[Ill.u.s.tration: MR. "c.o.o.n SAT UP IN THE FRONT SEAT]
Then Mr. Dog said he heard Mr. Man coming down his back stairs, and they all made a dive for the rear seat, and Mr. Dog put the cushion in place and was outside waiting and barking "Good morning" to Mr. Man when he opened the big barn doors.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MADE A DIVE FOR THE REAR SEAT]
Then the Hollow Tree people were nearly dead with scare. Mr. "Possum whispered that he knew that his heart was beating so loud that Mr. Man could hear it and would think his motor was going, and Mr. "c.o.o.n said if Mr. Man should ever move that back cushion he knew he should die. Mr.
Crow said he felt sure this was just some awful nightmare, and that he would wake up pretty soon, and he said of all the dreams he ever had, this was the worst.
But just then Mr. Man got hold of the crank in front of the car and gave it a turn, and then gave it another turn, and then said something, and gave it another turn, and suddenly the Hollow Tree people heard a great number of loud explosions which made them perfectly cold, and then there was just a heavy roar and rumble, and they heard Mr. Man say to Mr.
Dog, "Come, get in!" and they felt the automobile begin to move.
That was an awful sensation at first. They could feel that they were going, but the soft rubber wheels did not rattle on the road, and about the only sound was the motor, which they could tell was getting faster and faster as they got out into the smooth road across the Wide Gra.s.s Lands, and now and then Mr. Dog barking to them in Hollow Tree language that everything was all right and to rest easy and enjoy themselves--that they were just then pa.s.sing the Four Oaks, and that presently they would be in the Sugar Hollow Road, and that he wished they could see out and notice how things went spinning by. Then they heard Mr. Man tell Mr. Dog not to make so much noise, and after that things were quieter, and they just heard the steady buzz of the engine, until by and by Mr. Dog barked out that they were at Great Corners and were stopping in front of the store.
The Hollow Tree people whispered to one another that they had certainly enjoyed it, but what a terrible thing it would be if something should happen now, so far away from home, and among so many confusing things.
It seemed an age before Mr. Man came back to the car and got ready to start again, and when he did they heard him talking to some other Mr.
Man, who asked if he should put the things under the back seat. Then the Hollow Tree people nearly died, until they heard Mr. Man say, "No, never mind, I"m in too much of a hurry to get home; just drop them in behind there, any place," which made them feel a little better, and pretty soon Mr. Man started the motor again, and they felt the car moving faster and faster, the same as before.
The Hollow Tree people couldn"t see a thing, but they knew they were riding faster than ever, for they bounced about a good deal, and held on to one another and would have laughed at the fun if they hadn"t been too scared. They were pretty anxious for Mr. Man to get the car back into the barn, so they could scamper home as soon as he went in to breakfast, for they had had about all the excitement they wanted. But they got some more in a minute, for all of a sudden, just as Mr. Dog barked to them that they were in the edge of the Big Deep Woods and would be home soon, there came a good deal rougher b.u.mping, and then the car ran slow, and stopped, and they heard Mr. Man say, "A puncture, by gracious! Now I"ve got to put in a half hour at that pump!"
Those were awful words. He would be back there in a minute, and then what. For a second or two everything was silent, except that they heard Mr. Man getting out of the car, and they got ready to make a wild jump the moment he lifted the seat cover. But then--right at the instant when they expected him to do it--they heard Mr. Dog break right out into a great, big bark, shouting as loud as he could:
"_Come! Come! Come! Mr. Man--it"s up a tree!--it"s up a tree!--it"s up a tree!_" and they knew by the sound that he had jumped out and was calling to Mr. Man to come into the woods near the road, and then, a second later, they heard him call to them, in Hollow Tree words--"Now!
now! jump and run! Jump and run! Now! Now! _Now! Now!_"
And the Hollow Tree people didn"t have to be told again. All together, they gave a great big push at the cover of the back seat, and lifted it, cushion and all, and scrambled out, and over the side of the car and out the back, and were diving into the deep woods on the other side of the road from Mr. Man, who was looking up a tree and scolding Mr. Dog because he couldn"t see anything up there to bark at.
The Hollow Tree people didn"t wait to see how it came out, but took out for home, lickety-split, and didn"t stop until they were safe in the Hollow Tree. That night Mr. Dog came over to see how they had enjoyed it. He said Mr. Man called him several names because he had not been able to see anything up in the tree, and then had changed the tire and pumped it while Mr. Dog was getting calm. Mr. Man, he said, was surprised to find the back cushion had jumped out of place, but did not suspicion the truth.
Then they all talked it over several times, and were very proud of the great experience, though they decided that they would not try it again.
