and a black one, and they shall have a nice little house in the
wood-shed, where no weasel can find them."

[Illustration: WEASEL AND FROGS--THE INTERRUPTED CONCERT.]

Harry brightened up at once at the prospect of having two Bunnies, while
mamma said: "Now let us talk a little about the weasel. It is not so
much to be blamed, after all, for killing Bunny, for it was born with
the instinct to catch rabbits and squirrels, rats, mice, and many other
small animals, as well as chickens and birds of all kinds. Weasels are
very sly little beasts, although if captured when very young they can be
tamed, and taught to eat out of their master's hand. If you will listen,
and not cry any more, I will tell you what I saw and heard one summer
afternoon over by the pond in the meadow. You know it is a very small
pond, and that afternoon the water was so still that it looked like a
glass eye in the midst of the great green meadow. I sat down on the bank
to rest, and to watch the reflection of the bushes and tall
water-grasses which overhung the pond. Suddenly the surface of the water
was disturbed by a hundred circling ripples, in the centre of which
appeared a small dark spot. As I watched, these dark spots became
visible all over the pond. The sun was setting, and the beautiful summer
twilight coming on, and it was so still it seemed as if Nature and all
her pretty minstrels were fast asleep. All at once I heard a hoarse
voice, which seemed at my very feet. 'Chu-lunk, chu-lunk, chu-lunk,' it
said. It must have been the chorister calling his frog chorus together
for their evening song, for in a moment a multitude of voices were
answering from the long grasses, the bushes, the water--indeed, the
whole neighborhood, a moment before so quiet, was alive with little frog
people. They evidently had some cause of complaint against a very wicked
person, as my little Harry has just now, for I distinctly heard one say,
'Stole a rabbit, stole a rabbit;' while another answered, 'I saw him do
it, I saw him do it.' Then the whole chorus burst out,'We'll pull him
in, we'll pull him in.' 'Plump, plump, plump,' added one voice more
revengeful than all the rest. I sat very still, waiting to see what was
to be pulled plump into the water. I did not have long to wait, but I
fancy things took a turn contrary to the one desired by the frog people.
There was a sudden rustling in the bushes, a sharp, quick sound like the
springing of a cat. The chorus was st