Well, it was Mr. Crow's turn then, and he said he would probably have to
have the feather bed, too. But he went out on the open track and took a
little run, and about the second time around spread out his big, black
wings and lifted himself from the ground, not very high at first, and he
had to flap pretty hard, but he kept getting a little higher all the
time, and presently he swung about in a big circle, and went sailing and
flapping around and around, up and up, until he was as high as the
little trees, then as high as the big trees, then as high as a church
steeple, and still kept going up until he looked small and black against
the sky; and Mr. Robin whispered to Mrs. Robin that Mr. Crow might be
old and out of practice, but _they_ had never dared to fly as high as
that, and said he didn't believe any of Mr. Crow's family had ever gone
higher.
Mr. Crow was just a black speck, pretty soon, and everybody was getting
rather scared, for they wondered what would happen to him if something
about him should give way; and just when they were all watching and
keeping quite still, they heard the most curious sound, that seemed to
be coming nearer, getting louder and louder. At first nobody spoke, but
just listened. Then Mr. 'Possum said something must have happened to Mr.
Crow's machinery and he was coming down for repairs. And sure enough,
they did see Mr. Crow coming down, about as fast as he could drive,
making quick circles, and the noise was getting louder and louder,
though it didn't seem to be Mr. Crow who was making it, for he never
could make a sound like that, no matter what had happened to his works.
Mr. Crow came down a good deal faster than he went up, and in about five
seconds more landed right among them, and they saw he was scared.
"Oh," he gasped, "we are all lost! The biggest bird in the world is
coming to devour us! I saw it--it is making that terrible noise! It is
as big as Mr. Man's house! It is as big as his yard! It is as big as the
Big Deep Woods!"
And just then a great black shadow, like the shadow of a cloud, came
right over them, and that noise got so loud it drowned everything, and
when they looked--for they were too scared to run--sure enough, right
above them was the biggest bird in the world--a thousand times bigger
than Mr. Crow, of stranger shape than anything they had ever seen, and
very terrible indeed. But all at once Mr. Dog gave a quick bark, which
made them all jump--especially the bride--and shouted:
"It's all right--it's all right! I know what it is. I see a Mr. Man up
there. It's a flying-machine; it's only passing over, and won't hurt us
at all!"
And sure enough all the rest could see a Mr. Man up there, too, then;
and Mr. Dog went on to tell them how he had seen some pictures of just
such a machine in one of Mr. Man's picture papers, and that it was the
great new invention by which Mr. Man could go around in the air like a
bird, though probably not so well as Mr. and Mrs. Robin and Mr. Crow,
and certainly with a good deal more noise.
Then the Deep Woods people were not afraid any more, and watched the
flying-machine as long as they could see it, and when it was quite out
of sight Mr. Rabbit made a little speech in which he said that if
anything had been needed to make his grand wedding complete it was to
have a performance given for it by Mr. Man, even though Mr. Man might
not realize that he was entertaining a wedding. And everybody said,
"Yes, yes, that's so," and that this was the greatest day in the Big
Deep Woods, which I believe it really was.
Then they all formed a procession and marched to Jack Rabbit's house, to
take home the bride and groom. As they marched they sang the Hollow
Tree song, ending with the chorus:
Then here's to the friends of the Big Deep Woods,
And to theirs, wherever they be,
And here's to the Hollow, Hollow, Hollow, Hollow, Hollow,
And here's to the Hollow Tree.
THE END
FOOTNOTES:
[9] "Mr. Dog Takes Lessons in Dancing," in _The Hollow Tree and Deep
Woods Book_.