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Show INQUISITIVE POSSU3I. IT WAS Mr. Owl who gave the v.ood folk tho, warning by calling out ono night, "Tn whom It mny concern I" At least the wood people know thnt hub what he meant, hut nnybody elsi might hnvc thought he Just cried. "To whoo, to v!hh!" So when nil the nnlmnls both great nnd small 1 ml gathered nround his tree he totd them that In hi opinion It was to be u very, very bard winter. That, of com so, inennt Unit they must begin right nwny to lay up stores for the cold, suowed-ln days, and everyone bestirred himself nt once to do this. 'Even Mrs. Habblt, who seldom made much preparation for tho winter days, begun to do up preserves, nil the f-inall bunnies were sent out with their 1ms-kcts 1ms-kcts to gatl er com and beans nnd beet tops and all sorts of good things. "If wo cannot get them green," said Mrs. Itnliblt to her neighbor, Mrs. Mr. Possum was specially Interests when he found thnt Mrs. Itnbblt was among other things, putting up n great deal of canned corn, and ho decided thnt when It was dark ho would Jus-take Jus-take a peek Into her pantry window and Bco how many cans she had. Illght In fiont of the window was n tree and one limb hung low enough so thnt Mr. IVwum with a little care could easily s lag himself from It and reach the pantry window. Now this might have been safi enough If the limb had been a gout one. but It wuiii't, and when Mr. Pos sum ran nloni It, before ho could evei get ready to swing, "crackle, snap,' went the Ihib nnd down went Mi Possum Into n barrel of whltcwnsl Mrs. Itnbblt h.id ready to use on he. llttlo house. And that was not tho worst of It. He ran home ho scared that he didn't-remember didn't-remember running at all after It was over. Mrs. IVsKiim didn't know him, but thought he was some terrible white creatuie come to carry off her children nnd flammed the door rlglr I In his face. ! .11 ..,.... 11- 11 .-., . ,. .... I aii mgni air. rosstnn una to sit out side, the whltewnsh dripping from hh rout, nnd In the morning, bright nnd early, nil the llttlo bunnies and Mr and Mrs. Itut.blt jis well were standing In front of tho house looking at him. Mrs. Itnbblt wanted to know what he meant by carrying oft some of her whltewnsh. "Mr. Itnbblt nnd I nnd nil the little bunnies trucked you, nnd you need not deny It," she said Mr. Possum did not try to deny It, for what was the use? Ho was all covered cov-ered with the white stufr. Hut ho did try to tell Mr. and Sirs. Itnbblt that It was all an accident, thnt he was Just running nlon.; the limb nnd off it broke and he happmed to fall into tho white wash. Mrs. Possum had found out It was her husband by this time, of course, und i-ho cmue out to say that what Mrs. Itnbblt could think they wnntcd of her whltewush was more than she could tell. Mrs. Itnbblt wiggled her nose nnd looked very wise. "Well," she said, "If that Is true. Mr.-Possum, that It was nil nn accident, why, of course, jthnt Ih nil thn-o Is to it, but you must udmlt that It did look Suspicious." Mr. Possum admitted that It did nnd off rnn tho Icnbblt family for home, but It was a long time before Mr. Possum could go abroad again, for the white coat he wore was to be plainly seen In tho daytime or ut night. (Copyright) |