n stairs again and
set the table. He put on the bowl of gravy in the centre and cut the
Johnnie cake in three pieces. Then he called out as loud as he could:--

"Come to dinner!"

[Illustration: THE 'POSSUM JUMPED STRAIGHT UP IN BED.]

The 'Possum jumped straight up in bed and then lay down again quick, for
he thought the Crow was playing a joke on him, which he was, though not
the kind he thought. The 'Coon jumped, too, and then went to rocking
again, for he thought the same thing. So Mr. Crow opened the 'Possum's
door quick and the 'Coon's door quick and let the smell of the nice
chicken gravy go right up into their rooms. Then he laughed out loud and
called again:--

"Come to dinner while it's hot!"

And down they came, for they couldn't stand that smell. But when they
saw the Johnnie cake they thought it was a joke again, for they had
never seen any before and didn't know what it was like.

"Dip in and try," said the Crow, and he broke off a piece of his cake
and dipped it in the bowl of gravy and began to eat it. So then the
'Possum broke off a piece of his Johnnie cake and dipped it in the gravy
and began to eat it, and the 'Coon broke off a piece of his Johnnie cake
and dipped it in the gravy and began to eat, too. And then the Crow
dipped again, and the 'Possum dipped again, and the 'Coon dipped again.

"It's good," said the 'Possum.

"Yes, it's good," said the 'Coon. "Where did you get it?"

But the Crow did not tell them, and so they dipped and ate, and dipped
and ate, until they dipped and ate it all up.

[Illustration: "DROP IN AGAIN TO-MORROW," SAID THE CROW.]

"Drop in again to-morrow," said the Crow when they were done.

So the next day they came again, and the next day they came again, and
every day after that they came, until the storm was over and the snow
was 'most gone, and Mr. Crow never did tell them the secret of it until
once when he wanted to ask a great favor of Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum,
but that is too long to tell about to-night.

The Story Teller looked down at the Little Lady.

She was sound asleep.

A JOKE ALL AROUND

ABOUT HOLLOW TREE PEOPLE AND THEIR WAYS

"You may tell me some more about the 'Coon and the 'Possum and the Old
Black Crow," said the Little Lady, settling herself comfortably and
indicating by the motion of her body that she wanted the Story Teller to
rock. "They lived in three big hollow limbs of a big hollow tree, you
know, and used to meet to