The Hollow Tree Snowed-in Book

by Albert Bigelow Paine

  A HOLLOW TREE PICNIC

  THE LITTLE LADY AND THE STORY TELLER, AND THEIR FRIENDS

  NOT far from the House of Low Ceilings, which stands on the borders ofthe Big Deep Woods, there is a still smaller house, where, insummertime, the Story Teller goes to make up things and write them down.

  And one warm day he is writing away and not noticing what time it iswhen he thinks he hears somebody step in the door. So then he looksaround, and he sees a little straw hat and a little round red face underit, and then he sees a basket, and right away he knows it is the LittleLady. And the Little Lady says:

  "I've brought the picnic--did you know it?"

  "Why, no!" the Story Teller says, looking surprised. "Is it time?"

  "Yes, and I've got huckleberries and cream, and some hot biscuits."

  "Good gracious! Let's see!"

  So then the Story Teller looks, and, sure enough, there they are, andmore things, too; and pretty soon the Little Lady and he go down to avery quiet place under some hemlock-trees by a big rock where there is aclear brook and a spring close by, and they sit down, and the LittleLady spreads the picnic all out--and there is ham too, andbread-and-butter, and doughnuts--and they are so hungry that they eateverything, and both dip into one bowl when they get to huckleberriesand cream.

  Then the Little Lady says:

  "Now tell me about the Hollow Tree People; they have picnics, too."

  "Sure enough, they do. And I think I'll have to tell you about theirvery last picnic and what happened."

  Well, once upon a time Mr. 'Possum said that he was getting tired ofsitting down to a table every meal in a close room with the smell ofcooking coming in, and if Mr. Crow would cook up a few things that wouldtaste good cold he'd pack the basket (that is, Mr. 'Possum would) andMr. 'Coon could carry it, and they'd go out somewhere and eat theirdinner in a nice place under the trees.

  Mr. 'Coon said he knew a pleasant place to go, and Mr. Crow said he'dcook one of Mr. Man's chickens, which Mr. 'Possum had brought home thenight before, though it would take time, he said, because it was prettyold--Mr. 'Possum having picked it out in the dark in a hurry.

  So then they all flew around and put away things, and Mr. Crow got thechicken on while Mr. 'Coon sliced the bread and Mr. 'Possum cut thecake, which they had been saving for Sunday, and he picked out a pietoo, and a nice book to read which Mr. Crow had found lying in Mr. Man'syard while the folks were at dinner. Then he packed the basket all neatand nice, and ate a little piece of the cake when Mr. 'Coon had steppedout to see how the chicken was coming along, and when the chicken wasready he cut it all up nicely, and he tasted of that a little, too,while Mr. Crow was getting on his best picnic things to go.

  And pretty soon they all started out, and it was so bright and sunnythat Mr. 'Possum began to sing a little, and Mr. 'Coon told him not tomake a noise like that or they'd have company--Mr. Dog or Mr. Fox orsomebody--when there was only just enough chicken for themselves, whichmade Mr. 'Possum stop right away. And before long they came to a veryquiet place under some thick hemlock-trees behind a stone wall and closeto a brook of clear water.

  AND HE TASTED OF THAT A LITTLE, TOO]

  That was the place Mr. 'Coon had thought of, and they sat down there andspread out all the things on some moss, and everything looked so nicethat Mr. 'Possum said they ought to come here every day and eat dinneras long as the hot weather lasted. Then they were all so hungry thatthey began on the chicken right away, and Mr. 'Possum said that maybe he_might_ have picked out a tenderer one, but that he didn't think hecould have found a bigger one, or one that would have lasted longer, andthat, after all, size and lasting were what one needed for a picnic.

  So they ate first one thing and then another, and Mr. 'Coon asked ifthey remembered the time Mr. Dog had come to one of their picnics beforethey were friends with him, when he'd really been invited to stay away;and they all laughed when they thought how Mr. Rabbit had excusedhimself, and the others, too, one after another, until Mr. Dog had thepicnic mostly to himself. And by-and-by the Hollow Tree People lit theirpipes and smoked, and Mr. 'Possum leaned his back against a tree andread himself to sleep, and dreamed, and had a kind of a nightmare aboutthat other picnic, and talked in his sleep about it, which made Mr.'Coon think of something to do.

