“they hopped through the bushes.”He was so terrified by this thought that Chatter Chuk took flight and darted home at his best speed. He lived in a tree very near to the burrow where Mrs. Wuz resided, but the squirrel did not go near the rabbit-burrow. The sun was already sinking in the west, so he ran into his nest and pretended to sleep when his mother asked him where he had been so late.All night Mrs. Wuz waited for Fuzzy, and it was an anxious and sleepless night for the poor mother, as you may well believe. Fuzzy was her one darling, several other children having been taken from her in various ways soon after their birth. Mr. Wuz had gone to attend a meeting of the Rabbits’ Protective Association and might be absent for several days; so he was not there to help or counsel her.When daybreak came, the mother rabbit ran to the foot of the squirrels’ tree and called:“Chatter Chuk! Chatter Chuk! Where is my Fuzzy Wuz? Where is my darling child?”Chatter Chuk was too frightened to answer until his mother made him. Then he ran down to the lowest limb of the tree and sat there while he talked.“We went walking,” he said, “and Fuzzy found some carrots under a box that was propped up with a peg. I told her not to eat them; but she did, and the peg fell out and made her a prisoner.”You see, he did not mention Juggerjook at all, yet he knew the magician was at the bottom of all the trouble.“‘i smell carrots!’”But Mrs. Wuz knew rabbit-traps quite well, being old and experienced; so she begged the red squirrel to come at once and show her the place where Fuzzy had been caught.“There isn’t a moment to lose,” she said, “for the trappers will be out early this morning to see what they have captured in their trap.”Chatter Chuk was afraid to go, having a guilty conscience; but his mother made him. He led the way timidly, but swiftly, and Mrs. Wuz fairly flew over the ground, so anxious was she to rescue her darling.The box was in the same place yet, and poor Fuzzy Wuz could be heard moaning feebly inside it.“Courage, my darling!” cried the mother, “I have come to save you.”First she tried to move the box, but it was too heavy for her to stir. Then she began scratching away the earth at its edge, only to find that it had been placed upon a big, flat stone, to prevent a rabbit from burrowing out.“fuzzy crept under the box.”This discovery almost drove her frantic, until she noticed Chatter Chuk, who stood trembling near by.“Here!” she called; “it was you who led my child into trouble. Now you must get her out.”“How?” asked the red squirrel.“Gnaw a hole in that box—quick! Gnaw faster than you ever did before in your life. See! the box is thinnest at this side. Set to work at once, Chatter Chuk!”The red squirrel obeyed. The idea of saving his friend was as welcome to him as it was to the distracted mother. He was young, and his teeth were as sharp as needles. So he started at the lower edge and chewed the wood with all his strength and skill, and at every bite the splinters came away.It was a good idea. Mrs. Wuz watched him anxiously. If only the men would keep away for a time, the squirrel could make a hole big enough for Fuzzy Wuz to escape. She crept around the other side of the box and called to the prisoner: “Courage, dear one! We are trying to save you. But if the men come before Chatter Chuk can make a hole big enough, then, as soon as they raise the box, you must make a dash for the bushes. Run before they can put in their hands to seize you. Do you understand?”“Yes, Mother,” replied Fuzzy, but her voice wasn’t heard very plainly, because the squirrel was making so much noise chewing the wood.Presently Chatter Chuk stopped.“It makes my teeth ache,” he complained.“Never mind, let them ache,” replied Mrs. Wuz. “If you stop now, Fuzzy will die; and if she dies, I will go to Juggerjook and tell him how you led my child into trouble.”The thought of Juggerjook made the frightened squirrel redouble his efforts. He forgot the pain in his teeth and gnawed as no other squirrelhad ever gnawed before. The ground was covered with tiny splinters from the box, and now the hole was big enough for the prisoner to put the end of her nose through and beg him to hurry.Chatter Chuk was intent on his task, and the mother was intent upon watching him, so neither noticed any one approaching, until a net fell over their heads, and a big voice cried, with a boisterous laugh:“Caught! and neat as a pin, too!”Chatter Chuk and Mrs. Wuz struggled in the net with all their might, but it was fast around them, and they were helpless to escape. Fuzzy stuck her nose out of the hole in the box to find out what was the matter, and a sweet, childish voice exclaimed: “There’s another in the trap, Daddy!”Neither the rabbits nor the squirrel understood this strange language; but all realized they were in the power of dreadful Man and gave themselves up for lost.Fuzzy made a dash the moment the box was raised; but the trapper knew the tricks of rabbits, so the prisoner only dashed into the same net where her mother and Chatter Chuk were confined.“Three of them! Two rabbits and a squirrel. That’s quite a haul, Charlie,” said the man.“‘where is my child?’”The little boy was examining the box.“Do rabbits gnaw through wood, Father?” he asked.“No, my son,” was the reply.“But there is a hole here. And see! There are the splinters upon the ground.”The man examined the box in turn, somewhat curiously.“How strange!” he said. “These are marks of the squirrel’s teeth. Now, I wonder if the squirrel was trying to liberate the rabbit.”“Looks like it, Daddy; doesn’t it?” replied the boy.“I never heard of such a thing in my life,” declared the man. “These little creatures often display more wisdom than we give them credit for. But how can we explain this curious freak, Charlie?”The boy sat down upon the box and looked thoughtfully at the three prisoners in the net. They had ceased to struggle, having given way to despair; but the boy could see their little hearts beating fast through their furry skins.“This is the way it looks to me, Daddy,” he finally said. “We caught the small rabbit in the box, and the big one must be its mother. When she found her baby was caught, she tried to save it, and she began to burrow under the box, for here is the mark of her paws. But she soon saw the flat stone, and gave up.”“Yes; that seems reasonable,” said the man.“But she loved her baby,” continued the boy, gazing at the littlecreatures pitifully, “and thought of another way. The red squirrel was a friend of hers, so she ran and found him, and asked him to help her. He did, and tried to gnaw through the box; but we came too soon and captured them with the net because they were so busy they didn’t notice us.”“Exactly!” cried the man, with a laugh. “That tells the story very plainly, my son, and I see you are fast learning the ways of animals. But how intelligent these little things are!”“That’s whatmymother would do,” returned the boy. “She’d try to save me; and that’s just what the mother rabbit did.”“Well, we must be going,” said the man; and as he started away he picked up the net and swung it over his shoulder. The prisoners struggled madly again, and the boy, who walked along the forest path a few steps behind his father, watched them.