Now a rabbit cannot walk tlie top rail of a 

 fence, nor climb out to the tip of a tall slanting 

 pole. But a possum can. A rabbit would have 

 to creep under the shock from the bottom, going 

 in on the ground. A possum, however, would 

 not have to do that way. He could walk the 

 fence, climb out on the slanting stake, drop to 

 the top of the shock, and go straight down 

 through the middle. 



And that is exactly what this possum did. He 

 came out the way he went in, too, never leaving 

 his track on the ground near the nest, nor his 

 scent where a dog could find it. He may not 

 have known that dogs cannot walk fences and 

 climb poles. Perhaps not. But he knew two 

 things, stupid as he looked : one was that a good 

 and sure road home lay atop the rail fence ; the 

 other, that a pretty safe way to hang out his 

 latch-string was through the chimney. 



Yet perhaps this was only a cunning blunder, 

 and not real woods-wisdom at all ; for it is 

 difficult to believe in the mentality of so much 

 fat and a chronic smile. One is not surprised at 

 a coon's taking "the longest way round" — the 

 way of the top rail ; but that a sleepy, logy 

 [205] 



