University of Virginia Library

29. XXIX
POSSUM PINKTOES WAKES UP

JOHNNIE BUSHYTAIL was scrambling up and down a big oak tree in the woods. He jumped from one branch to another, peeked in holes to see if there were any nuts there, and then sat up and chattered like mamma's sewing machine when she's sewing an apron or maybe even a bib for baby.

“Well,” said Johnnie Bushytail after a while, when he had sat up and chattered three times, “Billie said he was coming here, after he went to the store for some peanut butter and a loaf of bread, but I don't see anything of him.” Then Johnnie almost stood up on the end of his tail, so he could

see farther, and he looked and he looked off through the woods for his brother, but he couldn't notice even his nose. “I guess he must have met Bully, the frog, and Sammie Littletail, and gone off to play with them.” Johnnie went on after a while: “I wish I had some one to play with. Guess I'll go home and get Sister Sallie.”

So he skipped down the tree, and was running along the ground, when suddenly he saw a little bundle of fur. At first the fur was moving along quite swiftly, but when Johnnie made a little rustling noise in the leaves, the fur stopped, rolled itself up into a little round ball, and lay still. Johnnie was quite surprised, until he happened to see some little pink toes sticking out. Then he cried: “Oh, you can't fool me! I know who you are. Come on, Possum Pinktoes, let's have a game of tag!”

And if that bundle of fur wasn't the little possum boy; really, I'm not fooling a bit.

Possum Pinktoes, who was called that because all possum boys have pink toes, you know, unrolled himself like that cake you buy in the bakery; you know the kind, it's all rolled up and has jelly curled around inside, and you have it for supper — sometimes. Well, Possum Pinktoes unrolled himself, stood up, and said:

“I didn't know it was you, Johnnie, or I wouldn't have gone to sleep so quick. You know, whenever I hear a funny noise, I curl up quickly, and pretend to go to sleep; then bad animals like foxes and savage dogs won't touch me.”

“Doesn't it bother you to have to sleep so much?” asked Johnnie.

“Yes,” said Possum Pinktoes, “it does. You see, there are not very many bad animals

in these woods, but every time I hear a funny noise I have to go to sleep, whether I want to or not. All our family does,” he added.

“Well, let's have a game of tag, anyhow,” suggested Johnnie. “Maybe by that time Billie will come along.”

So they started to play tag, but my good gracious me, sakes alive, every once in a while Possum Pinktoes would suddenly curl up and go to sleep. Yes, that's what he did; sometimes when he was “it” and again when he was being chased by Johnnie. Now, you know as well as I do that you can't play tag when one of you is always falling asleep. How would you like it if you were trying to tag a little girl or boy, and they stretched out on the sidewalk, and took a nap, just because they heard a funny noise? You couldn't play much tag, I guess. Well, after

Possum Pinktoes had fallen asleep about a dozen times, and there hadn't been much tag played, Johnnie said: “Say, this has got to stop. Can't you keep awake?”

“No,” replied Possum Pinktoes, “I'm sorry, but I can't.”

“Well, then,” said Johnnie, “I guess we'll have to stop playing tag. Let's take a walk. Maybe you can keep awake then.”

So they walked in the woods, but they hadn't gone very far before Possum heard a queer noise, and he called out:

“Oh, Johnnie, I'm going to sleep again,” and bless me, if he didn't right then and there.

“Oh, fiddlesticks!” cried Johnnie, which was what he always said when he didn't know what else to say. “Wake up!”

Then, as the queer noise didn't sound any more, Possum Pinktoes awakened. Then

they went on a little farther, and in about a minute, or maybe two minutes, what should they see but a boy sitting on the edge of a little brook, fishing.

“I think I'm going to sleep again,” said Possum, who was afraid of boys.

“No, don't,” begged Johnnie. “He won't hurt you. Let's watch him.” So, by hard work, Possum kept awake, and they watched that boy. All at once the boy pulled up his line, and believe me, there wasn't even a hook on it, to say nothing of a fish.

“Why, that's no way to catch fish,” spoke Johnnie, before he thought.

“I know it,” replied the boy, “but you see I don't want to catch fish. I'm only pretending. It's just as much fun for me and doesn't hurt the fish. I don't eat fish anyhow, but I love to sit here, and dangle my line in the water, and think of the time when I was a mud turtle and lived there.”

“What?” cried Johnnie. “Are you the fairy prince who was once a mud turtle?”

“I am,” replied the boy, throwing his hookless line in the water again. “I am that very person. What can I do for you to-day, my young friend?” and he spoke just like the grocery man.

“I don't want anything, thank you,” answered Johnnie, “but perhaps you could make Possum Pinktoes stay awake. He is always sleepy.”

“Yes, and I'm going to sleep now!” cried Possum. “I just heard a funny noise, Johnnie.”

“Oh, stop it, Possum!” cried Johnnie. “Can't you stop him, fairy prince?”

“Of course I can fix him!” said the fairy prince. “Wait a minute.” So he stood up on one foot, and swung his fish pole around his head three times, so that the line whistled

in the wind, and then he pronounced the magical word, “Sneezumsnackum!” Then he cried: “You will not be sleepy any more, Possum Pinktoes, except when it's time to go to bed,” and the funny part of it was that Possum Pinktoes wasn't. Now, of course, I'm not saying that if you pronounced the word “Sneezumsnackum” it would make you so you wouldn't be sleepy, but it will do no harm to try it, anyhow. Then Possum Pinktoes and Johnny Bushytail ran on, after thanking the fairy prince, who started to fish again, and they soon found Billie and Bully, the frog, and told them all that had happened. Now if a dog doesn't bark at me, I'll tell you to-morrow night about Grandpa Lightfoot and the purple fairy.