The Adventures of Unc' Billy Possum Read online

"What do yo' mean by trying to frighten honest people?" snapped Unc'Billy, when he caught sight of Happy Jack.

  "What do you mean by stealing into other folk's houses?" demandedHappy Jack, just as angrily.

  XXIV

  HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL HELPS UNC' BILLY POSSUM

  It is very startling, very startling indeed, to rush into your ownstorehouse, which you had supposed was empty, and run right into someone sleeping there as if he owned it. It is enough to make any onelose his temper. Happy Jack Squirrel lost his.

  And it is very startling, very startling, indeed, to be wakened out ofpleasant dreams of warm summer days by having some one suddenly jumpon you. It is enough to make any one lose his temper. Unc' BillyPossum lost his.

  So Happy Jack sat outside on a branch of the hollow tree where his oldstorehouse was and scolded, and called Unc' Billy Possum names, andjerked his tail angrily with every word he said. And Unc' Billy Possumsat in the doorway of the hollow tree and showed his teeth to HappyJack and said unpleasant things. It really was very dreadful the waythose two did talk.

  But Unc' Billy Possum is really very good-natured, and when he hadgotten over the fright Happy Jack had given him and began tounderstand that he was in one of Happy Jack's storehouses, all histemper vanished, and presently he began to grin and then to laugh. Nowit always takes two to make a quarrel, and one of the hardest thingsin the world is to keep cross when the one you are cross with won'tkeep cross, too. Happy Jack tried hard to stay angry, but every timehe looked at Unc' Billy Possum's twinkling eyes and broad grin, HappyJack lost a little of his own temper. Pretty soon he was laughing justas hard as Unc' Billy Possum.

  "Ho, ho, ho! Ha, ha, ha!" they laughed together. Finally they had tostop for breath.

  "What are you doing in my storehouse, Unc' Billy?" asked Happy Jack,when he could stop laughing.

  Then Unc' Billy told him all about how he had climbed there fromanother tree, so as to leave no tracks in the snow for Farmer Brown'sboy to follow.

  "But now Ah want to go to mah own home in the big hollow tree way downin the Green Forest, but Ah can't, on account of mah tracks in thesnow," concluded Unc' Billy mournfully.

  Happy Jack put his head on one side and thought very hard. "Why don'tyou stay right here until the snow goes, Unc' Billy?" he asked.

  "Because Ah 'spects that mah ol' woman am worried most to death," saidUnc' Billy, in a mournful voice. "Besides," he added, "Ah just donefound out that this right nice lil' house belongs to one of mahneighbors." There was a twinkle in Unc' Billy's eyes.

  Happy Jack laughed. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like, Unc'Billy," he said. "You better stay right where you are, and I'll gotell old Mrs. Possum where you are."

  "Thank yo'! Thank yo'! That is very kind of yo', Brer Squirrel. Thatwill be a great help, fo' it will lift a great load off mah mind,"said Unc' Billy.

  "Don't mention it, Unc' Billy!" replied Happy Jack and started offwith the message to old Mrs. Possum, and as he scampered through thesnow he said:

  "To get yourself in trouble is a very easy thing. I notice that to others it will always worries bring. But getting out of trouble's always quite the other way-- The more you try to wriggle out, the longer you must stay."

  XXV

  HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL'S BRIGHT IDEA

  Happy Jack Squirrel frisked along through the snow on his way to Unc'Billy Possum's house in the big hollow tree in the Green Forest totell old Mrs. Possum that Unc' Billy was safe in another hollow treeon the edge of the Green Forest, but that he didn't dare to come homebecause he would leave tracks in the snow. He found old Mrs. Possumvery much worried and very much out of sorts. You see Unc' Billy hadbeen gone a long time for him, and she didn't know what had become ofhim.

  Now of course old Mrs. Possum was very much relieved when she heardthat Unc' Billy was safe, for she had been afraid that somethingdreadful had happened to him. But just as soon as she knew that he wassafe, she forgot all about how worried she had been. All she thoughtof was how Unc' Billy had gone to get some fresh eggs to put in hisown stomach and left her to take care of herself and eight babyPossums.

  "Yo' tell Unc' Billy Possum that Ah don' care if he never comes back.Ah done got other things to bother about more'n a worthless, no'countPossum what don' take care of his fam'ly," she said crossly, andhurried into the house to see that the eight little Possums wereproperly tucked in bed, for it was a cold day, and the eight littlePossums had to stay in bed to keep warm.

  Happy Jack chuckled as he started back to tell Unc' Billy Possum. Heknew perfectly well that old Mrs. Possum didn't mean what she said.He knew that Unc' Billy would know that she didn't mean it. But heknew, and he knew that Unc' Billy knew, that when he did get home, hewould get a great scolding. Then all of a sudden Happy Jack thought ofa way for Unc' Billy to get home without waiting until the snow meltedaway. That might be a very long time, for there was a great deal ofsnow on the ground.

  What do you suppose gave Happy Jack his idea? Why, a tiny littlesnowflake that hit Happy Jack right on the end of his nose! Yes, Sir,it was that tiny little snowflake that gave Happy Jack Squirrel hisbright idea.

  He hurried back to the hollow tree where Unc' Billy was hiding andscrambled up to the doorway.

  "Hello, Unc' Billy! You can go home to-night!" he shouted.

  Unc' Billy Possum stuck his head out of the doorway. "What's that yo'say, Brer Squirrel?" he said. "Ah don' see as the snow has gone away,and your tracks are powerful plain to see, and Ah makes bigger tracksthan yo', Brer Squirrel."

  "Just look up in the sky, Unc' Billy!" said Happy Jack.

  Unc' Billy looked. The sky was full of dancing snowflakes. They got inhis eyes and clung to his whiskers. Unc' Billy shook his head indisgust.

  "Ah don' see anything but mo' snow, and yo' know Ah don' like snow!"he said. "What yo' driving at, Brer Squirrel?"

  Happy Jack laughed. "Why, it's just as simple as can be, Unc' Billy!"he cried. "Just as soon as it's dark, you start for home. It's goingto snow all night, and in the morning there won't be any tracks. Thesnowflakes will have covered them all up."

  Unc' Billy grinned. "Ah believe yo' are right, Brer Squirrel, Ahbelieve yo' are right!" said Unc' Billy.

  And Happy Jack was right, for Unc' Billy got safely home that verynight, and the next morning, when Farmer Brown's boy visited the GreenForest, there wasn't a footprint to be seen anywhere.

  So Unc' Billy Possum learned how easy it is to get into trouble andhow hard to get out of it. But he isn't the only one who has foundthis out. Just ask Unc' Billy's particular friend, Mistah Mocker theMocking Bird. He will tell you the very same thing. He and Unc' Billyhave been in all kinds of scrapes together, and if you care to readabout some of them, you may do so in the next book--The Adventures ofMistah Mocker.