ertainly does show up
against it. Don't you find it pretty lonesome over here in the Green
Forest with all the birds gone, Cousin Jumper?"

Jumper shook his head. "Not all have gone, Peter, you know," said he.
"Strutter the Grouse and Mrs. Grouse are here, and I see them every day.
They've got snowshoes now."

Peter blinked his eyes and looked rather perplexed. "Snowshoes!" he
exclaimed. "I don't understand what you mean."

"Come with me," replied Jumper, "and I'll show you."

So Jumper led the way and Peter followed close at his heels. Presently
they came to some tracks in the snow. At first glance they reminded
Peter of the queer tracks Farmer Brown's ducks made in the mud on the
edge of the Smiling Pool in summer. "What funny tracks those are!" he
exclaimed. "Who made them?"

"Just keep on following me and you'll see," retorted Jumper.

So they continued to follow the tracks until presently, just ahead of
them, they saw Strutter the Grouse. Peter opened his eyes with surprise
when he discovered that those queer tracks were made by Strutter.

"Cousin Peter wants to see your snowshoes, Strutter," said Jumper as
they came up with him.

Strutter's bright eyes sparkled. "He's just as curious as ever, isn't
he?" said he. "Well, I don't mind showing him my snowshoes because I
think myself that they are really quite wonderful." He held up one foot
with the toes spread apart and Peter saw that growing out from the sides
of each toe were queer little horny points set close together. They
quite filled the space between his toes. Peter recalled that when he
had seen Strutter in the summer those toes had been smooth and that his
tracks on soft ground had shown the outline of each toe clearly. "How
funny!" exclaimed Peter.

"There's nothing funny about them," retorted Strutter. "If Old Mother
Nature hadn't given me something of this kind I certainly would have a
hard time of it when there is snow on the ground. If my feet were just
the same as in summer I would sink right down in when the snow is soft
and wouldn't be able to walk about at all. Now, with these snowshoes I
get along very nicely. You see I sink in but very little."

He took three or four steps and Peter saw right away how very useful
those snowshoes were. "My!" he exclaimed. "I wish Old Mother Nature
would give me snowshoes too." Strutter and Jumper both laughed and after
a second Peter laughed with them, for he realized how impossible it
would be for him