“Nothing worth looking at!” said she, indignantly.  “Well, anything but a crow would have more sense!  Nothing in this bush, indeed!  Pe-tweet, pe-tweet!”

[Illustration:  “Tangled in the long grass.”]

And truly she might well be angry at any one snubbing those young ones of hers.  Their eyes were so bright, their legs were so slim, and their beaks so sharp that it was delightful to see them.  And they turned out their toes so gracefully that, the first time they went to the sea to bathe, everyone said Mrs. Peter Sandpiper had reason to be proud of her children.  But just as soon as they could run they got into all sorts of troubles, and vexed Mrs. Sandpiper out of her wits.

[Illustration:  “They turned out their toes so gracefully.”]

“Such a pair of young pickles I never hatched before!” said she to Mrs. Kingfisher, who came to gossip one day.

“Well, well, my dear,” said Mrs. Kingfisher, “boys will be boys; by the time they are grown up they will be all right.  Now, my dear Pinlegs was just such—­”

[Illustration:  “Oh, my!  He’s going backwards!”]

But Mrs. Sandpiper had to fly off, to see what Pipsy Sandpiper was doing, and keep Nipsy Sandpiper from swallowing a June beetle twice too big for him.  They were great trials.  They were always eating the wrong kind of bugs, and having indigestion and headaches.  They were forever getting their legs tangled up in long wet grass, and screaming for Mrs. Peter Sandpiper to come help them out, and at night they chirped in their sleep and disturbed Mrs. Sandpiper dreadfully by kicking each other.  At last she said she could stand it no longer; they must take care of themselves.  So she cried “Pe-tweet, good-by,” and then she flew away, leaving Pipsy and Nipsy alone by the sea to take care of themselves.

[Illustration:  “This is twice as deep as you were in.”]

It was quite a trouble at first, for Mamma Sandpiper had always helped them to bugs and worms, one apiece, turn about, so all was fair.  But now Pipsy always wanted the best of everything, and Nipsy, being good tempered, had to eat what his brother left.  One day bugs were very scarce, and both little Sandpipers were so hungry that they could have eaten a whole starfish—­if he had come out of his shelter.  Suddenly Nipsy, who was a trifle near sighted, said he saw a large beetle coming along the beach.  They ran quickly to meet it.  But what in the world was it!  It had legs; oh, such legs!  They were larger than Pipsy’s and Nipsy’s put together.  Its back was like a huge shell, and its eyes were dreadful.  The little sandpipers looked at each other in terror.

[Illustration:  “There, in the twilight, he saw A lonely figure standing on one leg.”]