CHAPTER IV.
AT dinner the next day, it was noticed that Coon was very melancholy. Heshook his head frequently, and sighed so deeply and sorrowfully that thekind heart of the wood-pigeon was moved to pity.
"Are you not well, my dear Coon?" she asked. "Something has gone amisswith you, evidently. Tell us what it is."
The raccoon shook his head again, and looked unutterably doleful.
"I knew how it would be, Coon," said the bear. "You shouldn't have eatenthat third pie for supper. Two pies are enough for anybody, after such aquantity of bread and honey and milk as you had."
Coon sighed again, more deeply than before.
"I _didn't_ eat it all," he said; "I only wish I had!"
"Why, Coon," queried Toto, "what's the trouble?"
"Well," said Coon, "there was a piece left. I couldn't eat any more, soI put it away in the cupboard, thinking I would have it for lunchto-day. It was a lovely piece. I never saw such a squash pie as thatwas, anyhow, and that piece--"
He paused, and seemed lost in the thought of the pie.
"_Well!_" exclaimed Toto. "So you _did_ eat it for your lunch, and nowyou are unhappy because you didn't keep it for dinner. Is that it?"
"Not at all!" replied the other, "not at all! I trust I am not _greedy_,Toto, _whatever_ my faults may be. I went to get it for my luncheon, forI had been working all the morning like a--"
"Dormouse!"
"Tree-toad!"
"Grasshopper!" murmured the squirrel, the bear, and Toto,simultaneously.
"Like a RACCOON!" he continued severely. "I can say no more than that;and I was desperately hungry. I went to the cupboard to get my piece ofpie, and it was--gone!"
"Gone!" exclaimed the grandmother; "why, who can have taken it?"
"That is the point, Madam!" said Coon. "It was some small creature, forit got in through the crack under the cupboard door, gnawing away thewood. I have examined the marks," he added, "and they are the marks ofsmall, very sharp teeth." And he looked significantly at the squirrel.
"What do you mean by looking at me in that way?" demanded littleCracker, whisking his tail fiercely, and bristling all over. "I've agood mind to bite your ears with my sharp teeth. I never touched yourold pie. If you say I did, I'll throw this cheese--"
"Cracker! Cracker!" said the grandmother, gently, "you forget yourself!Good manners at table, you know. I am sure," she added, as Cracker hunghis head and looked much ashamed, "that none of us think seriously for amoment that you took the pie. Coon loves his joke; but he has a goodheart, and he would not really give you pain, I know. Of course he didnot mean anything. Am I not right, Coon?"
It is only justice to the raccoon to say that he was rather abashed atthis. He rubbed his nose, and gave a deprecatory wink at Bruin, who waslooking very serious; then, recovering himself, he beamed expansively onthe squirrel, who still looked fierce, though respect for "Madam" kepthim silent.
"Mean anything?" he cried. "Dear Madam, do I _ever_ meananything,--anything unkind, at least?" he added hastily, as Toto lookedup with a suppressed chuckle. "I beg your pardon, Cracker, my boy, and Ihope you won't bear malice. As for those marks--"
"Those marks," interrupted the bear, who had risen from his seat and wasexamining the cupboard door, "were made by mice. I am quite sure of it."
"So am I," said Miss Mary, quietly. "I saw them do it."
"What!"
"You!"
"When?"
"How?"
"Tell us!" exclaimed every one, in a breath.
"Two brown mice," said Miss Mary, "came out from under the cellar-doorabout midnight. They gnawed at the cupboard till they had made the crackwide enough to pass through. Then I heard them say, 'Squash pie!' andheard them nibbling, or rather gobbling. After a while they came rushingout as if the cat were after them, and jumped into the water-basin. Thenthey tried to climb up Bruin's back, but he yawned like an alligator,and shook them off, and they ran hurry-scurry under the cellar-dooragain."
A great laugh broke out at this recital of Messrs. Squeak and Scrabble'snocturnal adventure, and under cover of the laughter the raccoonapproached the parrot.
"Why didn't you give the alarm," he asked, "or drive off the miceyourself? You knew it was my pie, for you saw me put it there."
Miss Mary cocked her bright yellow eye at him expressively.
"I lost two feathers from my tail, yesterday," she said. "Somebody bitthem off while I was asleep. They were fine feathers, and I cannotreplace them."
The two exchanged a long, deep look. At length--
"Miss Mary," said the raccoon aloud, "what was the color of yourlamented husband? You told us once, but I am ashamed to say I'm notpositive that I remember."
"Green!" replied Miss Mary, in some surprise,--"a remarkably fineemerald green. But why do you ask?"
"Ah, I thought so!" said the raccoon, ingenuously. "That explains hischoice of a wife.--Walk, Toto, did you say? I am with you, my boy!" andin three bounds he was out of the door, and leaping and frolicking aboutin the new-fallen snow.
