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THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY COON
By Thornton W. Burgess
Author of "Old Mother West Wind," "The Bedtime Story-Books," etc.
With Illustrations by Harrison Cady
Boston, Little, Brown, And Company
1918
THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY COON
I. BOBBY COON HAS A BAD DREAM
Some dreams are good and some are bad;
Some dreams are light and airy;
Some dreams I think are woven by
The worst bind of a fairy.
|DREAMS are such queer things, so very real when all the time they areunreal, that sometimes I think they must be the work of fairies,--happydreams the work of good fairies and bad dreams the work of bad fairies.I guess you've had both kinds. I know I have many times. However, BobbyCoon says that fairies have nothing to do with dreams. Bobby ought toknow, for be spends most of the winter asleep, and it is only when youare asleep that you have real dreams.
Bobby had kept awake as long as there was anything to eat, but when JackFrost froze everything bard, and rough Brother North Wind brought thestorm-clouds that covered the Green Forest with snow, Bobby climbed intohis warm bed inside the big hollow chestnut tree which he called his,curled up comfortably, and went to sleep. He didn't care a hair ofhis ringed tail how cold it was or how Brother North Wind howled andshrieked and blustered. He was so fat that it made him wheeze and puffwhenever he tried to hurry during the last few days he was abroad, andthis fat helped to keep him warm while he slept, and also kept him fromwaking from hunger.
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Bobby didn't sleep right straight through the winter as does JohnnyChuck. Once in a great while he would wake up, especially if the weatherhad turned rather warm. He would yawn a few times and then crawl upto his doorway and peep out to see how things were looking outside.Sometimes he would climb down from his home and take a little walk forexercise. But he never went far, and soon returned for another long nap.
As it began to get towards the end of winter his naps were shorter. Hewas no longer fat. In fact, his stomach complained a great deal of beingempty. Perhaps you know what it is like to have a stomach complain thatway. It is very disturbing. It gave Bobby no peace while he was awake,and when he was asleep it gave him bad dreams. Bobby knew very wellthat no fairies had anything to do with those dreams; they came from abothersome, empty, complaining stomach and nothing else.
One day Bobby had the worst dream of all. He had prowled around alittle the night before but had found nothing wherewith to satisfy hisbothersome stomach. So he had gone back to bed very much out of sortsand almost as soon as he was asleep he had begun to dream. At firstthe dreams were not so very bad, though bad enough. They were mostly ofdelicious things to eat which always disappeared just as he was aboutto taste them. They made him grunt funny little grunts and snarl funnylittle impatient snarls in his sleep, you know.
But at last he began to have a really, truly, bad dream. It was oneof the worst dreams Bobby ever had had. He dreamed that he was walkingthrough the Green Forest, minding his own affairs, when he met a greatgiant. Being afraid of the great giant, he ran with all his might andhid in a hollow log. No sooner was he inside that hollow log than upcame the great giant and began to beat on that hollow log with a greatclub. Every blow made a terrible noise inside that hollow log. It waslike being inside a drum with some one beating it. It filled Bobby'sears with a dreadful roaring. It made his head ache as if it wouldsplit. It sent cold shivers all over him. It filled him with dreadfulfear and despair. Yes, indeed, it was a bad dream, a very, very baddream!
II. BOBBY BITES HIS OWN TAIL
"Oh tell me, some one, if you will
Am I awake or dreaming still?"
|SO cried Bobby Coon to no one in particular, because no one was thereto hear him. Bobby was in a dreadful state of mind. He couldn't tellfor the life of him whether he was awake, or asleep and dreaming, and Icannot think of a much worse state of mind than that, can you?
There was that dreadful dream Bobby had had, the dream of the dreadfulgiant who had chased him into a hollow log and then beat on that logwith a great club, frightening Bobby almost to death, filling his earswith a terrible roaring sound that made his head ache, and sending coldshivers all over him. Bobby was trying to make up his mind to rush outof that hollow log in spite of the dreadful giant, all in his dream youknow, when suddenly his eyes flew open and there he was safe in his bedin the hollow chestnut tree which he called his own.
