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tussocks or among the roots of the old stumps. All 

 these months the water had been low in the ditch, 

 and the beds among the tussocks had been safe and 

 dry enough. 



Now the autumnal rains have filled river and ditch, 

 flooded the tunnels, and crept up into the beds under 

 the tussocks. Even a muskrat will creep out of his 

 bed when cold, wet water creeps in. What shall he do 

 for a house ? He does not want to leave his meadow. 

 The only thing to do is to build, — move from under 

 the tussock, out upon the top, and here, in the deep, 

 wiry grass, make a new bed, high and dry above the 

 rising water, and close the new bed in with walls 

 that circle and dome and defy the winter. 



Such a house will require a great deal of work to 

 build. Why not combine, make it big enough to hold 

 half a dozen, save labor and warmth, and, withal, live 

 sociably together ? So they left, each one his bed, 

 and joining efforts, started, about the middle of Octo- 

 ber, to build this winter house. 



Slowly, night after night, the domed walls have 

 been rising, although for several nights at a time 

 there would be no apparent progress with the work. 

 The builders were in no hurry, it seems ; the cold 



3 



