Johnnie had gone away the night before. But they had no such idea at
all.

"Which way are you going to fell her?" the hired man asked. He said HER,
meaning the TREE, of course.

"That way!" said Farmer Green, pointing toward the woods. "We'll have to
drop her that way, or she'll fall right across the road, and of course
THAT would never do."

"But will she clear the trees on the edge of the woods?" The hired man
appeared somewhat doubtful.

"Oh, to be sure--to be sure!" answered Farmer Green.

And with that they set to work again. But this time they both chopped on
the same side of the tree--the side toward the woods.

Now, if Fatty Coon was frightened before, you will believe that he was
still more frightened when the big chestnut tree began to sag. Yes! it
began to lean toward the woods. Slowly, slowly it tipped. And Fatty was
scared half out of his mind. He climbed to the very top of the tree,
because he wanted to get just as far away from those men as he could.
And there he waited. There was nothing else he could do. Yes! he waited
until that awful moment should come when the tree would go crashing down
upon the ground. What was going to happen to him then? Fatty wondered.
And while he was wondering there sounded all at once a great snapping
and splitting. And Fatty felt the tree falling, falling. He could hear
Johnnie Green shouting. And he shut his eyes and held fast to his
branch. Then came the crash.