Part 6 (1/2)

BOBBY coon MAKES A DISCOVERY

Bobby coon had overslept Usually Bobby is astir shortly after jolly, round, red Mr Sun has gone to bed behind the Purple Hills But Bobby is very irregular in his habits He is very fond of traveling about in the night, is Bobby coon, and when he does that, he sleeps the greater part of the day But once in a while he takes a notion to travel about by daylight, and when he does that, why of course he has to sleep part of the night, anyway Bobby coon is a very lucky chap, very lucky indeed, for he can see in the dark, and yet, unlike Hooty the Owl, he has no trouble in seeing in the broad daylight as well

This night Bobby coon had overslept because he had not gone to bed until theinto ht before and had not started for hoht overhead By this time Bobby coon had sticks in his eyes He was so sleepy that it seeet hoh the Green Forest when he ca What do you think he did? Why, he crawled in there, and in two minutes was fast asleep, just as comfortable as if he had been in his own hollow tree

There Bobby slept all the rest of the day and until long after Mr Sun had pulled 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!” that waked hiht over his head

”Sa honest people like this!”

muttered Bobby coon, as he yawned and stretched At first he couldn't think where he was Then he re ready to crawl out of the hollow log, when he heard so which made him stop and try to sit up so suddenly that he bumped his head What he heard was the voice of Unc'

Billy Possu on the very log in which he hireatest joke that ever was!” said Unc' Billy ”Pretty soon nobody on the Green Meadows or in the Green Forest will speak to anybody else excepting ot all your ol' tricks with yo'”

”Yes,” replied a voice which Bobby coon had never heard before, but which he knew right awayto some one who had come from way down South where Unc' Billy Possum and Ol' Mistah Buzzard had coot all mah ol' tricks and some more But it's easy, Unc' Billy, it's easy to fool your new friends, because Ah reckon they never have been fooled this way before Don' yo' think it is ht Besides, if Ah' to do with wine to find yo' out We'll keep it up just a day or two longer Yo' cert'nly a other people's voices Ah wonder that Ol' Mistah Buzzard hasn't got his eye on yo' before now,” said Unc' Billy Possum

Bobby coon had becoet a peep at the stranger with Unc' Billy, but all he could see was a long tail of feathers Bobby waited until Unc' Billy and his friend had left Then he crawled out of the hollow log, and he was chuckling to himself

”I'll just have a little talk with Ol' Mistah Buzzard,” said Bobby to himself

XX

BOBBY coon AND OL' MISTAH BUZZARD HAVE A TALK

Bobby coon had spent the largest part of the forenoon sitting at the foot of the tall dead tree on which Ol' Mistah Buzzard likes to roost All the ti 'round and 'round in circles way up in the blue, blue sky, soh that to Bobby he looked like just a tiny speck Bobby had watched him until his own neck ached Mistah Buzzard hardly ever s He just sailed and sailed and sailed up and down and 'round and 'round, just as if it was no work at all but pure fun, as indeed it was

Bobby coon had waited so long that it was aler, but if you really want a thing, it is worth waiting for, and so Bobby gave a great sigh and tried to make hi down straight for the tall dead tree With two or three flaps of his great wings he settled down on his favorite perch and looked down at Bobby coon

”Good , Brer coon,” said Ol' Mistah Buzzard

”Goodvery well this ,” replied Bobby coon as politely as he kne

”Fair towell,” said Ol' Mistah Buzzard, with a twinkle in his eyes ”What can Ah do fo' yo'all?”

”If you please, Mistah Buzzard, you can tell me if there is anybody way down South where you come from who can make his voice sound just like the voices of other people Is there?” Bobby was using his very politest manner

”Cert'nly! Cert'nly!” chuckled Ol' Mistah Buzzard ”It's Mistah Mockah the Mocking-bird Why, that bird just likes to go around oes aroundand everybody he hears, until sometimes it seems like yo' couldn't be sure of yo' 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' a, Brer coon? What's that?” cried Ol' Mistah Buzzard, growing very excited

Then Bobby coon told Ol' Mistah Buzzard all about the trouble on the Green Meadows and in the Green Forest; how Sammy Jay had moved away to the Old Pasture so that no one could say that he screaht, and yet how his voice was still heard; how Sticky-toes the Tree Toad was alhbors said he was noisy, when all the tiht closed; and finally, how all the little meadow and forest people refused to speak to one another because of the s which had been overheard And Bobby told what he had overheard the night before when Unc' Billy Possu in which Bobby had been taking, a nap Ol' Mistah Buzzard chuckled