ever. "I'm glad she's lost her old silver hen," she muttered to
herself. She had always suspected the silver hen of pecking at the
roots of the Christmas-trees and so causing them to blast; then, too,
the silver hen had used to stand on the fence and crow; for, unlike
other hens, she could crow very beautifully, and that had disturbed
her.

Dame Louisa had a very wise book, which she had consulted to find the
reason for the death of her Christmas-trees, but all she could find in
it was one short item, which did not satisfy her at all. The book was
on the plan of an encyclopedia, and she, having turned to the "ch's,"
found:

"Christmas-trees--very delicate when transplanted, especially
sensitive, and liable to blast at any change in the moral
atmosphere. Remedy: discover and confess the cause."

After reading this, Dame Louisa was always positive that Dame Penny's
silver hen was at the root of the mischief, for she knew that she
herself had never done anything to hurt the trees.

Dame Penny was so occupied in calling "Biddy, Biddy, Biddy," and
shaking a little pan of corn, that she never noticed the children
taking the road toward the White Woods. If she had done so she would
have stopped them, for the White Woods was considered a very dangerous
place. It was called white because it was always white even in
midsummer. The trees and bushes, and all the undergrowth, every flower
and blade of grass, were white with snow and frost all the year round,
and all the learned men of the country had studied into the reason
of it, and had come to the conclusion that the Woods lay in a direct