n he chopped down the tree. We had no idea that you were in it," said
Uncle Whiskers.

The Tree-Fairy laughed a soft, silvery laugh and answered, "No, of
course you did not know that I was here. When I am free I will tell you
all about how I came to be here."

Just then Billy Jay picked away a big piece of bark and the Tree-Fairy
slowly but surely pulled one wing free.

Uncle Whiskers, Twinkle and Winkle worked all the harder and faster and
soon Twinkle cried:

"I think you can move your wing now, dear Tree-Fairy. Try to move it
just a tiny bit."

The Tree-Fairy needed no urging. Very gently and slowly she pulled her
wing out from under the bark. Just to show her little friends that she
could use them as well as ever, she fluttered them about.

They were so thin that you could see through them and they sparkled and
shone in the sunshine like silver.

"Can't you get up now?" asked Sammy Woodchuck.

"I will try," replied the Tree-Fairy.

She tried and tried all in vain. She could move, but she could not rise.
At last she said:

"My foot is caught. I am so sorry, dear friend, but I cannot leave this
stump until my foot is free. It is so far down in the stump that I am
afraid you will have a very hard time to loosen it."

She was right. It seemed for awhile that it was impossible to loosen it.
Billy Jay picked and picked. Twinkle and Winkle gnawed and gnawed, but
all of their efforts seemed of no use.

Finally Uncle Whiskers said, "I will take the axe and chop away the
outside of the stump."

"I will take the pitch-fork and lift the soft pulp away," cried Sammy
Woodchuck.

So they worked and worked until they had broken the stump apart and the
Tree-Fairy was free once more.

As she stepped out into the green meadow, she was so happy that she
danced and as she danced, her little silver slippers twinkled and
glittered.

"Isn't she wonderful?" whispered Winkle to Twinkle.

"Yes. She is so lovely that I am afraid she will not stay with us,"
whispered Twinkle to Winkle.

Uncle Whiskers looked and looked at the Tree-Fairy until his eyes were
almost blinded by her sparkle in the sunshine. He said:

"Please come over here under the shade of this tree, where we can look
at you all we wish and then tell us how you came to be in that tree."

CHAPTER VI

The Tree-Fairy danced over and sat down under the tree with Uncle
Whiskers, Winkle, Twinkle and Sammy Woodchuck. Billy Jay did not care to
sit down