“the prisoners scampered away.”“Daddy,” he said softly, coming to the man’s side, “I don’t want to keep those rabbits.”“Oh, they’ll make us a good dinner,” was the reply.“I—I couldn’t eat ’em for dinner, Daddy. Not the mama rabbit and the little one she tried to save. Nor the dear little squirrel that wanted to help them. Let’s—let’s—let ’em go!”The man stopped short and turned to look with a smile into the boy’s upturned, eager face.“What will Mama say when we go back without any dinner?” he asked.“You know, Daddy. She’ll say a good deed is better than a good dinner.”The man laid a caressing hand on the curly head and handed his son the net. Charlie’s face beamed with joy. He opened wide the net and watched the prisoners gasp with surprise, bound out of the meshes, and scamper away into the bushes.Then the boy put his small hand in his father’s big one, and together they walked silently along the path.“All the same,” said Chatter Chuk to himself, as, snug at home, he trembled at the thought of his late peril, “I shall keep away from old Juggerjook after this. I am very sure of that!”“Mama,” said Fuzzy Wuz, nestling beside her mother in the burrow, “why do you suppose the fierce Men let us go?”“I cannot tell, my dear,” was the reply. “Men are curious creatures, and often act with more wisdom than we give them credit for.”“What you burying, a bone?”“Nop, interning a muzzle.”THE LITTLE GRAY KITTENBY MARY LAWRENCE TURNBULLOnce upon a time there was a little gray kitten, who had wandered far away from home. At first she liked all the strange sights she saw, but by and by she began to feel very homesick, and wished she was once more cuddled up with her brothers and sisters.Now the only word this little gray kitten knew was “Mew, mew!” So when she was lonely she would say “Mew;” when she was hungry, “Mew;” when she was cold or tired, glad or sad, it was always “Mew.” At home they knew what she meant when she said “Mew,” but out in the wide, wide world, nobody seemed to know.Wandering along the street, she came upon a little squirming earthworm. “Mew,” said she, meaning, “Where is my home?”The earthworm, however, did not notice little gray kitten, but crawled away across the street.Next, the little gray kitten met a butterfly on the top of a dandelion. “Mew,” said the little gray kitten, meaning, “Can you tell me where my home is?” But the butterfly did not say anything, and flew away.mischieffrom an engraving of the painting by fred morgan.The little gray kitten walked on, and then she spied a robin on a stone wall near-by. “Mew,” said the little gray kitten, “Where is my home?”But the robin, cocking his head on one side, answered, “Chirp, chirp,” and then spreading his wings, flew away.“Running Along She Came Upto a Big Black Dog.”She felt very sad indeed, but running along she came up to a big black dog. “Mew, mew!” said the little gray kitten, “Oh, can you not tell me where my home is?”But the big black dog shook his tail, and barked “Bow-wow, bow-wow-wow-wow!” so loudly that the little gray kitten ran away from him as fast as she could go.The little gray kitten was very tired, but she still ran on, and soon met a big red cow. “Mew, mew-ew,” said the little gray kitten, “Can you not tell me where my home is?”“‘Oh, You Dear Fluffy Gray Ball,’ Said the Little Girl.”The big red cow, however, hardly looking at the little kitten, stretched out her big head, and shouted, “Moo, moo-oo!” which so frightened the little gray kitten that she jumped over a fence and landed right in the middle of a flower-bed.There she caught sight of a little girl running up to her, and with such a sweet smile on her face that the little gray kitten ran toward her and said once more, “Mew, doyouknow where my home is?”“Oh, you dear fluffy gray ball!” said the smiling little girl, catching the kitten up in her arms. “I’m going to take you right home to live with me.”The little girl was the only one who had understood, and the little gray kitten purred softly. She was happy for she had found a home.PUSSY’S WHEELSBY ANNIE W. McCULLOUGHI wonder what you’re thinking of, my darling little cat.It may be meat, it may be cream, that makes you nice and fat;It may be all the fun you have in barn-loft warm and dry;It may be mice you try to catch as by their hole you lie.Perhaps you think of trees to climb, with birds that sing up there,They always get away from you, although you creep with care.Perhaps you think of warm, green grass, and basking in the sun,Or of your ball, that slides so fast as after it you run.I hope you think of me, sometimes, because I love you well;I hope you love me back again, although you cannot tell;And how I know you’re thinking (it’s a secret that I’ve found),Is ’cause I hear, close to my ear, your thought-wheels going round.THE SMALL GRAY MOUSEBY NATHAN HASKELL DOLEThe small gray Mouse ran EastAnd the small gray Mouse ran WestAnd could not tell in the leastWhich way was best.The small gray Mouse ran NorthAnd the small gray Mouse ran SouthAnd scurried back and forthTo escape the Kitten’s dreadful teeth-lined mouth!But Kitty thought it precious funTo see the panting Mousie run,And when it almost got awayHer furry paw upon its back would lay.But Kitty grew too vain and sure;She thought she had the Mouse secure;She turned her head, she shut her eyes.That was not wise,And ere she knewThe gray Mouse up the chimney flew,Where dainty cats could not pursue.So she had nothing else to doBut miew—oo—oo—!“you make so much noise i can’t sleep!”from the painting by j. h. dolph.THE RABBIT, THE TURTLE, AND THE OWLThe little girl and the little boy stood in the corn-field near the hollow tree where the Owl lived. The corn was in shocks like wigwams, and the yellow pumpkins lay on the ground. The Turtle came up from the brook below the corn-field, and stuck his head out of his shell to watch. The Rabbit sat on the edge of the slope, with his ears sticking straight up, to listen.The sleepy Owl stirred behind his knot-hole.“Don’t you think,” said the little boy, “that the Rabbit—”“And the Turtle—” said the little girl.“And the Owl,” went on the little boy, “should have a Thanksgiving dinner?”“Yes, a good dinner,” replied the little girl, “right here in the corn-field.”“We could have a pumpkin table,” said the little boy.“And pumpkin chairs,” said the little girl.So, as Thanksgiving was that very day, and there was no time to lose, they began to work. They found a fine, big, flat-topped pumpkin, and placed it for a table at the foot of the Owl’s tree. Then they found three little pumpkins for stools.“They won’t want to eat until night,” said the little boy.“No,” said the little girl; “the Owl and the Turtle and the Rabbit, too,—they like dinner at night.”“We will lay everything out for them before we go to Grandmother’s,” said the little boy, “and when we come home, we can see all eating their good Thanksgiving dinner.”The little boy ran and brought parsley and cabbage leaves for the Rabbit; and when the Rabbit saw that, he trotted home in a hurry, for fear he might be tempted to eat before it was time.The little girl brought a fine big mushroom for the Turtle, for she had once seen a turtle nibble all around the edge of a mushroom.