ONCE upon a time Mr. Dog came over to have supper with the Hollow Tree people, and to tell them some news. This, of course, was after he had become good friends with the "c.o.o.n and "Possum and the Old Black Crow, and enjoyed dropping in for a smoke and a little conversation, especially about Mr. Man"s doings, which always interested the Hollow Tree people and their friends.
So on this particular night, when the supper-things had been cleared away, and they all had lit their pipes and Mr. Dog was sitting outside to enjoy the mild evening, he told them something very astonishing. He said he supposed that they had now over at their house (meaning, of course, at Mr. Man"s house) the most wonderful thing in the world. He said it was called an automobile, and was a kind of large carriage, but the strange part about it was that it went without any horse or any kind of live thing at all. When Mr. Man brought it home, Mr. Dog said, their Mr. Horse had been looking over the fence into the road, and when he saw that strange object, with Mr. Man sitting in it, holding to a wheel, go flying by, twice as fast as Mr. Horse could run, also making much more noise, and trailing smoke, Mr. Horse gave one snort and took out for the back lots, and they hadn"t seen him since. Mr. Dog owned that he himself had thought it best to go under the house, and that he had spent a good deal of the first day there watching Mr. Man open a number of doors and covers that were attached to the new machine, which seemed to be full of sudden noises that Mr. Man could stop whenever he wanted to, though he was not always able to start them with the handle that he turned for that purpose. Sometimes Mr. Man had to turn the handle until he was quite weak before he could get a single noise, and without the noise the carriage would not start.
Mr. Dog said that at first he had been rather uncertain in his feelings toward the automobile, but that, little by little, he had felt more friendly and had come up closer to look at it, only going back under the house again when it started one of those sudden sounds which seemed to make his head ache. Then he got used to those, too, and about the third day Mr. Man suddenly caught him by the collar and invited him to ride, and put him in the back of the carriage, and tied him there with a strong rope so he wouldn"t fall out, and so n.o.body would steal him, because Mr. Man valued him so highly.
Mr. Dog said that when the automobile started he almost wished he _could_ fall out, at first, or that somebody would steal him, because he was sure it would affect his heart, and that when they got to going faster and faster he forgot about the rope, and even tried to jump out, but the rope was quite a good one, and probably saved his life. Then pretty soon he didn"t want to jump out any more, and laid down on the floor to enjoy it, and was sorry to get home. When Mr. Man was ready to start, next time, Mr. Dog jumped in himself, and the faster they went the better he liked it, and now when they went he often sat up in the front seat by the side of Mr. Man, and if the car was all full of Mr.
Man"s folks he sometimes sat behind on the top when it was folded back for fine weather. Mr. Dog said there was nothing in the world that he loved so much as to ride in an automobile and to go fast. He said they often went so fast that they pa.s.sed some of the birds, and that then he would bark loudly to show his enjoyment.
Well, when the Hollow Tree people heard about Mr. Man"s automobile they at first could hardly say anything at all. Then Mr. "Possum said he supposed what made it go was some kind of clockwork that Mr. Man wound up when he turned that crank; and Mr. Crow thought he must build a fire in it to make the smoke come out behind. Mr. Dog didn"t know, himself, just how the machinery went in, but that Mr. Man called it a motor and had ever so many names for different parts of it, and sometimes said strong words when he took one of the parts out and couldn"t get it back again without trouble. The wheels ran on rubber, he said, rubber filled with air, which Mr. Man pumped into them, and when anything happened to let the air out they had to stop, and then Mr. Man would change the rubber wheel and pump a good deal, and say strong words again, especially when it was warm. Mr. Dog said it was a great comfort to sit back in the shade at such times, and watch Mr. Man pump, and hear him say all the things that he used to say to Mr. Dog himself when he had made some little mistake or had come home later than usual. He said he had never prized anything in his life so much as he had that car, which was what Mr. Man generally called it.
Well, the Hollow Tree people were certainly excited. They said they surely must see that new carriage of Mr. Man"s, and if Mr. Dog would send them word some day when he was going out they would hide in the bushes by the road and watch him go by. Mr. Dog said he would do that, and that he and Mr. Man generally took an early ride together, before the rest of the family were stirring, to get some things at the store down at Great Corners--mostly, of late, things for the automobile, which seemed to consume a great deal of smelly liquid, and oils, and all kinds of hardware.
Then Mr. "c.o.o.n said he would give anything in the world to see that automobile going by with the smoke streaming out behind, and Mr. Dog sitting up in the front seat. Mr. Crow said he would give anything in the world to see that, and to slip over to Mr. Man"s barn some time when n.o.body was at home, and really examine the new object, and maybe sit in the seats a little. And Mr. "Possum said he would give a good deal for all that, but that what he really wanted to do was to sit in the car and ride, like Mr. Dog, as fast as the thing could go.
Then Mr. "c.o.o.n and Mr. Crow both together said, "Oh, we never could do that--never in the world!" and Mr. Dog didn"t say anything at all--not at first--but sat thinking. Then by and by he said, all at once:
"I know," he said--"I know a way that you can get to take a ride in our new car.[4] There is quite a big s.p.a.ce under the back seat where Mr. Man keeps his pump and sometimes other things, but he keeps most of his things in a tool-box on the side, and only looks into the back-seat place when he needs the pump. When we start out for a long trip he puts Mrs. Man"s and Miss Man"s extra hats and things in there, but there are none of those articles there now. So if you should come over very early to-morrow morning, before Mr. Man is up, and get into that place under the back seat, you would have just about room enough, and while you couldn"t see much, except maybe a little of the road through cracks in the bottom, you would be riding all the time, and always afterward could tell how it felt."
Well, that was such a scary thought that at first the Hollow Tree people couldn"t do anything but just sit and shiver and think about how grand and exciting it would be, but how awful if anything should happen.
Suppose Mr. Man should have to use his pump, what would be likely to happen then? No one could tell. Mr. Dog said they would have to jump and step lively then, sure enough.
[Ill.u.s.tration: "MR. "POSSUM TRIED TO TURN THE CRANK A LITTLE"]
[Ill.u.s.tration: MR. "c.o.o.n SAT UP IN THE FRONT SEAT]
So then they talked about it and gave up the thought, and went on talking about it and giving it up some more, until Mr. "Possum said that, so far, the worst had never happened to him yet, and that he would take chances if the rest would; and Mr. "c.o.o.n said it would probably be the end of all of them, but he"d risk it; and Mr. Crow said he wouldn"t care to pa.s.s his life in the Hollow Tree alone, and he might as well go with the others. Then Mr. Dog skipped home as fast as he could go, to listen around and see what Mr. Man"s plans were for the next morning, so he would know if they were going on their early trip to Great Corners, as usual, or on some excursion. But he didn"t hear anything about a picnic before bedtime, and next morning he was up a little before day, and pretty soon the Hollow Tree people came slipping over, nearly scared to death, and Mr. Dog let them in by his special door to the barn, and they all looked at the automobile, and Mr. "Possum tried to turn the crank a little, and Mr. "c.o.o.n sat up in the front seat and took hold of the steering-wheel and pretended to be driving, and Mr.
Crow said he didn"t see how a thing that seemed so cold and dead as that could suddenly come to life and move.
[Ill.u.s.tration: MADE A DIVE FOR THE REAR 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.
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.
FOOTNOTE:
[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 Storyteller, 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]