pper and had a smoke, he said
he guessed his folks would be looking for him and that he would have to
go. Then the Crow nearly had a fit and begged and begged him to spend
the evening. He said Mr. Dog came so seldom that he ought to stay, now
he was there, so at last Mr. Dog sat down again and said he might as
well sit a little longer, he s'posed.

[Illustration: MR. CROW TALKED AND TOLD STORIES.]

Well, the Crow talked and talked and told stories and got Mr. Dog to
telling stories, too, and once he slipped around behind Mr. Dog while he
was talking away and put the clock back, but it didn't do any good. Mr.
Dog said by and by that he was obliged to go and that he was afraid now
he would be locked out when he got home. So the Crow thought as quick as
he could and called out loud:--

"Time comp'ny was going home! Time comp'ny was going home!"

But the 'Possum called back that his comp'ny wasn't in any hurry. And
the Coon called back that his comp'ny wasn't in any hurry either.

Then Mr. Crow was in a bad fix. He hopped around first on one foot and
then on the other while Mr. Dog was putting on his things, and as soon
as he was gone he skipped right up into his own room and locked the door
tight.

Mr. 'Coon and Mr. 'Possum were looking out of their windows and saw Mr.
Dog outside as he lit his pipe and marched off laughing. And the 'Coon
and 'Possum laughed, too, for they hadn't had any company at all, but
had been making believe all the time. Then they unbarred their doors and
went down into the parlor, where there was a lot of the supper left, and
sat down and passed the fried chicken across to each other and laughed
some more and said Mr. Crow was certainly a mighty good cook.

"Didn't they give the Crow any?" asked the Little Lady, who had been so
still that the Story Teller believed her asleep.

Pretty soon they did. They said it was too bad to punish him any longer,
so they went up to his door, and the 'Possum knocked and said:--

"Better come down to supper, Mr. Crow. Comp'ny's all gone!"

And then the 'Coon he knocked and said:--

"Better come down to fried chicken, Mr. Crow. Comp'ny's all gone!"

So then the Crow opened the door a little crack and peeked out, and when
he saw nobody was there but the 'Coon and the 'Possum he stepped out as
brave as you please and said that he had been to one big supper and was
sleepy and just going to bed, but that he believed he would sit down
with them just to be so