“The Owl will have to bring his own dinner,” said the little boy, “but I will get him a piece of bread to eat with it.” So he did.That night the little girl and boy drove home by moonlight from their grandmother’s farm. When they were in their own room they looked out of the window toward the corn-field. They saw the corn-shocks, like wigwams, with black shadows. They saw the tree dark against the sky. They saw the big round yellow moon rising above the ridge of the field. They saw the pumpkin table and pumpkin chairs. They saw, sitting on one chair, the Rabbit, with his ears sticking straight up as he ate his parsley and cabbage. They saw the Turtle, stretching his head out of his shell as he nibbled his mushroom. They saw the Owl on his chair, eating the dinner he had brought. “Oh, isn’t it beautiful!” said the little girl. “Beautiful!” said the little boy.HOMESMy bunnies like their cozy house, although they scamper out to play;My chickens like the slatted coop where all the mother hens must stay.My kitten likes her basket bed out in the woodshed near our door,My puppy loves his cellar box; he sleeps and plays, then sleeps some more.ButIhave got the nicest home. My house is better far than theirs;Its windows let the sunshine in; it has a porch, it has some stairs.But I like best the kitchen warm, with table, stove, and pantry neat;The place where Dinah works, and makes good things for us to eat!Here comes our dinner!A Shower of good things.MEAL-TIME IN THE BEAR-PITS AT THE ZOO.“full inside.”from an engraving of the painting by arthur j. elsley.THE FINE GOOD SHOWBY JESSIE WRIGHT WHITCOMB“‘good morning, cow, come and take a walk with us.’”A little girl and a little boy started down the road together to take a walk. They met a dog.“Good morning, Dog,” said the little girl. “Bow-wow!” answered the dog.“Come and take a walk with us, Dog,” said the little boy.So they all went down the road together.Pretty soon they met a cat.“Good morning, Cat,” said the little boy. “Miaouw!” answered the cat.“Come and take a walk with us, Cat,” said the little girl. So they all went down the road together.Pretty soon they met a rooster.“Good morning, Rooster,” said the little girl. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” answered the rooster.“Come and take a walk with us, Rooster,” said the little boy.So they all went down the road together.Pretty soon they met a duck.“Good morning, Duck,” said the little boy. “Quack, quack!” answered the duck.“Come and take a walk with us, Duck,” said the little girl.So they all went down the road talking merrily with one another.Pretty soon they saw a little pinky-white pig with a funny little curly tail.“‘good morning, duck, come and take a walk with us.’”“Good morning, Pig,” said the little girl. “Grunt, grunt!” answered the pig.“Come and take a walk with us, Pig,” said the little boy.So they all went down the road together.Pretty soon they came to a pasture.In the pasture was a nice, old, red cow.“Good morning, Cow,” said the little boy. “Moo, moo!” answered the cow.“Come and take a walk with us,” said the little girl.But the cow shook her head; she couldn’t open the pasture bars.“We will let down the bars for you, Cow,” said the little boy and the little girl.So they let down the bars, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, and the duck, and the little white pig with the curly tail, and the little boy, and the little girl, all went in to see the cow.The little girl climbed on the cow’s back, and the little boy climbed on the cow’s back, and the dog jumped on the cow’s back, and the cat jumped on the cow’s neck, and the rooster flew up on the cow’s head, and the little white pig with the curly tail, and the duck, walked behind the cow, and they all went down the road together just as happy as they could be.“‘good morning, pig, come and take a walk with us.’”Pretty soon they met a carriage with two women in it.“Mercy on me!” said the two women. “What’s this!”“This is a fine, good show,” answered the little girl.“Well, I should think it was!” said the two women. “It is a beautiful show.”“Thank you,” said the little boy.“Good-by,” said the two women.“Good-by,” said the little girl.So the cow, carrying the little boy, and the little girl, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, with the little white pig with the curly tail, and the duck, walking along behind, all went down the road together.Pretty soon they met a wagon with three men in it.“Well! Well! Well!” said the three men. “Just look! What’s all this?”“This is a fine, good show,” said the little boy, bowing very politely.“Indeed it is!” said the three men. “It’s great!”“Thank you,” said the little boy, “I am pleased that you like it.”“Good-by,” said the little girl.So the cow, carrying the little girl, and the little boy, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, with the little white pig with the curly tail, and the duck, walking behind, all went down the road together.the fine, good show.Pretty soon they came to a store. The Store Man stood out in front of his store.“Good morning, Mr. Store Man,” said the little boy, “I have a little silver piece in my pocket.”“Good morning!” said the Store Man. “What can I do for you?”“We want to buy some things for our Show,” said the little boy.“I’m glad of that!” said the Store Man.So the little boy jumped down, and the little girl jumped down, and the dog jumped down, and the cat jumped down, and the rooster flew down.“We want to buy a little corn for our cow and our pig,” said the little boy.“And we want to buy a little wheat for our rooster and our duck,” said the little girl.“And we want to buy a little meat for our dog,” said the little boy.“And we want to buy a little milk for our cat,” said the little girl.“And we want to buy some great, long sticks of candy for us!” said the little boy and the little girl together. “I hope you have some.”The Store Man took the money and brought out all the things.“the store man brought outall the things.”The cow and the little white pig with the curly tail ate the corn; the rooster and the duck ate the wheat; the dog ate the meat, and the cat drank the milk, and the little girl and the little boy ate the great, long sticks of candy.“Good-by, Mr. Store Man,” said the little girl.“Good-by, Mr. Store Man,” said the little boy.“Good-by, all of you,” answered the Store Man.So the little girl, and the little boy, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, and the duck, and the little pig with the curly tail, all went back up the road again.Pretty soon they came to the pasture. The cow walked in.“Good-by, Cow and Dog and Cat and Rooster and Duck and Pig!” shouted the little boy.“Good-by, Pig and Duck and Rooster and Cat and Dog and Cow!” called the little girl.“Moo-moo!” answered the cow.“Grunt-grunt!” answered the pig.“Miaouw, miaouw!” answered the cat.“Quack, quack!” answered the duck.“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” answered the rooster. “Bow-wow!” answered the dog.And the little boy and the little girl put up the bars and ran back home as fast as they could go.Jessie Wright Whitcomb.