FOOTNOTES:
[4] See frontispiece.
MR. "POSSUM"S CAR
MR. "POSSUM SHOWS HE CAN INVENT THINGS, ESPECIALLY AN AUTOMOBILE LIKE MR. MAN"S
"You may remember," said the Story Teller, one evening, to the Little Lady, "my telling you about Mr. Man"s automobile, and how the Hollow Tree people, Mr. "c.o.o.n, Mr. "Possum, and the Old Black Crow, got a ride in it; how Mr. Dog helped them, you know, and just barely managed to keep them all from being caught by Mr. Man."
"Why, yes," said the Little Lady, "and I do hope they never wanted to take another. They didn"t, did they?"
[Ill.u.s.tration: HE USED TO WALK UP AND DOWN IN THE SUN AND SMOKE, THINKING AND THINKING]
Not in Mr. Man"s car--no, they had had enough of that, but they were very much excited over it, and thought if they could just sit up in the seat and ride, like Mr. Dog, and see things go by, and not be down under it, in the dark and danger, they would enjoy it more than anything. Mr.
"Possum thought about it, and talked about it, more than anybody, and after breakfast, while Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow were doing up the morning"s work, he used to walk up and down in the sun and smoke, thinking and thinking, for Mr. "Possum is quite thoughtful and a good hand to plan, when work doesn"t strain his mind.
Well, one morning, when Mr. Crow and Mr. "c.o.o.n were all through, and came out and sat on a log to smoke in the sun and admire Mr. "Possum, and think how smart he was and how well he looked for his age, he stopped all at once, right in front of them, and said:
"I"ve got it!" he said. "I can do it! I can make one as easy as anything!"
"Make what?" said the "c.o.o.n and the Old Black Crow, both together, quite excited.
"I can make an automobile," said Mr. "Possum. "I have planned it all out. I am going to commence now."
Then Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow took their pipes out of their mouths and looked at Mr. "Possum, but couldn"t say a word, they were so astonished.
But Mr. "Possum just threw his head back a little and blew some smoke, and said that it had been quite hard to plan and had taken all of his best thoughts, but that it seemed easy enough now, and that he might have it done by night.
Then the "c.o.o.n and the Crow did get excited, and said: "Oh yes, Mr.
"Possum, we"ll help you. Will you let us help you, Mr. "Possum?"
And Mr. Possum said that of course he would have to do the most, as he would have to show them how, but that they could do all the easy things, and he said they might begin by bringing down the big wood-box out of Mr. Crow"s kitchen, and the big wood-saw, and the hammer, and some nails, and any useful tool that they had borrowed from time to time from Mr. Man during his absence.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SIGHTED ACROSS IT TO SEE THAT THEY WERE KEEPING IT STRAIGHT]
So then Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow ran up and lugged down Mr. Crow"s big wood-box, and got the saw and all the other tools and things they could find, and brought them out to a shady place, for it was a fine spring day and getting quite warm, and Mr. "Possum showed them a round tree, quite large, that had blown down during the winter, and told them they might saw it in two, first, and then cut off four nice slices, two large and two smaller ones, for the four wheels. Mr. "Possum sat down on the end of the log and showed them just how to take hold of the saw, one at each end, and pull first one way and then the other, and walked around and sighted across it to see that they were keeping it straight, and got a little cooking-grease and put on it, so it would work faster, and Mr.
c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow worked, and sweat, and tugged, and panted, and said it was wonderful exercise, and by and by really did get the log sawed in two.
Mr. "Possum said they had done very well for the first cut, which was always the hardest, and that they"d all better rest and smoke a little, as his mind was quite tired with thinking. But in a few minutes he said they might try now to make a wheel, and see if they could do that as well; and Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow went at it again, and after a while got a slice of the tree cut off, quite smooth and about an inch thick, and Mr. "Possum said it would make a very good wheel, but that they would be likely to improve with each slice, and that they must be very careful to hold the saw just as he told them.
So then they rested and cut off another slice, and rested some more, and cut off another slice, until they had four slices, and were nearly ready to drop from being tired and hot, and were saying how fine it was to have that job done, when Mr. "Possum said that he had just remembered they would need one more slice, for his steering-wheel.
Well, Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow thought they would surely die before they got the last slice off, and Mr. "Possum brought some water and sprinkled a little on their foreheads, and at last that wheel was done, too, and they were all quite exhausted and lay in the shade a while to rest and talk about it. Mr. "Possum said it might take a little longer than he thought, to finish the automobile, and that it was better not to hurry so, as new thoughts were coming to him all the time. He said that next year they would make another and probably change the style a good deal.
