rch appeared
over it, and a fine, polished front door now shut it off from the
outside world. She could even read a name upon the silver door-plate,
and the name was this:

Mister Woodchuck

Chapter II
Mister Woodchuck Captures a Girl

"WELL, I declare!" whispered Twinkle to herself; "how could all that have
happened?"

On each side of the door was a little green bench, big enough for two to
sit upon, and between the benches was a doorstep of white marble, with a
mat lying on it. On one side Twinkle saw an electric door-bell.

While she gazed at this astonishing sight a sound of rapid footsteps was
heard, and a large Jack-Rabbit, almost as big as herself, and dressed in
a messenger-boy's uniform, ran up to the woodchuck's front door and rang
the bell.

Almost at once the door opened inward, and a curious personage stepped
out.

Twinkle saw at a glance that it was the woodchuck himself,--but what a
big and queer woodchuck it was!

He wore a swallow-tailed coat, with a waistcoat of white satin and fancy
knee-breeches, and upon his feet were shoes with silver buckles. On his
head was perched a tall silk hat that made him look just as high as
Twinkle's father, and in one paw he held a gold-headed cane. Also he
wore big spectacles over his eyes, which made him look more dignified
than any other woodchuck Twinkle had ever seen.

When this person opened the door and saw the Jack-Rabbit messenger-boy,
he cried out:

"Well, what do you mean by ringing my bell so violently? I suppose
you're half an hour late, and trying to make me think you're in a
hurry."

The Jack-Rabbit took a telegram from its pocket and handed it to the
woodchuck without a word in reply. At once the woodchuck tore open the
envelope and read the telegram carefully.

"Thank you. There's no answer," he said; and in an instant the
Jack-Rabbit had whisked away and was gone.

"Well, well," said the woodchuck, as if to himself, "the foolish farmer
has set a trap for me, it seems, and my friends have sent a telegram to
warn me. Let's see--where is the thing?"

He soon discovered the trap, and seizing hold of the chain he pulled the
peg out of the ground and threw the whole thing far away into the field.

"I must give that farmer a sound scolding," he muttered, "for he's
becoming so impudent lately that soon he will think he owns the whole
country."

But now his eyes fell upon Twinkle, who lay in the clover staring up at
him; and the woodc