“the little boy and the little girlput up the bars.”GAY AND SPY(A Rhyming Story for Little Folk)One beautiful day in the month of May,A little girl whose name was Gay(They called her that, because, you see,She was always cheerful as she could be)Went for a walk in the woods near by,And her dog went with her (his name was Spy).As they strolled along a fine woodland pathShe saw a little bird taking a bath.She kept very still and watched him splash,When all at once, with a sudden dash,Into the brook jumped little dog Spy.My, how he made the water fly!“What a bad, bad dog you are!” said Gay.“Birdie won’t bathe any more to-day.You frightened him so, but, never mind,He’s only frightened, not hurt, he’ll find.We’ll walk on further and you must tryTo be good and quiet.”“Bow-wow!” said Spy.“into the brook jumped little dog spy.”They had only walked on a little way,When something rustled: “What’s that?” said Gay.Out from the leaves sprang a squirrel redAnd sped like a flash down the path ahead.Close behind him was little dog Spy.He paid no heed to the little girl’s cry.“‘you’re young,’ said gay, ‘and is that why you act so silly?’”She whistled and called; they were out of sight.She waited a moment, then laughed outright.For who was this coming? Why, little dog Spy!But he didn’t look happy—with head held high—Indeed, he looked rather ashamed insteadFor he hadn’t caught the squirrel red.Spy couldn’t climb trees, and so, you see,Master Squirrel escaped quite easily.“You’re young,” said Gay, “and is that whyYou act so silly?”“Bow-wow!” said Spy.“I’m tired of walking,” the little girl said,“I think I will pick some flowers instead.I will take them home to my Grandma, dear;She loves them but she can’t walk out here.”There were plenty of flowers all around.Sweet white violets covered the ground.There were lovely long-stemmed blue ones, too,And all around the May-flowers grew.But when she had all her hands would hold,It was time to leave, it was growing cold.The sun was sinking. But where was Spy?She whistled and called,—but no reply!“Where can he be?” she said, when hark!Off in the distance she heard him bark.“He must have a rabbit,” said she, “that’s all.”And sure enough, by an old stone-wall,Spy was barking away as hard as he could—As if scaring the rabbit would do any good.“The rabbit is safe in that wall,” said Gay,“He wouldn’t come out if you barked all day.So you better come home for it’s growing late.And Mother will wonder why I wait.Supper’ll be ready, too. Oh, my!Are you hungry as I am?”“Bow-wow!” said Spy.“i’se biggest!”from an engraving of the painting by arthur j. elsley.The Ballad of a runaway DonkeyTHE THREE BEARS[M]Once upon a time there were three bears who lived in a castle in a great wood. One of them was a great big bear, and one was a middling bear, and one was a little bear. And in the same wood there was a fox who lived all alone; his name was Scrapefoot. Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the bears, but for all that he wanted very much to know all about them. And one day as he went through the wood he found himself near the Bears’ Castle, and he wondered whether he could get into the castle. He looked all about him everywhere, and he could not see any one. So he came up very quietly, till at last he came up to the door of the castle, and he tried whether he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked, and he opened it just a little way, and put his nose in and looked, and he could not see any one. So then he opened it a little way farther, and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all in the Bears’ Castle. He found he was in a great hall with three chairs in it—one big, one middling, and one little chair; and he thought he would like to sit down and rest and look about him; so he sat down on the big chair. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling chair, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn’t make himself comfortable. So then he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and it was so soft and warm and comfortable that Scrapefoot was quite happy; but all at once it broke to pieces under him and he couldn’t put it together again! So he got up and began to look about him again, and on one table he saw three saucers, of which one was very big, one was middling, one was quite a little saucer. Scrapefoot was very thirsty, and he began to drink out of the big saucer. But he only just tasted the milk in the big saucer, which was so sour and so nasty that he would not taste another drop of it. Then he tried the middling saucer, and he drank a little of that. He tried two or three mouthfuls, but it was not nice, and then he left it and went to the little saucer, and the milk in the little saucer was so sweet and so nice that he went on drinking it till it was all gone.Then Scrapefoot thought he would like to go upstairs; and he listened and he could not hear any one. So upstairs he went, and he found a great room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a middling bed, and one was a little white bed; and he climbed up into the big bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped down again at once, and tried the middling bed. That was rather better, but he could not get comfortable in it, so after turning about a little while he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so warm and so nice that he fell fast asleep at once.And after a time the Bears came home, and when they got into the hall the big Bear went to his chair and said, “Who’s been sitting in my chair?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been sitting in my chair?” and the little Bear said, “Who’s been sitting in my chair and has broken it all to pieces?” And then they went to have their milk, and the big bear said, “Who’s been drinking my milk?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been drinking my milk?” And the little Bear said, “Who’s been drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?” Then they went upstairs and into the bedroom, and the big Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the little Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?—and see here he is!” So then the Bears came and wondered what they should do with him; and the big Bear said, “Let’s hang him!” and then the middling Bear said, “Let’s drown him!” and then the little Bear said, “Let’s throw him out of the window.” And then the Bears took him to the window, and the big Bear took two legs on one side and the middling Bear took two legs on the other side, and they swung him backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, and out of the window. Poor Scrapefoot was so frightened, and he thought every bone in his body must be broken. But he got up and first shook one leg—no, that was not broken; and then another, and that was not broken; and another and another, and then he wagged his tail and found there were no bones broken. So then he galloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the Bears’ Castle again.
“they hopped through the bushes.”
