So Sammie got on the eagle’s back, and the big bird flew after that hawk, and, pretty soon, it caught up to him.

“Here, you let Billie Bushytail go!” cried Sammie, and then he took a long stick he had grabbed up, and he hit that hawk.  At first the hawk wasn’t going to let go of the little squirrel, but when the eagle bit him three times on each leg, then that bad bird was glad enough to drop Billie and fly off.  Oh, my, no, he didn’t drop Billie to the ground; that would have been too bad.  He only dropped him on the eagle’s back, where Sammie was, and pretty soon the two boys were safe on the ground once more, and the eagle had turned into a little green man again.

“I’m ever so much obliged to you for saving me, Sammie,” spoke Billie.

“Oh, I couldn’t have done it if it hadn’t been for the green fairy,” replied Sammie, and of course he couldn’t.  Then Billie thanked the little man very kindly, and he felt sorry for not believing in fairies, and he said he would try to, after that.  So the boy squirrel and the boy rabbit played together some more, until it was time to go home.  Now, if you don’t walk in your sleep to-night, I’ll tell you to-morrow about Susie and the fairy carrot.

XXXI

SUSIE AND THE FAIRY CARROT

Susie and Sammie Littletail had been off in the woods for a walk, and to gather some flowers, for they expected company at the underground house, and they wanted it to look nice.  Mr. and Mrs. Bushytail and Billie and Johnnie and Sister Sallie were coming, and Susie and her brother hoped to have a very nice time.

Well, they wandered on, and on, and on, and had gathered quite a number of flowers, when Sammie said: 

“Come on, we’ve got enough; let’s go home.”

“No,” answered Susie, “I want to get some sky-blue-pink ones.  I think they are so pretty.”

“I don’t,” answered her brother, for that color always reminded him of the time he fell in the dye pot, when they were coloring Easter eggs.  “I’m going home.  Yellow, and red, and blue, and white flowers are good enough.  I don’t want any fancy colors.”

“Well, you go home and I’ll come pretty soon,” said his sister, so while Sammie turned back, the little rabbit girl kept on.  Oh, I don’t know how far she went, but it was a good distance, I’m sure, but still she couldn’t seem to find that sky-blue-pink flower.  She looked everywhere for it, high and low, and even sideways, which is a very good place; but she couldn’t find it.  And she kept on going, hoping every minute it would happen to be behind a stump or under a bush.  But no, it wasn’t.

And then, all of a sudden, about as quick as you can shut your eyes and open them again, if Susie wasn’t lost!  Yes, sir, lost in those woods all alone.  She looked all around, and she didn’t know where she was.  She’d never been so far away from home before, and, oh, now frightened she was!  But she was a brave little rabbit girl, and she didn’t cry, that is, at first.  No, she started to try to find her way back, but the more she tried the more lost she became, until she was all turned around, you know, like when they blindfold you and turn you around three times before they let you try to pin the tail on the cloth donkey at a party.  Yes, that’s how it was.