Bobby gave a happy little sigh of relief, it seemed so good to find thatdreadful experience only a dream. "Phew!" he exclaimed. "That was a bad,bad dream!" And then right on top of that he gave a little squeal offear. There was that awful pounding again! Was he still dreaming? Washe awake? For the life of him Bobby couldn't tell. There was that samedreadful pounding he had heard in the hollow log, but he wasn't in thehollow log; he was safe at home in his own warm bed. Had he somehowreached home without knowing it, in the strange way that things are donein dreams, and had the dreadful giant followed him? That must be it. Itmust be that he was still dreaming. He wished that he would wake up.
Bobby closed his eyes as tightly as he knew how for a few minutes.Pound, pound, pound, sounded the dreadful blows. Then he opened hiseyes. Surely this was his hollow tree, and certainly he felt very muchawake. There was the sunlight peeping in at his doorway high overhead.Yet still those dreadful blows sounded--pound, pound, pound. His headached still, harder than ever. And with every blow he jumped, and a coldshiver ran over him from the roots of his tail to the tip of his nose.
Never in all his life had Bobby known such a mixed-up feeling. "Is thisI or isn't it I?" he whimpered. "Am I dreaming and think I'm awake, oram I awake and still dreaming'? I know what I'll do; I'll bite my tail,and if I feel it I'll know that I must be awake." So Bobby took thetip of his tail in his mouth and bit it gently. Then he wondered if hereally did feel it or just seemed to feel it. So he bit it again, andthis time he bit harder.
"Ouch!" cried Bobby. "That hurt. I must be awake. I'm sure I'm awake.But if I'm awake, what dreadful thing is happening? Is there a realgiant outside pounding on my tree?"
Then Bobby noticed something else. With every blow his house seemed totremble. At first he thought he imagined it, but when he put his handsagainst the wall, he felt it tremble. It gave him a horrid sinkingfeeling inside. He was sure now that he was awake, very much awake. Hewas sure, too, that something dreadful was happening to his hollowtree, and he couldn't imagine what it could be. And what is more, he wasafraid to climb up to his doorway and look out to see.
III. BOBBY'S DREADFUL FRIGHT
|POOR, poor Bobby Coon. Now he was sure that he was really and trulyawake, he almost wished that he hadn't tried to find out. It would havebeen some little comfort to have been able to keep his first feelingthat maybe it was all a bad dream. But now that he knew positively hewas awake, he knew that this terrible pounding, which at first had beenpart of that bad dream, was also real. The truth is, he could no longerdoubt that something terrible was happening to his house, the big hollowchestnut-tree he had lived in so long.
With every blow, and the blows followed each other so fast that hecouldn't count them, the big tree trembled, and Bobby trembled with it.What could it mean? What could be going on outside? He wanted to climbup to his doorway and look out, but somehow he didn't dare to. He wasafraid of what he might see. Yes, Sir, Bobby Coon was afraid to climb upto his doorway and look out for fear he might see something that wouldfrighten him more than he was already frighte
ned, though how he couldpossibly have been any more frightened I don't know. Yet all the time itdidn't seem to him that he could stay where he was another minute. No,Sir, it didn't. He was too frightened to go and too frightened to stay.Now can you think of anything worse than that?
The tree trembled more and more, and by and by it began to do more thantremble; with a dreadful, a very dreadful sinking of his heart, Bobbyfelt his house begin to sway, that is, move a little from side to side.A new fear drove everything else out of his head--the fear that hishouse might be going to fall! He couldn't believe that this could betrue, yet he had the feeling that it was so. He couldn't get rid of itHe had lived in that house a long, long time and never in all that long,long time had he once had such a feeling as now possessed him. Many atime had rough Brother North Wind used all his strength against that bigchestnut-tree. Sometimes he had made it tremble ever so little, butthat was all, and Bobby, curled up in his snug bed, had laughed at roughBrother North Wind. He just couldn't imagine anything really happeningto his tree.
But something _was_ happening now. There wasn't the smallest doubt aboutit. The great old tree shivered and shook with every blow. At last Bobbycould stand it no longer. He just _had_ to know what was happening, andwhat it all meant. With his teeth chattering with fright, he crawled upto his doorway and looked down. Badly frightened as he was, what he sawfrightened him still more. It frightened him so that he let go his holdand tumbled down to his bed. Of course that didn't hurt him, because itwas soft, and in a minute he was scrambling up to his doorway again.