He was so terrified by this thought that Chatter Chuk took flight and darted home at his best speed. He lived in a tree very near to the burrow where Mrs. Wuz resided, but the squirrel did not go near the rabbit-burrow. The sun was already sinking in the west, so he ran into his nest and pretended to sleep when his mother asked him where he had been so late.
All night Mrs. Wuz waited for Fuzzy, and it was an anxious and sleepless night for the poor mother, as you may well believe. Fuzzy was her one darling, several other children having been taken from her in various ways soon after their birth. Mr. Wuz had gone to attend a meeting of the Rabbits’ Protective Association and might be absent for several days; so he was not there to help or counsel her.
When daybreak came, the mother rabbit ran to the foot of the squirrels’ tree and called:
“Chatter Chuk! Chatter Chuk! Where is my Fuzzy Wuz? Where is my darling child?”
Chatter Chuk was too frightened to answer until his mother made him. Then he ran down to the lowest limb of the tree and sat there while he talked.
“We went walking,” he said, “and Fuzzy found some carrots under a box that was propped up with a peg. I told her not to eat them; but she did, and the peg fell out and made her a prisoner.”
You see, he did not mention Juggerjook at all, yet he knew the magician was at the bottom of all the trouble.
“‘i smell carrots!’”
But Mrs. Wuz knew rabbit-traps quite well, being old and experienced; so she begged the red squirrel to come at once and show her the place where Fuzzy had been caught.
“There isn’t a moment to lose,” she said, “for the trappers will be out early this morning to see what they have captured in their trap.”
Chatter Chuk was afraid to go, having a guilty conscience; but his mother made him. He led the way timidly, but swiftly, and Mrs. Wuz fairly flew over the ground, so anxious was she to rescue her darling.
The box was in the same place yet, and poor Fuzzy Wuz could be heard moaning feebly inside it.
“Courage, my darling!” cried the mother, “I have come to save you.”
First she tried to move the box, but it was too heavy for her to stir. Then she began scratching away the earth at its edge, only to find that it had been placed upon a big, flat stone, to prevent a rabbit from burrowing out.
“fuzzy crept under the box.”
This discovery almost drove her frantic, until she noticed Chatter Chuk, who stood trembling near by.
“Here!” she called; “it was you who led my child into trouble. Now you must get her out.”
“How?” asked the red squirrel.
“Gnaw a hole in that box—quick! Gnaw faster than you ever did before in your life. See! the box is thinnest at this side. Set to work at once, Chatter Chuk!”
The red squirrel obeyed. The idea of saving his friend was as welcome to him as it was to the distracted mother. He was young, and his teeth were as sharp as needles. So he started at the lower edge and chewed the wood with all his strength and skill, and at every bite the splinters came away.
It was a good idea. Mrs. Wuz watched him anxiously. If only the men would keep away for a time, the squirrel could make a hole big enough for Fuzzy Wuz to escape. She crept around the other side of the box and called to the prisoner: “Courage, dear one! We are trying to save you. But if the men come before Chatter Chuk can make a hole big enough, then, as soon as they raise the box, you must make a dash for the bushes. Run before they can put in their hands to seize you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mother,” replied Fuzzy, but her voice wasn’t heard very plainly, because the squirrel was making so much noise chewing the wood.
Presently Chatter Chuk stopped.
“It makes my teeth ache,” he complained.
“Never mind, let them ache,” replied Mrs. Wuz. “If you stop now, Fuzzy will die; and if she dies, I will go to Juggerjook and tell him how you led my child into trouble.”
The thought of Juggerjook made the frightened squirrel redouble his efforts. He forgot the pain in his teeth and gnawed as no other squirrelhad ever gnawed before. The ground was covered with tiny splinters from the box, and now the hole was big enough for the prisoner to put the end of her nose through and beg him to hurry.
Chatter Chuk was intent on his task, and the mother was intent upon watching him, so neither noticed any one approaching, until a net fell over their heads, and a big voice cried, with a boisterous laugh:
“Caught! and neat as a pin, too!”
Chatter Chuk and Mrs. Wuz struggled in the net with all their might, but it was fast around them, and they were helpless to escape. Fuzzy stuck her nose out of the hole in the box to find out what was the matter, and a sweet, childish voice exclaimed: “There’s another in the trap, Daddy!”
Neither the rabbits nor the squirrel understood this strange language; but all realized they were in the power of dreadful Man and gave themselves up for lost.
Fuzzy made a dash the moment the box was raised; but the trapper knew the tricks of rabbits, so the prisoner only dashed into the same net where her mother and Chatter Chuk were confined.
“Three of them! Two rabbits and a squirrel. That’s quite a haul, Charlie,” said the man.
“‘where is my child?’”
The little boy was examining the box.
“Do rabbits gnaw through wood, Father?” he asked.
“No, my son,” was the reply.
“But there is a hole here. And see! There are the splinters upon the ground.”
The man examined the box in turn, somewhat curiously.
“How strange!” he said. “These are marks of the squirrel’s teeth. Now, I wonder if the squirrel was trying to liberate the rabbit.”
“Looks like it, Daddy; doesn’t it?” replied the boy.
“I never heard of such a thing in my life,” declared the man. “These little creatures often display more wisdom than we give them credit for. But how can we explain this curious freak, Charlie?”
The boy sat down upon the box and looked thoughtfully at the three prisoners in the net. They had ceased to struggle, having given way to despair; but the boy could see their little hearts beating fast through their furry skins.
“This is the way it looks to me, Daddy,” he finally said. “We caught the small rabbit in the box, and the big one must be its mother. When she found her baby was caught, she tried to save it, and she began to burrow under the box, for here is the mark of her paws. But she soon saw the flat stone, and gave up.”
“Yes; that seems reasonable,” said the man.
“But she loved her baby,” continued the boy, gazing at the littlecreatures pitifully, “and thought of another way. The red squirrel was a friend of hers, so she ran and found him, and asked him to help her. He did, and tried to gnaw through the box; but we came too soon and captured them with the net because they were so busy they didn’t notice us.”
“Exactly!” cried the man, with a laugh. “That tells the story very plainly, my son, and I see you are fast learning the ways of animals. But how intelligent these little things are!”
“That’s whatmymother would do,” returned the boy. “She’d try to save me; and that’s just what the mother rabbit did.”
