Then Unc' Billy would make another low bow and hurry on to the next one. Ofcourse he couldn't tell whether or not any one would accept the invitation,but he went right on with his plans, just as if he expected everybody to bethere. And when the time came, sure enough everybody was there, even SammyJay, to whom Unc' Billy had sent a special invitation by Ol' MistahBuzzard. Mistah Buzzard had found Sammy Jay in the far-away Old Pasture,and Sammy had moved back to the Green Forest that very day.
Such a good time as everybody did have! There were heaps and heaps of goodthings to eat. They danced and played hide and seek. Finally Unc' Billyclimbed up on a stump. He was dressed in his finest suit, and he wore hisbroadest grin. Everybody crowded around to hear what Unc' Billy was aboutto say.
"Mah friends and neighbors," said Unc' Billy, "Ah have a great surprise fo'yo'alls."
Then he stepped down, and everybody began to wonder and to guess what thesurprise could be.
XXV
UNC' BILLY POSSUM'S SURPRISE
Everybody was asking everybody else what the surprise could be which Unc'Billy had said he had for them. After he had made his speech, he hadscurried out of sight, and no one could find him. Just about that timeBilly Mink remembered that the party had been given to meet a friend ofUnc' Billy Possum, but no friend had appeared.
Billy Mink spoke of the matter to Little Joe Otter, and Little Joe Otterspoke of the matter to Jerry Muskrat, and Jerry Muskrat spoke of the matterto Sammy Jay, and right while he was speaking there came a shrill scream of"Thief! thief! thief!" from a thick hemlock-tree near by, and the voice wasjust like the voice of Sammy Jay.
Sammy Jay became greatly excited. "There!" he cried! "You heard that whenyou was standing right in front of me and talking to me, Jerry Muskrat. Youknow that I wasn't making a sound! I told you that I hadn't been screamingin the night, and this proves it!"
Jerry Muskrat looked as if he couldn't believe his own ears. Just then thevoice of Sticky-toes the Tree Toad began to Croak "It's going to rain! It'sgoing to rain! It's going to rain!" The voice seemed to come out of thatvery same hemlock-tree. Everybody noticed it and looked up at the tree, andwhile they were all trying to see Sticky-toes, something dropped plop rightinto their midst. It was Sticky-toes himself, and he had dropped fromanother tree altogether.
"You hear it!" he shrieked, dancing up and down he was so angry. "You hearit! It isn't me, is it? That's my voice, yet it isn't mine, because I'mright here! How can I be here and over there too? Tell me that!"
No one could tell him, and Sticky-toes continued to scold and sputter andswell himself up with anger. But everybody forgot Sticky-toes when theyheard the voice of Blacky the Crow calling "Caw, caw, caw!" from the verysame hemlock-tree. Now no one knew that Blacky the Crow had come to theparty, for Blacky never goes abroad at night.
"Come out, Blacky!" they all shouted. But no Blacky appeared. Instead outof that magic hemlock-tree poured a beautiful song, so beautiful that whenit ended everybody clapped their hands. After that there was a perfectflood of music, as if all the singers of the Green Forest and the GreenMeadows were in that hemlock-tree. There was the song of Mr. Redwing andthe song of Jenny Wren, and the sweet notes of Carol the Meadowlark and thebeautiful happy song of Little Friend the Song Sparrow. No one had everheard anything like it, and when it ended every one shouted for more. EvenSticky-toes the Tree Toad forgot his ill temper.
Instead of more music, out from the hemlock-tree flew a stranger. He wasabout the size of Sammy Jay and wore a modest gray suit with whitetrimmings. He flew over to a tall stump in the moonlight, and no sooner hadhe alighted than up beside him scrambled Unc' Billy Possum. Unc' Billy worehis broadest grin.
"Mah friends of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows, Ah wants yo'alls toknow mah friend, Mistah Mocking-bird, who has come up from mah ol' home waydown in 'Ol' Virginny.' He has the most wonderful voice in all the world,and when he wants to, he can make it sound just like the voice of any oneof yo'alls. We uns is right sorry fo' the trouble we uns have made. It wasall a joke, and now we asks yo' pardon. Mah friend Mistah Mockah would liketo stay here and live, if yo'alls is willing," said Unc' Billy.
XXVI
MR. MOCKER MAKES HIMSELF AT HOME
At first, when the little meadow and forest people were asked to pardon thetricks that Mr. Mocker and Unc' Billy Possum had played, a few wereinclined not to. While they were talking the matter over, Mr. Mocker beganto sing again that wonderful song of his. It was so beautiful that by thetime it was ended, every one was ready to grant the pardon. They crowdedaround him, and because he is good-natured, he made his voice sound justlike the voice of each one who spoke to him. Of course they thought thatwas great fun, and by the time Unc' Billy Possum's moonlight party brokeup, Mr. Mocker knew that he had made so many friends that he could stay inthe Green Forest as long as he pleased.
But there were a lot of little people who were not at Unc' Billy Possum'sparty, because they go to bed instead of going out nights. Of course theyheard all about the party the next morning and were very anxious indeed tosee the stranger with the wonderful voice. So Mr. Mocker went calling withOl' Mistah Buzzard, and they visited all the little meadow and forestpeople who had not been at the party. Of course Mr. Mocker had to show offhis wonderful voice to each one. When he had finished, he was tuckered put,was Mr. Mocker, but he was happy, for now he had made friends and couldlive on the edge of the Green Forest with his old friends, Unc' BillyPossum and Ol' Mistah Buzzard.
So he soon made himself at home and, because he was happy, he would singall day long. And sometimes, when the moon was shining, he woke up in thenight and would sing for very joy. Now Peter Rabbit thought the newcomer'svoice such a wonderful thing that he used to follow him around just to hearhim fool others by making his voice sound like theirs. It was great fun.Peter and Mocker became great friends, and so when Peter heard it whisperedaround that Mr. Mocking-bird had not come by his wonderful voice honestly,he didn't believe a word of it and was very indignant. Of course hecouldn't go to Mr. Mocker himself and ask him, for he didn't want Mr.Mocker to know that such unkind things were being said. Finally he thoughtof Grandfather Frog, who is very old and very wise. "He'll know," saidPeter, as off he posted to the Smiling Pool.
"If you please, Grandfather Frog, how does it happen that Mr. Mocker hassuch a wonderful voice and can make it sound like the voice of any one whomhe hears?" asked Peter.
Now Grandfather Frog was feeling out of sorts that morning. He hadn't heardthe whisper that Mr. Mocker had not come by his voice honestly, and hethought that Peter Rabbit was asking just to hear a story.
"Chugarum!" replied Grandfather Frog crossly. "Go ask Mr. Buzzard," Andthat was all that Peter could get out of him. So, not knowing what else todo, off started Peter Rabbit to ask Ol' Mistah Buzzard where his friend Mr.Mocking-bird got such a wonderful voice.
Ol' Mistah Buzzard laughed when he heard that some folks said that Mr.Mocker had not come by his voice honestly.
"There isn't a word of truth in it, Brer Rabbit," he declared. "Yo' go tellall your friends that Mistah Mockah is the best loved of all the birds waydown Souf."
And this is all for the present about the adventures of Mr. Mocker theMocking-bird. But others have had adventures, and one is Jerry Muskrat. Thenext book will tell all about them.
THE END
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