VIII

SUSIE AND SAMMIE FIND A NEST

Sammie Littletail was up early the next morning.  He had not slept very well, for Uncle Wiggily Longears had groaned very much because of the pain in his leg where he was shot.  Sammie thought if he got up early, and went for some nice, fresh carrots for his uncle, it would make the old rabbit feel better.

While Sammie was digging up some carrots, in a field not far from the burrow where he lived, he saw the same gray squirrel that had warned him about not going into the deer park.

“What are you doing now?” asked the squirrel.  “It seems to me you are always doing something.”

“I am digging carrots for Uncle Wiggily Longears that was shot,” said Sammie.

“That is a very nice thing to do,” the gray squirrel said.  “You are a better boy rabbit than I thought you were.”

“What are you doing here?” Sammie asked the squirrel.

“Me?  Oh, I am moving into a new nest.  I am getting ready for spring.”

“A new nest!” exclaimed Sammie, and, all at once, he thought of Mrs. Wren, who could not find a nest-house to live in.  “What are you going to do with your old nest?” the little boy rabbit asked.

“Why leave it, to be sure.  I never move my nest.”

“Don’t you want it any more?”

“Not in the least.  I am through with it.”

“May I have it?” asked Sammie, very politely.

“You?  What can a rabbit do with a nest in a tree?  They live in burrows.”

“I know that,” Sammie admitted.  “I was not asking for myself,” and then he told the squirrel about Mrs. Wren.  “May she have your old nest?” he asked.

“Why, yes, if she likes it,” the squirrel replied.  “Only I am afraid she will find it rather large for such a little bird.”

“I will hurry home and tell her,” spoke Sammie.

“All right.  Tell her she can move in any time she likes,” called the gray squirrel after Sammie, who, filling his forepaws with carrots, started off toward home as fast as he could run.  He found Mamma Littletail getting breakfast, and at once told her the good news.  Then he told Mrs. Wren, who had gotten up early to get the early worm that always gets up before the alarm clock goes off.

“I will go and look at the nest at once,” said the little bird.  “I am very much obliged to you, Sammie.  Where is it?”

“Susie and I will show you,” spoke the little boy rabbit.  “Only we cannot go all the way, because rabbits are not allowed in the deer park.  But I can point it out to you.”

So, after breakfast, Sammie and Susie started off.  They ran on the ground and the little brown bird flew along over their heads.  She went so much faster than they did that she had to stop every once in a while and wait for them.  But at last they got to the place where they could see the deserted squirrel nest.