Now Unc’ Billy was hardly out of sight when along came Bobby Coon.  Bobby Coon was absent-minded, or else he was so sleepy that he didn’t know what he was doing, for Bobby Coon had been out all night.  Anyway, when he reached Unc’ Billy Possum’s hollow tree, he began to climb up it just as if it were his own.  He looked in at Unc’ Billy’s door.  There was the most comfortable bed that he had seen for a long time.  He looked this way and he looked that way.  Nobody was in sight.  Then he looked in at Unc’ Billy’s door once more.  That bed certainly did look soft and comfortable.  Bobby Coon chuckled to himself.

“I believe I’ll just see if that bed is as comfortable as it looks,” said he.

And two minutes later Bobby Coon was curled up fast asleep in Unc’ Billy Possum’s bed.

V

BOBBY COON IS WAKED UP

   “Dey’s a-coming, dey’s a-coming, dey’s a-coming mighty soon. 
    But dey can’t come soon enuff fo’ me! 
    Dey’s a-coming, dey’s a-coming at de turning ob de moon,
    Whar Ah waits in mah ol’ holler tree!”

Unc’ Billy Possum was singing to himself, as he slowly trudged home from Farmer Brown’s hen-house.  He was feeling very good, very good indeed, was Unc’ Billy Possum.  No one appreciates strictly fresh eggs more than Unc’ Billy does, and he had found more than he could eat waiting for him in Farmer Brown’s hen-house.  Now his stomach was full, his house had been cleaned and put to rights, ready for his family when they should arrive from “Ol’ Virginny,” and he had nothing to do but wait for them.  So he trudged along and sang in a funny, cracked voice.

Presently he came to his big hollow tree and started to climb up to the door of his house.  Half way up he broke off short in the middle of his song and sat down on a convenient branch.  He put one ear against the trunk of the tree and listened.  Then he put the other ear against the tree and listened.  There certainly was a funny noise, and it seemed to come from right inside his hollow tree.  Unc’ Billy turned and looked up at his doorway, scratching his head thoughtfully with one hand.

“Mah goodness!” said Unc’ Billy, “it cert’nly sounds like there was somebody in mah house!”

Then very softly Unc’ Billy crept up to his doorway and peeped in.  It was dark inside, so that Unc’ Billy could see little else than that his nice, freshly made, comfortable bed was all mussed up.  But if he couldn’t see, he could hear.  Oh, yes, indeed, Unc’ Billy could hear perfectly well, and what he heard was a snore!  There was some one in Unc’ Billy’s house, and more than that, they were fast asleep in Unc’ Billy’s bed.

“Mah goodness!  Mah goodness!” exclaimed Unc’ Billy Possum, and his two sharp little eyes began to snap.  Then he stuck his head in at the door and shouted: 

“Hi, yo’all!  What yo’ doing in mah house?”