“Well, we must be going,” said the man; and as he started away he picked up the net and swung it over his shoulder. The prisoners struggled madly again, and the boy, who walked along the forest path a few steps behind his father, watched them.
“the prisoners scampered away.”
“Daddy,” he said softly, coming to the man’s side, “I don’t want to keep those rabbits.”
“Oh, they’ll make us a good dinner,” was the reply.
“I—I couldn’t eat ’em for dinner, Daddy. Not the mama rabbit and the little one she tried to save. Nor the dear little squirrel that wanted to help them. Let’s—let’s—let ’em go!”
The man stopped short and turned to look with a smile into the boy’s upturned, eager face.
“What will Mama say when we go back without any dinner?” he asked.
“You know, Daddy. She’ll say a good deed is better than a good dinner.”
The man laid a caressing hand on the curly head and handed his son the net. Charlie’s face beamed with joy. He opened wide the net and watched the prisoners gasp with surprise, bound out of the meshes, and scamper away into the bushes.
Then the boy put his small hand in his father’s big one, and together they walked silently along the path.
“All the same,” said Chatter Chuk to himself, as, snug at home, he trembled at the thought of his late peril, “I shall keep away from old Juggerjook after this. I am very sure of that!”
“Mama,” said Fuzzy Wuz, nestling beside her mother in the burrow, “why do you suppose the fierce Men let us go?”
“I cannot tell, my dear,” was the reply. “Men are curious creatures, and often act with more wisdom than we give them credit for.”
“What you burying, a bone?”
“Nop, interning a muzzle.”
BY MARY LAWRENCE TURNBULL
Once upon a time there was a little gray kitten, who had wandered far away from home. At first she liked all the strange sights she saw, but by and by she began to feel very homesick, and wished she was once more cuddled up with her brothers and sisters.
Now the only word this little gray kitten knew was “Mew, mew!” So when she was lonely she would say “Mew;” when she was hungry, “Mew;” when she was cold or tired, glad or sad, it was always “Mew.” At home they knew what she meant when she said “Mew,” but out in the wide, wide world, nobody seemed to know.
Wandering along the street, she came upon a little squirming earthworm. “Mew,” said she, meaning, “Where is my home?”
The earthworm, however, did not notice little gray kitten, but crawled away across the street.
Next, the little gray kitten met a butterfly on the top of a dandelion. “Mew,” said the little gray kitten, meaning, “Can you tell me where my home is?” But the butterfly did not say anything, and flew away.
mischieffrom an engraving of the painting by fred morgan.
The little gray kitten walked on, and then she spied a robin on a stone wall near-by. “Mew,” said the little gray kitten, “Where is my home?”
But the robin, cocking his head on one side, answered, “Chirp, chirp,” and then spreading his wings, flew away.
“Running Along She Came Upto a Big Black Dog.”
She felt very sad indeed, but running along she came up to a big black dog. “Mew, mew!” said the little gray kitten, “Oh, can you not tell me where my home is?”
But the big black dog shook his tail, and barked “Bow-wow, bow-wow-wow-wow!” so loudly that the little gray kitten ran away from him as fast as she could go.
The little gray kitten was very tired, but she still ran on, and soon met a big red cow. “Mew, mew-ew,” said the little gray kitten, “Can you not tell me where my home is?”
“‘Oh, You Dear Fluffy Gray Ball,’ Said the Little Girl.”
The big red cow, however, hardly looking at the little kitten, stretched out her big head, and shouted, “Moo, moo-oo!” which so frightened the little gray kitten that she jumped over a fence and landed right in the middle of a flower-bed.
There she caught sight of a little girl running up to her, and with such a sweet smile on her face that the little gray kitten ran toward her and said once more, “Mew, doyouknow where my home is?”
“Oh, you dear fluffy gray ball!” said the smiling little girl, catching the kitten up in her arms. “I’m going to take you right home to live with me.”
The little girl was the only one who had understood, and the little gray kitten purred softly. She was happy for she had found a home.
BY ANNIE W. McCULLOUGH
I wonder what you’re thinking of, my darling little cat.It may be meat, it may be cream, that makes you nice and fat;It may be all the fun you have in barn-loft warm and dry;It may be mice you try to catch as by their hole you lie.
Perhaps you think of trees to climb, with birds that sing up there,They always get away from you, although you creep with care.Perhaps you think of warm, green grass, and basking in the sun,Or of your ball, that slides so fast as after it you run.
I hope you think of me, sometimes, because I love you well;I hope you love me back again, although you cannot tell;And how I know you’re thinking (it’s a secret that I’ve found),Is ’cause I hear, close to my ear, your thought-wheels going round.
THE SMALL GRAY MOUSE
BY NATHAN HASKELL DOLE
The small gray Mouse ran EastAnd the small gray Mouse ran WestAnd could not tell in the leastWhich way was best.
The small gray Mouse ran NorthAnd the small gray Mouse ran SouthAnd scurried back and forthTo escape the Kitten’s dreadful teeth-lined mouth!
But Kitty thought it precious funTo see the panting Mousie run,And when it almost got awayHer furry paw upon its back would lay.
But Kitty grew too vain and sure;She thought she had the Mouse secure;She turned her head, she shut her eyes.That was not wise,And ere she knewThe gray Mouse up the chimney flew,Where dainty cats could not pursue.So she had nothing else to doBut miew—oo—oo—!
“you make so much noise i can’t sleep!”from the painting by j. h. dolph.
The little girl and the little boy stood in the corn-field near the hollow tree where the Owl lived. The corn was in shocks like wigwams, and the yellow pumpkins lay on the ground. The Turtle came up from the brook below the corn-field, and stuck his head out of his shell to watch. The Rabbit sat on the edge of the slope, with his ears sticking straight up, to listen.
The sleepy Owl stirred behind his knot-hole.
“Don’t you think,” said the little boy, “that the Rabbit—”
“And the Turtle—” said the little girl.
“And the Owl,” went on the little boy, “should have a Thanksgiving dinner?”
“Yes, a good dinner,” replied the little girl, “right here in the corn-field.”
“We could have a pumpkin table,” said the little boy.
“And pumpkin chairs,” said the little girl.
So, as Thanksgiving was that very day, and there was no time to lose, they began to work. They found a fine, big, flat-topped pumpkin, and placed it for a table at the foot of the Owl’s tree. Then they found three little pumpkins for stools.
