22 The Woodchuck 
was in a convenient spot I decided to leave it for 
some future day’s sport and make sure of the fish. 
It was not so easy to bring Rover to my way of think- 
ing, but I finally coaxed him away from the fascinating 
spot. 
Fascinating indeed it surely proved to be to me, 
and more than one day’s sport I got out of that little 
burrow. I took care, however, that Rover didn’t go 
with me when I made my visits and, instead of digging 
out the inmates boy-fashion, I waited for them to 
come out of their own accord. Several times the old 
woodchuck appeared, but feeling sure that there 
were “more to follow,” I patiently watched and 
waited. Finally my patience was rewarded; for one 
fine morning five little cubs came tumbling after their 
mother along the narrow passage to the entrance of the 
burrow, where they looked with their great beautiful 
brown eyes upon the strange outside world. What 
a marvelous surprise it must have been to them to 
view the green grass and the beautiful flowers! The 
breeze brought to their dilated nostrils sweet odors 
from the meadows, while a great burst of music 
saluted their ears, which were now really open for 
the first time. The wrens were singing in the old 
apple tree; the bobolinks were “running down” 
their “brooks of laughter” through the air; the 
