The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book

by Albert Bigelow Paine

  THE SECOND SNOWED-IN STORY

  MR. 'COON TELLS HOW HE CAME NEAR BEING A PART OF A MENAGERIE, AND HOW HEONCE TOLD A STORY TO MR. DOG

  "YOU can tell about Mr. 'Coon, now--the story you didn't tell lastnight, you know," and the Little Lady wriggles herself into acomfortable corner just below the Story Teller's smoke, and looks deepinto a great cavern of glowing embers between the big old andirons,where, in her fancy, she can picture the Hollow Tree people and theirfriends.

  "Why, yes, let me see--" says the Story Teller.

  "Mr. Dog had just told about being at the menagerie, you know, and Mr.'Coon was just going to tell how he came very near getting into amenagerie himself."

  "Oh yes, of course--well, then, all the Hollow Tree people, the 'Coonand 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, and their friends who were visitingthem--Mr. Dog and Mr. Robin and Jack Rabbit and Mr. Turtle and Mr.Squirrel--knocked the ashes out of their pipes and filled them upfresh--"

  "No, they had just done that."

  "That's so, I forgot. Well, anyway, as soon as they got to smoking andsettled back around the fire again Mr. 'Coon told them his story, and Iguess we'll call it

  MR. 'COON'S EARLY ADVENTURE

  Mr. 'Coon said he was quite young when it happened, and was taking apleasant walk one evening, to think over things a little, and perhaps topick out a handy tree where Mr. Man's chickens roosted, when all at oncehe heard a fierce bark close behind him, and he barely had time to getup a tree himself when a strange and very noisy Mr. Dog was leapingabout at the foot of the tree, making a great fuss, and calling everymoment for Mr. Man to hurry, for he had a young 'coon treed.

  "Of course I laid pretty low when I heard that," Mr. 'Coon said, "for Iknew that Mr. Man would most likely have a gun, so I got into a bunch ofleaves and brush that must have been some kind of an old nest andscrooched down so that none of me would show.

  ALL AT ONCE HE HEARD A FIERCE BARK CLOSE BEHIND HIM]

  "Then by-and-by I heard some big creature come running through thebrush, and I peeked over a little, and there, sure enough, was Mr. Manwith a long gun, and I noticed that he wore a thing on his head--a sortof hat, I suppose--made of what looked to be the skin of some relativeof mine.

  "Of course that made me mad. I hadn't cared so much until I saw that;but I said right then to myself that any one who would do such a thingas that never could be a friend of mine, no matter how much he tried. SoI scrooched down and laid low in that old nest, and didn't move or leton in any way that I was there.

  "Then I heard Mr. Man walking around the tree and talking to his dog andtelling him that there wasn't anything up in that tree at all, and thatMr. Dog had just been fooling him. I could tell by his voice that he wasgetting mad at Mr. Dog, and I hoped that he'd get mad enough pretty soonto take a stick to him for chasing me up a tree like that, and thencalling for Mr. Man to come and see me when there wasn't really anythingto look at.

  "But Mr. Dog kept galloping around the tree and barking out, over andover, that I was there; that he had seen me, and that he knew that I washiding up there somewhere; and pretty soon I heard Mr. Man going away,and I peeked over again.

  "Sure enough, he was going, but Mr. Dog was staying right there,sitting under the tree and looking up and making a good deal more noisethan there was any need of to let me know he hadn't gone. I didn't seewhy he stayed there. I wished he'd go away and tend to his own business.

  "Being quite young, I still lived with my folks over near the Wide GrassLands, and I wanted to get home for supper. It was a good way to go, forthe tree I had climbed was over close to the edge of the world where thesun and moon rise, and you all know that's a good way, even from here.

  "Well, he didn't go, but just sat there, barking up that tree, and aftera long time I heard somebody coming again, and I peeked over and therewas Mr. Man, hurrying back, this time with an axe. I knew, right then,there was going to be trouble. I knew they were going to cut that treedown, and that I should most likely have quite a fuss with Mr. Dog, andperhaps go home with a black eye and a scratched nose, and then getwhipped again for fighting, after I got there."