“They won’t want to eat until night,” said the little boy.
“No,” said the little girl; “the Owl and the Turtle and the Rabbit, too,—they like dinner at night.”
“We will lay everything out for them before we go to Grandmother’s,” said the little boy, “and when we come home, we can see all eating their good Thanksgiving dinner.”
The little boy ran and brought parsley and cabbage leaves for the Rabbit; and when the Rabbit saw that, he trotted home in a hurry, for fear he might be tempted to eat before it was time.
The little girl brought a fine big mushroom for the Turtle, for she had once seen a turtle nibble all around the edge of a mushroom.
“The Owl will have to bring his own dinner,” said the little boy, “but I will get him a piece of bread to eat with it.” So he did.
That night the little girl and boy drove home by moonlight from their grandmother’s farm. When they were in their own room they looked out of the window toward the corn-field. They saw the corn-shocks, like wigwams, with black shadows. They saw the tree dark against the sky. They saw the big round yellow moon rising above the ridge of the field. They saw the pumpkin table and pumpkin chairs. They saw, sitting on one chair, the Rabbit, with his ears sticking straight up as he ate his parsley and cabbage. They saw the Turtle, stretching his head out of his shell as he nibbled his mushroom. They saw the Owl on his chair, eating the dinner he had brought. “Oh, isn’t it beautiful!” said the little girl. “Beautiful!” said the little boy.
HOMES
My bunnies like their cozy house, although they scamper out to play;My chickens like the slatted coop where all the mother hens must stay.My kitten likes her basket bed out in the woodshed near our door,My puppy loves his cellar box; he sleeps and plays, then sleeps some more.
ButIhave got the nicest home. My house is better far than theirs;Its windows let the sunshine in; it has a porch, it has some stairs.But I like best the kitchen warm, with table, stove, and pantry neat;The place where Dinah works, and makes good things for us to eat!
Here comes our dinner!
A Shower of good things.
MEAL-TIME IN THE BEAR-PITS AT THE ZOO.
“full inside.”from an engraving of the painting by arthur j. elsley.
BY JESSIE WRIGHT WHITCOMB
“‘good morning, cow, come and take a walk with us.’”
A little girl and a little boy started down the road together to take a walk. They met a dog.
“Good morning, Dog,” said the little girl. “Bow-wow!” answered the dog.
“Come and take a walk with us, Dog,” said the little boy.
So they all went down the road together.
Pretty soon they met a cat.
“Good morning, Cat,” said the little boy. “Miaouw!” answered the cat.
“Come and take a walk with us, Cat,” said the little girl. So they all went down the road together.
Pretty soon they met a rooster.
“Good morning, Rooster,” said the little girl. “Cock-a-doodle-doo!” answered the rooster.
“Come and take a walk with us, Rooster,” said the little boy.
So they all went down the road together.
Pretty soon they met a duck.
“Good morning, Duck,” said the little boy. “Quack, quack!” answered the duck.
“Come and take a walk with us, Duck,” said the little girl.
So they all went down the road talking merrily with one another.
Pretty soon they saw a little pinky-white pig with a funny little curly tail.
“‘good morning, duck, come and take a walk with us.’”
“Good morning, Pig,” said the little girl. “Grunt, grunt!” answered the pig.
“Come and take a walk with us, Pig,” said the little boy.
So they all went down the road together.
Pretty soon they came to a pasture.
In the pasture was a nice, old, red cow.
“Good morning, Cow,” said the little boy. “Moo, moo!” answered the cow.
“Come and take a walk with us,” said the little girl.
But the cow shook her head; she couldn’t open the pasture bars.
“We will let down the bars for you, Cow,” said the little boy and the little girl.
So they let down the bars, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, and the duck, and the little white pig with the curly tail, and the little boy, and the little girl, all went in to see the cow.
The little girl climbed on the cow’s back, and the little boy climbed on the cow’s back, and the dog jumped on the cow’s back, and the cat jumped on the cow’s neck, and the rooster flew up on the cow’s head, and the little white pig with the curly tail, and the duck, walked behind the cow, and they all went down the road together just as happy as they could be.
“‘good morning, pig, come and take a walk with us.’”
Pretty soon they met a carriage with two women in it.
“Mercy on me!” said the two women. “What’s this!”
“This is a fine, good show,” answered the little girl.
“Well, I should think it was!” said the two women. “It is a beautiful show.”
“Thank you,” said the little boy.
“Good-by,” said the two women.
“Good-by,” said the little girl.
So the cow, carrying the little boy, and the little girl, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, with the little white pig with the curly tail, and the duck, walking along behind, all went down the road together.
Pretty soon they met a wagon with three men in it.
“Well! Well! Well!” said the three men. “Just look! What’s all this?”
“This is a fine, good show,” said the little boy, bowing very politely.
“Indeed it is!” said the three men. “It’s great!”
“Thank you,” said the little boy, “I am pleased that you like it.”
“Good-by,” said the little girl.
So the cow, carrying the little girl, and the little boy, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, with the little white pig with the curly tail, and the duck, walking behind, all went down the road together.
the fine, good show.
Pretty soon they came to a store. The Store Man stood out in front of his store.
“Good morning, Mr. Store Man,” said the little boy, “I have a little silver piece in my pocket.”
“Good morning!” said the Store Man. “What can I do for you?”
“We want to buy some things for our Show,” said the little boy.
“I’m glad of that!” said the Store Man.
So the little boy jumped down, and the little girl jumped down, and the dog jumped down, and the cat jumped down, and the rooster flew down.
“We want to buy a little corn for our cow and our pig,” said the little boy.
“And we want to buy a little wheat for our rooster and our duck,” said the little girl.
“And we want to buy a little meat for our dog,” said the little boy.
“And we want to buy a little milk for our cat,” said the little girl.
“And we want to buy some great, long sticks of candy for us!” said the little boy and the little girl together. “I hope you have some.”
The Store Man took the money and brought out all the things.
“the store man brought outall the things.”
The cow and the little white pig with the curly tail ate the corn; the rooster and the duck ate the wheat; the dog ate the meat, and the cat drank the milk, and the little girl and the little boy ate the great, long sticks of candy.
“Good-by, Mr. Store Man,” said the little girl.
