There Bobby slept all the rest of the day and until long after Mr. Sun hadpulled on his rosy nightcap. Perhaps he would have slept there all night,if he hadn't been waked up. It was the cry of "Thief! thief! thief!" thatwaked him. It seemed to come from right over his head.
"Sammy Jay ought to be ashamed of himself, waking honest people like this!"muttered Bobby Coon, as he yawned and stretched. At first he couldn't thinkwhere he was. Then he remembered. He was just getting ready to crawl out ofthe hollow log, when he heard something which made him stop and try to situp so suddenly that he bumped his head. What he heard was the voice of Unc'Billy Possum, and he knew by the sound that Unc' Billy was sitting on thevery log in which he himself was hiding.
"This is the greatest joke that ever was!" said Unc' Billy. "Pretty soonnobody on the Green Meadows or in the Green Forest will speak to anybodyelse excepting me. Yo' cert'nly have got all your ol' tricks with yo'."
"Yes," replied a voice which Bobby Coon had never heard before, but whichhe knew right away must belong to some one who had come from way down Southwhere Unc' Billy Possum and Ol' Mistah Buzzard had come from. "Yes," saidthe voice, "Ah done got all mah ol' tricks and some more. But it's easy,Unc' Billy, it's easy to fool your new friends, because Ah reckon theynever have been fooled this way before. Don' yo' think it is most time tostop? Ah don't want to show mahself in daylight. Besides, if Ah'm foundout, nobody ain't gwine to have anything to do with me."
"Don't yo' worry. Nobody's gwine to find yo' out. We'll keep it up just aday or two longer. Yo' cert'nly am powerful good at imitating otherpeople's voices. Ah wonder that Ol' Mistah Buzzard hasn't got his eye onyo' before now," said Unc' Billy Possum.
Bobby Coon had become wide awake as he listened. He tried hard to get apeep at the stranger with Unc' Billy, but all he could see was a long tailof feathers. Bobby waited until Unc' Billy and his friend had left. Then hecrawled out of the hollow log, and he was chuckling to himself.
"I'll just have a little talk with Ol' Mistah Buzzard," said Bobby tohimself.
XX
BOBBY COON AND OL' MISTAH BUZZARD HAVE A TALK
Bobby Coon had spent the largest part of the forenoon sitting at the footof the tall dead tree on which Ol' Mistah Buzzard likes to roost. All thetime Ol' Mistah Buzzard had been sailing 'round and 'round in circles wayup in the blue, blue sky, sometimes so high that to Bobby he looked likejust a tiny speck. Bobby had watched him until his own neck ached. MistahBuzzard hardly ever moved his wings. He just sailed and sailed and sailedup and down and 'round and 'round, just as if it was no work at all butpure fun, as indeed it was.
Bobby Coon had waited so long that it was almost more than he could do tobe patient any longer, but if you really want a thing, it is worth waitingfor, and so Bobby gave a great sigh and tried to make himself morecomfortable. At last Mistah Buzzard came sailing down straight for the talldead tree. With two or three flaps of his great wings he settled down onhis favorite perch and looked down at Bobby Coon.
"Good mo'ning, Brer Coon," said Ol' Mistah Buzzard.
"Good morning, Mistah Buzzard; I hope you are feeling very well thismorning," replied Bobby Coon as politely as he knew how.
"Fair to middling well," said Ol' Mistah Buzzard, with a twinkle in hiseyes. "What can Ah do fo' yo'all?"
"If you please, Mistah Buzzard, you can tell me if there is anybody waydown South where you come from who can make his voice sound just like thevoices of other people. Is there?" Bobby was using his very politestmanner.
"Cert'nly! Cert'nly!" chuckled Ol' Mistah Buzzard. "It's Mistah Mockah theMocking-bird. Why, that bird just likes to go around making trouble; hejust naturally likes to. He just goes around mocking everything andeverybody he hears, until sometimes it seems like yo' couldn't be sure ofyo' own voice when yo' hear it. Why do yo' ask, Brer Coon?"
"Because he is right here in the Green Forest now," replied Bobby Coon.
"What's that yo' am a-saying, Brer Coon? What's that?" cried Ol' MistahBuzzard, growing very excited.
