until the woods
were warm with the breath of the south wind, and King Robin was
back in his tree.

And that is the story of the first Winter, and we should never have
had another were it not for the foolish Little Gray Mouse, who was
hidden all winter under the snow. For if the Little Gray Mouse
would but be content to stay well hidden from the Great White Bear,
then we should have no more Winter, but in the Fall the foolish
Little Gray Mouse runs through the corn stubble and the Great White
Bear sees him. "There goes the Little Gray Mouse who tangled my
tail fur!" roars the Great White Bear, and again he blows his cold
breath through the woods, and over the country, and all the cold
weather we have is on account of that foolish Little Gray Mouse who
tangled the tail fur of the Great White Bear!

When Robert Robin had finished speaking, Mrs. Robin said, "Now,
children, you must all repeat what the Great White Bear told King
Robin,--'Across the lakes and over the mountains, and along the river to
the great bay.'" Then all the youngster robins repeated, "Across the
lakes and over the mountains, and along the river to the great bay," and
while they were talking, the cool wind began to blow from out the north,
and Mrs. Robin said, "Feel how cold that wind is getting! The Great
White Bear must have seen the Little Gray Mouse!"

CHAPTER IX

MISTER ROBERT ROBIN HAS A BATTLE WITH THE SPARROWS

One morning Mister Robert Robin was awake earlier than usual. The wind
was blowing cold and chilly, and the stars were shining out of a cold
sky. The faintest glow was to be seen in the east, but that was enough
to prove to Robert Robin that morning was about to break. Yet Robert
Robin did not sing his Hurry-up song.

It was so cold and chilly that he did not feel like singing, and
besides, he thought to himself, "Why should I awaken the birds and
squirrels on a cold morning like this? There is nothing for them to do,
so I will let them sleep!"

So Robert Robin took a little nap, and when he awoke the sun was just
coming up, and then Robert Robin could see the frost. The roofs of the
farmer's buildings were covered with it, and so were the fence rails,
and even the leaves of the big basswood were white in places.

Mister Tom Squirrel was running through the woods telling everyone that
there had been a frost, and that the chestnut burrs would soon be open.
M