Is that so?" said Mr. Bear. "Why, I heard as I came along that Mr.
'Coon was out yesterday and was never looking better."

"All a mistake--all a mistake, Mr. Bear. Must have been his cousin from
Rocky Hollow. They look very much alike. I'm greatly worried about Mr.
'Coon."

"Oh, well," said Mr. Savage Bear, "it doesn't matter much. Mr. 'Possum
will do just as well. So fine and fat, I am told--I was quite reminded
of one of Mr. Man's pigs I once enjoyed."

[Illustration: WHEN MR. 'POSSUM HEARD THAT HE FAINTED DEAD AWAY]

When Mr. 'Possum heard that he fainted dead away, but was not so far
gone that he couldn't hear what Mr. Crow said. Mr. Crow wiped his eyes
with a new handkerchief before he said anything.

"Oh, Mr. Bear," he called back, "it's so sad about Mr. 'Possum. We shall
never see his like again. He had such a grand figure, and such a good
appetite--and to think it should prove his worst enemy."

"Why--what's the matter--what's happened? You don't mean to say--"

"Yes, that's it--the appetite was too strong for him--it carried him
off. Mr. 'Coon and I did our best to supply it. That is what put Mr.
'Coon to bed and I am just a shadow of my old self. We worked to save
our dear Mr. 'Possum. We hunted nights and we hunted days, to keep him
in chicken pie with dumplings and gravy, but that beautiful appetite of
his seemed to grow and grow until we couldn't keep up with it, this hard
year, and one day our noble friend said:

"'Don't try any more--the more I eat the more I want--good-by.'"

Mr. Crow wiped his eyes again, while Mr. Bear grumbled to himself
something about a nice state of affairs; but pretty soon he seemed to
listen, for Mr. 'Possum was smacking his lips, thinking of those chicken
pies Mr. Crow had described, and Mr. Bear has very quick ears.

"Mr. Crow," he said, "do you think Mr. 'Possum is really as dead as he
might be?"

"Oh yes, Mr. Bear--at least twice as dead, from the looks of him" (for
Mr. 'Possum had suddenly fainted again). "We're just waiting for the
ground to thaw to have the funeral."

"Well, Mr. Crow, I think I'll just come up and take a look at the
remains, and visit _you_ a little, and maybe say a word to poor Mr.
'Coon."

When Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum heard that they climbed out of their beds
and got under them, for they didn't know what might happen next.

And they heard Mr. Crow say: "I'm awfully sorry, Mr. Bear, but the
down-stairs door is locked, and bolted, and bar