great deal about Mr. Man and his ways, and he
told Smoothe that he had seen in Mr. Man's pantry, where he went
sometimes, a light that would not go out during a whole night, and that
had a big bright something behind it that would throw the light in any
direction. Dusk, who used to carry off almost everything he saw, whether
he wanted it or not, said that he thought he might carry this light off
if Smoothe would be willing to let him have a few chickens for a party
he was going to give.

"Smoothe told him he might take his pick out of his share of the
chickens for the next six months if he would only bring that light, and
Dusk didn't waste any time, but brought it the very next evening."

[Illustration: THE BRIGHT ROUND THING THREW THE LIGHT JUST WHERE HE
WANTED IT.]

"It was a beautiful light, and Smoothe fastened it to the tip top of the
tall tree, so that it would swing in any direction, and the bright round
thing behind it threw the light just where he wanted it. It burned oil,
and he used to fill it up with chicken oil in the evening and it would
burn all night and make a better light than the fire ever did. So all he
had to do was to keep it filled and turned in the direction that my
folks were harvesting their chicken crop, and then he could go to bed
and sleep all night if he wanted to.

"And that's just what he did do. And one night while he was asleep there
came up a terrible storm. Of course, if Smoothe had been awake he would
have taken the light down; but he wasn't awake, and the first he knew he
heard broken limbs falling and crashing all around, and he jumped up and
ran out just in time to see the tip top of the lamp tree break off,
lamp and all, and go whirling round and round, right straight up in the
air till it got to the sky, and there it stuck fast. It never went out,
either, but kept on turning round and round and giving light in
different directions at different times in the month.

"And that," said Mr. 'Possum, "is the moon. And you don't always see it
because sometimes the bright reflecting thing is turned in the other
direction. And when it's turned part way round you see part of it, and
it's always been so ever since that night Smoothe went to sleep and the
storm came up and carried it off."

"Humph!" said the 'Coon.

"What makes those spots on it, then?" said the Rabbit.

"Why," said Mr. 'Possum, thinking as quick as he could, "those--those
are--are some leaves that blew against the