"What is it, Sandy?" asked Buddy Jim, but Old Dog Sandy was too busy to pay attention to his little master, and besides, he wanted to attend to this matter himself—the long, slim, brown, cruel thing hidden among the branches of the hawthorn tree really needed a good shaking, and he, Old Dog Sandy, was just the dog to give it to him.
So he paid no attention to his master, and did not answer, but a queer, chuckling little voice from the top of the old stone wall did.
"It was Mrs. Weasel who ran up in the tree," said the chuckling little voice. "She was determined that she would have one of my children for lunch, and almost caught one, when your old dog came along and made her stop. Goodness only knows what might have happened if he had not come just at that moment."
"You're little Mrs. Bob White, aren't you?" asked Buddy Jim. "Why didn't you and your children fly away or hide somewhere?"
"Why," said Mrs. Bob White, "my children cannot fly yet. They're only about three weeks old, just little bits of chickens, and as for hiding from Mrs. Weasel or her young ones, it simply can't be done—she is so slender she can go anywhere, and if we run away from her we are likely to run right into the jaws of one of her young ones—they hunt together you see, and they're almost sure to get one of us—I don't know what to do. I simply can't move away from here until the children are older."
Buddy Jim thought a minute. It seemed as though there must be some way to help the little mother. "I'll tell you," he said, "Sandy seems to be very much interested in Mrs. Weasel, and I'm sure he will be glad to run down here every day, and perhaps Mrs. Weasel will let you alone when she sees that you have friends."
"O thank you, Neighbor," said little Mrs. Bob White. "That will be such a help!"
Just then came a clear call from across the fields. "Bob White, Bob White, Bob, Bob White."
Instantly little Mrs. Bob White answered, "Ooo, ooh! All right, Bob White."
"That was Daddy calling to see if we were safe and happy," said the little mother. "He always does that if he has to be away from home."