"I have been shot," said Uncle Wiggily, "and the doctor cannot get the bullets out."
"Suppose you let me try," said Mrs. Wren. "I have a very sharp bill, and I think I can pull them out."
"Then you are a sort of a doctor," said Uncle Wiggily. "Go ahead, and see what you can do."
"Yes, do," urged Dr. Possum.
So the little brown bird put her beak in the holes in Uncle Wiggily"s leg, where the bullets had gone in, and she pulled every one out. It hurt a little, but Uncle Wiggily did not make a fuss.
"There," said Mrs. Wren, "that is done."
Then Dr. Possum put some salve on the leg and bound it up, promising to come in next day to see how Uncle Wiggily was getting on.
"Did you find a nest-house?" asked Mamma Littletail of the bird.
"No," was the answer, "I think I shall have to stay with you another night, if you will let me. Perhaps I shall find a nest to-morrow."
So she stayed with the Littletail family another night, and to-morrow night I will tell you how she found a nest.
VIII
SUSIE AND SAMMIE FIND A NEST
Sammie Littletail was up early the next morning. He had not slept very well, for Uncle Wiggily Longears had groaned very much because of the pain in his leg where he was shot. Sammie thought if he got up early, and went for some nice, fresh carrots for his uncle, it would make the old rabbit feel better.
While Sammie was digging up some carrots, in a field not far from the burrow where he lived, he saw the same gray squirrel that had warned him about not going into the deer park.
"What are you doing now?" asked the squirrel. "It seems to me you are always doing something."
"I am digging carrots for Uncle Wiggily Longears that was shot," said Sammie.
"That is a very nice thing to do," the gray squirrel said. "You are a better boy rabbit than I thought you were."
"What are you doing here?" Sammie asked the squirrel.
"Me? Oh, I am moving into a new nest. I am getting ready for spring."
"A new nest!" exclaimed Sammie, and, all at once, he thought of Mrs.
Wren, who could not find a nest-house to live in. "What are you going to do with your old nest?" the little boy rabbit asked.
"Why leave it, to be sure. I never move my nest."
"Don"t you want it any more?"
"Not in the least. I am through with it."
"May I have it?" asked Sammie, very politely.
"You? What can a rabbit do with a nest in a tree? They live in burrows."
"I know that," Sammie admitted. "I was not asking for myself," and then he told the squirrel about Mrs. Wren. "May she have your old nest?" he asked.
"Why, yes, if she likes it," the squirrel replied. "Only I am afraid she will find it rather large for such a little bird."
"I will hurry home and tell her," spoke Sammie.
"All right. Tell her she can move in any time she likes," called the gray squirrel after Sammie, who, filling his forepaws with carrots, started off toward home as fast as he could run. He found Mamma Littletail getting breakfast, and at once told her the good news. Then he told Mrs. Wren, who had gotten up early to get the early worm that always gets up before the alarm clock goes off.
"I will go and look at the nest at once," said the little bird. "I am very much obliged to you, Sammie. Where is it?"
"Susie and I will show you," spoke the little boy rabbit. "Only we cannot go all the way, because rabbits are not allowed in the deer park.
But I can point it out to you."
So, after breakfast, Sammie and Susie started off. They ran on the ground and the little brown bird flew along over their heads. She went so much faster than they did that she had to stop every once in a while and wait for them. But at last they got to the place where they could see the deserted squirrel nest.
"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 nutsh.e.l.ls 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 gra.s.s that was beginning to get very green, and had a jolly time.