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XVI
A MATTER OF POLITENESS
It costs not much to be polite And, furthermore, it"s always right.
Unc" Billy Possum and Jimmy Skunk, facing each other among the Black Shadows close by a hole that led under Farmer Brown"s henhouse, chuckled as each thought of what had brought the other there. It is queer how a like thought often brings people together. Unc" Billy had the same longing in his stomach that Jimmy Skunk had, and Jimmy Skunk had the same thing on his mind that Unc" Billy had. More than this, it was the second time that day that they had met. They had met in the morning in the Green Forest and now they had met again among the Black Shadows of the evening at Farmer Brown"s henhouse. And it was all on account of eggs. Yes, Sir, it was all on account of eggs.
"Are you just coming out, or are you just going in?" Jimmy inquired politely.
"Ah was just going in, but Ah"ll follow yo", Brer Skunk," replied Unc"
Billy just as politely.
"Nothing of the kind," returned Jimmy. "I wouldn"t for a minute think of going before you. I hope I know my manners better than that."
"Yo" cert"nly are most polite, Brer Skunk. Yo" cert"nly are most polite.
Yo" are a credit to your bringing up, but politeness always did run in your family. There is a saying that han"some is as han"some does, and your politeness is as fine as yo" are han"some, Brer Skunk. Ah"ll just step one side and let yo" go first just to show that Ah sho"ly does appreciate your friendship," said Unc" Billy.
Jimmy Skunk chuckled. "I guess you"ve forgotten that other old saying, "Age before beauty," Unc" Billy," said he. "So you go first. You know you are older than I. I couldn"t think of being so impolite as to go first. I really couldn"t think of such a thing."
And so they argued and argued, each insisting in the most polite way that the other should go first. If the truth were known, neither of them was insisting out of politeness at all. No, Sir, politeness had nothing to do with it Jimmy Skunk wanted Unc" Billy to go first because Jimmy believes in safety first, and it had popped into Jimmy"s head that there might, there just might, happen to be a trap inside that hole. If there was, he much preferred that Unc" Billy should be the one to find it out.
Yes, Sir, that is why Jimmy Skunk was so very polite.
Unc" Billy wanted Jimmy to go first because he always feels safer behind Jimmy than in front of him. He has great respect for that little bag of scent that Jimmy carries, and he knows that when Jimmy makes use of it, he always throws it in front and never behind him. Jimmy seldom uses it, but sometimes he does if he happens to be startled and thinks danger near. So Unc" Billy preferred that Jimmy should go first. It wasn"t politeness at all on the part of Unc" Billy. In both cases it was a kind of selfishness. Each was thinking of self.
How long they would have continued to argue and try to appear polite if something hadn"t happened, n.o.body knows. But something did happen. There was a sudden loud sniff just around the corner of the henhouse. It was from Bowser the Hound. Right then and there Unc" Billy Possum and Jimmy Skunk forgot all about politeness, and both tried to get through that hole at the same time. They couldn"t, because it wasn"t big enough, but, they tried hard. Bowser sniffed again, and this time Unc" Billy managed to squeeze Jimmy aside and slip through. Jimmy was right at his heels.
XVII
JIMMY SKUNK GETS A b.u.mP
Hardly had Jimmy Skunk entered the hole under Farmer Brown"s henhouse, following close on the heels of Unc" Billy Possum, than along came Bowser the Hound, sniffing and sniffing in a way that made Unc" Billy nervous. When Bowser reached that hole, of course he smelled the tracks of Unc" Billy and Jimmy, and right away he became excited. He began to dig. Goodness, how he did make the dirt fly! All the time he whined with eagerness.
Unc" Billy wasted no time in squeezing through a hole in the floor way over in one corner, a hole that Farmer Brown"s boy had intended to nail a board over long before. Unc" Billy knew that Bowser couldn"t get through that, even if he did manage to dig his way under the henhouse.
Once through that and fairly in the henhouse, Unc" Billy drew a long breath. He felt safe for the time being, anyway, and he didn"t propose to worry over the future.
Jimmy Skunk hurried after Unc" Billy. It wasn"t fear that caused Jimmy to hurry. No, indeed, it wasn"t fear. He had been startled by the unexpectedness of Bowser"s appearance. It was this that had caused him to struggle to be first through that hole under the henhouse. But once through, he had felt a bit ashamed that he had been so undignified. He wasn"t afraid of Bowser. He was sorely tempted to turn around and send Bowser about his business, as he knew he very well could. But he thought better of it. Besides, Unc" Billy was already through that hole in the floor, and Jimmy didn"t for a minute forget what had brought him there. He had come for eggs, and so had Unc" Billy. It would never do to let Unc" Billy be alone up there for long. So Jimmy Skunk did what he very seldom does--hurried. Yes, Sir, he hurried after Unc" Billy Possum.
