[IN WORDS OF NOT MORE THAN FOUR LETTERS]

BY A. L. SYKES

Once, just as the long, dark time that is at the end of each day came,
Mama Hare said to Tiny Hare, who was at play,

"Come in, now, it is time for bed. You know you must hide from Man, and
Dog, and Hawk; but I must tell you that you are to hide from Cat, also."

"Who is CAT?" said Tiny Hare.

"CAT is not so big as DOG. She has soft fur and two big wild eyes."

"She is just like me," said Tiny Hare. "I have soft fur and big eyes;
then CAT is just a Hare."

"The very idea!" said Mama Hare. "You have not big _wild_ eyes, and your
tail is not long like CAT'S. CAT is not good for a Hare to meet. She can
run very fast, and she has a claw for each toe," and she gave Tiny Hare
a wee bite.

"Does CAT live in our wood?" said Tiny Hare.

[Illustration: TINY HARE SEES CAT BY THE FIRE.]

"No, she is with MAN and DOG, but she goes out in the day time or at
dark, and she can get a Tiny Hare who runs away from home when he is
_too_ tiny."

"Am I too tiny?" said Tiny Hare. "Yes, yes, yes; far too tiny," said his
Mama; and _how_ she did wash him from his head to his feet!

"I wish to see CAT," said Tiny Hare.

"No, no, no," said his Mama; and _how_ she did wash his soft fur!

He did not wish to see CAT for many, many days, but one day the rain
came, and it was cold, and his Mama told him to stay at home in the dry
hay.

"I want to go with you," said Tiny Hare to his Mama and Papa when they
were to go out for food.

"It is too wet," said his Mama. "If your fur gets too wet you can't run
far and fast, and it is not safe for you to go."

"I like rain. I like the wet. I want to go out. I want to do just as I
like," said Tiny Hare, and he laid his ears back, and half shut his
eyes, and put his pink lip out, and did not look kind.

"Hush!" said Papa Hare, in a low, deep tone. And Mama Hare and Papa Hare
went away, and left Tiny Hare at home.

Do you know what Tiny Hare did then? Oh, it was not good!

[Illustration: "WHEN HE SAW TINY HARE HE GAVE A LOUD BARK,
'BOW-WOW-WOW-WOW!'"]

"I will go to see CAT," he said, very loud. He ran out, over the damp
moss in the wet, wet wood, and, oh, dear me! up the path to the door of
MAN and CAT. The door was open. CAT sat by the fire in a box. She was
most sad, for once she had two baby cats in that box, and now they were
gone. She did not purr. She did not eat. She did not wash her soft fur.
She just sat by th