it,
children?"

"I've always wanted some rabbits in a box," said John, "and I never did
have any. I want to feed 'em and watch 'em, you know."

"Yes, I know," agreed Grandfather, but that was all he said.

Mary Jane thought of saying that the box already had a family in it,
her family of ducks, but she thought maybe that wouldn't be polite, and
anyway, likely as not there were more boxes, so she just kept still,
very still.

And while they were all three standing there, wondering, Mary Jane
looked up and over in the hedge, she spied the mother rabbit standing
partly on her hind feet and looking at them as _hard_!

"Look!" cried Mary Jane, "there's their mother!"

The sound of a voice startled the little mother and she ran away,
lipity, lipity, lip; lipity, lipity, lip; such a funny little run! till
she reached the shelter of a log. There she waited--they could see the
tip, white of her tail through the leaves.

"She's waiting to see what happens to her babies!" exclaimed Mary Jane,
and suddenly she made up her mind about rabbit pets. "Let's leave them
here, John," she said quickly. "Their mother's lonesome if they go up
to the house. Let's leave them here and I'll give you half of my
ducks."

"All right," agreed John, "but may I come and see them sometimes,
Grandfather?"

"As often as you like. You just let me know and we'll come twice a
day," said Grandfather, "and you'll have most as much fun with the
ducks, I'll wager. Now let's see if we can't hunt up some dinner."
And they turned to the house.

Such a big day as Mary Jane and John did have! They played and they
hunted eggs and they rode on the cow; yes, that can be done, didn't you
ever try it? And they fed the chickens, and by night time they were so
sleepy and tired they hardly noticed their supper.

But after supper Grandfather sat down to look at his paper. And as he
spread it out before him he suddenly chuckled to himself.

"The very thing!" he said, "the very thing! Why didn't I think of that
before?" Then he looked over at the droopy-eyed little folks sitting
on the window seat. "But I suppose you wouldn't care to go?"

"Go where?" exclaimed both children in a breath. "Where, Grandfather?"

"What you talking about, Father?" asked Grandmother.

Instead of answering, Grandfather passed his paper over to her and
pointed to where he had been reading.

Grandmother laughed and nodded. "Yes, if you want to," she said, "but
they'd