He meant to make sure of his share of the eggs he was certain were up there.
There was a row of nesting boxes along one side close to the floor.
Above these was another row and above these a third row. Jimmy doesn"t climb, but Unc" Billy is a famous climber.
"I"ll take these lower nests," said Jimmy, and lifted his tail in a way that made Unc" Billy nervous.
"All right," replied Unc" Billy promptly. "All right, Brer Skunk. It"s just as yo" say."
With this, Unc" Billy scrambled up to the next row of nests. Jimmy grinned and started to look in the lower nests. He took his time about it, for that is Jimmy"s way. There was nothing in the first one and nothing in the second one and nothing in the third one. This was disappointing, to say the least, and Jimmy began to move a little faster. Meanwhile Unc" Billy had hurried from one nest to another in the second row with no better success. By the time Jimmy was half-way along his row Unc" Billy bad begun on the upper row, and the only eggs he had found were hard china nest-eggs put there by Farmer Brown"s boy to tempt the hens to lay in those particular nests. Disappointment was making Unc" Billy lose his temper. Each time he peeped in a nest and saw one of those china eggs, he hoped it was a real egg, and each time when he found it wasn"t he grew angrier.
At last he so lost his temper that when he found another of those eggs he angrily kicked it out of the nest. Now it happened that Jimmy Skunk was just underneath. Down fell that hard china egg squarely on Jimmy Skunk"s head. For just a minute Jimmy saw stars. At least, he thought he did. Then he saw the egg, and knew that Unc" Billy had knocked it down, and that it was this that had hit him. Jimmy was sore at heart because he had found no eggs, and now he had a b.u.mp on the head that also was sore. Jimmy Skunk lost his temper, a thing he rarely does.
XVIII
A SAD, SAD QUARREL
Jimmy Skunk sat on the floor of Farmer Brown"s henhouse, rubbing his head and glaring up at the upper row of nests with eyes red with anger.
Of course it was dark in the henhouse, for it was night, but Jimmy can see in the dark, just as so many other little people who wear fur can.
What he saw was the anxious looking face of Unc" Billy Possum staring down at him.
"You did that purposely!" snapped Jimmy. "You did that purposely, and you needn"t tell me you didn"t."
"On mah honor Ah didn"t," protested Unc" Billy. "It was an accident, just a sho" "nuff accident, and Ah"m right sorry fo" it."
"That sounds very nice, but I don"t believe a word of it. You did it purposely, and you can"t make me believe anything else. Come down here and fight. I dare you to!" Jimmy was getting more and more angry every minute.
Unc" Billy began to grow angry. Of course, it was wholly his fault that that egg had fallen, but it wasn"t his fault that Jimmy had happened to be just beneath. He hadn"t known that Jimmy was there. He had apologized, and he felt that no one could do more than that. Jimmy Skunk had doubted his word, had refused to believe him, and that made him angry. His little eyes glowed with rage.
"If yo" want to fight, come up here. I"ll wait fo" yo" right where Ah am," he sputtered.
This made Jimmy angrier than ever. He couldn"t climb up there, and he knew that Unc" Billy knew it. Unc" Billy was perfectly safe in promising to wait for him.
"You"re a coward, just a plain no-account coward!" snapped Jimmy. "I"m not going to climb up there, but I"ll tell you what I am going to do; I"m going to wait right down here until you come down, if it isn"t until next year. n.o.body can drop things on my head and not get paid back. I thought you were a friend, but now I know better."
"Wait as long as yo" please. Ah reckons Ah can stay as long as yo" can,"
retorted Unc" Billy, grinding and snapping his teeth.
"Suit yourself," retorted Jimmy. "I"m going to pay you up for that b.u.mp on my head or know the reason why."
And so they kept on quarreling and calling each other names, for the time being quite forgetting that they were where they had no business to be, either of them. It really was dreadful. And it was all because both had been sadly disappointed. They had found no eggs where they had been sure they would find plenty. You see, Farmer Brown"s boy had gathered every egg when he shut the biddies up for the night. Did you ever notice what a bad thing for the temper disappointment often is?
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XIX