INTERESTING TUNNEL BUILDERS 
“ Tabby brought in the queerest little animal 
a while ago,” observed Alice, as she came from 
hoeing in the rose garden, and seated herself on 
the steps beside Grandfather. “At first I 
thought it was a young rat, but it didn’t have any 
eyes worth talking about, and its head was longer 
and much more pointed, besides its front claws 
were fitted out with little spades like the moles 
have. But it wasn’t a mole, I’m sure of that. 
And it had a funny musky odor. Neither Tabby 
nor her kittens seemed to want to bite into it, 
though the kittens had a big frolic with it. I laid 
it up on a post intending to bring it in, but some 
way it disappeared.” 
“ I think Jim Crow could tell you where it 
went,” returned Grandfather, laughingly. “ He 
went cawing past here a few minutes ago in great 
glee. Tommy thought he had caught a mouse, 
and set off after him. I saw the lad headed for 
Daddy Thornton’s with Jim under his arm just 
as you came in the gate. You know Mr. Thorn¬ 
ton contends that crows are the greatest villains 
alive, and he and Tommy have a never-ending ar- 
57 