Then when they were rested he showed them some nice straight limbs of the tree that they could saw off for the axles, and when they got those sawed off, which was easier to do, of course, he measured them and showed them how to shave the ends nice and smooth with Mr. Man"s drawing-knife, and how to cut out of a strong piece of board some things he called brackets for the back axle to turn in, because the back axle had to turn, and how to bore holes with Mr. Man"s auger, in the back wheels and drive them on tight, and how to bore holes in the front wheels and put them on loose with pegs to hold them on, because the front wheels have to turn, and how to bore a hole in the middle of the front axle and in the bottom of the big wood-box, for the steering-rod, because the wood-box was going to be used for the body, and the steering-rod would turn the front axle and hold it to the body at the same time.
Mr. "Possum said that he had noticed that on Mr. Man"s car the steering-rod did not stand straight up, but slanted a good deal, which seemed to him a mistake; no doubt if Mr. Man could see their car he would have his changed. Then the "c.o.o.n and the Old Black Crow said, "Of course," and that there never was anybody so smart to invent things as Mr. "Possum, and that it was too bad he couldn"t go over and suggest thoughts to Mr. Man.
The Hollow Tree people didn"t get their car done that first day, but they got it a good deal more than half done, and could hardly wait to get at it next morning. They hurried out right after breakfast, and Mr.
"Possum had Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow sawing, and boring, and shaving with Mr. Man"s drawing-knife, making the crank, which was a sort of double windla.s.s that stood up in the car over the back axle, built so two people could turn it; and there would be a strong strap that went down through a hole in the bottom of the car and around the axle to make that turn, too, which would drive the car. Then Mr. "Possum showed them how to make a seat for the front of the box, so he could sit on it and drive and steer, because that was the hardest thing to do, while Mr. Crow and Mr. "c.o.o.n only had to be the motor and work the windla.s.s. Then they got the strap off of Mr. "c.o.o.n"s trunk, because it was a very strong one, and put it on, and tightened it up, and Mr. "Possum said as far as he could see there was nothing more to be done with his car, now, but to use it. Of course he might think of new things later, to attach to it, but he didn"t see how he could improve it at present, and that they"d better take it out to the race-track and try it.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SO THEN MR. "POSSUM GOT UP INTO THE SEAT TO STEER]
So then Mr. "Possum got up into the seat to steer, and Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr.
Crow pushed, but it went pretty hard, until they put some grease on the wheels and transmission; after that it went better, but squeaked so loud that you could hear it all through the Big Deep Woods, and Mr. Rabbit came kiting over, and Mr. Robin and Mr. Squirrel came skipping among the trees, and Mr. Turtle came waddling up from the Wide Blue Water, to see what new thing was going on over at the Hollow Tree. And when they saw what the Hollow Tree people had made they could hardly speak for their surprise. And when they found out how Mr. "Possum had done all the hardest part--the planning it and showing how--they said they had never been so proud in their lives, just to be his friend, and they all helped push it over to the race-track, and when they got there Mr. "Possum invited Mr. Rabbit to sit in the front seat beside him, because Mr.
Rabbit was an author and would want to write something about it; and Mr.
Robin and Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Turtle went down the track a piece to see them dash by.
Then Mr. Crow and Mr. "c.o.o.n took hold of the windla.s.s, and Mr. "Possum told them not to start too suddenly or go too fast at first, as it might injure the transmission, which was quite delicate. So Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr.
Crow put a little strength on the windla.s.s, but it didn"t turn. Then they put some more on it, but it didn"t turn. Then they put all they had on it and it turned just a little bit, but very slow. Mr. "Possum said he didn"t think it would be dangerous to go a little faster, and Mr.
c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow turned with every bit of strength they had, and worked harder even than they had at sawing up the log, but still Mr. "Possum said he didn"t believe they were going quite as fast as Mr. Man"s car had travelled, and Mr. Turtle called to them that perhaps if he and the others pushed until they got it to going well, and the machinery warmed up, it might run better.
Mr. "Possum didn"t much like to have his car pushed, but he said that Mr. Man"s car didn"t always start well, either, and very likely had to be pushed sometimes. So then Mr. Turtle and Mr. Squirrel got one on each corner, and Mr. Robin went ahead to kick stones out of the road, and Mr.
"Possum said "Ready!" and everybody did his best, and the Deep Woods automobile squeaked and squealed and started down the race-track pretty fast, but not always keeping in the middle of it, because Mr. "Possum couldn"t steer perfectly the first time, and went from one side of the road to the other, and said it was because they didn"t push evenly, and he was as proud as could be of his great invention. Then Mr. Squirrel and Mr. Turtle gave it one big push, and let go, and Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr.