Part 7 (2/2)

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 Mistah Buzzard had noticed that all those friends had turned their backs on Unc'

Billy that morning, but Mistah Buzzard looked as sober and solemn as a judge. All at once Ol' Mistah Buzzard hopped up and turned around, so that all Unc' Billy could see of him was his back. Unc' Billy stared, and for a minute he couldn't find his tongue. Then he heard a noise that sounded very much like a chuckle. In a few minutes it was a laugh. Finally Unc' Billy began to laugh too.

”Yo' take mah advice and bring mah ol' friend Mockah out of his hiding-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 not forgive the tricks that Mr. Mocker had played on them, and then of course he couldn't stay in the Green Forest. So Unc' Billy scratched his head and thought and thought of how he could get Mr. Mocker out of the trouble he had got him into. Finally he went home and told all his troubles to old Mrs. Possum and asked her advice, as he should have done in the first place.

”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 had little 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. Possum grumbled and scolded, but all the time she was thinking, and Unc' Billy knew that she was. Finally she finished sweeping the doorsteps and looked thoughtfully 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-time grin.

XXIV

UNC' BILLY POSSUM GIVES A PARTY

Unc' Billy Possum's party was the greatest event in the Green Forest since the famous surprise party which Peter Rabbit gave when Unc' Billy's family arrived from way down in Ol' Virginny. At first Unc' Billy had been afraid that no one would come. You see, he had been the cause of a lot of the trouble on the Green Meadows and in the Green Forest, and he knew that now all the little meadow and forest people had found him out. So he didn't dare send his invitations around by the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind, for fear that no one would pay any heed to them. Of course that meant that Unc' Billy must take them around himself.

My, but that was hard work! It was the hardest work that Unc' Billy had ever done in all his life, for you know Unc' Billy is happy-go-lucky and takes 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 the first place there were so many to see. And then it was such hard work to deliver the invitations, because when his old friends saw him, they would promptly 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 if the one he was talking to was facing instead of back to him, and he would say:

”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' friends.h.i.+p 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.”

<script>