ds.

"I feel sorry for the boys," said Mrs. Nutcracker, wiping her eyes with
her calico apron, as she stood beneath the Big Chestnut Tree talking to
Mrs. Rabbit. "They've had such a comfortable home, if I do say it myself.
But last night Squirrel Nutcracker said after dinner:

"'Boys, it's time for you to get out and hustle for yourselves. It will
make men-squirrels out of you. If you get into trouble, always remember
your father will help you. And don't forget your mother.'"

Poor Mrs. Nutcracker threw her apron over her head and burst into tears.
"Don't cry," said the kind bunny lady, and very soon she said good-by
and hopped home to the Old Bramble Patch to tell her little rabbit the
news.

When Mrs. Nutcracker reached home she found her little squirrel boys
packing up their things. Twinkle Tail had his nearly finished, but
Featherhead was only half through. So Mrs. Nutcracker helped him, and
when it was all done, she sat down and cried again. Poor Mrs. Nutcracker
felt so badly she just couldn't help it.

Just then Old Squirrel Nutcracker came up the stairs, so she dried her
eyes and the two little squirrels picked up their trunks and started
down the tree.

When they reached the first landing, a great big limb that spread out to
one side, there stood Squirrel Nutcracker. His voice was a little husky
as he said:

"I want to be proud of you, Twinkle Tail and Featherhead. See that you
find nice homes and that you don't do anything to make me ashamed of
you." Then he hugged them good-by and went upstairs to Mrs. Nutcracker.

HOME HUNTING

It was a week or so after the Squirrel Brothers had left Nutcracker
Lodge to find homes for themselves that Little Jack Rabbit came across
Twinkle Tail.

It's not an easy thing to find a new home, especially when all the nice
warm hollow trees were already crowded with little people. Twinkle Tail
discovered this when he started in house-hunting.

"Why don't you take Grandmother Magpie's nest?" asked the little rabbit.
"She hasn't used it for some time and nobody seems to want it." This was
very true; perhaps it was because nobody liked Grandmother Magpie.

But after Twinkle Tail had taken it over you never would have known it.
You see, he altered it and arranged it and patched it up to suit
himself.

While he was putting on the finishing touches, who should come along but
the old lady magpie herself.

"Do you mind my doing this to your old place?" he asked, lo