beside him. He stood there, bewildered, with a young one in each hand.

He turned around and looked in all directions; then he became aware of
the old grandma's presence. Then he did not hesitate long; but walked
forward, stretched his arms as high as he could reach, for her to take
one of the baby squirrels.

The old grandma did not wish to prove herself unworthy of the
confidence, so she bent down and took the baby squirrel, and stood there
and held it until the boy had swung himself up to the cage with the
other one. Then he came back for the one he had entrusted to her care.

The next morning, when the farm folk had gathered together for
breakfast, it was impossible for the old woman to refrain from telling
them of what she had seen the night before. They all laughed at her, of
course, and said that she had been only dreaming. There were no baby
squirrels this early in the year.

But she was sure of her ground, and begged them to take a look into the
squirrel cage and this they did. And there lay on the bed of leaves,
four tiny half-naked, half blind baby squirrels, who were at least a
couple of days old.

When the farmer himself saw the young ones, he said: "Be it as it may
with this; but one thing is certain, we, on this farm, have behaved in
such a manner that we are shamed before both animals and human beings."
And, thereupon, he took the mother squirrel and all her young ones from
the cage, and laid them in the old grandma's lap. "Go thou out to the
hazel-grove with them," said he, "and let them have their freedom back
again!"