  Mr. 'Coon stopped and knocked the ashes out of his pipe and filled it upfresh, and all the others knocked the ashes out of their pipes andfilled them up fresh, too. Then Mr. 'Possum poked up the fire and toldMr. Turtle to bring a stick of wood from down-stairs, and when it wasblazing up high and bright again they all stepped over to the window aminute, to see how hard it was snowing and banking up outside, thenwent back to their chairs around the fire, and stretched out their feetand leaned back and smoked, and listened to the rest of Mr. 'Coon'sstory.

  Mr. 'Coon said he didn't like the sound of that axe when Mr. Man beganto cut the tree down.

  "Every time he struck the tree I could feel it all through me," he said,"and I knew if he kept that noise up long enough it would give me anervous headache. I wished the tree would hurry up and drop, so we couldhave what muss we were going to, and get it over with. I'd have got outof that old nest and made a jump for another tree if there had been anynear enough, but there wasn't, so I just laid low and gritted my teethand let him chop.

  "Well, by-and-by that tree began to go down. It seemed to teeter alittle at first, this way and that; then it went very slow in onedirection; then it went a little faster; then it went a good dealfaster; then I suddenly felt like a shooting-star, I came down so fast,and there was a big crash, and I thought I had turned into a lot ofstars, sure enough, and was shooting in every direction, and the next Iknew I was tied to a tree, hand and foot and around the middle, and Mr.Man and Mr. Dog were sitting and looking at me, and grinning, andtalking about what they were going to do.

  "THEN I SUDDENLY FELT LIKE A SHOOTING-STAR"]

  "Mr. Man wasn't scolding Mr. Dog any more. He was telling him what agood thing it was they had caught me alive, for now they could sell meto a show and get a great deal more for me than they could for my skin.I didn't know what a show was, then, or that a show is a menagerie, butI know now, and I can see just what they meant.

  "Pretty soon Mr. Man told Mr. Dog to stay there and watch me while hewent home after a box to put me in. He said he didn't think it would besafe to carry me in his arms, and he was right about that.

  "So then Mr. Man walked off, and left Mr. Dog guarding me, and sayingunpleasant things to me now and then.

  "At first I wouldn't answer him; but pretty soon I happened to think ofsomething pleasant to say:

  "'Mr. Dog,' I said, 'I know a good story, if you'd like me to tell it.Mr. Man may be a good while getting that box, and mebbe you'd like tohear something to pass the time.'

  "Mr. Dog said he would. He said that Mr. Man would most likely have tomake the box, and he didn't suppose he knew where the hammer and nailswere, and it might be dark before Mr. Man got back.

  "I felt a good deal better when I heard Mr. Dog say that, and I told hima story I knew about how Mr. Rabbit lost his tail, and Mr. Dog laughedand seemed to like it, and said, 'Tell me another.'"

  "THEN MR. DOG SAID, 'TELL ME ANOTHER'"]

  Before Mr. 'Coon could go on with his story, Mr. Rabbit said that ofcourse if that old tale had helped Mr. 'Coon out of trouble he was veryglad, but that it wasn't at all true, and that some time _he_ would tellthem himself the true story of how it happened.

  Then they all said that they hoped he would, for they'd always wanted tohear that story told right, and then Mr. 'Coon went on with hisadventure.

  Mr. 'Coon said that when Mr. Dog said, "Tell me another," he knew he wasin a good-humor, and that he felt better and better himself. "I thoughtif Mr. Man didn't come back too soon," he said, "I might get alongpretty well with Mr. Dog.

  "'I know another story, Mr. Dog,' I said--'the funniest story there is.It would make you laugh until you fell over the edge of the world, but Ican't tell it here.'

  "'Why,' he said--'why can't you tell it here as well as anywhere?'

  "'Because it has to be acted,' I said, 'and my hands are tied.'

 
"'Will you tell it if I untie your hands?' said Mr. Dog.

  "'Well,' I said, 'I'll begin it, and you can see how it goes.'

  "So Mr. Dog came over and untied my hands, for he said he could tie themagain before Mr. Man came back, because he knew Mr. Man hadn't foundthat hammer yet.

  "'You can't get loose with just your hands untied, can you?' he said.

  "'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, pleasant and polite as could be.

  "'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.

  "So I twisted and pulled, and of course I couldn't get loose.

  "'Now tell the story,' said Mr. Dog.

