Mrs. Possum.
"Just to stretch the kinks out of mah legs," replied Unc' Billy.