s, where they had been hidden all winter.

"Hey, Bushytail!" cried the squirrel whom Susie knew, addressing another
who was on the ground at the foot of the stump, "bring up a big leaf."

"What do you want with a big leaf?" inquired the squirrel who was called
Bushytail.

"Susie Littletail is going to stay to the party," replied the squirrel
who was giving it, "and I want the leaf for a plate for her. She will
need a large one."

Up the old stump climbed Bushytail with the leaf in his mouth, and he
put it in a vacant place. The stump was quite large enough for the
squirrels and rabbit to move about upon and still leave room for the
table to be set. Susie saw the squirrels placing nut meats on the
different plates and putting oak-leaf tea into the acorn cups. Suddenly
the squirrel whom Susie knew and whose name was Mrs. Lightfoot,
exclaimed:

"There! I never thought of that!"

"Thought of what?" asked Susie.

"Why, we haven't anything that you like to eat. You don't care for nuts,
do you?"

"Not very much," answered Susie, who wanted to be polite, yet she still
wanted to tell the truth.

"I thought so," spoke Mrs. Lightfoot. "Whatever shall I do? I've asked
you to the party and now there is nothing you like. It's too bad, for I
want you to have a good time!"

"I--I could go to the cabbage-field store and get some leaves, and I
could bring some carrots and eat them," suggested Susie.

"Yes, but it wouldn't be right to ask you to a party and then have you
bring your own things to eat," objected Mrs. Lightfoot.

"That's what they do at surprise parties," went on Susie, who had heard
Uncle Wiggily Longears tell of one he once attended. It was given by a
chipmunk.

"Yes, but this isn't a surprise party," said Mrs. Lightfoot. "I don't
know what to do."

"We can pretend it's a surprise party," went on Susie. "I know I was
very much surprised when you asked me to come to it."

"Were you, indeed?" inquired the squirrel. "Then a surprise party it
shall be. Listen!" she called to the other squirrels; "this is a
surprise party for Susie Littletail."

"Humph! I don't call this a surprise," grumbled an old squirrel, whose
tail had partly been shot off. But nobody minded him, as he was always
grumbling. So Susie went and got some cabbage leaves and carrots, and
brought them to the party. She had to eat them all alone, as the
squirrels did not care much for such things. The only thing Susie could
eat which the squi