he forgot all about them being
friends.

But just then he happened to see Mr. Crow and Mr. 'Coon rolling on the
ground and laughing, and he looked down to see what had him and found he
was tied to a tree, and he knew that they had played a joke on him. That
made him pretty mad at first, and he said if he ever got loose he'd pay
them back for their smartness.

[Illustration: SO MR. 'POSSUM PROMISED, AND MR. 'COON UNTIED HIM]

Then Mr. 'Coon told him he most likely never would get loose if he
didn't promise not to do anything, so Mr. 'Possum promised, and Mr. Coon
untied him. Mr. 'Possum said he guessed the chicken must have been
pretty hard to digest, and he knew it was pretty salty, for he was dying
for a good cold drink.

Then Mr. 'Coon said he knew where there was a spring over beyond the
wall that had colder water than the brook, and he'd show them the way to
it. So they climbed over the wall and slipped through the bushes to the
spring, and all took a nice cold drink, and just as they raised their
heads from drinking they heard somebody say something. And they all kept
perfectly still and listened, and they heard it again, just beyond some
bushes.

[Illustration: "AND WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY SAW?"]

So then they crept softly in among the green leaves and branches and
looked through, and what do you think they saw?

The Story Teller turns to the Little Lady, who seems a good deal
excited.

"Why, why, what did they see?" she says. "Tell me, quick!"

"Why," the Story Teller goes on, "they saw the Little Lady and the Story
Teller having a picnic too, with all the nice things spread out by a
rock, under the hemlock-trees."

"Oh," gasps the Little Lady, "did they really see us? and are they there
now?"

"They might be," says the Story Teller. "The Hollow Tree People slip
around very softly. Anyway, they were there then, and it was the first
time they had ever seen the Little Lady and the Story Teller so close.
And they watched them until they were all through with their picnic and
had gathered up their things. Then the 'Coon and the 'Possum and Old
Black Crow slipped away again, and crept over the wall and gathered up
their own things and set out for home very happy."

The Little Lady grasps the Story Teller's hand.

"Let's go and see their picnic place!" she says. "They may be there
now."

So the Little Lady and the Story Teller go softly down to the spring
and get a drink; then they creep across to th