Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-23
DREAMLAND
ADVENTURES
"UP A TREE"
By DADDY
CHAPTER III
Cooney RaCcOOn

.,out, creature was coming up the tree
y IN which the birds were roosting,
poovv could hear II clawing the wood
10 II climbed. She could hear It shifting
like a dog following the track Of some
thing II was hunting.
piIIy. keeping watch over the sleep
tho birds. also heard the clawing and
tbe shifting. He quietly took his electric
torch from his pocket.
Sniff Sniff! The creature drew
nearer There seemed no doubt 1t was
after the birds
Thon Billy pfessed the button on his
torch, The ray or iight suaaeniv shot
animal drawing itself upon limb below
'"G BiIIy took his finger from the button
s,d tho light went out as swiftly as Il
had come on. It's flash had been like a
streak of lightning. and possibly that IL
What the animal thought II to be.
Billy thrust tho torch into Peggy's
bands His arms went around her, and
in A moment he was unfastening the
iasso with which he had bound her to
Tho tree when she went to roost with
the birds. She thought It was to let her
escape from the animal by climbing
farther up the tree, But Billy had an
other idea. Flash on the light when I
nudge YOU, no whispered.
Then there wasn't a sound IN the
darkness. The animal was wondering
what made that fash-if II really was
lightning Then, after awhile, the ami
nal made up It's mind that the flash
was lightning. and again 1t climbed
scratch! Scratch on 1t came. And
as il came II chuckled to itself
Supper! I smell supper Nice birds
waiting in the tree for me. Cooney Rae
coon will feast tonight"
d Billy nudged Peggy. Peggy pushed
light. and there, staring right into 1t
was big raccoon.
Cooney Tlaccoon was astonished
Never before had lightning been so close
20 him Never had II glared at him
alone, binding his eyes. Cooney Rae
coon blinked and gasped. And as he
blinkCd and gasped. something hit him
on the shoulder; something snatched him
from the limb to which he had been
clinging Cooney Raccoon thought he
had been struck by a thunderbolt He
thought he was a dead coon and that he
was flying through the air on his way
to the coons' happy hunting grounds.
But Cooney Raccoon hadn't been
struck by u thunderbolt and he wasn't
dead He. had been hit by the moose of
Blly's lasso, and he was now dangling
In the air at the end of that lasso
i've got him !" whispered Billy to
Peggy. I've got old Cooney Raccoon.
The sly rascal was climbing up here to
make a supper off the birds"
What are you going to do with him.
now that you've caught him." asked
Peggy.
I'm going to keep him hanging there
until morning, and then maybe ri give
him TO the dheaded boy at the farm
housc,' said Billy, tying the lasso to a
limb Of the tree. THAT will teach
COoncy ltaccoon not to prowl around at
night, hunting the poor, sleepy birds"
Peggy thought that was serving
on the light to see what he was doing
end Of the lasso, n much puzzled COON
lie didn't know what had happened TO
him and he didn't know what to do
In fact he couldn't do anything but
Just hang there, for the lasso was caught
around his body and under his front
legs in such a way that he could only
paw the air.
AS Peggy'S flash lighted up Cooney
RaCCoon, her quick ears heard n rustling
ri the bottom of the tree, and her sharp
eyes caught a glimpse OF something dark
climbing the tree.
, 'Jiminety," gasped Billy. Turn off
the ltgat Did you see that"
Il, Now what do you suppose the some
And why Is Billy alarmed:
10 you think 1t Is another foe Of the
birds
# YOU were telling the story, what
would YOU say the something dark is,
and what would you have II do?