?" Sammie wanted to know.

"Because I don't believe there are such things!" cried Billie, frisking
his big tail until it looked like a dusting brush that they use after
sweeping to knock the dust from the furniture onto the floor again.
"Don't talk to me like that, Sammie."

"Well," remarked the little boy rabbit, "all I've got to say is that
there _are_ fairies! But where's Johnnie? Maybe he believes in 'em."

"No, he doesn't. Besides he's gone out walking with Sister Sallie. Come
on, let's have a catch. Where's your ball?"

"I didn't bring it," replied Sammie. "But we can have some fun playing
in this hole I've dug." So they played for some time, and pretty soon,
oh, in about two and a half frisks of Billie's tail, what should happen,
but that, all of a sudden, a great big hawk swooped down from the sky
and grabbed that little boy squirrel up in its claws, and flew off with
him. Well, you can just imagine how scared Sammie was. His nose wiggled
so he sneezed three times. Then he looked up, and there was the hawk,
flying away, and away, and away with poor Billie. Oh, wasn't it
dreadful!

"Save me! Save me!" Billie cried from up there among the clouds.

"I will! I will!" shouted Sammie, and then he got so excited that he ran
around in a circle, and tried to catch his tail, but it was so short
that he couldn't even see it, no matter how fast he went around. Then he
grabbed up a stone, and he threw it at that hawk, but of course he
couldn't hit him, for the big, bad bird was too far away. "Oh, whatever
shall I do?" exclaimed Sammie. "If I could only fly now, I'd go up after
that hawk. Oh, why didn't Susie wish for wings for me and her instead of
for a golden chariot and ten boxes of chocolate-covered carrots the time
she saw the blue fairy? Oh, why didn't she? Wings would have been of
some use!"

Then he ran around after his tail some more, but he couldn't catch it,
and the hawk kept taking Billie farther and farther away, and then
Sammie cried out: "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" three times, just like
that. Then, all at once, if the little green man didn't suddenly appear.
He always appears when any one says "Oh, dear!" three times in exactly
the right way, but it's hard to know just what is the right way.

"Well," said the little green man, "you seem to be in trouble."

"I am," cried Sammie. "A hawk has Billie Bushytail, and I want to save
him."

"Very well," said the little green man, "since you are so kind