idn't get the mince-pie because Mr.
Bear had asked him if he'd have it hot or cold, and just as he made up
his mind to have some of both he woke up and didn't get either.

Then Mr. 'Coon said he wished he could have a dream like that; that he'd
take whatever came along and try to sleep through it, and Mr. Crow
thought a little while and said that sometimes dreams came true,
especially if you helped them a little. He said he hadn't heard anything
of Mr. Bear this spring, and it was quite likely he had been taking a
longer nap than usual. It might be a good plan, he thought, to drop over
that way and just look in in passing, because if Mr. Bear should be
sitting down to breakfast he would be pretty apt to ask them to sit up
and have a bite while they told him the winter news.

Then Mr. 'Possum said that he didn't believe anybody in the world but
Mr. Crow would have thought of that, and that hereafter he was going to
tell him every dream he had. They ought to start right away, he said,
because if they should get there just as Mr. Bear was clearing off the
table it would be a good deal worse than not getting the mince-pie in
his dream.

So they hurried up and put on their best clothes and started for Mr.
Bear's place, which is over toward the Edge of the World, only farther
down, in a fine big cave which is fixed up as nice as a house and nicer.
But when they got pretty close to it they didn't go so fast and
straight, but just sauntered along as if they were only out for a little
walk and happened to go in that direction, for they thought Mr. Bear
might be awake and standing in his door.

They met Mr. Rabbit about that time and invited him to go along, but Mr.
Rabbit said his friendship with Mr. Bear was a rather distant one, and
that he mostly talked to him from across the river or from a hill that
had a good clear running space on the other slope. He said Mr. Bear's
taste was good, for he was fond of his family, but that the fondness had
been all on Mr. Bear's side.

[Illustration: THEY WENT ALONG, SAYING WHAT A NICE MAN THEY THOUGHT MR.
BEAR WAS]

So the Hollow Tree People went along, saying what a nice man they
thought Mr. Bear was, and saying it quite loud, and looking every which
way, because Mr. Bear might be out for a walk too.

But they didn't see him anywhere, and by-and-by they got right to the
door of his cave and knocked a little, and nobody came. Then they
listened, but couldn't hear anything at first,