come there? It must be that Jimmy Skunk pulled it out of one of those
lower nests."
Now he knew just which nests had contained nest-eggs, and it didn't take
but a minute to find that none was missing in any of the lower nests.
"That's queer," he muttered. "That egg must have come from one of the
upper nests. Jimmy couldn't have got up to those. None of the hens could
have kicked it out last night, because they were all on the roosts when
I shut them up. They certainly didn't do it this morning, because they
wouldn't have dared leave the roosts with Jimmy Skunk here. I'll have to
look into this."
So he began with the second row of nests and looked in each. Then he
started on the upper row, and so he came to the nest in which Unc' Billy
Possum was hiding under the hay and holding his breath. Now Unc' Billy
had covered himself up pretty well with the hay, but he had forgotten
one thing; he had forgotten his tail. Yes, Sir, Unc' Billy had forgotten
his tail, and it hung just over the edge of the nest. Of course, Farmer
Brown's boy saw it. He couldn't help but see it.
"Ho, ho!" he exclaimed right away. "Ho, ho! So there was more than one
visitor here last night. This henhouse seems to be a very popular place.
I see that the first thing for me to do after breakfast is to nail a
board over that hole in the floor. So it was you, Unc' Billy Possum, who
kicked that nest-egg out. Found it a little hard for your teeth, didn't
you? Lost your temper and kicked it out, didn't you? That was foolish,
Unc' Billy, very foolish indeed. Never lose your temper over trifles. It
doesn't pay. Now I wonder what I'd better do with you."
All this time Unc' Billy hadn't moved. Of course, he couldn't understand
what Farmer Brown's boy was saying. Nor could he see what Farmer Brown's
boy was doing. So he held his breath and hoped and hoped that he hadn't
been discovered. And perhaps he wouldn't have been but for that
telltale nest-egg on the floor. That was the cause of all his troubles.
First it had angered Jimmy Skunk because as you remember, it had fallen
on Jimmy's head. Then it had led Farmer Brown's boy to look in all the
nests. It had seemed a trifle, kicking that egg out of that nest, but
see what the results were. Truly, little things often are not so little
as they seem.
[Illustration]
XXII
UNC' BILLY POSSUM TRIES HIS OLD TRICK
The first knowledge Unc' Billy Possum had that he was discovered came to
him through his tail. Yes, Sir, it came to him through his tail. Farmer
Brown's boy pinched it. It was rather a mean thing to do, but Farmer
Brown's boy was curious. He wanted to see what Unc' Billy would do. And
he didn't pinch very hard, not hard enough to really hurt. Farmer
Brown's boy is too good-hearted to hurt any one if he can help it.
Now any other of the Green Forest and Green Meadows people would
promptly have pulled their tail away had they been in Unc' Billy's
place. But Unc' Billy didn't. No, Sir, Unc' Billy didn't. That tail
might have belonged to any one but him so far as he made any sign. Of
course, he felt like pulling it away. Any one would have in his place.
But he didn't move it the tiniest bit, which goes to show that Unc'
Billy has great self-control when he wishes.
Farmer Brown's boy pinched again, just a little harder, but still Unc'
Billy made no sign. Farmer Brown's boy chuckled and began to pull on
that tail. He pulled and pulled until finally he had pulled Unc' Billy
out of his hiding-place, and he swung by his tail from the hand of
Farmer Brown's boy. There wasn't the least sign of life about Unc'
Billy. He looked as if he were dead, and he acted as if he were dead.
Any one not knowing Unc' Billy would have supposed that he _was_ dead.
Farmer Brown's boy dropped Unc' Billy on the floor. He lay just as he
fell. Farmer Brown's boy rolled him over with his foot, but there wasn't
a sign of life in Unc' Billy. He hoped that Farmer Brown's boy really
did think him dead. That was what he wanted. Farmer Brown's boy picked
him up again and laid him on a box, first putting a board over the hole
in the floor and closing the henhouse door. Then he went about his work
of cleaning out the henhouse and measuring out the grain for the
biddies.
Unc' Billy lay there on the box, and he certainly was pathetic looking.
A dead animal or bird is always pathetic looking, and none was ever more
so than Unc' Billy Possum as he lay on that box. His hair was all
rumpled up, as it usually is. It was filled with dust from the floor and
bits of straw. His lips were drawn back and his mouth partly open. His
eyes seemed to be closed. As a matter of fact, they were open just a
teeny, weeny bit, just enough for Unc' Billy to watch Farmer Brown's
boy. But to have looked at him you would have thought him as dead as the
deadest thing that ever was.
