A FEIGHTENED OOON. 333 



much as to say, * who the devil are you ?' I didn't answer a 

 word, and after a little, he flew back to his shadowy perch 

 among the dense foliage of the hemlock. A black squirrel 

 came hopping along with his mouth full of beech nuts, and 

 running nimbly up the tree on which I was perched, and out 

 upon one of the great limbs, deposited his store in a hollow 

 he found there. He caught sight of me as he came back, 



. and seating himself upon a branch, not six feet from my 

 head, began chatterin' and barkin' as if givin' me a regular 

 lecter for invad^n' his premises, and takin' possession of his 

 tree. He didn't seem to understand the matter at all, and 

 I didn't undertake to explain the reason of my being there. 

 After a little, he went off about his business, and left me to 

 attend to mine. A raccoon came nosing along, stoppin' 

 every little way to turn over the leaves, or pull away the 

 dirt from a root with his long hands, tastin' of one thing 

 and smellin' of another in a mighty dainty way. When he 

 came to my tree, he seemed to think that there might be 

 something, among its branches worth looking at. So he 

 came clambering up its rough bark towards where I sat. 

 He came up on the other side of the tree from me, till he 

 got about even with my huntin'-cap, and then came round 

 to my side, and there we were, face to face, not two feet 

 apart. I reckon that coon was astonished when our eyes 

 met, for with a sort of scream he let right loose, and drop- 

 ped twenty feet to the ground like a clod, and. the way he 

 waddled away into the brush, mutterin' and talkin' to him- 



, self, was a thing to laugh at. 



