"Indeed, Mrs. Owl," said Nimble, "we come hither to see our parents, whom
we left here a year ago. Can you tell us where we shall find them?"

The owl peered out of her ruff of silken feathers, and after wiping her
sharp bill on her breast, said, "Your cousin the black squirrel beat your
father and mother out of their nest a long time ago, and took possession
of the tree and all that was in it, and they brought up a large family of
little ones, all of which I pounced upon one after another, and ate.
Indeed, the oaks here belong to my family; so finding these impudent
intruders would not quit the premises, I made short work of the matter,
and took the law into my own hands."

"Did you kill them?" asked Silvy, in a trembling voice.

"Of course I did, and very nice tender meat they were," replied the
horrid old owl, beginning to scramble out of the nest, and eyeing the
squirrels at the same time with a wicked look.

"But you did not eat our parents too?" asked the trembling squirrels.

"Yes, I did; they were very tough, to be sure, but I am not very
particular."

The grey squirrels, though full of grief and vain regret, were obliged to
take care of themselves. There was, indeed, no time to fee lost, so they
made a hasty retreat. They crept under the roots of an old tree, where
they lay till the morning; they were not much concerned for the death of
the treacherous black squirrel who had told so many stories, got
possession of their old nest, and caused the death of their parents; but
they said--"We will go home again to our dear old hemlock-tree, and never