UABBIT TRACKS 139 



the purplish gray arch of bare maple branches, and 

 where it seemed to touch the sky, the sun was saunter- 

 ing out from a purple and gold gateway. 



" Good morning ! Are you all washed and dressed ? " 

 called Dodo, kissing her hands to the sun in particular 

 and then stretching out her arms to the beautiful world 

 in general. 



" Which reminds me, speaking of washing," said her 

 father, kissing her and setting her down inside the door, 

 " that I do not believe you have been on speaking terms 

 with your own particular cake of soap this morning." 

 Dodo laughed and went upstairs "to," as she said, 

 "unbuild her clothes and begin all over again." 



" Let's run," said Tom to Jerry, as they turned out of 

 the gate; "I feel so very fly that I should like to fly. 

 Why don't you laugh ? That's a joke," he continued, 

 jogging Jerry with his shoulder and nearly upsetting 

 him. 



" Better not try it," said Jerry, settling his gait again, 

 " or we may be put to haul logs, or in the threshing- 

 machine, instead of dragging a sleigh, by and by, and 

 hearing House People tell funny stories." 



" Look at the tracks all over the snow everywhere, 

 I didn't see any yesterday," said Nat, as they drove 

 down the turnpike ; " some big and some little and 

 some tiny. What do they all belong to, daddy ? " 



" Rabbits chiefly, — they are almost all pad-footed 

 prints. I see one trail that belongs to a Skunk ; and 

 another, those sharp clean jumps by the stone fence, 

 tells of a ^link ; the smallest, like a bird track, prob- 

 ably belongs to a Meadow Mouse. You did not see 

 them yesterday because the little beasts seldom come 



