{"product_id":"2940015723274","title":"Toto's Merry Winter","description":"TOTO'S MERRY WINTER.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCHAPTER I.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIT was evening,--a good, old-fashioned winter evening, cold without,\u003cbr\u003ewarm and merry within. The snow was falling lightly, softly, with no\u003cbr\u003egusts of wind to trouble it and send it whirling and drifting hither and\u003cbr\u003ethither. It covered the roof with a smooth white counterpane, tucking it\u003cbr\u003ein neatly and carefully round the edges; it put a tall conical cap on\u003cbr\u003etop of the pump, and laid an ermine fold over his long and impressive\u003cbr\u003enose. Myriads of curious little flakes pattered softly--oh! very\u003cbr\u003esoftly--against the windows of the cottage, pressing against the glass\u003cbr\u003eto see what was going on inside, and saying, \"Let us in! let us in!\u003cbr\u003eplease do!\" But nobody seemed inclined to let them in, so they were\u003cbr\u003eforced to content themselves with looking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIndeed, the aspect of the kitchen was very inviting, and it is no wonder\u003cbr\u003ethat the little cold flakes wanted to get in. A great fire was crackling\u003cbr\u003eand leaping on the hearth. The whole room seemed to glow and glitter:\u003cbr\u003ebrass saucepans, tin platters, glass window-panes, all cast their very\u003cbr\u003ebrightest glances toward the fire, to show him that they appreciated his\u003cbr\u003eefforts. Over this famous fire, in the very midst of the dancing,\u003cbr\u003eflickering tongues of yellow flame, hung a great black soup-kettle,\u003cbr\u003ewhich was almost boiling over with a sense of its own importance, and a\u003cbr\u003ekindly consciousness of the good things cooking inside it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Bubble! b-r-r-r-r! bubble! hubble!\" said the black kettle, with a fat\u003cbr\u003eand spluttering enunciation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e    \"Bubble, hubble! b-r-r-r-r-r-r! bubble!\u003cbr\u003e     Lots of fun, and very little trouble!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn the hob beside the fire sat the tea-kettle, a brilliant contrast to\u003cbr\u003eits sooty neighbor. It was of copper, so brightly burnished that it\u003cbr\u003eshone like the good red gold. The tea-kettle did not bubble,--it\u003cbr\u003econsidered bubbling rather vulgar; but it was singing very merrily, in a\u003cbr\u003eclear pleasant voice, and pouring out volumes of steam from its slender\u003cbr\u003ecopper nose. \"I am doing all I can to make myself agreeable!\" the\u003cbr\u003etea-kettle said to itself. \"I am boiling just right,--hard enough to\u003cbr\u003emake a good cheerful noise, and not so hard as to boil all the water\u003cbr\u003eaway. And _why_ that beast should sit and glower at me there as he is\u003cbr\u003edoing, is more than I can understand.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"That beast\" was a raccoon. I think some of you children may have seen\u003cbr\u003ehim before. He was sitting in front of the fire, with his beautiful tail\u003cbr\u003ecurled comfortably about his toes; and he certainly _was_ staring very\u003cbr\u003ehard at the tea-kettle. Presently the kettle, in pure playfulness and\u003cbr\u003egood-will, lifted its cover a little and let out an extra puff of snowy\u003cbr\u003esteam; and at that the raccoon gave a jump, and moved farther away from\u003cbr\u003ethe fire, without ever taking his eyes off the kettle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe fact is, that for the first time in his life the raccoon knew what\u003cbr\u003e_fear_ was. He was afraid--mortally afraid--of that tea-kettle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Don't tell me!\" he had said to Toto, only the day before, \"don't tell\u003cbr\u003e_me_ it isn't alive! It breathes, and it talks, and it moves, and if\u003cbr\u003ethat isn't being alive I don't know what is.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Coon, how utterly absurd you are!\" cried Toto, laughing. \"It _doesn't_\u003cbr\u003emove, except when some one takes it up, of course, or tilts it on the\u003cbr\u003ehob.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Toto,\" said the raccoon, speaking slowly and impressively, \"as sure as\u003cbr\u003eyou are a living boy, I saw that kettle take off the top of its head and\u003cbr\u003elook out of its own inside, only last night. And before that,\" he added,\u003cbr\u003elooking rather shamefaced, \"I--I just put my paw in to see what there\u003cbr\u003ewas inside, and the creature caught it and took all the skin off.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut here Toto burst into a fit of laughter, and said, \"Served you\u003cbr\u003eright!\" which was so rude that the raccoon went off and sat under the\u003cbr\u003etable, in a huff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo this time, when the kettle took off the top of its head, Coon did not\u003cbr\u003erun out into the shed, as he had done before, because he was ashamed\u003cbr\u003ewhen he remembered Toto's laughter. He only moved away a little, and\u003cbr\u003elooked and felt thoroughly uncomfortable.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47147911250160,"sku":"2940015723274","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940015723274","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}