to listen around and see what Mr. Man's plans were for the next
morning, so he would know if they were going on their early trip to
Great Corners, as usual, or on some excursion. But he didn't hear
anything about a picnic before bedtime, and next morning he was up a
little before day, and pretty soon the Hollow Tree people came slipping
over, nearly scared to death, and Mr. Dog let them in by his special
door to the barn, and they all looked at the automobile, and Mr. 'Possum
tried to turn the crank a little, and Mr. 'Coon sat up in the front seat
and took hold of the steering-wheel and pretended to be driving, and Mr.
Crow said he didn't see how a thing that seemed so cold and dead as that
could suddenly come to life and move.

[Illustration: MADE A DIVE FOR THE REAR SEAT]

Then Mr. Dog said he heard Mr. Man coming down his back stairs, and they
all made a dive for the rear seat, and Mr. Dog put the cushion in place
and was outside waiting and barking "Good morning" to Mr. Man when he
opened the big barn doors.

Then the Hollow Tree people were nearly dead with scare. Mr. 'Possum
whispered that he knew that his heart was beating so loud that Mr. Man
could hear it and would think his motor was going, and Mr. 'Coon said if
Mr. Man should ever move that back cushion he knew he should die. Mr.
Crow said he felt sure this was just some awful nightmare, and that he
would wake up pretty soon, and he said of all the dreams he ever had,
this was the worst.

But just then Mr. Man got hold of the crank in front of the car and gave
it a turn, and then gave it another turn, and then said something, and
gave it another turn, and suddenly the Hollow Tree people heard a great
number of loud explosions which made them perfectly cold, and then there
was just a heavy roar and rumble, and they heard Mr. Man say to Mr.
Dog, "Come, get in!" and they felt the automobile begin to move.

That was an awful sensation at first. They could feel that they were
going, but the soft rubber wheels did not rattle on the road, and about
the only sound was the motor, which they could tell was getting faster
and faster as they got out into the smooth road across the Wide Grass
Lands, and now and then Mr. Dog barking to them in Hollow Tree language
that everything was all right and to rest easy and enjoy
themselves--that they were just then passing the Four Oaks, and that
presently they would be in the Sugar Hollow Road, and that he wished
they could