Page:Stories and story-telling (1915).djvu/276

 "After all," said the rag doll to herself, thoughtfully, "I am not beautiful, and Towser troubles me, but I have much to be thankful for."

THE ROUTING OF TOM

One morning Tom met the geese on their way to the pond, and for once the gander was not leading them. Tom made sure of this. Gander had once chased him half a mile for teasing the geese.

"I'll be master instead of the gander," said he to the geese. "Shoo! back you go." He spread out his arms to drive them back. When they turned to go, he ran around in front of them. "Shoo! forward you go," said he. Once more the geese set off hopefully for the pond. "Shoo! back you go," cried Tom. So he kept the poor geese running back and forth distracted.

At last one small goose plucked up her courage. "Hiss-s-s-s-s," she cried, stretching out her long neck toward Tom. Instantly out went twenty necks and twenty geese made for Tom, crying, "Hiss-ss-ss-ss." Tom took to his heels.

MRS. VIXEN AND HER CUBS AT PLAY

Under a rock lay a great brown, sharp-nosed creature, with a white tip to her brush, and round her four or five little cubs, the funniest fellows you ever