Project Gutenberg's Little Tales of The Desert, by Ethel Twycross Foster

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Title: Little Tales of The Desert

Author: Ethel Twycross Foster

Illustrator: Hernando G. Villa

Release Date: December 15, 2009 [EBook #30686]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: LITTLE TALES OF THE DESERT Cover]

LITTLE TALES OF THE DESERT

_By_

ETHEL TWYCROSS FOSTER, L. L. B.

_Member Suffolk Bar_

_Illustrations by_

HERNANDO G. VILLA

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR

LOS ANGELES, CAL.

COPYRIGHT 1913 BY ETHEL T. FOSTER

KINGSLEY, MASON AND COLLINS CO.
PRINTERS AND BINDERS
LOS ANGELES

Contents

CHRISTMAS ON THE DESERT 5
TRADE RATS 7
A CHAT WITH MRS. COTTONTAIL 9
RABBITS AND CACTUS BURRS 11
THE DANGEROUS PET 13
A VISIT TO PALM SPRINGS 15
THE ROAD-RUNNER 17
A STRANGE CAPTURE 19
A DESERT MAY PARTY 21

[Illustration: _Christmas on the Desert_]

[Illustration]

CHRISTMAS ON THE DESERT

MARY was worried. To-morrow would be Christmas. Christmas! a day always
spent close to New York City, that place where Santa Claus obtained all
the contents of his wonderful pack. Here she was, out in the heart of
the great Arizona Desert. Her little head was sorely puzzled over many
things. Around her were sand, rocks and mountains; no snow, no ice, save
on the tops of the distant peaks. How was Santa to draw his gift-laden
sleigh over barren stretches of sage brush and sand? Besides, he surely
would be far too warm, with his heavy fur coat and cap, to say nothing
of the poor reindeer who could scarcely live in such a country.

Mary and her mother had joined her father at his mine, where they were
going to spend the winter, sleeping in a tent, eating in a tent, but
spending