“I’d have liked the rabbits best,” said John when they had told him about the pets that were found and lost so soon the day before.  “Couldn’t we get them back again?”

“Maybe we could, maybe we could,” said Grandfather thoughtfully.  “We hadn’t tried.  Maybe that foolish mother took them back to where we got them.  ’Twould be just like her.  Let’s go see.”

So with a child on each side of him (just the very thing he liked best too), Grandfather and his guests went back through the cornfield and the pasture lot to where the rabbit nest had been.

“Well,” said Grandfather as he bent over the rubbish where the nest had been, “for a boy who had just come onto a farm, you’re a pretty good guesser, my son.  Look here!” He pulled back the rubbish, just as he had done the day before, and there, before their eyes were the rabbits, five of them, just as soft and just as warm and comfortable as though they had never taken a journey in their lives.

[Illustration:  “There, before their eyes were the rabbits, five of them.”]

“Didn’t they like our house we made for them?” asked Mary Jane.

“’Pears not,” said Grandfather.  “What do you want to do about it, children?”

“I’ve always wanted some rabbits in a box,” said John, “and I never did have any.  I want to feed ’em and watch ’em, you know.”

“Yes, I know,” agreed Grandfather, but that was all he said.

Mary Jane thought of saying that the box already had a family in it, her family of ducks, but she thought maybe that wouldn’t be polite, and anyway, likely as not there were more boxes, so she just kept still, very still.

And while they were all three standing there, wondering, Mary Jane looked up and over in the hedge, she spied the mother rabbit standing partly on her hind feet and looking at them as hard!

“Look!” cried Mary Jane, “there’s their mother!”

The sound of a voice startled the little mother and she ran away, lipity, lipity, lip; lipity, lipity, lip; such a funny little run! till she reached the shelter of a log.  There she waited—­they could see the tip, white of her tail through the leaves.

“She’s waiting to see what happens to her babies!” exclaimed Mary Jane, and suddenly she made up her mind about rabbit pets.  “Let’s leave them here, John,” she said quickly.  “Their mother’s lonesome if they go up to the house.  Let’s leave them here and I’ll give you half of my ducks.”

“All right,” agreed John, “but may I come and see them sometimes, Grandfather?”

“As often as you like.  You just let me know and we’ll come twice a day,” said Grandfather, “and you’ll have most as much fun with the ducks, I’ll wager.  Now let’s see if we can’t hunt up some dinner.”  And they turned to the house.

Such a big day as Mary Jane and John did have!  They played and they hunted eggs and they rode on the cow; yes, that can be done, didn’t you ever try it?  And they fed the chickens, and by night time they were so sleepy and tired they hardly noticed their supper.