ALONG FOUR-FOOTED TRAILS 



his haste to reach his underground home on 

 the edge of the fields. 



The golden grain in the adjoining wheat- 

 field sheltered her from the burning sun as she 

 sat and watched the ground-squirrels catch the 

 little brown grasshoppers, so near the color of 

 the ground that she could hardly see them un- 

 less they hopped ; but the ground-squirrels with 

 their sharp, bead-like eyes never missed one. 

 At other times they would play their funny 

 little game of tag, then dart into their holes in 

 the ground, or come near to her for the corn 

 she generally carried in the pocket of her ging- 

 ham apron with which to feed them. 



One day one of the little squirrels ran across 

 her lap ,nd put his nose in her pocket and ate 

 some of the corn, then filled the fold on each 

 side of his cheeks with the yellow kernels to 

 store away in his home for the cold winter 

 months when there would be no grasshoppers 

 or other good things he could find to eat. 



This confidence from her four-footed neigh- 

 bors pleased Ella very much, but she never 

 moved, or even laughed, for fear they would 

 all scamper away, as they had done many times 

 CM] 



