his dead body.'

"'You are too large and too wicked,' said Gloos-cap. 'I fear I cannot
change your temper, but I can your size,' So he passed his hands over
the big red squirrel's back, and behold, he shrunk and shriveled until
he became small, even as small as he is at this day. But his temper
remained almost as bad as before. Even to-day, he can scarcely see
any creature without scolding and saying bad words."

XX. LITTLE LUKE AND MOTHER MIT-CHEE THE RUFFLED PARTRIDGE

Up in the woods on the side of the mountain Mother Mit-chee the Ruffled
Partridge built her nest, close beside the trail. It was nothing but a
little hollow in the ground, lined with leaves.

It was in plain sight and you would have supposed that anyone going
along the trail would have seen it. But they didn't. Old John the Indian
and Sam the hired man passed it a dozen times and never noticed it. Even
Old Boze did not find it, although he followed Sam up and down the trail
many times.

You see, Mother Mit-chee knew enough to sit perfectly still, and her
mottled feathers blended so exactly with the tree trunks and the dead
leaves about her that only the sharp eyes of the Finder of the Magic
Flower ever found her out.

Little Luke saw her one day as he was walking up the trail beside Sam
the hired man, and with Old Boze following at his heels. But he went
right on by, as if he had not seen Mother Mit-chee at all. He did not
want Sam or Old Boze to see her, for he knew they could not be trusted.
They would be almost sure to try to kill Mother Mit-chee, or at the very
least, they would rob her nest.

The next morning the little boy went up the trail alone, to pay Mother
Mit-chee a visit. "Good morning, Mother Mit-chee," said he, "I saw you
yesterday, but Sam and Old Boze didn't, and I wouldn't tell them."

"I knew you saw me," replied Mother Mit-chee, "and I knew you wouldn't
tell. You are too kind-hearted for that, especially since you found the
Magic Flower and learned the animal talk. We all trust you. You may come
to see me as often as you like, but be careful not to leave any trail
near my nest. I don't want Old Boze nosing around here. And when you
come along with any of the house people, just go right by and don't look
this way. I am more afraid of Old John the Indian than of anyone else.
He looked right at me the other day and I was sure he saw me. I was
scared, I tell you. I was all ready to fly away. But he didn't see me.
If he h