  So then Mr. 'Coon got some long grass and made a strong band of it andvery carefully tied Mr. 'Possum to the tree, and just as Mr. 'Possumbegan to have his dream again and was saying "Oh! Oh! here comes Mr.Dog!" Mr. 'Coon gave three loud barks right in Mr. 'Possum's ear, andMr. Crow said "Wake up! Wake up, Mr. 'Possum! Here he comes!"

  MR. 'POSSUM LEANED HIS BACK AGAINST A TREE AND READHIMSELF TO SLEEP]

  And Mr. 'Possum did wake up, and jumped and jerked at that band, andholloed out as loud as he could:

  "Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog! Oh, please let me go, Mr. Dog!" for hethought it was Mr. Dog that had him, and he forgot all about them beingfriends.

  But just then he happened to see Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon rolling on theground and laughing, and he looked down to see what had him and found hewas tied to a tree, and he knew that they had played a joke on him. Thatmade him pretty mad at first, and he said if he ever got loose he'd paythem back for their smartness.

  Then Mr. 'Coon told him he most likely never would get loose if hedidn't promise not to do anything, so Mr. 'Possum promised, and Mr.'Coon untied him. Mr. 'Possum said he guessed the chicken must have beenpretty hard to digest, and he knew it was pretty salt, for he was dyingfor a good cold drink.

  Then Mr. 'Coon said he knew where there was a spring over beyond thewall that had colder water than the brook, and he'd show them the way toit. So they climbed over the wall and slipped through the bushes to thespring, and all took a nice cold drink, and just as they raised theirheads from drinking they heard somebody say something. And they all keptperfectly still and listened, and they heard it again, just beyond somebushes.

  SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM]

  So then they crept softly in among the green leaves and branches andlooked through, and what do you think they saw?

  The Story Teller turns to the Little Lady, who seems a good dealexcited.

  "Why, why, what did they see?" she says. "Tell me, quick!"

  "Why," the Story Teller goes on, "they saw the Little Lady and the StoryTeller having a picnic too, with all the nice things spread out by arock, under the hemlock-trees."

  "Oh," gasps the Little Lady, "did they really see us? and are they therenow?"

  "They might be," says the Story Teller. "The Hollow Tree People sliparound very softly. Anyway, they were there then, and it was the firsttime they had ever seen the Little Lady and the Story Teller so close.And they watched them until they were all through with their picnic andhad gathered up their things. Then the 'Coon and the 'Possum and OldBlack Crow slipped away again, and crept over the wall and gathered uptheir own things and set out for home very happy."

  The Little Lady grasps the Story Teller's hand.

  "Let's go and see their picnic place!" she says. "They may be therenow."

  "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"]

  So the Little Lady and the Story Teller go softly down to the springand get a drink; then they creep across to the mossy stone wall and peerover, and there, sure enough, is a green mossy place in the shade, thevery place to spread a picnic; and the Little Lady jumps and says "Oh!"for she sees something brown whisk into the bushes. Anyhow, she knowsthe Hollow Tree People have been there, for there is a little piece ofpaper on the moss which they must have used to wrap up something, andshe thinks they most likely heard her coming and are just gone.

  So the Story Teller lifts her over the wall, and they sit down on thegreen moss of the Hollow Tree picnic place, and she leans up against himand listens to the singing of the brook, and the Story Teller singssoftly too, until by-and-by the Little Lady is asleep.

  And it may be, as they sit there and drowse and dream, that the HollowTree People creep up close and watch them
.

  Who knows?

  * * * * *

  Transcriber's Notes:

  Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

  Repeated chapter titles were deleted to avoid repetition for the reader.

  Page 73, "t" changed to "it" (enjoyed it as much as)

  Page 135, "were" changed to "where" (from where he lived)

  Page 157, "pleasan" changed to "pleasant" (pleasant work)