“There it is,” said Sammie, pointing to it.

“So I observe,” said the bird.  “I will fly up and look at it,” which she did.  She was gone some time, and when she flew back to the ground, where Sammie and Susie were waiting for her, the children asked: 

“Did you like it?”

“I think it will do very well,” replied Mrs. Wren.  “It is a little larger than I need, and there are not the improvements I am used to.  There is no hot and cold water and no bathroom, but then I suppose I can bathe in the brook, so that is no objection.  There is no roof to it, though.”

“No roof?” repeated Sammie.

“No.  You see, squirrels never have one such as I am used to, but when my family comes from the South we can build one.  I will take the nest, and I hope you bunnies will come to see me sometimes, when I am settled, and have the carpets down.”

“We can’t climb trees,” objected Susie.

“That’s so—­you can’t,” admitted Mrs. Wren.  “Never mind, I can fly down and see you.  Now I think I will begin to clean out the nest, for the squirrels have left a lot of nutshells in it.”

So she began to clean out the nest, and Susie and Sammie started home.  But, before they got there something happened, and what it was I will tell you, perhaps, to-morrow night, if the rooster doesn’t crow and wake me up.

IX

SAMMIE LITTLETAIL FALLS IN

When Sammie Littletail and his sister Susie went off toward the underground house, after they had shown Mrs. Wren where she could get the squirrel’s old nest for a home, they felt very happy.  They ran along, jumping over stones, leaping through the grass that was beginning to get very green, and had a jolly time.

“I wonder what makes me feel so good?” said Sammie to his sister.  “It’s just as if Christmas was coming, or something like that; yet it isn’t.  I don’t know what it is.”

“I know,” spoke Susie, who was very wise for a little bunny-rabbit girl.

“What is it?” asked Sammie, as he paused to nibble at a sweet root that was sticking out of the ground.

“It is because we have been kind to somebody,” went on Susie Littletail.  “We did the little brown bird a kindness in showing her the squirrel’s nest where she could go to housekeeping, and that’s what makes us happy.”

“Are you sure?” asked Sammie.

“Yes,” said Susie; “I am,” and she sat up on her hind legs and sniffed the air to see if there was any danger about.  “You always feel good when you do any one a kindness,” she went on.  “Once I wanted to go out and play, and I couldn’t, because Nurse Fuzzy-Wuzzy was away and mamma had a headache.  So I stayed home and made mamma some cabbage-leaf tea, and she felt better, and I was happy then, just as we are now.”

“Well, maybe that’s it,” admitted Sammie Littletail.  “I am glad Mrs. Wren has a nice home, anyhow.  But I wouldn’t like to live away up in a tree, would you?”