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give her the thing that is sweetest to everyone. 

 Let her have her freedom." 



" Her freedom ! Her freedom ! " shouted all 

 the ants, both red and black. " Let Nipper be 

 free!" 



But Nipper looked around at them sadly. 



" Alas, what good would my freedom do me ? " 

 she asked. " I would be alone, and where could I 

 go ? I know no other nest than this ? " 



" You shall have companions to go with you," 

 cried the ants. " Choose what slaves you will and 

 we will free them too. They shall go with you 

 and you can make yourselves a nest of your own." 



Then Nipper looked about her and chose a 

 dozen black ants to go with her as her helpers. 

 Among them, you may be sure, was the old ant 

 who had carried her when she was a cocoon, and the 

 one whom she had helped with the dead beetle. 



The red ants also gave Nipper some cocoons and 

 some ant larvae, that from, one of them she might 

 raise a black queen to reign over the new nest. 



So, carrying these cocoons and larvae carefully 

 in their mouths, the little band of black ants set 

 out, followed by the good wishes of those they left 

 behind. 



Pyle's Humble Friends. — 7. 



