“Ha!” said Racoon. “I have been eating very long, and I was going home, as I was sleepy.”
Opossum said, “I, too, have been eating so long that I am sleepy, so I am going home.”
Opossum was always telling a lie. People say this of the Opossum because if one hits that animal and throws it down for dead, soon it gets up and walks off.
WHY THE ’POSSUM’S TAIL IS BARE
Cherokee
POSSUM used to have a long, bushy tail and he was so proud of it that he combed it out every morning and sang about it at the dance. Now Rabbit had had no tail since Bear pulled it off because he was jealous. Therefore he planned to play a trick on ’Possum.
The animals called a great council. They planned to have a dance. It was Rabbit’s business to send out the news. One day as he was passing ’Possum’s house, he stopped to talk.
“Are you going to the council?” he asked.
“Yes, if I can have a special seat,” said ’Possum. “I have such a handsome tail I ought to sit where everyone can see me.”