ff. 



V 



they were loath to move to foreign parts. 

 Their life of daily perils went on, but they were 

 still fleet of foot, long of wind, and bright of 

 wit. Of late they had been somewhat troubled 



by a mink that had wandered up-stream to their ^vHw ^ < *$//>// 



quiet nook. A little judicious guidance had *"- \ \> s*r\^ 



transferred the uncomfortable visitor to Oli- v V--*- — " .5" 



fant's hen-house. But they were not yet quite "''K'.fy <„i^W 



sure that he had been properly looked after. So J/--'^ >x> __ 

 for the present they gave up using the ground- ^~" 

 holes, which were, of course, dangerous blind- 

 alleys, and stuck closer than ever to the briers 

 and the brush-piles that were left. 



That first snow had quite gone and the 

 weather was bright and warm until now. Molly, 

 feeling a touch of rheumatism, was somewhere 

 in the lower thicket seeking a teaberry tonic. 

 Rag was sitting in the weak sunlight on a bank ! 



in the east side. The smoke from the fa- 

 miliar gable chimney of Olifant's house came 

 fitfully drifting a pale blue haze through the 

 underwoods and showing as a dull brown 

 against the brightness of the sky. The sun-gilt 

 gable was cut off midway by the banks of brier- 

 brush, that purple in shadow shone like rods of 



135 



