ism hurt
him so that he couldn't do it.

Then they all started for home, and what do you think happened?
Something quite serious, I do assure you, and I'm not fooling. A big
hawk, not the kind, good fish-hawk, but another kind, who was out
looking for early spring chickens, swooped down and tried to carry Susie
Littletail off to his nest. Now Uncle Wiggily was so old he couldn't do
much, but Sammie was not going to see his little sister harmed, so what
did he do but jump at that hawk with his sharp little feet, and kick him
until the bad bird let go of poor Susie. She was quite frightened, but
not much hurt, and maybe she didn't hug and kiss Sammie for saving her.
Then they all hurried home to the burrow, and if there is nothing to
prevent it, to-morrow night's story will be about Sammie turning
sky-blue-pink.

XXII

SAMMIE COLORED SKY-BLUE-PINK

Susie Littletail was out on a nice, grassy place in front of the
underground house, jumping her grapevine rope, and having a very good
time, indeed. She had gotten all over the fright caused by the bad hawk
trying to grab her, and felt quite happy. Sammie Littletail had been
searching for the hawk, to have him arrested for being so cruel to the
little rabbit girl, but he could not find the big bird, so he had come
back to watch Susie jump. You see it was Easter week, and they had no
school. The old owl teacher was very glad of it, too, for he had more
time to sleep and doze in the sun.

Just as Susie finished doing "three slow, pepper," Nurse Jane
Fuzzy-Wuzzy came to the door of the burrow, and called:

"Sammie, your mamma wants you."

"What does she want?" he asked.

"She wants you to go to the drug store and get some stuff to color the
Easter eggs with. Hurry, please, because she has lots to do."

"May we help color them?" asked Susie, hanging up her grapevine rope on
a low bush.

"I think so," answered the muskrat nurse. "Now, hurry, Sammie; your
mamma wants to get all done before your papa comes home from the carrot
factory to-night."

"All right," answered the little boy rabbit. "I guess I can help color
the eggs, too," and he hurried off to the drug store, that was near Dr.
Possum's house.

Now pretty soon--in fact, almost immediately--something is going to
happen to Sammie Littletail, so I want you all to sit quietly, and not
wiggle so that you'll break the couch, or I can't go on. That's better.
Well, then, Sammie went through the woods, and, on