ing aloud without thinking.

"Don't you know him?" asked a sharp voice so close to Peter that it made
him jump. Peter whirled around. There sat Striped Chipmunk grinning
at him from the top of the old stone wall. "That's Weaver the Orchard
Oriole," Striped Chipmunk rattled on. "If you don't know him you ought
to, because he is one of the very nicest persons in the Old Orchard. I
just love to hear him sing."

"Is--is--he related to Goldy?" asked Peter somewhat doubtfully.

"Of course," retorted Striped Chipmunk. "I shouldn't think you would
have to look at him more than once to know that. He's first cousin to
Goldy. There comes Mrs. Weaver. I do hope they've decided to build in
the Old Orchard this year."

"I'm glad you told me who she is because I never would have guessed it,"
confessed Peter as he studied the newcomer. She did not look at all
like Weaver. She was dressed in olive-green and dull yellow, with white
markings on her wings.

Peter couldn't help thinking how much easier it must be for her than for
her handsome husband to hide among the green leaves.

As he watched she flew down to the ground and picked up a long piece
of grass. "They are building here, as sure as you live!" cried Striped
Chipmunk. "I'm glad of that. Did you ever see their nest, Peter? Of
course you haven't, because you said you had never seen them before.
Their nest is a wonder, Peter. It really is. It is made almost wholly of
fine grass and they weave it together in the most wonderful way."

"Do they have a hanging nest like Goldy's?" asked Peter a bit timidly.

"Not such a deep one," replied Striped Chipmunk. "They hang it between
the twigs near the end of a branch, but they bind it more closely to the
branch and it isn't deep enough to swing as Goldy's does."

Peter had just opened his mouth to ask another question when there was a
loud sniffing sound farther up along the old stone wall. He didn't wait
to hear it again. He knew that Bowser the Hound was coming.

"Good-by, Striped Chipmunk! This is no place for me," whispered Peter
and started for the dear Old Briar-patch. He was in such a hurry to get
there that on his way across the Green Meadows he almost ran into Jimmy
Skunk before he saw him.

"What's your hurry, Peter?" demanded Jimmy

"Bowser the Hound almost found me up in the Old Orchard," panted Peter.
"It's a wonder he hasn't found my tracks. I expect he will any minute.
I'm glad to see you, Jimmy, but I guess I'd b