ister Tom Squirrel was very much pleased, but Robert Robin could not
help feeling sad. For he knew that Winter was coming, and that the Great
White Bear was blowing his cold breath through the woods.

That very day the leaves of the big basswood turned brown, and were
dead, but the leaves of the apple trees still shone with a glossy green.
The apple tree seemed to like the frost.

Robert Robin did not sing at all, he felt as if he had lost something.

In the afternoon Mrs. Robin said: "When do we go across the lakes, and
over the mountains, and along the river to the great bay?"

"We might start to-day," answered Robert Robin. "Let us call the
children and go at once. We should be able to get as far as Watkins
Glen, or Elmira."

"Then we could sleep in the Glen!" said Mrs. Robin.

"There are too many crows in the Glen!" said Robert Robin, "but if we
reached Elmira, we might stay with Cousin Phineas, who lives on the
Heights!"

"Let us call the children and start right away!" said Mrs. Robin.

All the youngster robins came hurrying at the call, except little
Sheldon. But little Sheldon could not be found, and though all the
robins searched and called he did not answer nor come in sight.

"Where _can_ that child be?" said Mrs. Robin. "We cannot go south and
leave him here all alone!"

"No!" said Robert Robin. "That would never do! The owls might get him!"

Jim Crow came flying along and asked, "What seems to be the trouble,
folks?"

"We have lost little Sheldon!" said Robert Robin.

"Where did you lose him?" asked Jim Crow.

"We lost him from where he isn't!" said Robert Robin.

"You keep on looking where he isn't, and I will go and look where he
is!" said Jim Crow, as he flew away.

"He may be playing with those Nuthatch boys!" said Mrs. Robin.

All the robins kept searching the woods for little Sheldon, but Mister
Jim Crow flew over to Brigg's Brambles, and in a very short time he came
hurrying back and called to Robert Robin:

"Little Sheldon is over in Brigg's Brambles playing I-spy with Billy
Nuthatch!"

"Thank you very much, Mister Crow!" said Robert Robin, as he sped over
to Brigg's Brambles to get little Sheldon.

Little Sheldon did not want to come away. He was playing I-spy with
Billy Nuthatch, and it was his turn to go and hide, so Robert Robin
said, "You may hide just this once, then we must go!"

Little Billy Nuthatch "blinded" behind a big stump, and little Sheldon
whispered, "Come