The Watchman of the Old Orchard 



"You seem to be in a hurry, so don't let me 

 detain you, Peter," said Cresty, before Peter 

 could find his tongue. "I just want to ask one 

 little favor of you." 



"What is it?" asked Peter, who is always 

 glad to do any one a favor. . s 



"If in your roaming about you run across an 

 old cast-off suit of Mr. Black Snake, or of any 

 other member of the Snake family, I wish you 

 would remember me and let me know. Will you, 

 Peter?" said Cresty. 



"A a a what ? " stammered Peter. r 



"A cast-off suit of clothes from any member of 

 the Snake family," replied Cresty somewhat im- 

 patiently. "Now don't forget, Peter. I've got 

 to go house hunting, but you'll find me here or 

 hereabouts, if it happens that you find one of 

 those cast-off Snake suits." - * 



Before Peter could say another word Cresty 

 had flown away. Peter hesitated, looking first 

 towards the dear Old Briar-patch and then 

 towards Jenny Wren's house. He just couldn't 

 understand about those cast-off suits of the Snake 

 family, and he felt sure that Jenny Wren could 

 tell him. Finally curiosity got the best of him, 

 and back he scampered, lipperty-lipperty-lip, to 

 the foot of the tree in which Jenny Wren had her 

 home. 



[511 



