r always carries an ax
ter chop down ther tree when he finds a coon in it. But he wa'n't goin'
ter chop down this tree none."

"What did he want with the ax, then?"

"I'll soon tell yer. First he chops down a small tree, an' he makes a
wedge with an edge erbout ther size o' yer little finger, an' he waits
until ther tree breathes ergin. Then he slips ther wedge in, an' hammers
it home.

"'Ha, ha!' says he ter ther tree, 'ye'll make monkey-shines with me,
holdin' me by ther coat tails, will yer?' An' all ther time he is
choppin' out another wedge, bigger than ther first.

"As he keeps choppin' out, an' shovin' bigger an' bigger wedges inter
ther crack, he hears noises comin' from ther tree like what he ain't
never heard before. But ther tree is beginnin' ter give out crackin'
noises, too, like as if it was splittin'.

"While this is goin' on Ballyhoo is makin' a terrible fuss, an' jest
tryin' ter tear ther tree down with his claws. At last ther tree busts
plumb open, an' what d'yer think Unc' Fletch sees?"

Neither Ted nor Carl replied. What the tree contained was a thing
unguessable, but Carl's eyes were as big as saucers as he stared at Bud,
awaiting the solution of the mystery.

"What did it contain?" asked Ted at last.

"It was plumb full o' coons," said Bud solemnly. "Thar must 'a' been two
hundred coons in that tree. It was a regular coon hotel. They made it a
sort o' winter colony. Every coon fer miles eround made it home."

"But that doesn't explain the crack in the tree and the strange way in
which it opened and closed."

"That's easy now that yer knows that the tree was holler an' plumb full
o' coons."

"I don't see it yet."

"Why, it wuz like this: Every time them coons drew a long breath it
expanded ther tree so that it opened a crack, an' when their lungs
filled the crack opened wide. Then, when they let out thar breath ag'in,
ther crack closed tight ag'in. Unc' Fletch happened ter lean up ag'in
ther tree jest ez ther crack closed, an' that's how his coat tails got
caught."

"And what became of all those coons?" asked Ted.

"Yer see they got inter ther tree through a hole in ther top. Unc'
Fletch didn't dare leave ther tree alone, so he tied a note ter Ballyhoo
an' sent him back ter ther village fer a carpenter. When ther carpenter
come they put a roof on ther tree an' made a door at ther bottom, an'
let ther coons out one at a time. By this means they got every dodgasted
coon in them wood