They were named George and Mary Rabbit, and always used to sleep side by side. But after a few weeks they must have felt tired of their humdrum life; for one bright morning they ran away. I hope they are living happily together in the fragrant woods from which they were brought.
"CHIPPER, chipper, clear the way; We must be at work to-day. See us swiftly fly along, Hear our bursts of merry song. Watch me in my busy flight, Glancing in your window bright; Save your bits of yarn for me, Just think what a help 'twould be!"
"Chip, chip, chipper!" How he sings, As he comes for shreds and strings, Which he is not slow to see, From the budding lilac-tree! Now with cunning, saucy pranks, See him nod his hearty thanks: "These are just the thing," sings he; "Truly you are helping me!"
"Chipper, chipper!" See him go; Now 'tis fast, and now 'tis slow; Working ever at the nest, Never stopping once to rest; Getting little straws and strings For his good wife, while he sings, "Chip, chip, chipper, gay are we; See us in the lilac-tree!"
"Chipper, chipper," all day long; Thus I hear his tuneful song, Meaning, as he flutters past, Gayly warbling, working fast, "I can't stop to talk to you; I have got my work to do: Chip, chip, chipper, clear the way; We shall finish up to-day."
MAT, Let, and Win are the names by which three little sisters of my acquaintance are usually called. These are nicknames, of course. Can you guess what their real names are?
Lest you should be too long about it, I will tell you: they are Matilda, Letitia, and Winifred. Mat is the one standing on the chair in the picture; Let is the one sitting on the bed, with her left foot hanging down; and Win, the youngest, is the one sitting up in bed.
What is the cause of all this commotion? It is only four o'clock in the morning; but Mat and Let have rushed into Win's room to get a good view, out of her window, of the men firing guns out on the green. It is the Fourth of July.
"Why do they wake us up so early with their bell-ringing, their crackers, and guns?" said Let. "I hate the Fourth of July!"
"She talks like a rebel," said Win. "She must be put in prison."
"That is not a bad idea, Win," said Mat. "She hates the Fourth of July, does she?--the birthday of the great republic! She hates it!--the day that made us a nation."