“I will,” said Sammie.  “Don’t you want to come, too?”

“Yes, I think I will.  Oh, dear!  I’m quite hungry.  I declare, I had such an early breakfast, I’m almost starved.”

“I know my mother will give you something to eat,” said Sammie politely, “that is, if you like cabbage, carrots and such things.”

“Oh, yes, almost anything will do.  Now, you go ahead, and I will follow.”

So Sammie Littletail bounced on along the ground, and Mrs. Wren flew along overhead.

“Where do you live?” she asked Sammie.

“In a burrow.”

“What is a burrow?” she inquired.

“Why, it’s a house,” said Sammie.

“You are mistaken,” said the bird, though she spoke politely.  “A nest is the only house there is.”

“Well, a burrow is our house,” declared Sammie.  “You’ll see.”

He was soon home, and, while the bird waited outside, he went in to ask his mother if she knew of a nest Mrs. Wren could hire.

“What a funny question!” said Mamma Littletail.  “I will go out and see Mrs. Wren.”

So she went out, and the bird asked about a nest.  But, as the rabbits never had any use for them, the bunny knew nothing about such things.

“Oh, dear!” exclaimed the bird.  “Wherever shall I stay to-night?  Oh, what trouble I am in.”

“You might stay with us to-night,” said Mamma Littletail, kindly, “and look for a nest to-morrow.”

“I never lived in a burrow,” said Mrs. Wren, “but I will try it,” so she flew down into the underground house, and to-morrow night I am going to tell you how she did a great kindness to Uncle Wiggily Longears.

VII

UNCLE WIGGILY GETS SHOT

Early the next morning Mrs. Wren, who had spent the night at the home of the Littletail family, got up.  She had some cabbage leaves for her breakfast, and then started to leave the burrow where the rabbits lived.

“Where are you going?” asked Susie Littletail.

“I must go hunt for a nest,” said the little bird.  “You see, I want to begin housekeeping as early as I can this spring, and as there are so many birds coming up from the South, I want to get a house before all the best ones are taken.”

So, having thanked Sammie Littletail for showing her the way to the burrow, and also thanking his mamma and papa, the bird flew away.  She promised, however, to come back if she could not find a place.

“That Mrs. Wren is a very nice creature indeed,” said Mamma Littletail.

“Indeed she is,” agreed Papa Littletail, as he started off to work in the carrot store, where he was employed as a bookkeeper.

“It is a nice day,” said Uncle Wiggily Longears, after a while.  “I think I will go for a walk.  It may do my rheumatism good.”

“Can I come?” asked Sammie, but his uncle said he thought the little boy rabbit should stay home.  So Sammie did, and he and Susie found a place where some nice clover was just coming up in a field.