Then Bobby Coon told Ol' Mistah Buzzard all about the trouble on the GreenMeadows and in the Green Forest; how Sammy Jay had moved away to the OldPasture so that no one could say that he screamed in the night, and yet howhis voice was still heard; how Sticky-toes the Tree Toad was almost crazybecause his neighbors said he was noisy, when all the time he was sittingwith his mouth tight closed; and finally, how all the little meadow andforest people refused to speak to one another because of the many unkindthings which had been overheard. And Bobby told what he had overheard thenight before when Unc' Billy Possum and a stranger had sat on the very login which Bobby had been taking, a nap. Ol' Mistah Buzzard chuckled.
"Yo' might have known Unc' Billy was behind all that trouble," said he."Yes, Sah, yo' might have known that ol' rascal was behind it. When Unc'Billy Possum and Mockah get their haids together, there sho'ly is gwine tobe something doing."
XXI
BOBBY COON HAS A BUSY DAY
Bobby Coon had left Ol' Mistah Buzzard sitting on his favorite dead tree.Every few minutes Ol' Mistah Buzzard would chuckle. "Brer Coon is rightsmart, and Ah reckon Unc' Billy Possum is gwine to get a taste of his ownmedicine. Yes, Sah, Ah reckon he is!" said Ol' Mistah Buzzard. Then hechuckled and chuckled, as he spread his broad wings and said: "Ah reckon Ahbetter be up in the blue, blue sky where Ah can look right down and see allthe fun."
In the meantime Bobby Coon was hurrying back and forth across the GreenMeadows and through the Green Forest, calling on all the little people wholive there. He whispered a few words in the ear of one and then hurried onto whisper to the next one. When Bobby would first begin to whisper, theone to whom he was whispering would shake his head and look as if he didn'tbelieve a word of what Bobby was saying. Then Bobby would point to Ol'Mistah Buzzard sailing 'round and 'round high up in the blue, blue skywhere everybody could see him, and whisper some more. When he got through,he always carried away with him a promise that just what he had askedshould be done.
Bobby Coon had thought of a plan to turn the joke on Unc' Billy Possum, andthis was why he was hurrying back and forth whispering in the ears of everyone who lived on the Green Meadows and in the Green Forest; that iseverybody excepting Unc' Billy Possum and his family. It was the busiestday that Bobby Coon could remember.
It was the very next morning that Unc' Billy Possum was trotting along theCrooked Little Path down the hill. He was just starting out on his dailyround of calls, and he was grinning as only Unc' Billy Possum can grin.
"Mah name is Billy Possum and mah home's a hollow tree! By day or night Ah wander forth--it's all the same to me! Ah fill mah stomach with an egg, or sometimes it is fish; In fact Ah always helps mahself to anything Ah wish. Fo' mah name is Billy Possum and mah other name is Smart; To catch yo' Uncle Billy yo' must make an early start."
Unc' Billy was singing this to himself as he trotted along the CrookedLittle Path, and all the time he was thinking of the great joke that he andhis old friend Mr. Mocker, from way down South, were playing on the littlepeople of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest.
This morning he was on his way to call first on Johnny Chuck. Half-way downthe hill he met Bobby Coon. Unc' Billy stopped and held out one hand as hesaid "Good mo'ning, Brer Coon. How do yo'all do this fine mo'ning?"
Bobby Coon walked right past as if he didn't see Unc' Billy at all. Hedidn't even look at him.
"What's the matter with yo' this mo'ning, Brer Coon?" shouted Unc' Billy.Bobby Coon kept right on, without so much as turning his head. Unc' Billywatched him, and there was a puzzled look on Unc' Billy's face. "Must bethat Brer Coon has something powerful impo'tant on his mind," muttered Unc'Billy, as he started on.
Pretty soon he met Jimmy Skunk who had always been one of Unc' Billy's bestfriends. Jimmy was looking under every stick and stone for beetles for hisbreakfast.
"Good mo'ning, Neighbor Skunk!" said Unc' Billy in his heartiest voice.
Jimmy Skunk, who never hurries, kept right on pulling
over sticks andstones just as if he didn't see or hear Unc' Billy at all. In fact, when hepulled over one stone, he dropped it right on Unc' Billy's tail and didn'tseem to hear Unc' Billy's "Ouch!" as he pulled his tail from under thestone. Jimmy just went right on about his business.
Unc' Billy sat down and scratched his head. His face had lost the cheerfulgrin with which he had started out. Pretty soon he started on, but everyfew minutes he would stop and scratch his head thoughtfully. He didn't knowwhat to make of Bobby Coon and Jimmy Skunk.
