hand
and he would do that job alone, and Mr. 'Possum told him that if he'd
been provided with a handy and useful tail he'd _have_ the same as
another hand, and could work more and not wish so much.

Then Mr. Rabbit came to help them, and just as they got it about up it
all came down again, and Mr. Crow said that if they'd all go away he'd
set up the stove himself; which he did in about a minute, and had a
fire in it and the coffee on in no time.

Then the others rushed around and got the things straightened out, and a
fire in the fireplace, and they said how nice rooms were, and when Mr.
Crow called they all came hurrying down, and in about another minute the
'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow, with Mr. Rabbit and Mr.
Turtle, all sat down to the first meal in the Hollow Tree.

It was then that Jack Rabbit read all of the "Hollow Tree Song" he had
made for them, and they all sang it together; and then the storm that
Mr. Crow had seen coming did come, and they shut all the doors and
windows tight, and sat before the fire and smoked and went to sleep,
because they were so tired with being up all night.

And that was the first day in the Hollow Tree, and how the Possum and
Coon and Old Black Crow came to live there, and they live there still.

THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY

THE THIRD SNOWED-IN STORY

MR. RABBIT TELLS SOME INTERESTING FAMILY HISTORY

The Little Lady waited until the Story Teller had lit his pipe and sat
looking into the great open fire, where there was a hickory log so big
that it had taken the Story Teller and the Little Lady's mother with two
pairs of ice-tongs to drag it to the hearth and get it into place.
Pretty soon the Little Lady had crept in between the Story Teller's
knees. Then in another minute she was on one of his knees, helping him
rock. Then she said:

"Did Mr. Rabbit tell his story next? He promised to tell about losing
his tail, you know."

The Story Teller took his pipe from his mouth a moment, and sat thinking
and gazing at the big log, which perhaps reminded him of one of the
limbs of the Hollow Tree, where the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black
Crow lived and had their friends visit them that long-ago snowy
Christmas-time.

"Why, yes," he said, "that's so, Mr. Rabbit _did_ tell that story. When
Mr. 'Coon got through telling how he came near getting into a menagerie,
they all said that it certainly was a very narrow escape, and Mr. 'Coon
said he shouldn't w