for him. When he opened his eyes and found that Mr. 'Coon and
Mr. Crow were not there, and that he felt a little better--perhaps
because of Mr. Man's medicine--he thought he might as well step out and
take one last look at chicken and dumpling, anyway.

[Illustration: WHEN THE DUMPLING WAS GONE HE FISHED UP A LEG AND ATE
THAT]

It was quite warm, but, being all in a sweat, he put the bed-sheet
around him to protect him from the draughts and went out to the stove
and looked into the pot, and when he saw how good it looked he thought
he might as well taste of it to see if it was done. So he did, and it
tasted so good and seemed so done that he got out a little piece of
dumpling on a fork, and blew on it to cool it, and ate it, and then
another piece, and then the whole dumpling, which he sopped around in
the gravy after each bite. Then when the dumpling was gone he fished up
a chicken leg and ate that, and then a wing, and then the gizzard, and
felt better all the time, and pretty soon poured out a cup of coffee and
drank that, all before he remembered that he was sick abed and not
expected to recover. Then he happened to think, and started back to bed,
but on the way there he heard Mr. 'Coon and Mr. Crow talking softly in
his room and he forgot again that he was so sick and went up to see
about it.

Mr. 'Coon and Mr. Crow had been quite busy up in Mr. 'Possum's room.
They had looked at all the things, and Mr. Crow remarked that there
seemed to be a good many which Mr. 'Possum had not mentioned, and which
they could divide afterward. Then he picked up Mr. Possum's pipe and
tried it to see if it would draw well, as he had noticed, he said, that
Mr. 'Possum sometimes had trouble with it, and the 'Coon went over to
the closet and looked at Mr. 'Possum's Sunday suit, and pretty soon got
it out and tried on the coat, which wouldn't need a thing done to it to
make it fit exactly. He said he hoped Mr. 'Possum was resting well,
after the medicine, which he supposed was something to make him sleep,
as he had seemed drowsy so soon after taking it. He said it would be
sad, of course, though it might seem almost a blessing, if Mr. 'Possum
should pass away in his sleep, without knowing it, and he hoped Mr.
'Possum would rest in peace and not come back to distress people, as one
of Mr. 'Coon's own ancestors had done, a good while ago. Mr. 'Coon said
his mother used to tell them about it when she wanted to keep them at
home nights, t