The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-25
PLANTATION PAGEANTS.
Copyright. 1909. BY Joe, cnand,.r Harrt,)
THE STORY OF Mr.. COON.

| He said tho same plan had been practiced for
many long years. He hal heard his father.
| Ben Ali. tell about 1t. Indeed. tho probability
is that out of this practice the saying. Set q
thief to catch a thief" had arisen. for nobody
| could trust 4 thief to catch a thief unless the
| first thief was securely fastened.
But Aaron. on his side. had something quite
as interesting TO tell the children. From q
negro whom he knew he had bought rae
coon. a genuine. full grown raccoon. This
was news. indeed. and exciting In its char
acter that Aaron was compelled to answer. or
| to parry volley after volley OF questions.
"Oh. how old is it. and what does 1t look
like'" cried Sweetest Susan.
| And who IL 1t to belong to. and is II tame.
so tame that you can put your hand on it2"
asked Buster John.
! why didn't dey kill IL an cook III" inquired
DrusIla.
Aaron put his fingers in his ears. He
couldn't answer all the questions put to him.
Finally there was n lmll In the.excitement.
What did you give for him." Buster John
| asked after pause.
Something" replied Aaron. smiling.
| But how much?"
| I'm ouRh."
''Shucks." cried Buster John: IF 1 had
| known there was some great secret about 1t /
| wouldn't have asked"
| Aaron pinched the boys ears gently and said
| Comet" He went to his cabin. the children
| following. and when they.-went In the first
| thing they saw was Mr.. Coon. pacing back and
| forth the length OF the small. steel chain which
held him. He.paused and regarded them Gu.
rously .twistngthe end Of hisIsharp nosea about
| and mechanically feeling In the cracks OF the
| floor with his forepaws. which seemed to be as
supple and as useful as q boys hands.
| When Buster John went nearer. Mr.. Coon
| raised himself on his hind legs and uttered a
cry almost identical with the scream OF a rooster
when bird.suddenly flies over. or hawk APP
| pears in sight. Buster John know It was q
| warning and so he stopped.
What Is the trouble. Frog Eater-Tad role-
| Catcher" the son. OF Ben Ali sharply in
| CURED.
You can't fool me-" snured Mr.. Coon. I've
seen creatures like him before. They poked
my sides with sticks and pulled my tall
But this one Is different. Bug Eater" said
Aaron.
| "Oh. call me what you please. Son Of Ben Ali.
I was glad to come with you. but didn't in
vito myself heTe. did I? II you were hungry
| and thirsty and tied fast. and saw coming to-
| ward you one OF the creatures that had m ade
misery for you. would you grin and say Wei
come friendf' "
Likely not" replied Aaron. But you have
been fed. Frog Eater. You said you had
| enough"
and too much II. you want me to eat corn
get some that is soft on the cob and juicy, II
to be ncs SaeS Sn % ss couple
les Sweetest susan shivered., W.
We'll. Tadpole. Catcher" said Aaron: II
iriends. They have been touched. They
| know everything you say and whom you are
hungry or thirsty you have only to give the
| sign
At this Mr.. Coon paced back and forth very
IL WAS ne to With nj
END IN Buster Johns hand. The, y9unsster
soon got over thai feeling. and so did Sweetest
they we're ere more familiar With Mr. Zoo Coon than
they had ever been with Any OF their pets.
vhns ae h..a. ana 1bs
M, Coon smacsed HE mouth oyer them: and
better than he had for many day. and re-
,E; ii1nm Fig Ioblnm 9 g., ls sn Which
t+nHe to g, such hnss fare III have to get my
1t may interest readers who are no longer
yolng to know tbRt IN the language OF an mails
TSri oSun GT sna
&c. mean the thing a. hand. or. to be more
exact, the thing under the nose-the thing
II i; pIty that, Joe Maxwell, who sresponsi-
bic for these dry details. did not take the
ter Johns recipe. But he put it of from day
to day and now there is nothing LETT but the
| rough notes OF these stories and some scat
tered fragments Of explanation. one OF which
| represented above.
We'll 70 shoe all this away, Mr., Coon was
on.the chdren in roc : 50 " they Jed hi@ no
the :.chain fron, his collar and gave him the
freedom Of the wide space.
| First. Mr.. Coon must poke his nose or his
forepaws into everything. He paced round
and round the Toom smelling p at or feeling in
but he must feel In Buster John s pocket. He
pulled out marbles. nails; fragments Of china:
money. With few %asmen!s Of 7 fp s china:
ware in nh, his pockets Buster John always felt
bought whole droves OF ponies and large H az
senals OF guns. pistols. swords and war cannon
3 Piece ,f By pieee M Coon brought Buster
Johns treasures 70 light and examined them
carefully, The children noticed that Mr.
the sand that looked like those OF a wee baby.
this discovery. Whenever Mr., Coon left the
prints Of his feet visible one coull almost i'm
agine that some small goblin in human shape
most! Mhv.. Sweetest Susan did imagine It
wa, sure OF IL. indeed whenever she was In
the time. surely. it could not be more won
| derfu than the country next door to the
world, where old Mr.. Rabbit and Mrs Mead
ows and the looking-glass children had their
| abode.
For n few days Mr.. Coon feastei. and then
the children thought he should begin to nay
| for his board. first, by giving an account Of
himself. and next in any other wav that might
| be devised. So far as Mr.. Coon was concerned.
he was perfectly willing to accommodate the
| children. He was never had tempered unless
| he saw cat or dog. and such OF these rs were
about the house and yard soon learned to give
| him wide berth. for his claws and teeth were
shnrr and he was n born fighter.
In Joe Naxwell's rough notes, Mr.. Coon be-
| gan thus:
III had to tell my tale from the talk think
| as YOU talk your talk. I'd talk no talk Of this
| thing" As this would he hard to follow It
has been rendered into u free translation from
| first 10 last
IF had to learn my language out Of books
as you do yours said Mr., Coon. leaning back
| in u corner OF the plavrlom and ub1ing his
face and nose with both hands II wouldn't
| have much 10 say about myself. for wOuldn I
| know how TO say II. NV home was In the h0l-
| low limb Of a tree, and ! can remem Der how
nice 1t was TO s-ep in that soft warm place.
There were four others besides me, and we