94 
FINDING NATURE’S TREASURES 
eyes are shut, and she does not even move her toes.” 
“Mother Opossum is playing that she is dead, so that 
you will go away and leave her alone. Step back a little 
way and keep very still. Now watch her.” 
They stood and watched. Soon one eye opened slowly. 
Then a foot moved gently. 
“Oh, she is alive!” cried both the girls, as they ran to 
her again. Mother Opossum saw them coming, and 
closed her eyes quickly. 
“But where are her babies?” asked Marylee. 
The children looked at each other with eyes wide open 
in surprise. They had forgotten all about the baby 
opossums when they thought the mother was dead. 
“I wonder where they are,” said Fred, as he picked up 
a stick and began to hunt among the dead leaves for 
them. The other children helped in the hunt. They looked 
and looked, but no baby opossums did they find. Uncle 
Jack did not say anything while the children were hunt¬ 
ing, but his face was all smiles. 
Finally, he said, “I know where they are.” 
“Do tell us, please.” 
“Buddy, when you have a treasure that you do not 
want to lose, what do you do with it?” 
“I put it in my pocket.” 
“And that is just what Mother Opossum does with 
her baby treasures.” 
“But she doesn’t have a pocket.” 
“Oh, yes, she does. I will show you.” 
He picked up Mother Opossum by the tail and carried 
her over to a grassy place where they could sit down. 
