ngs in the
basket. Then Susie, who was very curious, asked him a question.

"Why didn't you want to come to the door?" she inquired.

"Because," whispered the groundhog, looking around as if he was afraid
some one would see him, "I might see my shadow again, you know, and that
would make winter longer than ever. You know I went out Candlemas Day
and I saw it, and it frightened me so I rushed back in here, and I'm not
going out again until March 16, which will be just six weeks. If I
hadn't seen my shadow, winter would not last so long--at least, that's
what people say. I don't know whether to believe them or not. But I am
not going out again until warm weather is here, so I am very glad your
mamma sent me something to eat."

The groundhog gave the bunny children some bits of dried sweet potato
he had put away, and they started for home.

"I don't believe much in that shadow business," said Sammie, as he and
his sister walked along. "How could a groundhog, seeing his shadow, make
winter any longer?"

"I don't know," answered Susie, "but it must be so, because every one
says so; even Uncle Wiggily Longears."

"I'm going to ask Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy when I get home," declared
Sammie. "Come on, let's go 'round by Farmer Tooker's cabbage patch.
Maybe we can find a stump or two to gnaw. I'm getting hungry. Mr.
Groundhog didn't give me enough sweet potato."

"Perhaps that was all he had," suggested Susie.

They were walking along, through a little wood, when, all of a sudden,
the two bunnies heard a hiss, just like the steam coming out of the
radiator.

"What's that?" cried Sammie.

"It's a snake!" shouted Susie. "Look out, Sammie, or he will grab you."

Sammie tried to jump out of the way, but he was too late, and the big
black snake grabbed him. The snake coiled around poor Sammie, and bit
the little rabbit's ear to make him keep quiet, I suppose, for Sammie
was trying to get loose.

"Oh, oh, oh!" exclaimed Susie. "You bad snake! Let my little brother
alone."

But the black snake never said a word, only he clung the tighter to poor
Sammie.

"Run for help, Susie!" called the little boy rabbit. "Run and ask Mr.
Groundhog to come and drive the snake away!"

So Susie ran as fast as she could, and did not even stop to rap on the
burrow door where Mr. Groundhog lived. She went right in, and told the
elderly creature that a bad snake had her little brother. "And won't you
please come and get him loose?" asked S