But Mr. Turtle, who had been sitting with his eyes shut and looking as
if he were asleep, knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and said that what
Mr. 'Possum had told them was true--at least, _some_ of it was true; for
he himself had been sitting in the door of his house on the shore of the
Wide Blue Water when the balloon passed over, and he had seen Uncle
Silas Lovejoy's family sitting up there anchored and comfortable; and he
had picked up a chair that Uncle Silas had dropped, and he had it in his
house to this day, it being a good strong chair and better than any that
was made nowadays.

Well, of course after that nobody said anything about Mr. 'Possum's
story not being true, for they remembered how old and wise Mr. Turtle
was and could always prove things, and they all talked about it a great
deal, and asked Mr. 'Possum a good many questions.

They said how nice it was to know somebody who had had an adventure like
that, and Mr. Rabbit changed his seat so he could be next to Mr.
'Possum, because he said he wanted to write it all down to keep.

And Mr. 'Possum said he never would forget how good those chickens
tasted that first night in the new home, and that Mr. Rabbit mustn't
forget to put them in.

Then they all remembered that they were hungry now, and Mr. Crow and Mr.
Squirrel and Mr. Robin hustled around to get a bite to eat before
bedtime, and Mr. 'Possum hurried down to bring up the stove-wood, and
was gone quite awhile, though nobody spoke of it--not then--even if they
did wonder about it a little--and after supper they all sat around the
fire again and smoked and dropped off to sleep while the clock ticked
and the blaze flickered about and made queer shadows on the wall of the
Hollow Tree.

FOOTNOTES:

[2] _Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book_.

THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF

THE BARK OF OLD HUNGRY-WOLF

HOW THE HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE HAVE A MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR, AND WHAT
BECOMES OF HIM

"What made Mr. 'Possum so anxious to get the wood, and what made him
stay down-stairs so long when he went after it?" asks the Little Lady
next evening, when the Story Teller is lighting his pipe and getting
ready to remember the history of the Hollow Tree.

"We're coming to that. You may be sure there was some reason for it, for
Mr. 'Possum doesn't hurry after wood or stay long in a cold place if he
can help it, unless he has something on his mind. Perhaps some of the
Deep Woods People thought of tha