As he went about his work Farmer Brown's boy kept an eye on Unc' Billy
and chuckled. "You old fraud," said he. "You think you are fooling me,
but I know you. Possums don't die of nothing in hens' nests. You
certainly are a clever old rascal, and the best actor I've ever seen. I
wonder how long you will keep it up. I wish I had half as much
self-control."
When he had finished his work he picked Unc' Billy up by the tail once
more, opened the door, and started for the house with Unc' Billy
swinging from his hand and bumping against his legs. Still Unc' Billy
gave no sign of life. He wondered where he was being taken to. He was
terribly frightened. But he stuck to his old trick of playing dead which
had served him so well more than once before.
[Illustration]
XXIII
UNC' BILLY GIVES HIMSELF AWAY
Never had Unc' Billy Possum played that old trick of his better than he
was playing it now. Farmer Brown's boy knew that Unc' Billy was only
pretending to be dead, yet so well did Unc' Billy pretend that it was
hard work for Farmer Brown's boy to believe what he knew was the
truth--that Unc' Billy was very much alive and only waiting for a chance
to slip away.
They were half-way from the henyard to the house when Bowser the Hound
came to meet his master. "Now we shall see what we shall see," said
Farmer Brown's boy, as Bowser came trotting up. "If Unc' Billy can
stand this test, I'll take off my hat to him every time we meet
hereafter." He held Unc' Billy out to Bowser, and Bowser sniffed him all
over.
Just imagine that! Just think of being nosed and sniffed at by one of
whom you were terribly afraid and not so much as twitching an ear!
Farmer Brown's boy dropped Unc' Billy on the ground, and Bowser rolled
him over and sniffed at him and then looked up at his master, as much as
to say: "This fellow doesn't interest me. He's dead. He must be the
fellow I saw go under the henhouse last night. How did you kill him?"
Farmer Brown's boy laughed and picked Unc' Billy up by the tail again.
"He's fooled you all right, old fellow, and you don't know it," said he
to Bowser, as the latter pranced on ahead to the house. The mother of
Farmer Brown's boy was in the doorway, watching them approach.
"What have you got there?" she demanded. "I declare if it isn't a
Possum! Where did you kill him? Was he the cause of all that racket
among the chickens?"
Farmer Brown's boy took Unc' Billy into the kitchen and dropped him on a
chair. Mrs. Brown came over to look at him closer. "Poor little fellow,"
said she. "Poor little fellow. It was too bad he got into mischief and
had to be killed. I don't suppose he knew any better. Somehow it always
seems wrong to me to kill these little creatures just because they get
into mischief when all the time they don't know that they are in
mischief." She stroked Unc' Billy gently.
The eyes of Farmer Brown's boy twinkled. He went over to a corner and
pulled a straw from his mother's broom. Then he returned to Unc' Billy
and began to tickle Unc' Billy's nose. Mrs. Brown looked puzzled. She
was puzzled.
"What are you doing that for?" she asked.
"Just for fun," replied Farmer Brown's boy and kept on tickling Unc'
Billy's nose. Now Unc' Billy could stand having his tail pinched, and
being carried head down, and being dropped on the ground, but this was
too much for him; he wanted to sneeze. He had _got_ to sneeze. He did
sneeze. He couldn't help it, though it were to cost him his life.
"Land of love!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown, jumping back and clutching her
skirts in both hands as if she expected Unc' Billy would try to take
refuge behind them. "Do you mean to say that that Possum is alive?"
"Seems that way," replied Farmer Brown's boy as Unc' Billy sneezed
again, for that straw was still tickling his nose. "I should certainly
say it seems that way. The old sinner is no more dead than I am. He's
just pretending. He fooled you all right, Mother, but he didn't fool me.
I haven't hurt a hair of him. You ought to know me well enough by this
time to know that I wouldn't hurt him."
He looked at his mother reproachfully, and she hastened to apologize.
"But what could I think?" she demanded. "If he isn't a dead-looking
creature, I never have seen one. What are you going to do with him,
son?"
"Take him over to the Green Forest after breakfast and let him go,"
replied Farmer Brown's boy.
This is just what he did do, and Unc' Billy wasted no time in getting
home. It was a long time before he met Jimmy Skunk again. When he did,
Jimmy was his usual good-natured self, and Unc' Billy was wise enough
not to refer to eggs.