Toto caught up his cap and followed him, and the two together made theirway out of the yard, and walked, ran, leaped, jumped, tumbled,scrambled, toward the forest. The sky had cleared, and the sun shonebrilliantly on the fresh white world. On every hand lay the snow,--hereheaped and piled in fantastic drifts and strange half-human shapes;there spread smooth, like a vast counterpane. The tall trees of theforest bent under white feathery masses, which came tumbling down onToto and his companion, as they lightly pushed the branches aside andentered the woods.
A winter walk in the woods! It is always a good thing for any one whohas eyes in his head, but it is especially good when you see all thatCoon and Toto saw; when you know, from every tiny track or footmark,what little creatures have been running or hopping about; when many ofthese little creatures are your friends, and all of them at leastacquaintances. How fresh and crisp the air was! how soft and powdery andgenerally delightful the snow! What a pleasant world it was, on thewhole!
"Let me see!" said the raccoon, stopping and looking about him. "It isjust about here that Chucky's aunt lives. Yes, I remember, now. You seethat oak-stump yonder, with the moss on it? Well, her burrow is justunder that. Suppose we give her a call, and tell her how her hopefulnephew is."
"Nonsense!" said Toto, "she is as fast asleep as he is, of course. Wecouldn't wake her if we tried, and why should we try?"
"Might have a game of ball with her," suggested the raccoon. "But Idon't know that it's worth while, after all."
"Who lives in that hollow tree, now?" asked Toto. "The wild-cat used tolive there, you know. It is a very comfortable tree, if I rememberright."
"You found it so once, didn't you, Toto?" said Coon. "Do you rememberthat day, when a thunder-shower came up, and you crept into that hollowtree for shelter? Ha! ha! ha! _do_ you remember that day, my boy?"
"I should think I did remember it!" cried Toto. "I am not likely toforget it. It was raining guns and pitchforks, and the lightning wascracking and zigzagging all through the forest, it seemed, and thethunder crashing and bellowing and roaring--"
"Like Bruin, when the bumble-bee stung his nose!" put in the raccoon.
"Exactly!" said Toto. "There I was, curled up well in the hollow,thinking how lucky I was, when suddenly came two green eyes glowering atme, and a great spitting and spluttering and meowling.
"'Get out of my house!' said the creature.'F-s-s-s-s-yeh-yow-s-s-s-s-s-s! get out of my house, I say!'
"'My dear Madam,' I said, 'it is really more than you can expect. Youare already thoroughly wet, and if you come here you will only drip allover the nice dry hole and spoil it. Now, _I_ am quite dry; and to tellyou the truth, I mean to remain so.'
"Oh, how angry that cat was!
"'My name is Klawtobitz!' she cried. 'I have lived in this tree forseven years, and I am not going to be turned out of it by a thing withtwo legs and no tail. Who are you, I say?'
"'I am a boy!' cried I, getting ang
ry in my turn. 'I wouldn't have atail if I was paid for it; and I will _not_ leave this hole!'
"And then the old cat humped her back, and grinned till I saw everytooth in her head, and came flying at me,--claws spread, and tail as biground as my arm. There we fought, tooth and nail, fist and claw, till wewere both out of breath. Finally I got her by the throat, and she madeher teeth meet in my arm, and there we both were. I had heard no noisesave the cat's screeching in my ear; but now, suddenly, a great growlyvoice, close beside us, cried,--
"'Fair play! fair play! no choking!'
"We both dropped our hold, and looking up, saw--"
"Bruin and me!" interrupted the raccoon, joyously. "We were taking aquiet prowl in the rain, and hearing the scuffle, stopped to see whatwas going on. Such a pretty fight I had not seen in a long time, and itwas really too bad of Bruin to stop it. How old Ma'am Wildcat's tailwent down, though, when she saw him!"
"I am very glad he did stop it," said Toto. "I was quite a little chapthen, you see,--only seven years old,--and it was going hard with me. Iwas frightened enough, though, I can tell you, when I saw Bruin standingthere. He looked as big as an elephant, and I fully expected to be eatenup the next minute. But he said, in his great hearty voice,--
"'Give us your paw, my little fighting-cock! And you, Mrs. Wildcat, beoff! I gave you warning a week ago, when you killed the wood-pigeon'snestlings. Off with you, now, quick, or--'"
"And she went!" cried Coon. "Oh, yes, my dear, she went! And I wentafter her! I chased that cat for ten miles, to the very farthest end ofthe forest. She had the start of me, and kept it pretty well, but I wasjust overhauling her when we came to the open; she gave a flying leapfrom the last tree, and went crash through the window of a farmhousewhich stood close at hand! I thought she would probably be attended tothere; so I went back, and found Bruin and you as sociable and friendlyas if you had been brought up in the same den,--you sitting in the hole,with your funny red legs hanging out (you were the queerest-lookinganimal I had ever seen, Toto!), and he sitting up on his haunches,talking to you."
