ear touching me, and yelled to the fellows behind:

"'Hold up, or we'll be in the mud up to our necks! What's the use of
chasing a lot of rabbits that aren't worth eating at this time of
year, when we can catch more'n a thousand squirrels between now and
to-morrow morning?'

"Then all the crowd began to yell--I wonder why it is that boys must
make a terrible noise whatever they are doing?--and back the whole of
them trooped, heading as if they counted on bringing up at Crow's
Corner.

"I didn't have any very important business on hand just then, for it
isn't pleasant to go home when Mrs. Bunny is all haired up with
excitement, because at such times she seems to think matters may be
smoothed by scolding at me, so off I hopped after the yelling,
screaming cannibals, counting on finding out what other mischief that
boy Tommy had hatched. Of course I kept so far behind that they
couldn't see me, and my mouth was stretched from ear to ear in a broad
grin, thinking how surprised they'd be to know I was taking my turn at
chasing them.

"They struck a bee-line for the club quarters, and on arriving there
loitered around with never a thought that there were plenty of chores
to be done at the farm, till I was tired of trying to see what was
going on, so off I hopped, counting on paying Cheeko a visit to liven
him up a bit. I hadn't got more than half-way to his new home when
whom should I see but that same squirrel I supposed was so sick he
couldn't even flirt his tail!

"'What's all this row about?' he asked, cross as two sticks, and
acting as if he blamed me because the little wretches from the farm
had been making so much noise.

"I told him all that had happened, and, if you'll believe it, instead
of appreciating what I had done in the way of getting my family out of
the scrape, he said, with his nose turned way up in the air:

"'You're always trying to make out that you've done something mighty
smart, Bunny. I can't see how it was possible for you to act in any
way different from what you did. If I'd been there those boys would be
singing another kind of a tune by this time.'

"'It seems to me that you've brightened up considerably since Mrs.
Bunny dosed you with the herb tea,' I said, speaking a bit crossly,
perhaps, for it got on my nerves to have him so pert all of a sudden,
and pitching into me just the same as before he got hurt.

"'If I'd taken very much of that nasty tea I'd be dead by this time,
and I wan