He was so surprised that he hadn't known whether to be angry or not.
"Ah must find out what Brer Chuck knows about it," thought Unc' Billy, ashe trotted on.
XXII
UNC' BILLY POSSUM SEES MANY BACKS
Unc' Billy Possum was very sober as he hurried down the Lone Little Path toJohnny Chuck's house. He was very sober indeed, and that is very unusualfor Unc' Billy Possum. It was very plain to see that something wasbothering him. Johnny Chuck was sitting on his doorstep when Unc' BillyPossum came in sight, trotting down the Lone Little Path. As soon as Johnnysaw him, he turned his back squarely towards Unc' Billy and pretended to bevery much interested in something way off in the other direction. Unc'Billy came to a stop about two feet behind Johnny Chuck.
"A-hem!" said Unc' Billy.
Johnny Chuck sat there without moving, just as if he hadn't heard.
"It's a fine mo'ning," said Unc' Billy in his pleasantest voice.
Instead of replying, Johnny Chuck suddenly kicked up his heels anddisappeared inside his house. Unc' Billy scratched his head with one handand then with the other, and all the time his face grew more and morepuzzled-looking. After a while he started on. Pretty soon he came to whereDanny Meadow Mouse was playing all by himself. He didn't know that Unc'Billy was about until Unc' Billy said: "Good mo'ning, Brer Meadow Mouse."
Now Danny had always been delighted to see Unc' Billy Possum and to have achat with him whenever Unc' Billy would stop. But this morning no soonerdid Danny hear Unc' Billy's voice than he turned his back to Unc' Billy.This was more than Unc' Billy could stand. He reached out to take DannyMeadow Mouse by the ear to turn him around, but somehow Danny must haveguessed what Unc' Billy meant to do, for without a word he ducked out ofsight under the long grass, and hunt as he would Unc' Billy couldn't findhim.
So Unc' Billy Possum gave it up and went on down to the Smiling Pool. ThereLittle Joe Otter and Billy Mink and Jerry Muskrat were at play. They sawUnc' Billy coming, and when he reached the bank of the Smiling Pool theresat the three little scamps on the Big Rock, but all he could see was theirbacks.
"Hello, yo'alls!" shouted Unc' Billy.
Splash! All three had dived into the Smiling Pool, and though Unc' Billywaited and waited, he didn't see one of them again. Even Grandfather Frogturned his back to him and seemed very deaf that morning, though Unc' Billytried and tried to make him hear.
All day long, wherever he went, Unc' Billy saw only the backs of hisfriends, and none of them seemed to see him at all. So he went home to hishollow tree in the Green Forest early that day to try and study out what itall meant.
XXIII
UNC' BILLY POSSUM CONSULTS OL' MISTAH BUZZARD
Ol' Mistah Buzzard has very sharp eyes. Nobody has sharper eyes than he.Swinging 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round in great circles way up inthe blue, blue sky, so high that sometimes he looks like nothing but alittle speck, he looks down and sees everything going on in the GreenMeadows and a great deal that goes on in the Green Forest. There is verylittle that Ol' Mistah Buzzard misses. So all the day that Unc' BillyPossum had been tramping over the Green Meadows and through the GreenForest and finding everybody's back turned to him, Ol' Mistah Buzzard hadbeen watching and laughing fit to kill himself. You see he knew all aboutBobby Coon's visit to all the little meadow and forest people, and howBobby had whispered in the ear of each that Unc' Billy Possum was partly toblame for all the trouble they had had lately.
Ol' Mistah Buzzard watched Unc' Billy go home and sit down with his chin inhis hands and study and study, just as if he had something on his mind. Byand by Unc' Billy looked up in the sky where Ol' Mistah Buzzard was sailing'round and 'round. Then Unc' Billy hopped up mighty spry.
"Ah reckon Unc' Billy 'lows he'll make me a visit," said Ol' Mistah Buzzardwith a chuckle, as he slid down, down out of the sky to the tall dead treein the Green Forest, which is his favorite roosting-place. He hadn't beenthere long when Unc' Billy Possum came shuffling along, just as if he wasout walking for his health.
"Howdy, Mistah Buzzard! Ah cert'nly hopes yo'all feel right smart," saidUnc' Billy.
Ol' Mistah Buzzard's eyes twinkled as he replied: "Ah feel right pert, BrerPossum, thank yo'. Ah hopes yo' feel the same. Yo' look like nothing everbothers yo'."
