The great fire that had swept away the woods in which they had always lived made every one of the birds and animals homeless. Of course, they were thankful they had escaped the flames, but they had lost all their possessions. Nobody had carried anything away with him.
The next two days were spent in house hunting. They were busy days you can imagine. It is no easy thing for even the birds and animals to pick up a home and start housekeeping again. There are so many things to consider.
For instance, the first hole Washer the Raccoon entered was the entrance to an ideal home for him, but Billy the Porcupine entered from another side at the same time. A dispute immediately followed.
“This is my home,” said Billy, bristling up his spines.
“No, it isn’t,” retorted Washer. “I got here first.”
“No such thing. I discovered it first. Because you can run faster doesn’t matter. It’s the question of which discovers it first.”
“Possession is half the law,” retorted Washer, showing his teeth. “And I have possession.”
“How can you prove that when I’m in possession, too?” snapped Billy. “I’m here, and you can’t put me out.”
“I can, and will,” said Washer, and he made a quick dart at Billy, who curled up so suddenly that his sharp spines bristled on every side.
Washer danced around him, but he was unable to get at Billy, who laughed and shouted:
“Now who’s got possession?”
Washer wasn’t to be bullied, however, and retorted: “I’ll starve you out. You don’t dare uncurl. If you do I’ll get you. Now we’ll see who owns the place.”
But Billy had a ready answer. “If I starve you’ll starve too. The minute you go out for food, I’ll go too. Now what are you going to do?”
Washer recognized the truth of this, and was silent. He watched Billy with angry eyes, but he was still afraid of the bristling ball of sharp quills. They were in this attitude of waiting when Bumper appeared at the mouth of the hole.
“Hello!” he exclaimed, addressing Fuzzy Wuzz. “This looks like a promising place. Let’s investigate it.”
He ran in the hole, and came up against Washer the Raccoon. “You in here, Washer?” he asked. “I didn’t know you were here. Then I must look for some other place for a home.”
“Yes, I’m here,” replied Washer crossly. “And so is Billy the Porcupine. There he is sulking in the corner. He refused to leave when I ordered him out.”
“He had no right to order me away, Bumper,” Billy said, uncurling. “I discovered the hole first, and came here to claim it for a home.”
“But I beat him down here,” interrupted Washer, “and the one that gets first in a hole has a right to it. Isn’t that the law of the woods, Bumper?”
“Well, well!” said Bumper, scratching his nose thoughtfully. “You’re both right, I suppose, but one must be wrong.”
“I discovered it first,” interrupted Billy, “and that made it mine.”
“And I was first down here,” said Washer angrily.
“It seems to me,” remarked Bumper, “that this is a knotty question to settle. Suppose you both give it up, and then neither will have the advantage.”
“Huh!” growled Washer. “You want it for yourself.”
“I don’t see why I should give it up,” added Billy, “not even to you, Bumper.”
“You misunderstand me, Billy. I didn’t want it for myself, but you and Washer can’t stand here forever disputing about the ownership. You’d never get settled. We want peace in the new woods.”
The dispute might have lasted indefinitely, for Bumper was puzzled how to settle it; but just as he was thinking he would have to give it up Groundy the Woodchuck rushed down the hole, and seeing so many there he stopped in surprise.
“Hello! I didn’t know I had company in my new home!” he exclaimed. “Well, I’m glad to see all of you. It’s a nice comfortable home, isn’t it? Almost as good as the one I had in the North Woods. Welcome all of you!”
“Well, if that isn’t the limit!” exclaimed Washer.
“The idea!” said Billy, uncurling a little more. “I guess you don’t own the whole woods, Groundy.”
“No, I don’t claim any such thing, Billy,” replied Groundy. “But I do claim this place. Why shouldn’t I? I discovered it first, and started to make my nest here.”
“You did, eh?” snapped Washer. “I was the first one down here, and it’s mine.”
“I discovered it first, and it’s mine,” echoed Billy.
Bumper saw that the dispute was likely to cause hard feeling between the three friends, and he wished to settle it in a friendly way.
“When did you find it, Groundy?” he asked. “And were you down here before?”
“Yes, hours ago.”
“Well, I’ve been here for ever and ever so long,” said Billy. “Washer knows that, for he’s been here too.”
“Yes, we came in here a long time ago, and Groundy wasn’t in sight then. I don’t believe he was ever here before. He’s just saying that to claim the hole.”
Groundy showed some impatience, and then spying something way down in the bottom of the burrow he smiled. Washer and Billy, who had joined together to dispute his right, looked in the same direction, but they could see nothing.
“If I prove that I discovered the burrow first, and was down here before either Billy or Washer, is it my home?” Groundy asked, turning to Bumper.
“Yes, that’s only fair. It’s the law of the woods, and Billy and Washer should agree to it. You will, won’t you?”
He turned and addressed the two sulking animals.
“Yes, I will,” Billy assented after a pause.
“I too,” said Washer, “but he’s got to prove it, and not make up a story.”
“I’ll prove it,” smiled Groundy. “I don’t have to make up any story. Billy, look in the corner there and tell me what’s under those leaves.”
Billy wondering what he meant by this remark obeyed. There was a big ball of leaves at the bottom that he hadn’t noticed there before, and when he pawed around in them there was a little squeak, and up popped the heads of three little woodchucks. They were the children of Groundy, which he and Mrs. Groundy had brought from their old home safely across the river. They were stowed away snugly in the hole, and had been fast asleep.
“Well, how’d they get down here?” gasped Billy.
“I brought them here hours ago,” replied Groundy. “That’s my evidence that I was here before either you or Washer.”
Washer laughed good-naturedly. “I guess you’ve proved your point, Groundy, and I for one will leave. I couldn’t drive out those dear little woodchucks.”
“Nor me either,” said Billy, smiling down at the sleepy youngsters.
“Then I guess we’d all better leave,” remarked Bumper, “and let Groundy have the burrow.”
So the dispute of ownership was settled, and all hopped away, leaving Groundy in possession. The next story will be about how Bumper settled a dispute between Pink Nose and Rolly Polly.