NOVEMBER 9: Good-Winter
“As you know,” commenced daddy, “when the little creatures who go to sleep for the winter are about to begin their long, long rest they wish each other a good-winter just as we would say a good-night to each other, and Billie Brownie hurried off to make his good-winter calls on some of his friends.
“‘Well,’ said Billie Brownie to Mother Grizzly, ‘I wish you a good-winter.
“‘If you were only going to have a night’s rest of course I’d only wish you a good-night and pleasant dreams.
“‘But as you sleep for the winter I wish you a good-winter and pleasant winter dreams.’
“‘Woof, woof, thank you,’ said Mother Grizzly.
“And Billie Brownie left Mother Grizzly to tuck her children into their nice beds right by her in the old family den.
“He was very fond of Mother Grizzly.
“Then he went to call on the Ground Squirrels.
“‘Hello, little Ground Squirrels,’ he said, as he saw them after he had traveled a little distance in his Brownie motor-car.
“‘Are you on your way to bed?’
“‘We are indeed,’ they said. ‘Our parents went to bed at the end of the summer but we were allowed to stay up longer.
“‘It is such fun to be allowed to stay up a little longer once in a great while. Good-winter, Billie Brownie.’
“For they said good-winter to Billie Brownie, too, as they would not see him during the winter, although he would not be asleep.
“They would be the ones asleep!
“And then he called on Mother Black-Bear, the Prairie Dog family, Willie Woodchuck and his family, and many others and to all he wished pleasant winter dreams.”