"Hello!" exclaimed Farmer Brown's boy when he saw it. "Now how did thatcome there? It must be that Jimmy Skunk pulled it out of one of thoselower nests."
Now he knew just which nests had contained nest-eggs, and it didn't takebut 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 theupper nests. Jimmy couldn't have got up to those. None of the hens couldhave kicked it out last night, because they were all on the roosts whenI shut them up. They certainly didn't do it this morning, because theywouldn't have dared leave the roosts with Jimmy Skunk here. I'll have tolook into this."
So he began with the second row of nests and looked in each. Then hestarted on the upper row, and so he came to the nest in which Unc' BillyPossum was hiding under the hay and holding his breath. Now Unc' Billyhad covered himself up pretty well with the hay, but he had forgottenone thing; he had forgotten his tail. Yes, Sir, Unc' Billy had forgottenhis tail, and it hung just over the edge of the nest. Of course, FarmerBrown's boy saw it. He couldn't help but see it.
"Ho, ho!" he exclaimed right away. "Ho, ho! So there was more than onevisitor 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 aboard over that hole in the floor. So it was you, Unc' Billy Possum, whokicked that nest-egg out. Found it a little hard for your teeth, didn'tyou? Lost your temper and kicked it out, didn't you? That was foolish,Unc' Billy, very foolish indeed. Never lose your temper over trifles. Itdoesn'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 understandwhat Farmer Brown's boy was saying. Nor could he see what Farmer Brown'sboy was doing. So he held his breath and hoped and hoped that he hadn'tbeen discovered. And perhaps he wouldn't have been but for thattelltale 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 fallenon Jimmy's head. Then it had led Farmer Brown's boy to look in all thenests. It had seemed a trifle, kicking that egg out of that nest, butsee what the results were. Truly, little things often are not so littleas they seem.
XXII
UNC' BILLY POSSUM TRIES HIS OLD TRICK
The first knowledge Unc' Billy Possum had that he was discovered came tohim through his tail. Yes, Sir, it came to him through his tail. FarmerBrown's boy pinched it. It was rather a mean thing to do, but FarmerBrown's boy was curious. He wanted to see what Unc' Billy would do. Andhe didn't pinch very hard, not hard enough to really hurt. FarmerBrown'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 wouldpromptly have pulled their tail away had they been in Unc' Billy'splace. But Unc' Billy didn't. No, Sir, Unc' Billy didn't. That tailmight have belonged to any one but him so far as he made any sign. Ofcourse, 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 onthat tail. He pulled and pulled until finally he had pulled Unc' Billyout of his hiding-place, and he swung by his tail from the hand ofFarmer 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 hefell. Farmer Brown's boy rolled him over with his foot, but there wasn'ta sign of life in Unc' Billy. He hoped that Farmer Brown's boy reallydid think him dead. That was what he wanted. Farmer Brown's boy pickedhim up again and laid him on a box, first putting a board over the holein the floor and closing the henhouse door. Then he went about his workof cleaning out the henhouse and measuring out the grain for thebiddies.
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 moreso than Unc' Billy Possum as he lay on that box. His hair was allrumpled up, as it usually is. It was filled with dust from the floor andbits of straw. His lips were drawn back and his mouth partly open. Hiseyes seemed to be closed. As a matter of fact, they were open just ateeny, weeny bit, just enough for Unc' Billy to watch Farmer Brown'sboy. But to have looked at him you would have thought him as dead as thedeadest thing that ever was.
As he went about his work Farmer Brown's boy kept an eye on Unc' Billyand 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. Youcertainly are a clever old rascal, and the best actor I've ever seen. Iwonder how long you will keep it up. I wish I had half as muchself-control."
When he had finished his work he picked Unc' Billy up by the tail oncemore, opened the door, and started for the house with Unc' Billyswinging from his hand and bumping against his legs. Still Unc' Billygave no sign of life. He wondered where he was being taken to. He wasterribly frightened. But he stuck to his old trick of playing dead whichhad served him so well more than once before.
XXIII
UNC' BILLY GIVES HIMSELF AWAY
Never had Unc' Billy Possum played that old trick of his better than hewas playing it now. Farmer Brown's boy knew that Unc' Billy was onlypretending to be dead, yet so well did Unc' Billy pretend that it washard work for Farmer Brown's boy to believe what he knew was thetruth--that Unc' Billy was very much alive and only waiting for a chanceto slip away.
They were half-way from the henyard to the house when Bowser the Houndcame to meet his master. "Now we shall see what we shall see," saidFarmer Brown's boy, as Bowser came trotting up. "If Unc' Billy canstand this test, I'll take off my hat to him every time we meethereafter." He held Unc' Billy out to Bowser, and Bowser sniffed him allover.
Just imagine that! Just think of being nosed and sniffed at by one ofwhom you were terribly afraid and not so much as twitching an ear!Farmer Brown's boy dropped Unc' Billy on the ground, and Bowser rolledhim over and sniffed at him and then looked up at his master, as much asto say: "This fellow doesn't interest me. He's dead. He must be thefellow 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 heto Bowser, as the latter pranced on ahead to the house. The mother ofFarmer Brown's boy was in the doorway, watching them approach.
"What have you got there?" she demanded. "I declare if it isn't aPossum! Where did you kill him? Was he the cause of all that racketamong the chickens?"
Farmer Brown's boy took Unc' Billy into the kitchen and dropped him on achair. 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 andhad to be killed. I don't suppose he knew any better. Somehow it alwaysseems wrong to me to kill these little creatures just because they getinto mischief when all the time they don't know that they are inmischief." She stroked Unc' Billy gently.
The eyes of Farmer Brown's boy twinkled. He went over to a corner andpulled a straw from his mother's broom. Then he returned to Unc' Billyand began to tickle Unc' Billy's nose. Mrs. Brown looked puzzled. Shewas 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, andbeing carried head down, and being dropped on the ground, but this wastoo much for him; he wanted to sneeze. He had _got_ to sneeze. He didsneeze. He couldn't help it, though it were to cost him his life.
"Land of love!" exclaimed Mrs. Brown, jumping back and clutching herskirts in both hands as if she expected Unc' Billy would try to takerefuge behind them. "Do you mean to say that that Possum is alive?"
"Seems that way," replied Farmer Brown's boy as Unc' Billy sneezedagain, for that straw was still
tickling his nose. "I should certainlysay it seems that way. The old sinner is no more dead than I am. He'sjust 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 thistime 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-lookingcreature, 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 gettinghome. 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 enoughnot to refer to eggs.
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