THE YOUNG RACCOONS GO TO A PARTY
It was not very many nights after Big Brother had tumbled from themaple-tree, when he and the other children were invited to a Raccoonparty down by the pond. The water was low, and in the small pools by theshore there were many fresh-water clams and small fishes, such asRaccoons like best of all. A family of six young Raccoons who lived verynear the pond had found them just before sunrise, when they had to climboff to bed. They knew there was much more food there than they could eatalone, so their mother had let them invite their four friends who livedin the hollow of the oak-tree. The party was to begin the next eveningat moonrise, and the four children who lived in the oak-tree got theirinvitation just as they were going to sleep for the day. They were verymuch excited over it, for they had never been to a party.
"I wish we could go now," said Big Brother.
"Yes, lots of fun it would be now!" answered Little Brother. "The sun isalmost up, and there are no clouds in the sky. We couldn't see a thingunless we shaded our eyes with our fore paws, and if we had to use ourfore paws in that way we couldn't eat."
"You do eat at parties, don't you?" asked Little Sister, who had notquite understood what was said.
"Of course," shouted her brothers. "That is what parties are for."
"I thought maybe you talked some," said Big Sister.
"I suppose you do have to, some," said Big Brother, "but I know youeat. I've heard people tell about parties lots of times, and they alwaysbegan by telling what they ate. That's what makes it a party."
"Oh, I wish it were night and time to go," sighed Little Brother.
"I don't," said Little Sister. "I wouldn't have any fun if I were to gonow. I'd rather wait until my stomach is empty."
"There!" said their mother. "You children have talked long enough. Nowcurl down and go to sleep. The birds are already singing their morningsongs, and the Owls and Bats were dreaming long ago. It will makenight-time come much sooner if you do not stay awake."
"We're not a bit sleepy," cried all the young Raccoons together.
"That makes no difference at all," said their mother, and she spokequite sternly. "Cuddle down for the day now, cover your eyes, and stoptalking. I do not say you must sleep, but you must stop talking."
They knew that when she spoke in that way and said "must," there wasnothing to do but to mind. So they cuddled down, and every one of themwas asleep before you could drop an acorn. Mother Raccoon had known itwould be so.
When they awakened, early the next night, each young Raccoon had to makehimself look as neat as possible. There were long fur to be combed,faces and paws to be washed, and twenty-three burrs to be taken out ofLittle Brother's tail. He began to take them out himself, but his motherfound that whenever he got one loose he stuck it onto one of the otherchildren, so she scolded him and made him sit on a branch by himselfwhile she worked at the burrs. Sometimes she couldn't help pulling thefur, and then he tried to wriggle away.
"You've got enough out," he cried. "Let the rest go."
"You should have thought sooner how it would hurt," she said. "You havebeen told again and again to keep away from the burrs, and you are justas careless as you were the first night you left the tree." Then shetook out another burr and dropped it to the ground.
"Ouch!" said he. "Let me go!"
"Not until I am done," she answered. "No child of mine shall ever go toa party looking as you do."
After that Little Brother tried to hold still, and he had time to thinkhow glad he was that he hadn't stuck any more burrs on the otherchildren. If he had gotten more onto them, he would have had to waitwhile they were pulled off again, and then they might have been late forthe party. If he had been very good, he would have been glad they didn'thave to be hurt as he was. But he was not very good, and he neverthought of that.
When he was ready at last, Mother Raccoon made her four children sit ina row while she talked to them. "Remember to walk on your toes," saidshe, "although you may stand flat-footed if you wish. Don't act greedyif you can help it. Go into the water as much as you choose, but don'ttry to dive, even if they dare you to. Raccoons can never learn to dive,no matter how well they swim. And be sure to wash your food before youeat it."
All the young Raccoons said "Yes'm," and thought they would rememberevery word. The first moonbeam shone on the top of the oak-tree, andMrs. Raccoon said: "Now you may go. Be good children and remember what Itold you. Don't stay too long. Start home when you see the first lightin the east."
"Yes'm," said the young Raccoons, as they walked off very properlytoward the pond. After they were well away from the oak-tree, they heardtheir mother calling to them: "Remember to walk on your toes!"
