_To all children who find
friends in the Forest or on
the Plain, and especially to
Samuel and to Gilbert, this
book is lovingly dedicated._


FOREWORD

When God made the world
He planted the flowers and
the grass and the trees to
make things beautiful to
look upon; He swung the sun and
the moon and the stars in the sky
to make things bright; He put the
birds in the trees to fill the air with
music, and when He made the
animals we believe that he intended
them to be the friends of man.

Why, isn't the dog the best playmate
that a boy can have? Did
any one ever hear of Towser or Gyp
being false friends? And the soft,
dainty, cunning bit of a fluffy ball
of a kitten who comes rubbing its
downy sides against the tiny girl's
skirts begging for a return caress,
is there a play-fellow more lovable?