Mr. Owl, who was watching them from a limb overhead, thought he had
never heard anything quite so fine.

Well, they couldn't get along very fast, for the things got so heavy and
they had to rest so often that it began to look as if they wouldn't get
to the Hollow Tree by morning. But just as they got out into a little
open place that was about half-way there they saw somebody coming, and
who do you suppose it was?

"I know," says the Little Lady, "it was the Old Wise Man of the Woods,
to tell them they couldn't have his house."

"No, he didn't live there any more--he had gone away for good. No, it
wasn't the Old Wise Man; it was Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Turtle, coming to
help them move. Mr. Rabbit had gone all the way to the Wide Blue Water
after Mr. Turtle because he is so strong, and they would have been there
a good deal sooner, only Mr. Turtle didn't get home till late, and
travels slow."

[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM SAID HE'D JUST GET ON AND HOLD THE THINGS]

Well, it wasn't so hard to move after that. They just set the cook-stove
on Mr. Turtle's back and piled on as much as would stay on, and he kept
telling them to put on more, until pretty soon Mr. 'Possum said that he
would just get on and hold the things from slipping off, which he did,
and sat on the stove and rode and swung his feet and held the other
things, while Mr. Crow and the rest walked and carried what was left.

And when they got to the Hollow Tree it was just about sun-up, and Mr.
'Possum said if they didn't have breakfast pretty soon he would starve
to death with being up all night and working so hard holding on those
things.

[Illustration: MR. 'POSSUM AND MR. 'COON TRIED TO PUT UP THE STOVE]

So then Mr. Crow told him that he and Mr. 'Coon could set up the stove,
and that he would unpack the food and stir up something as quick as he
could if the others would bring a little wood and some water from the
spring, and place the things around inside; for he saw a cloud coming,
he said, and it might rain. And Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon tried to put
up the stove in a hurry, and the pieces of pipe didn't fit very well,
and they came as near having a quarrel over it as they ever did over
anything, for even the best friends can't always put up stovepipe
together without thinking and sometimes saying unpleasant things about
each other, especially when they are hungry and not very warm and the
house is all upset. Mr. 'Coon said he only wished he had another