abbit.[3] He couldn't do any of those things as well as the
others, he said, so he would just make a little speech called:

MR. MAN

"Mr. Man is my friend, and we live together. He is always my friend,
though you might not suspect it, sometimes, the things he says to me.
But he is, and I am Mr. Man's friend, through thick and thin.

"I am also the friend, now, of the Deep Woods people, and expect to
remain so, because I have learned to know them and they have learned to
know me. That is the trouble about the Deep Woods people and Mr. Man.
They don't know each other. The Deep Woods people think that Mr. Man is
after them, and there is some truth in it, because Mr. Man thinks the
Deep Woods people are after him, or his property, when, of course, all
Deep Woods people know that it was never intended that Mr. Man should
own all the chickens, and they are obliged to borrow one, now and then,
in order to have chicken pie, such as has been served on this happy
occasion.

"I am looking forward to the day when Mr. Man will understand this, as
well as the Hollow Tree people do, and will become friendly and open his
heart and hen-house to all who would enter in."

[Illustration: CALLED FOR THE FEATHER BED]

Mr. Dog's speech made quite a sensation. Mr. 'Possum, especially, said
it was probably the greatest speech of modern times, and was going on to
say more when Mr. 'Coon whispered to him that it was their turn on the
program. So then Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum got up, side by side, and Mr.
'Possum walked rather soggily, because he had eaten so much, though he
managed to get up a little hickory-tree and out on a smooth, straight
limb while Mr. 'Coon climbed up another, a few feet away. Then all at
once Mr. 'Possum dropped and held by his tail, which was hooked around
the limb, and Mr. 'Coon dropped and held by his hands, and then began to
swing; and pretty soon, when Mr. 'Coon was swung out nearly straight in
Mr. 'Possum's direction, he let go and turned over in the air and caught
Mr. 'Possum's hands, and they both swung, and everybody cheered and said
that was the finest thing yet. Then they went right on swinging--Mr.
'Possum holding by his tail, until they got a good start, and pretty
soon Mr. 'Possum gave Mr. 'Coon a big swing, expecting him to turn clear
over and catch his own limb again. But Mr. 'Possum and Mr. 'Coon had
both eaten a good deal, and Mr. 'Coon didn't get a very good start. He