"'Pears not," said Grandfather. "What do you want to do about it,
children?"

"I've always wanted some rabbits in a box," said John, "and I never did
have any. I want to feed 'em and watch 'em, you know."

"Yes, I know," agreed Grandfather, but that was all he said.

Mary Jane thought of saying that the box already had a family in it,
her family of ducks, but she thought maybe that wouldn't be polite, and
anyway, likely as not there were more boxes, so she just kept still,
very still.

And while they were all three standing there, wondering, Mary Jane
looked up and over in the hedge, she spied the mother rabbit standing
partly on her hind feet and looking at them as _hard_!

"Look!" cried Mary Jane, "there's their mother!"

The sound of a voice startled the little mother and she ran away,
lipity, lipity, lip; lipity, lipity, lip; such a funny little run! till
she reached the shelter of a log. There she waited--they could see the
tip, white of her tail through the leaves.

"She's waiting to see what happens to her babies!" exclaimed Mary Jane,
and suddenly she made up her mind about rabbit pets. "Let's leave them
here, John," she said quickly. "Their mother's lonesome if they go up
to the house. Let's leave them here and I'll give you half of my
ducks."