Unc' Billy grinned, but at the same time he looked a little foolish as hesaid: "That's right, Mistah Buzzard, that's right! Nothing ever does botherme." And all the time he was wondering however he should ask for Ol' MistahBuzzard's advice and not let him know that something really was botheringhim a great deal.
"Ah watched yo' take a long walk this mo'ning, Brer Possum," said Ol'Mistah Buzzard.
"Did yo', indeed; yo' have keen eyes, Mistah Buzzard!" replied Unc' Billy.
"Ah saw yo' meet a lot of yo' friends. It's fine to have a lot of friends,isn't it, Brer Possum?" said Ol' Mistah Buzzard.
Unc' Billy looked at Ol' Mistah Buzzard sharply. He wondered if MistahBuzzard had noticed that all those friends had turned their backs on Unc'Billy that morning, but Mistah Buzzard looked as sober and solemn as ajudge. All at once Ol' Mistah Buzzard hopped up and turned around, so thatall Unc' Billy could see of him was his back. Unc' Billy stared, and for aminute he couldn't find his tongue. Then he heard a noise that sounded verymuch like a chuckle. In a few minutes it was a laugh. Finally Unc' Billybegan to laugh too.
"Yo' take mah advice and bring mah ol' friend Mockah out of hishiding-place and introduce him to the Green Meadows and the Green Forest,"said Ol' Mistah Buzzard.
Unc' Billy shook his head doubtfully. He was afraid that they might notforgive the tricks that Mr. Mocker had played on them, and then of coursehe couldn't stay in the Green Forest. So Unc' Billy scratched his head andthought and thought of how he could get Mr. Mocker out of the trouble hehad got him into. Finally he went home and told all his troubles to oldMrs. Possum and asked her advice, as he should have done in the firstplace.
"Serves yo'alls right! It cert'nly does serve yo'alls right!" grunted Mrs.Possum, who was so busy looking after her eight lively babies that she hadlittle time for fooling.
"Ah know it. It cert'nly does," replied Unc' Billy meekly.
"Mischief always trots ahead of grim ol' Mistah Trouble, They look and act enough alike to be each other's double. Whoever fools with Mischief's gwine to wake some day or other And find that Trouble's just the same as Mischief's own twin brother."
Unc' Billy Possum listened to this just as if he had never heard it before,and nodded his head as if he agreed with every word of it. Old Mrs. Possumgrumbled and scolded, but all the time she was thinking, and Unc' Billyknew that she was. Finally she finished sweeping the doorsteps and lookedthoughtfully at Unc' Billy.
"Why don't yo' give a party fo' Mistah Mocking-bird?" she inquired.
"The very thing!" cried Unc' Billy, and like a flash back came his old-timegrin.
XXIV
UNC' BILLY POSSUM GIVES A PARTY
Unc' Billy Possum's party was the greatest event in the Green Forest sincethe famous surprise party which Peter Rabbit gave when Unc' Billy's familyarrived from way down in Ol' Virginny. At first Unc' Billy had been afraidthat no one would come. You see, he had been the cause of a lot of thetrouble on the Green Meadows and in the Green Forest, and he knew that nowall the little meadow and forest people had found him out. So he didn'tdare send his invitations around by the Merry Little Breezes of Old MotherWest Wind, for fear that no one would pay any heed to them. Of course thatmeant that Unc
' Billy must take them around himself.
My, but that was hard work! It was the hardest work that Unc' Billy hadever done in all his life, for you know Unc' Billy is happy-go-lucky andtakes things easy. But getting those invitations around--well, as Unc'Billy said, he "like to wore holes plumb through the soles of mah feet"before he got all of them delivered. It took him two whole days. In thefirst place there were so many to see. And then it was such hard work todeliver the invitations, because when his old friends saw him, they wouldpromptly turn their backs to him and pretend they didn't see him at all.Then Unc' Billy would take off his hat and make a sweeping bow just as ifthe one he was talking to was facing instead of back to him, and he wouldsay:
"Ah begs yo' pardon, 'deed Ah do, Fo' all the trouble Ah've caused yo', And hopes that Ah may sho'ly choke If it was meant fo' more'n a joke. So please fo'give ol' Uncle Bill And show yo' friendship for him still By taking this as an invite To join with me next Monday night Aroun' mah famous hollow tree, And help me to full merry be, And also meet a friend of mine; Ah'm sho' yo's bound to like him fine."