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Show Little Stories (or Bed Time - w T: I UNC BILLY POSSUM OBOWB HUNGRY Unc" Billy Paaanm a pent the very cold-eet cold-eet deya or winter curled up In hla warm. nu' nviiie ia a n nouow tree in me j Orettn Forest, t'nc' Billy didn't Ilka the ' cold weather. Sometimes ba would stick Ma head out of his doorway and then, as ha heard rough Brother North V4nd whooping through the Oreea Forest- he. would turn right around and go back to hla bed for another nap. And all the time be would ba saying: Way down aouf ds sun am shlnln'; Tes. sah, dat an sol Fo' dat Ian man heart am plnin". Tea, sah. dat am sol Da mocking bird sings all day; Da alligators dey am at play, De flowers dey am bloom! n' fair. An' man heart aches to be down there. Tea, sah. dat am so! Now, Unc' ntliy had prepared for tbe winter by getting Just sa fat as he knew how. He was so fat that he could hardly waddle when Jack Frost first came to the Oreen Forest. You - see. he knew that If he was very, very fat be wouldn't have to worry about getting anything- to eat, not for a lung time, anyway. Bo when the Ice and snow cams and Unc' Billy d sol dad that tt was more comfortable Indoors In-doors than outdoors he was almost sa fat as Johnny Chuck was when he went to slsep for the lone winter. Now, Johnny Cnuck Just slept and slept and slept without waking once the whole winter long. But Unc' Billy Possum could not sleep like that. He had to stick his i hsad out every little while to sse how the world was gsttlng along without htm. When the sun was bright and the air was not too cold, Uno Billy would sometimes ckmb down from his hollow tree and walk about a little on the snow to stretch his legs. But he didn't enjoy It much, ft made his fset cold, and then hs didn't like the tracks he mads He scowled at t hs m . f o r he k new wel I enough that If Farmer Brown's boy should hsppen along he would know right sway who had made those tracks and then would bunt for rno' Billy's boms In ths hollow tree. 8o Uno Billy didn't go out Tory much, end very seldom Indeed when the snow was soft. It seomed to Unc' Billy Possum as If the winter never, never wuuld gn. He waa beginning to grow thin now, and, of course, he was gsttlng hungry. He begsn to think about it and the more he i iiuuh in tiwui ii i ue nunarner no grsw. One morning he stuck his hsad out of his doorway and whom ahould he see trotting alone below hut Jimmy Skunk. Jimmy looked fat and comfortable and not t all aa If he minded the cold wrath, er. "Oood mo'nlng. Jimmy Skunk." aald Unc Billy Jimmy Skunk looked up. "Hello, Unc Billy!" he exclaimed. 'l haven't seen you for a long time!" "Whir vo' bean. Jimmy Skunk?" asked Unc Billy Jimmy winked one eye. "Getting my breakfast of nice, freah eggs." he replied. re-plied. Unc' Billy Possum's mouth began to water. "Did to' leave any?" he anx-loualy anx-loualy tnqulred. Jimmy Skunk allowed that he did and Unc' Billy gave a long sigh as hs watrbed Jimmy Skunk amble off up the Lons Little Path. Uno' Billy couldn't sleep any more now. No air, he couldn't aleep a wink. All he could do waa to think of bow hungrv he was. He would shut his eyas and then It seemed aa If ha could sse right into .Farmer Brown's henhouse end thsre were eggs, egsrs, eggs everywhere. Finally lrnc Billy made up his mind. I "A-h'tn going up there the very first -dark night!" seed ha |