in tfyt Tttoob* 



spirit of the wood, you are made the guest of the 

 open, silent, secret out-of-doors. 



I went down with the 'possum. He had traveled 

 home leisurely and without fear, as his tracks plainly 

 showed. He was full of persimmons. A good happy 

 world this, where such fare could be had for the 

 picking ! What need to hurry home, except one were 

 in danger of falling asleep by the way ? So I thought, 

 too, as I followed his winding path ; and if I was 

 tracking him to his den, it was only to wake him for 

 a moment with the compliments of the season. But it 

 was not even a momentary disturbance ; for when I 

 finally found him in his hollow gum, he was sound 

 asleep, and only half realized that some one was pok- 

 ing him gently in the ribs and wishing him a merry 

 Christmas. 



The 'possum had led me to the centre of the 

 empty, hollow swamp, where the great-boled gums 

 lifted their branches like a timbered, unshingled roof 

 between me and the wide sky. Far away through the 

 spaces of the rafters I saw a pair of wheeling buz- 

 zards, and under them, in lesser circles, a broad- 

 winged hawk. Here, at the feet of the tall, clean 

 trees, looking up through the leafless limbs, I had 



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