Raccoons cannot go very fast, and the moon was shining brightly whenthey reached the pond and met their six friends. Such frolics as theyhad in the shallow water, swimming, twisting, turning, scooping up foodwith their busy fore paws, going up and down the beach, and rolling onthe sand! They never once remembered what their mother had told them,and they acted exactly as they had been in the habit of doing every day.Big Brother looked admiringly at his own tail every chance he got,although he had been told particularly not to act as if he thoughthimself fine-looking. Little Brother rolled into a lot of sand-burrs andgot his fur so matted that he looked worse than ever. Big Sistersnatched food from other Raccoons, and not one of them remembered aboutwalking on tiptoe. Little Sister ate half the time without washing herfood. Of course that didn't matter when the food was taken from thepond, but when they found some on the beach and ate it withoutwashing--that was dreadful. No Raccoon who is anybody at all will dothat.
The mother of the family of six looked on from a tree near by. Thechildren did not know that she was there. "What manners!" said she. "Ishall never have them invited here again." Just then she saw one of herown sons eat without washing his food, and she groaned out loud. "Mychildren are forgetting too," she said. "I have told him hundreds oftimes that if he did that way every day he would do so at a party, buthe has always said he would remember."
The mother of the four young Raccoons was out hunting and found herselfnear the pond. "How noisy those children are!" she said to herself."Night people should be quiet." She tiptoed along to a pile of rocks andpeeped between them to see what was going on. She saw her children'sfootprints on the sand. "Aha!" said she. "So they did walk flat-footedafter all."
She heard somebody scrambling down a tree near by. "Good-evening," saida pleasant Raccoon voice near her. It was the mother of the six. "Areyou watching the children's party?" asked the newcomer. "I hope you didnot notice how badly my son is behaving. I have tried to teach mychildren good manners, but they will be careless when I am not looking,and then, of course, they forget in company."
That made the mother of the four feel more comfortable. "I know just howthat is," said she. "Mine mean to be good, but they are so careless. Itis very discouraging."
The two mothers talked for a long time in whispers and then each went toher hole.
When the four young Raccoons came home, it was beginning to grow light,and they kept close together because they were somewhat afraid. Theirmother was waiting to see them settled for the day. She asked if theyhad a good time, and said she was glad they got home promptly. They hadbeen afraid she would ask if they had washed their food and walked ontheir toes. She even seemed not to notice Little Brother's matted coat.
When they awakened the next night, the mother hurried them off with herto the same pond where they had been to the party. "I am going to visitwith the mother of your friends," said she, "and you may play around andamuse yourselves."
The young Raccoons had another fine time, although Little Brother foundit very uncomfortable to wear so many burrs. They played tag in thetrees, and ate, and swam, and lay on the beach. While they were lyingthere, the four from the oak-tree noticed that their mother was walkingflat-footed. There was bright moonlight and anybody might see her. Theyfelt dreadfully about it. Then they saw her begin to eat food whi
ch shehad not washed. They were so ashamed that they didn't want to look theirfriends in the eye. They didn't know that their friends were feeling inthe same way because they had seen their mother doing ill-manneredthings.
After they reached home, Big Brother said, very timidly, to his mother:"Did you know you ate some food without washing it?"
"Oh, yes," she answered; "it is such a bother to dip it all in water."
"And you walked flat-footed," said Little Brother.
"Well, why shouldn't I, if I want to?" said she.
The children began to cry: "P-people will think you don't know anyb-better," said they. "We were d-dreadfully ashamed."
"Oh!" said their mother. "Oh! Oh! So you think that my manners are notso good as yours! Is that it?"
The young Raccoons looked at each other in a very uncomfortable way. "Wesuppose we don't always do things right ourselves," they answered, "butyou are grown up."
"Yes," replied their mother. "And you will be."
For a long time nobody spoke, and Little Sister sobbed out loud. ThenMrs. Raccoon spoke more gently: "The sun is rising," said she. "We willgo to sleep now, and when we awaken to-morrow night we will try to havebetter manners, so that we need not be ashamed of each other at partiesor at home."
Long after the rest were dreaming, Big Sister nudged Big Brother andawakened him. "I understand it now," she said. "She did it on purpose."
"Who did what?" asked he.
"Why, our mother. She was rude on purpose to let us see how it looked."
Big Brother thought for a minute. "Of course," said he. "Of course shedid! Well she won't ever have to do it again for me."
"Nor for me," said Big Sister. Then they went to sleep.