p the rest. But I hadn't, for it
all happened just as I have been telling it now. I don't know whether
Mr. Man makes stars on the Fourth of July every year or not. I could
have gone back to see if I had wanted to, but I didn't want to. I saw
him do it once, which was plenty; and if he hadn't wasted a lot of his
stuff we would have some finer stars than any I can see up there now."

Mr. Rabbit smoked thoughtfully a minute. Then he said: "That is
certainly a very remarkable story, but I can't believe that those were
real stars that Mr. Man and his family were making. I think those must
all have been just shooting stars, and meteors, and comets and such
things, that are always flying about and changing. There is a story in
my family that accounts for the other stars, and seems more probable,
because it happened a very long time ago, when 'most anything could be
true and when all the first things began."

"Very likely," said the 'Coon, "but what I saw was plenty true enough to
suit me, while it lasted."

FOOTNOTES:

[6] "On the Edge of the World," in _The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods
Book_.

MR. RABBIT'S STAR STORY

JACK RABBIT TELLS OF HIS GRANDPAW'S
LONG LADDER THAT TOUCHED THE SKY

This is the story that Jack Rabbit told to the Hollow Tree people when
they sat together on the edge of the world, and hung their feet over the
Big Nowhere and looked at the stars.

"Well," he said, "you may remember my telling you once about the moon
being a world, and how, a long time ago, my folks used to live there,
and all slid off one day, when the moon tipped up on its edge, and they
were not holding on."

Mr. 'Possum said that he remembered quite well, and that Mr. Rabbit's
story had seemed to explain everything--at the time. Of course, he said,
an explanation couldn't be expected to last forever, and if Mr. Rabbit
would like to make a new one, that would be even better, they would be
glad to hear it, because Mr. Rabbit's stories were always interesting,
even when doubtful, and besides--

Mr. Rabbit didn't wait for Mr. 'Possum to get done. He said it was one
of those conversations that could be finished any time and didn't need
any audience. "Perhaps Mr. 'Possum wouldn't mind waiting," he said,
until the others had told their stories and gone home. Then he went
right on to tell _his_ story, like this:

"The sky is also a world--as big a world as this is, with a wide,
rounding floor that looks blue in the daytim