 Fatty
Coon and the Monster
Written by: Arthur Scott Bailey,
1915
Recorded by: Patricia Thornton-Houser
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One night Fatty Coon was
strolling
along the road that
wound through the valley.
He was in no hurry,
for he had just left Farmer Green's apple orchard,
where he had eaten all the apples he could possibly eat. The night
was dark and though it was not very late, all the country
people seemed to be in bed. There were no farmers driving along
the road. Fatty had it all to himself. And so he walked slowly homewards.
It was then that the terrible
monster almost caught him.
This is how it all happened. There was a br-br-br-r-r-r
in the air. Fatty really should have heard it long before he did.
But he had eaten so many apples that he had begun to feel sleepy;
and his ears were not so sharp
as they should have been. And when at last Fatty heard that
br-r-r-r it was quite loud. He was startled.
And he stopped right in the middle of the road to listen. Fatty
had never heard such a sound before.
The strange animal was on him before he knew it. Its
glaring eyes blinded
him. And if it had not screamed
at him Fatty would never have escaped.
It was the terrible screech
of the monster which
finally made Fatty jump. It was a frightening
cry--like six wildcats
all wailing
together. And Fatty leaped
to one side of the road just before the monster reached
him.
The great creature
went past Fatty like the wind and tore
on up the hill. He seemed to be running so fast that he could not
stop. Fatty could hear him panting
as he climbed
the sharp
rise
of the road.
Fatty Coon hurried
away. He wanted to get home before the monster could stop and come
back to look for him.
When Fatty told his mother about his narrow
escape Mrs. Coon became much excited. She felt sure that Fatty
was not mistaken,
for had she not heard that strange cry herself?
There it was again! Woo-ooo-ooo-oo-o! It began low, rose
to a shriek,
and then died
away again.
Mrs. Coon and Fatty climbed
to the very top of their old poplar
and gazed
down the valley.
"Look, Mother!" Fatty cried. "He's stopped
at Farmer Green's! You can see his eyes from here!"
Mrs. Coon looked. Sure enough! It was just as Fatty said.
And that horrid
call
echoed
across the valley once more.
Farmer Green put his head out of his bedroom window, to
see what the man in the automobile wanted.
"Where's the nearest village,
please?" the stranger
asked. And after Farmer Green had told him the man drove his car
on again.
From their tree-top Fatty and his mother watched the monster
dash
down the valley. They knew he had gone, because they could see the
gleam
of those awful
eyes.
"Do you suppose
he ate up Farmer Green and his family?" Fatty asked in a frightened
voice.
"I hope so," she said. "Then perhaps there'll
be no more traps
in the woods."
"But who would plant
the corn?" Fatty asked.
Mrs. Coon did
not appear to hear his question.
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