the one that Mr. Man put into
his books. But it isn't true, and I can prove it."

Mr. Turtle got up and turned around toward the Hollow Tree people. He
had his coat off, and he reached back and pointed to a place about in
the center of his shell.

"Feel right there," he said, which Mr. Rabbit did, and said:

"Why, there's quite a lump there. It hardly shows, but you can feel it
plainly."

[Illustration: "YES," SAID MR. TURTLE, "THAT'S WHERE I STRUCK"]

"Yes," said Mr. Turtle, "that's where I struck. It was quite sore for a
good while. There was a lump there, at first, as big as an egg. It
flattened a good deal afterward, but it never quite went away. Feel how
smooth it is. It kept just about as it was when it happened."

Then all those other Deep Woods people came up and felt of the queer
lump on Mr. Turtle's back, and said how perfectly that proved everything
and how Mr. Turtle always could prove things, and they noticed the
inscription about the old race with Mr. Hare, and said in some ways Mr.
Turtle was about the most wonderful person anywhere and they were
certainly proud to be his friend.

Then Mr. Turtle said they might all sit there and talk about it a
little, while he went in to cook the fish and make a pan of biscuits and
a nice salad for dinner.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] "Mr. Turtle's Thunder Story" in _The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods
Book_.

THE DEEP WOODS ELOPEMENT

MR. 'POSSUM TELLS ABOUT AUNT
MELISSY AND UNCLE SILAS AND
THE ROMANCE OF MINTY GLENWOOD

One night in the Hollow Tree, when the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old
Black Crow had finished their supper and were sitting around the fire,
smoking, Mr. 'Possum said that he thought he had heard Mr. Frog trying
off a few notes to-day, over in the Wide Grasslands, so that he knew
that it must be coming spring, and Mr. 'Coon said that over Mr. Man's
way he had smelled burning leaves, which was a pretty sure sign. Then
Mr. Crow said that some of his wild relatives had been cawing about
lately, and that was a sign, too. Then they all smoked some more, and
looked in the fire, and were glad that winter was about over, and
presently Mr. 'Possum said that every time he smelled the spring smell,
and heard the spring sounds, it reminded him of something that happened
a long time ago, when he was quite young and lived with his Uncle Silas
and Aunt Melissy Lovejoy, over beyond the Wide Blue Water. Then the
'Coon and the Old Black Crow begged Mr. 'Pos