“Good morning. How are all the little Friskies?” called Mrs. Bobtail.
“Oh, how do you do! They are quite well, thank you,” said Mrs. Frisk.
“The nuts are fine this fall, Mr. Frisk,” said Mr. Bobtail, shaking hands with his friend.
“Yes, indeed. We have gathered a great many for our winter store. But you see we dare not stop long in this open field.” Mr. Frisk dropped his voice and glanced about in all directions. Then he added, “This is hunting season, you know.”
“What! Do you mean you are afraid of hunters?” asked Mr. Bobtail in surprise.
“Indeed, we are,” said Mrs. Frisk, coming a little nearer. “From our cosy home up in the hollow of this tree we saw two hunters crossing the field this morning. When their dogs sniffed about the ground and barked up the tree, we held our breath in fear.”
“Yes,” added Mr. Frisk, “and in a short time we heard ‘bang! bang!’ I tell you we didn’t venture down to gather nuts for several hours.”
“How dreadful! And we are on our way to Mrs. Bunny’s dinner party,” said Mrs. Bobtail, looking in all directions; “do you think we had better go on, my dear?”
“Of course! Of course! I’ve never had the least fear of a gun! Let hunters bang away as much as they please, they will never frighten me.” Mr. Bobtail straightened up as he spoke, and tossed back his head. “Come, Mrs. Bobtail. Good day, my friends.”
“Good day. We hope you will have a pleasant time,” said Mr. Frisk.