oking up from
his work.

"Not at all," replied Grandmother Magpie, "I'm done with it. You're
quite welcome to it, my dear."

This was the first time she had ever done a nice thing for anybody in
the Shady Forest. But, you see, she liked Twinkle Tail. He was the only
person she did like. I guess the reason was that she had never forgotten
he had once been very polite to her.

"Thank you," said Twinkle Tail, smiling sweetly, and then he set to
work harder than ever.

After that the old lady magpie flew away, thinking how strange it was
that a house which one has grown tired of often suits another person
very well.

By and by Twinkle Tail had another caller. It was Bobbie Redvest.

"How do you like the way I'm fixing up my house?" asked the little
squirrel.

"I think you've made one mistake," replied Bobbie Redvest.

"What is it?" asked Twinkle Tail anxiously.

"The great thing, you know, is to hide your house as much as possible."

The little squirrel dropped the piece of green moss he was about to use,
and waited.

"You should make it look like the place it's in," went on the little
robin. "You have chosen a browny place, so you must use brown moss on
the outside."

"That sounds like good advice," said Twinkle Tail. "I'll do as you say."

Here a leaf and there a twig,
Piece of twine to bind them--
Then some moss to spread across,
Till it's hard to find them.

Soon the tiny Treetop House
Will be built and ready;
Dry beneath the pelting rain,
Against the wind quite steady.

AN OLD CROW'S NEST

Now Featherhead had a much harder time finding a home than Brother
Twinkle Tail. He traveled from the oaks to the beech trees, jumping
from branch to branch, peeping first into this place and then into
that, but every hole and hollow had a tenant.

By and by he ran down to the ground and along the winding paths through
the leaves and brush, but even then he could find nothing. No, sir.
There didn't seem to be a single place in the whole big forest for this
little squirrel.

"Goodness me!" he exclaimed, "what shall I do? I don't want to go back
to Nutcracker Lodge and tell them I can't look out for myself. I'd feel
like a baby." So he sat down to think it over.

All of a sudden who should come by but Jimmy Crow.

"What's the matter? You look dreadfully worried."

"And so I am," replied the little squirrel. "And so would you be if you
couldn't find a home for yours