100 



WINTER 



I didn't quite fancy pushing my hand down 

 through the burlap cover over the end of the keg ; 

 so I turned it upside down to spill the 'possum out, 



1 and out she spilled and nine little 'possums with $b 



] her ! ; 7 



I j I had put in one and spilled out ten ! And this &J 



I] proves again that the 'possum is peculiar. Nine of s 



i these were babies that had been hidden from me and i ' 



/ ; the dog in their mother's pouch. 



Peculiar, too, was the history of one of these 

 nine young 'possums (the one we named " Pinky"), j 

 For after Pinky's mother choked to death on a 1 

 fish-bone, I gave all his brothers and sisters away, j , 

 j and devoted myself to training Pinky up in the I 

 i ; way he should go. And strangely enough, when 1 



. \'^ 



