another word from one of you!"
It means, so without more ado,
Ashamed and slow
Away they go.

Again she settles herself and sleeps;
This time she dreams that she crouches and creeps,
A great gray tiger along the grass,
While herds of soft-eyed antelopes pass,
When--patter, patter!
"Now what's the matter?"

Again, with a scramble, the three appear;
"Oh mammy dear, see here, see here,
We have found our mittens--see!" they cry.
"You have? Then you shall have some pie!
Found your mittens?
You nice, nice kittens!"

She goes to the oven; there is a pie;
She sets it out on the floor close by;
'Tis smoking hot, and covered with juice;
And she says to them, "Eat as much as you choose."
So up to the chin,
They all dip in.

Dame Puss goes out to wash her paws,
And to comb her whiskers with her claws,
When again the troublesome three appear;
"Oh mother dear, see here--see here!"
Distressed and shy
They begin to cry.

No wonder they cry; they did not wait
For a spoon, or knife, or fork, or plate,
But ate with their fingers! ah, how soiled!
Dame Puss declares the mittens are spoiled!
"Miew, miew, miew,
Miew, miew, miew!"

Then all run out to the rain-water tub,
Dip in their mittens, and rub, and rub;
Their little knuckles are fairly bare,
And wet, as if drowned, is every hair--
Still, over the tub,
They rub, rub, rub!

Once more they haste to their mother dear;
"Oh mammy dear, see here, see here,
We've washed our mittens clean!" they cry.
"You darling kittens,
To wash your mittens,"
She says, and fondles them till they're dry--
Purr, purr, purr,
Purr--pu-r-r--p-u-r-r!

THE GROUND SQUIRREL.

By Paul H. Hayne.

I.

Bless us, and save us! What's here?
Pop!
At a bound,
A tiny brown creature, grotesque in his grace,
Is sitting before us, and washing his face
With his little fat paws overlapping;
Where does he hail from? Where?
Why, _there_,
Underground,
From a nook just as cosey,
And tranquil, and dozy,
As e'er wooed to Sybarite napping
(But none ever caught _him_ a-napping).
Don't you see his burrow so quaint and queer?

II.

Gone! li