"What shall I do? What _can_ I do?" whimpered Bobby Coon as he lookeddown with frightened eyes. "I can't run and I can't stay. What can I do?What can I do?"
Bobby Coon was horribly frightened. There was no doubt about it, he washorribly frightened. Have you guessed what it was that he saw? Well,it was Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown's boy chopping down the bigchestnut-tree which had been Bobby's home for so long. And looking onwas Bowser the Hound.
IV. BROWSER FINDS SOMEONE AT HOME
|NOW that Bobby Coon knew what it was that had frightened him so, hefelt no better than before. In fact, he felt worse. Before, he hadimagined all sorts of dreadful things, but nothing that he had imaginedwas as bad as what he now knew to be a fact. His house, the big hollowchestnut-tree in which he had lived so long and in which he had goneto sleep so happily at the beginning of winter, was being cut down byFarmer Brown's boy and Farmer Brown himself, and Bowser the Hound waslooking on. There was no other tree near enough to jump to. The only wayout was down right where those keen axes were at work and where Bowsersat watching. What chance was there for him? None. Not the least chancein the world. At least, that is the way Bobby felt about it. That wasbecause he didn't know Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown's boy.
You see, all this time that Bobby Coon had been having such a dreadful,such a very dreadful time, Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown's boy andBowser the Hound had known nothing at all about it. Bobby Coon hadn'tonce entered the heads of any of them. None of them knew that the bigchestnut-tree was Bobby's home. If Farmer Brown's boy had known it, Isuspect that he would have found some good excuse for not cutting it.But he didn't, and so he swung his axe with a will, for he wanted toshow his father that he could do a man's work.
Why were they cutting down that big chestnut-tree? Well, you see thattree was practically dead, so Farmer Brown had decided that it could beof use in no way now save as wood for the fires at home. If it were cutdown, the young trees springing up around it would have a better chanceto grow. It would be better to cut it now than to allow it to stand,growing weaker all the time, until at last it should fall in some greatstorm and perhaps break down some of the young trees about it.
Now if Bobby Coon had known Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown's boy as TommyTit the Chickadee knew them, and as Happy Jack Squirrel knew them, andas some others knew them, he would have climbed right straight down thattree without the teeniest, weeniest bit of fear of them. He would haveknown that he was perfectly safe. But he didn't know them, and so hefelt both helpless and hopeless, and this is a very dreadful feelingindeed.
For a little while he peeped out of his doorway, watching the keen axesand the flying yellow chips. Then he crept miserably back to bed to waitfor the worst. He just didn't know what else to do. By and by there wasa dreadful crack, and another and another. Farmer Brown shouted. So didFarmer Brown's boy. Bowser the Hound barked excitedly. Slowly the bigtree began to lean over. Then it moved faster and faster, and Bobby Coonfelt giddy and sick. He felt very sick indeed. Then, with a frightfulcrash, the tree struck the ground, and for a few minutes Bobby didn'tknow anything at all. No, Sir, he didn't know a single thing. You see,when the tree hit the ground, Bobby was thrown against the side of hishouse so hard that all the wind was knocked from his body, and all hissenses were knocked from his head. When after a little they returned tohim, Bobby discovered that the tree had fallen in such a way that thehole which had been his doorway was partly closed. He was a prisoner inhis own house.
He didn't mind this so much as you might expect. He began to hope everso little. He began to hope that Farmer Brown and his boy wouldn't findthat hollow and after awhile they would go away. And then Bowser theHound upset all hope. He came over to the fallen tree and began tosniff along the trunk. When he reached the partly closed hole which wasBobby's doorway, he began to whine and bark excitedly. He would stickhis nose in as far as he could, sniff, then lift his head and bark.
After that he would scratch frantically at the hole.
"Hello!" exclaimed Farmer Brown's boy, "Bowser has found some one athome! I wonder who it can be."
V. BOBBY COON SHOWS FIGHT
Who for his home doth bravely fight
Is doing what he knows is right.
