Gilpin observer., 1901-01-24
IN TIE HEDGE BOTTOM
How the Harvest Mice Built
Their Home.
BY MARY ELLIOT.

also she thought about the farmer and
how he comes to cut the corn, but
leaves the long, stiff grass in the hedge
bottom safe and standing when the
corn is all carried away to the barn.
So when Mr.. Harvest Mouse began to
talk to- Mrs. Harvest-Mouse about
rwhere to build their home she begged
him to choose the long, stiff grass in
the hedge bottom rather than the corn
in the field. That is how it happened
that their tiny nest was built between
the grass stems, and they built it very
cunningly Of narrow blades and bits of
feather or any soft and bending stuff
that they could find, and they fixed
them all in such clever way that at
last wee round nest no bigger than a
cricket ball was fixed high up among
the stiff green stalks as II it grew there
by itself. 1t was soft and light and
very thin, SO the summer air blew gent
ly through and kept it nicely aired.
The taller grasses standing round
about hid it from the hawks, and a lit
tie bindweed then grew up and helped
them. 1t twined around the stems and
twisted its tendrils from one to anoth-
er, then hung its tiny bells about and
made merry garden near the nest.
Mr.. Harvest-Mouse was very pleased
when all was done and felt happier
still when eight little baby mice were
snug and safe inside. They fitted into
the soft, round ball quite perfectly,
which shows how wee they were.
And now through the hot summer
days, while Mrs. Harvest Mouse was
busy with the children, Mr.. Harvest-
Mouse was running here and there col.
lecting news for his wife and flies and
other food for himself and for his fam
lily. What gay. clever. little mouse
he was. and as for her, she was the
quickest, daintiest little lady in the
land. and she taught her children to be
quick and dainty too. She also taught
them to be good, though what she
would have done had they been
naughty l cannot tell, for there was
not corner In the house to stand them
IN.
She ran nimbly nll about the outside
of the nest, and when the little ones be-
gan to bite each others tails for fun
rSh< - - 4h-..----', +'.o c-,oo ,ot
r.st JIHttcu nv...y .--.S.s- -~--,r--
Work Of the walls aud told them how
Ihcif long tails would be useful when
they came to climb the tall, stiff grass
'es in the green and maZy world of the
hedge bottom where they lived. And
the bindweed quite agreed in what she
said, for it knew the value of a tail to
hold by.
One warm evening the little mother
sat on the top OF her little round house,
i1trhf1a Mr Harvest. NnnSp chatting
with neighbor in the corn close by,
and then it was she told the children n
great deal about the world. She told
them how as she sat there she could
see the green grass blades bending over
her and sweet bindwced bell swing
gently under the weight of a humble
bee. She said that far away, quite high
above the blndweed bells, quite high
above the grass blades in the hedge
bottom, even higher than the corn,
there was blue. blue sky. She could
see patches Of it now as she looked up
through their tangled screen.
The tiny mice inside the nest got rest
less at the very thought of that and
they asked her 10 get n bit and poke 1t
through for them to see.
you silly. silly ones" she said, there
are great things that you cannot under
stand in the big world, and one of them
is the blue, blue sky. 1t is only TO look
at. not to touch. and some day you will
learn that 1t comes with the sunshine
and goes when 1t rains. y lark once
told me that he loved II even more than
the green world, for though the sweet
grass cools his breast and holds his
nest and his little ones, yet the blue,
blue sky Is quite full of joy and goes
far up above the farmhouse smoke and
above the hawks and Is wider than the
widest field and though he were to
sing his heart out from dewy dawn to
sunset he could never I'll 1t all with
music. oh, the big blue sky Is very
wide, indeed. and very far away, ms
YOU will see one day when you are
strong and quite grown up"
Just then gnat few by, and Mrs.
'Uarvest-Mouse sprang up and caught
1t and gave II to the children through
the wall. for though she talked about
the sky she knew that they were hun,
CRY and saw the gnat and caught 1t
,cleverly.
And now that the sun was getting
low she talked about the winter. She
said as surely as the night came on
when the daylight died away so surely
would the winter come when summer
time was ended.
What could the winter bef the chill
,lren thought, and one wee mouse made
bold to say he did not care, and II
might come any time for him. He had
lust caught and eaten n tiny fly that
had crcpt through the network OF the
nest, and he would cntch and eat the