Tiny and Chatty laughed outright. The speaker smiled good-naturedly.
“He was surely a backward baby,” chuckled Chatty. “The mayor of Squirreltown is four years of age and he is very old.”
“Little people are generally happy,” continued the raccoon. “They have everything their hearts desire. I wish that my little ones had such good fortune. Alas! we watch Simon and Solomon all the time. They seldom go out of the house except after night. Little people stay indoors all night, but little raccoons do not.”
“What lovely times little raccoons must have!” cried Chatty. “If I were one of them I would run about all night, especially when it is moonlight. Mother sends me to bed before sunset.”
“No one has more anxiety than a raccoon,” declared the stranger. He blinked his eyes, which were black and shiny. There were white rings around them. “Our midnight prowls often cause us great trouble. Sometimes the raccoons go into the cornfields. While they are eating corn, a pack of dogs appears and drives them back to the woods. Before the poor raccoons can hide, the men with their guns attack them.”
“You should not steal the farmer’s corn,” reproved Tiny. “Thieves deserve punishment.”
“Yes, but the farmer does not treat us right,” replied the raccoon bitterly. “He steals our fur and eats our flesh. He deceives us and slays us. He does all sorts of mean things.”
“I am sorry for you,” said Tiny. “Why should little animals of the forest suffer from the acts of mankind? Are you never safe from harm?”
“No,” continued the raccoon. “Our flesh and fur are so fine that these terrible people hunt for us by day and by night. One evening I was in a field of corn which was green and tempting. A party of noisy creatures called boys came to the field. They chased me back into the forest. I was so little that I stumbled and fell. A dog caught me. Before he could hurt me, a small boy seized me and carried me in a bag to his home. He placed me in a cage.
“The boy’s name was Teddy Root. He greatly admired my dainty feet and grayish-brown fur. I became so tame that they gave me much freedom. I soon lost my fear of people. Sometimes they scolded me, because I stole into the pantry and helped myself to milk, sugar, lard, and butter. I did not know that I had done wrong. Teddy took cookies from the pantry without first asking his mother’s permission, so I thought I could do so, too. However, I yearned for my home in the deep forest. One day I ran away.