A coward he, the world would say,
Should he turn tail and run away.
|BOBBY COON couldn't run away if he wanted to. I suspect that he wouldhave run only too gladly if there had been the least chance to. Butthere he was, a prisoner in his own house. He couldn't get out if hewanted to, and he didn't want to just then because he knew by the soundof Bowser the Hound's deep sniffs at his doorway, followed by his eagerbarks, that Bowser had discovered that he, Bobby, was at home. He knewthat Bowser couldn't get in, and so he was very well content to staywhere he was.
But presently Bobby heard the voice of Fanner Brown's boy, and thoughBobby didn't understand what Farmer Brown's boy said, his heart sankway down to his toes just the same. At least, that is the way it feltto Bobby. You see, he knew by the sound of that voice, even though hecouldn't understand the words, that Farmer Brown's boy had understoodBowser, and now knew that there was some one at home in that hollowtree.
As to that Bobby was quite right. While Farmer Brown's boy couldn'tunderstand what Bowser was saying as he whined and yelped, he didunderstand perfectly what Bowser meant.
"Who is it, Bowser, old fellow? Is it a Squirrel, or Whitefoot the WoodMouse, or that sly old scamp, Unc' Billy Possum?" asked Farmer Brown'sboy.
"Bow, wow, wow!" replied Bowser, dancing about between sniffs at Bobby'sdoorway.
"I don't know what that means, but I'm going to find out, Bowser,"laughed Farmer Brown's boy, picking up his axe.
"Bow, wow! Bow, wow, wow, wow!" replied Bowser, more excited than ever.First Farmer Brown's boy had Farmer Brown bold Bowser away from theopening. Then with his axe he thumped all along the hollow part of thetree, hoping that this would frighten whoever was inside so that theywould try to run out. But Bobby couldn't get out because, as you know,his doorway was partly closed, and he wouldn't have even it he could;he felt safer right where he was. So Farmer Brown's boy thumped in vain.When he found that this was useless, he drove the keen edge of his axein right at the edge of the hole which was Bobby's doorway. Farmer Brownjoined with his axe, and in a few minutes they had slit out a long stripwhich reached clear to where Bobby was crouching and let the light pourin, so that he
had to blink and for a minute or two had hard work to seeat all.
Right away Bowser discovered him, and growling savagely, tried to get athim. But the opening wasn't wide enough for Bowser to get more than hisnose in, and this Bobby promptly seized in his sharp teeth.
"Yow-w-w! Oh-o-o! Let go! Let go!" yelled Bowser.
"Gr-r-r-r-r!" growled Bobby, and tried to sink his teeth deeper. Bowseryelled and howled and shook his head and pulled as hard as ever hecould, so that at last Bobby had to let go. Farmer Brown's boy hurriedup to look in. What he saw was a mouthful of sharp teeth snapping athim. Bobby Coon might have been very much afraid, but he didn't show it.No, Sir, he didn't show it. What he did show was that he meant to fightfor his life, liberty, and home. He was very fierce looking, was BobbyCoon, as Farmer Brown's boy peeped in at him.
VI. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH BOBBY COON
|FARMER BROWN'S boy chuckled as he peered in at Bobby Coon, and watchedBobby show his teeth, and listened to his snarls and growls. It was veryplain that Bobby intended to fight for his life. It might be an entirelyhopeless fight, but he would fight just the same.
"Bobby," said Farmer Brown's boy, "you certainly are a plucky littlerascal. I know just what you think; you think that my father and I cutthis tree down just to get you, and you think that we and Bowser theHound are going to try to kill you. You are all wrong, Bobby, all wrong.If we had known that this tree was your house, we wouldn't have cut itdown. No, Sir, we wouldn't. And now that we have found out that it is,we are not going to harm so much as a hair of you. I'm going to cut thisopening a little larger so that you can get out easily, and then I amgoing to hold on to Bowser and give you a chance to get away. I hopeyou know of some other hollow tree near here to which you can go. Itsa shame, Bobby, that we didn't know about this. It certainly is, and I'mever so sorry. Now you just quit your snarling and growling while I giveyou a chance to get out."
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