  "So I said: 'Once there was a man who had a very bad pain in his chest,and he took all kinds of medicine, and it didn't do him any good. Andone day the Old Wise Man of the Woods told him if he would rub his chestwith one hand and pat his head with the other, it might draw the painout the top and cure him. So the man with the pain in his chest triedit, and he did it this way.'

  "Then I showed Mr. Dog just how he did it, and Mr. Dog thought that wasfunny, and laughed a good deal.

  "'Go on and tell the rest of it,' he said. 'What happened after that?'

  "But I let on as if I'd just remembered something, and I said, 'Oh, Mr.Dog, I'm _so_ sorry, but I can't tell the rest of that story here, andit's the funniest part, too. I know you'd laugh till you rolled over theedge of the world.'

  "'Why can't you tell the rest of that story here as well as anywhere?'said Mr. Dog, looking anxious.

  "'Because it has to be acted with the feet,' I said, 'and my feet aretied.'

  "'Will you tell it if I untie your feet?' said Mr. Dog.

  "'Well, I'll do the best I can,' I said.

  "So Mr. Dog came over and untied my feet. He said he knew that Mr. Manhadn't found the nails or the pieces to make the box yet, and therewould be plenty of time to tie me again before Mr. Man got back.

  "'You can't get loose, anyway, with just your hands and feet untied, canyou?' he said.

  "'No, of course not, Mr. Dog,' I said, more pleasant and polite thanever.

  "'Let's see you try,' said Mr. Dog.

  "So I squirmed and twisted, but of course with a strong string around mywaist and tied behind I couldn't do anything.

  "'Now go on with the story,' said Mr. Dog.

  "AND DID ROLL OFF THE EDGE OF THE WORLD, SURE ENOUGH"]

  "'Well,' I said, 'the pain left his chest, but it went into his back,and he had a most terrible time, until one day the Old Wise Man of theWoods came along and told him that he thought he ought to know enough bythis time to rub his back where the pain was and pat his head at thesame time to draw it out at the top. So then the man with the painrubbed his back and patted his head this way,' and I showed Mr. Dog howhe did it; and I rubbed a good while about where the knot was, and madea face to show how the man with the pain looked, and then I said thepain came back into his chest again instead of being drawn out at thetop; and I changed about and rubbed there awhile, and then I went aroundto my back again, chasing that pain first one side and the other; andthen I said that the Old Wise Man of the Woods came along one day andtold him that he must kick with his feet too if he ever wanted to getrid of that pain, because, after all, it might have to be kicked out atthe bottom; and when I began to kick and dance with both feet and to rubwith my hands at the same time, Mr. Dog gave a great big laugh--thebiggest laugh I ever heard anybody give--and fell right down and rolledover and over, and did roll off the edge of the world, sure enough.

  "I heard him go clattering into a lot of brush and blackberry bushesthat are down there, and just then I got that back knot untied, and Istepped over and looked down at Mr. Dog, who had lodged in a brier patchon a shelf about ten feet below the edge, where Mr. Man would have toget him up with a ladder or a rope.

  "'Do you want to hear the rest of the story, Mr. Dog?' I said.

  "'I'll story _you_,' he said, 'when I catch you!'

  "'I told you you'd laugh till you fell off the edge of the world,' Isaid.

  "I SET OUT FOR HOME WITHOUT WAITING TO SAY GOOD-BYE"]

  "'I'll make _you_ laugh,' he said, 'when I catch you!'

  "Then I saw he was cross about something, and I set out for home withoutwaiting to say good-bye to Mr. Man, for I didn't want to waste any moretime, though I missed my supper and got a scolding besides.

  "But I was glad I didn't bring home a black eye and scratched nose, andI'm more glad than ever now that Mr. Man didn't get back in time withthat box, or I might be in a menagerie this minute instead of sittinghere smoking and telling stories and having a good time on ChristmasDay."

  The Story Teller looks down at the Little Lady.

  "I'm glad Mr. 'Coon didn't get into the menagerie, aren't you?" shesays.

  "Very glad," says the Story Teller.

  "He went lickety-split home, didn't he?"

  "He did that!"

  "I like them to go lickety-split better than lickety-cut, don't you?"says the Little Lady. "They seem to go so much faster."

  "Ever so much faster," says the Story Teller.