"And he invited us both to supper!" cried Toto. "Don't you remember,Coon? That was the first time I had ever seen any of you people, and Iwas dreadfully afraid that I should be the supper myself. But we went tohis den, and had a jolly supper. Bruin ate three large watermelons, Iremember. He _said_ a man gave them to him."
"I think it very likely that he did," said Coon, "if Bruin asked him."
"And I showed you how to play leap-frog," continued Toto; "and we playedit over Bruin's back till it was time for me to go home. And then youboth walked with me to the edge of the forest, and there we sworeeternal friendship."
"Ah!" said the raccoon, "that we did, my boy; and well have we kept thevow! And so long as Coon's tail has a single hair in it, will he evercherish-- Hello! what's that?" he cried with a sudden start, as a tinybrown creature darted swiftly across the path. "Woodmouse! I say,Woodmouse! stop a minute; you are just the fellow I want to see."
The woodmouse stopped and turned round, and greeted the two friendscordially.
"I haven't seen you for an age!" he said. "Coon, I supposed you had beenasleep for a couple of months, at least. How does it happen that you areprowling about at this season?"
Coon briefly explained the state of the case, and then added:--
"I am specially glad to meet you, Woodmouse, for I want to consult youabout something. There are some mice in the cellar of thecottage,--brown mice. Very troublesome, thieving creatures they are, andwe want to get rid of them. Now, I suppose they are relatives of yours,eh?"
"Ahem! well--yes," the woodmouse admitted reluctantly. "Distant, youknow, quite distant; but--a--yes, they _are_ relatives. A wretched,disreputable set, I have heard, though I never met any of them."
"You have heard quite correctly!" said the raccoon, warmly. "They are agreat annoyance to the Madam, and to all of us. They almost take thefood out of our mouths; they destroy things in the cellar, and--and infact, we want to get rid of them."
The woodmouse stared at him in amazement. "Really, Mr. Coon," he said,laughing, "I should not have supposed, from my past acquaintance withyou, that you would have any difficulty in getting rid of them."
Raccoons cannot blush, or our Coon certainly would have done so. Herubbed his nose helplessly, somewhat after the fashion of Bruin, andcast a half-comical, half-rueful glance at Toto. Finally he replied,--
"Well, you see, Woodmouse, things are rather different from usual thiswinter. The fact is, our Madam has a strong objection to--a--in point offact, to slaughter; and she made it a condition of our coming to spendthe winter with her, that we should not kill other creatures unless itwere necessary. So I thought if we _could_ get rid of those mice in anyother way, it would please her. I suppose there is plenty of room in theforest for another family of mice?"
"Oh! as far as room goes," replied the woodmouse, "they have a range often miles in which to choose their home. I cannot promise to call onthem, you know; that could not be expected. But if they behavethemselves, they may in time overcome the prejudice against them."
"Very well," said Coon, "I shall send them, then. How are you all athome?" he added, "and what is going on in your set?"
Now it was the woodmouse's turn to look confused.
"My son is to be married on the second evening after this," he said."That is the only thing I know of."
"What?" cried Coon. "Your son Prick-ear? Why, he is one of my bestfriends! How strange that I should have heard nothing of it!"
"We didn't know--we really thought--we supposed you were asleep!"stammered the woodmouse.
"And so you chose this time for the wedding?" said the raccoon. "Now, Icall that unfriendly, Woodmouse, and I shouldn't have thought it ofyou."
The woodmouse stroked his whiskers, and looked piteously at hisformidable acquaintance. "Don't be offended, Coon!" he said."Perhaps--perhaps you will come to the wedding, after all. Eh? ofcourse we should be delighted."
"Yes, to be sure I will come!" said the raccoon, cheerily. "_I_ don'tbear malice. Oh, yes! I will come, and Toto shall come, too. Where is itto take place?"
"We--we have engaged the cave for the evening," said the woodmouse, withsome diffidence. "We have a large family connection, you know, and it isthe only place big enough to hold them all."
Coon stared in amazement, and Toto gave a long whistle.
"The cave, eh?" he said. "I should say this was to be something verygrand indeed. I should like very much to come, Woodmouse, if you thinkit would not trouble any of your family. I promise you that Coon shallbe on his very best behavior, and--I'll tell you what!" he added, "Iwill provide the music, as I did last summer, at the Rabbit's Rinktum."
"No, not really! will you, though?" cried the little woodmouse, hisslender tail quivering with delight. "We shall be infinitely obliged,Mr. Toto, infinitely obliged, sir! We shall count upon you both. BringCracker, too, and any other friends who may be staying with you. Wouldyour grandmother, possibly--eh? care to come?"
"Thank you!" said Toto, gravely, "I think not. My grandmother never goesout in the evening."
"We might bring Bruin!" suggested Coon, with a sly wink at Toto.
But here the poor little woodmouse looked so unutterably distressed,that the two friends burst out laughing; and reassuring him by a word,bade him good-day, and proceeded on their walk.