“Good-by, Mr. Store Man,” said the little boy.
“Good-by, all of you,” answered the Store Man.
So the little girl, and the little boy, and the dog, and the cat, and the rooster, and the duck, and the little pig with the curly tail, all went back up the road again.
Pretty soon they came to the pasture. The cow walked in.
“Good-by, Cow and Dog and Cat and Rooster and Duck and Pig!” shouted the little boy.
“Good-by, Pig and Duck and Rooster and Cat and Dog and Cow!” called the little girl.
“Moo-moo!” answered the cow.
“Grunt-grunt!” answered the pig.
“Miaouw, miaouw!” answered the cat.
“Quack, quack!” answered the duck.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo!” answered the rooster. “Bow-wow!” answered the dog.
And the little boy and the little girl put up the bars and ran back home as fast as they could go.
Jessie Wright Whitcomb.
“the little boy and the little girlput up the bars.”
(A Rhyming Story for Little Folk)
One beautiful day in the month of May,A little girl whose name was Gay(They called her that, because, you see,She was always cheerful as she could be)Went for a walk in the woods near by,And her dog went with her (his name was Spy).
As they strolled along a fine woodland pathShe saw a little bird taking a bath.She kept very still and watched him splash,When all at once, with a sudden dash,Into the brook jumped little dog Spy.My, how he made the water fly!“What a bad, bad dog you are!” said Gay.“Birdie won’t bathe any more to-day.You frightened him so, but, never mind,He’s only frightened, not hurt, he’ll find.We’ll walk on further and you must tryTo be good and quiet.”“Bow-wow!” said Spy.
“into the brook jumped little dog spy.”
They had only walked on a little way,When something rustled: “What’s that?” said Gay.Out from the leaves sprang a squirrel redAnd sped like a flash down the path ahead.Close behind him was little dog Spy.He paid no heed to the little girl’s cry.
“‘you’re young,’ said gay, ‘and is that why you act so silly?’”
She whistled and called; they were out of sight.She waited a moment, then laughed outright.For who was this coming? Why, little dog Spy!But he didn’t look happy—with head held high—Indeed, he looked rather ashamed insteadFor he hadn’t caught the squirrel red.Spy couldn’t climb trees, and so, you see,Master Squirrel escaped quite easily.“You’re young,” said Gay, “and is that whyYou act so silly?”“Bow-wow!” said Spy.
“I’m tired of walking,” the little girl said,“I think I will pick some flowers instead.I will take them home to my Grandma, dear;She loves them but she can’t walk out here.”There were plenty of flowers all around.Sweet white violets covered the ground.There were lovely long-stemmed blue ones, too,And all around the May-flowers grew.But when she had all her hands would hold,It was time to leave, it was growing cold.The sun was sinking. But where was Spy?She whistled and called,—but no reply!“Where can he be?” she said, when hark!Off in the distance she heard him bark.“He must have a rabbit,” said she, “that’s all.”And sure enough, by an old stone-wall,Spy was barking away as hard as he could—As if scaring the rabbit would do any good.“The rabbit is safe in that wall,” said Gay,“He wouldn’t come out if you barked all day.So you better come home for it’s growing late.And Mother will wonder why I wait.Supper’ll be ready, too. Oh, my!Are you hungry as I am?”“Bow-wow!” said Spy.
“i’se biggest!”from an engraving of the painting by arthur j. elsley.
The Ballad of a runaway Donkey
Once upon a time there were three bears who lived in a castle in a great wood. One of them was a great big bear, and one was a middling bear, and one was a little bear. And in the same wood there was a fox who lived all alone; his name was Scrapefoot. Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the bears, but for all that he wanted very much to know all about them. And one day as he went through the wood he found himself near the Bears’ Castle, and he wondered whether he could get into the castle. He looked all about him everywhere, and he could not see any one. So he came up very quietly, till at last he came up to the door of the castle, and he tried whether he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked, and he opened it just a little way, and put his nose in and looked, and he could not see any one. So then he opened it a little way farther, and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all in the Bears’ Castle. He found he was in a great hall with three chairs in it—one big, one middling, and one little chair; and he thought he would like to sit down and rest and look about him; so he sat down on the big chair. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling chair, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn’t make himself comfortable. So then he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and it was so soft and warm and comfortable that Scrapefoot was quite happy; but all at once it broke to pieces under him and he couldn’t put it together again! So he got up and began to look about him again, and on one table he saw three saucers, of which one was very big, one was middling, one was quite a little saucer. Scrapefoot was very thirsty, and he began to drink out of the big saucer. But he only just tasted the milk in the big saucer, which was so sour and so nasty that he would not taste another drop of it. Then he tried the middling saucer, and he drank a little of that. He tried two or three mouthfuls, but it was not nice, and then he left it and went to the little saucer, and the milk in the little saucer was so sweet and so nice that he went on drinking it till it was all gone.
Then Scrapefoot thought he would like to go upstairs; and he listened and he could not hear any one. So upstairs he went, and he found a great room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a middling bed, and one was a little white bed; and he climbed up into the big bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped down again at once, and tried the middling bed. That was rather better, but he could not get comfortable in it, so after turning about a little while he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so warm and so nice that he fell fast asleep at once.
And after a time the Bears came home, and when they got into the hall the big Bear went to his chair and said, “Who’s been sitting in my chair?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been sitting in my chair?” and the little Bear said, “Who’s been sitting in my chair and has broken it all to pieces?” And then they went to have their milk, and the big bear said, “Who’s been drinking my milk?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been drinking my milk?” And the little Bear said, “Who’s been drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?” Then they went upstairs and into the bedroom, and the big Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the middling Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” and the little Bear said, “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?—and see here he is!” So then the Bears came and wondered what they should do with him; and the big Bear said, “Let’s hang him!” and then the middling Bear said, “Let’s drown him!” and then the little Bear said, “Let’s throw him out of the window.” And then the Bears took him to the window, and the big Bear took two legs on one side and the middling Bear took two legs on the other side, and they swung him backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, and out of the window. Poor Scrapefoot was so frightened, and he thought every bone in his body must be broken. But he got up and first shook one leg—no, that was not broken; and then another, and that was not broken; and another and another, and then he wagged his tail and found there were no bones broken. So then he galloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the Bears’ Castle again.