only a very small yard, and that is full of wood piles."

"I can make it on the common," said Caleb. "The common is large enough I
can tell you."

Here Dwight suddenly called out in a tone of great eagerness and
delight, to look off to a little bush near them, to which he pointed
with his finger.

"See! see! there is a squirrel!--a large grey squirrel!"

"Where?" said Caleb, "where? I don't see him."

"Hush!" said Mary Anna, in a low tone: "All keep perfectly still. I'll
shew him to you, Caleb. There, creeping along the branch."

"I see him," said David. "Let us catch him, and put him in with Mungo."

"I'm afraid it is Mungo," said Mary Anna.

"Mungo!" said Dwight, with surprise.

"Yes," said Mary Anna, "it looks like him. I am afraid he has got out of
some hole, and is going away. Sit still, and we will see what he will
do."

"O, no," said Dwight, "I will go and catch him."

"No, by no means," said Mary Anna, holding Dwight back, "let us see what
he will do."

It was Mungo. He had gnawed himself a hole, and escaped from his prison.

He did not, however, seem disposed to go away very fast. He came down
from the bush, and crept along upon the ground towards the brook, and
then finding that he could not get across very well, he ran about the
grass a little while, and then went back by degrees to the tree. He
climbed up to the great branch, playing a minute or two about the
grating over the hole, and then ran along out to the end of the branch,
the children watching him all the time, and walking slowly along up
towards the tree.

"I'll go and get him some corn," said Mary Anna, "and see if he will not
come down for it to his hole, when I call him. You stand here perfectly
still, till I come back."

So she went in and got a nut instead of corn, and put it down by the
hole, calling "Mungo!" "Mungo!" as usual. The squirrel came creeping
down the branch, and Mary Anna left the nut upon the grating, and went
away. He crept down cautiously, seized the nut, stuffed it into his
cheek, and ran off to one of the topmost branches; and there standing
upon his hind legs, and holding his nut in his forepaws, he began
gnawing the shell, watching the children all the time.

The next morning, Mary Anna tore off the netting, and the squirrel
lived in the tree a long while. Caleb, however, saw but little more of
him at this time, for he went to Boston the next week with his father.
What befell him there may perhaps be des