Savage Bear should arrive
early he would be up to receive him.

"Tell him I'm very sick," said Mr. 'Coon, "and too run-down and feeble
to get up to make him welcome."

"Tell him I'm dead," said Mr. 'Possum. "Say I died last week, and you're
only waiting for the ground to thaw to bury me. Tell Aspetuck I starved
to death."

[Illustration: DID NOT REALLY INTEND TO GO SOUND ASLEEP]

Mr. Crow said he would tell as many things as he could think of, and
then he sat down by the fire, and did not really intend to go sound
asleep, but he did, and the fire went down, and Mr. Crow got pretty
cold, though he didn't know it until all of a sudden, just about
sunrise, there was a big pounding knock at the down-stairs door, and a
big, deep voice called out:

"Hello! Hello! Wake up! Here's a visitor to the Hollow Tree!"

Then Mr. Crow jumped straight up, and almost cracked, his joints were so
stiff and cold, and Mr. 'Coon heard it, and jumped straight up, too, in
his bed; and Mr. 'Possum heard it, and jumped straight up in _his_ bed,
and Mr. 'Coon said, "'Sh!" and Mr. 'Possum said, "'Sh!" and Mr. Crow
stumbled over to the window and opened it and looked out, and said:
"Who's there?" Though he really didn't have to ask, because he knew, and
besides, he could see the biggest Mr. Bear he ever saw, for Aspetuck
Savage was seven feet tall, and of very heavy build.

"It's me," said Mr. Bear, "Mr. Aspetuck S. Bear, come to make a spring
morning call." You see, he left out his middle name, and only gave the
initial, because he knew his full name wasn't popular in the Deep
Woods.

"Why, Mr. Bear, good morning!" said Mr. Crow. "How early you are! I
didn't know it was spring, and I didn't know it was morning. I'm sorry
not to invite you in, but we've had a hard time lately, and haven't
cleaned house yet, and I'd be ashamed to let you see how we look."

"Oh, never mind that," said Mr. Aspetuck Bear. "I don't care how things
look. I forget everything else in the spring feeling. I only want to
enjoy your society, especially Mr. 'Coon's. I've heard he's so fine and
fat and good-natured, in his old age."

When Mr. 'Coon heard that he fell back in bed and covered his head and
groaned, but not loud enough for Aspetuck to hear him.

And Mr. Crow said: "Ah, poor Mr. 'Coon! You have not heard the latest.
The hard winter has been a great strain on him and lately he has been
very poorly. He is quite frail and feeble, and begs to be excused."

"