angers as the Hollow Tree people
were to her at that time.

"Well," she said, "I wasn't born in the Big Deep Woods, nor in any woods
at all, but in a house with a great many more of our family, a long way
from here, and owned by a Mr. Man who raised us to sell."

When Miss Myrtle said that the 'Coon and 'Possum and the Old Black Crow
took their pipes out of their mouths and looked at her with very deep
interest. They had once heard from Mr. Dog about menageries,[7] where
Deep Woods people and others were kept for Mr. Man and his friends to
look at, but they had never heard of a place where any of their folks
were raised to sell. Mr. 'Possum was just going to ask a
question--probably as to how they were fed--when Mr. Rabbit said, "'Sh!"
and Miss Meadows went on:

"It was quite a nice place, and we were pretty thick in the little
house, which was a good deal like a cage, with strong wires in front,
though it had doors, too, to shut us in when it rained or was cold. Mr.
Man, or some of his family, used to bring us fresh grass and clover and
vegetables to eat, every day, and sometimes would open a door and let us
out for a short time on the green lawn. We never went far, or thought of
running away, but ran in, pretty soon, and cuddled down, sometimes
almost in a pile, we were so thick; and we were all very happy indeed.

"But one day Mr. Man came to our house and opened the door and reached
in and lifted several of us out--about twenty or so, I should think--one
after another, by the ears--and put us into a flat box with slats across
the top, and said, 'Now you little chaps are going to have a trip and
see something.' I didn't know what he meant, but I can see now, that he
didn't mean nearly so much as happened--not in _my_ case. A number of my
brothers and sisters were in the box with me, and though we were quite
frightened, we were excited, too, for we wondered where we were going,
and what wonderful things we should see."

[Illustration: MISS MYRTLE PAUSED AND WIPED HER EYES]

Miss Myrtle paused and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief that looked
very much like one of Jack Rabbit's; then she said:

"I suppose I shall never know what became of all the others of our poor
little broken family, and I know they are wondering what became of me,
but of course there is no way to find out now, and Mr. Jack Rabbit says
I must try to forget and be happy.

"Well, Mr. Man put the box into a wagon and we rode and rode, and were