Then Betsy took one long stretch and with motherly self-sacrifice reluctantly
got up, prepared to humor this lively boy of hers.  Suddenly Doctor craned his
head high in the air, and gave a little sniff, and then Betsy craned her head
and sniffed.  Then they stole as stealthily away as though stepping upon eggs,
and Tattine never knew that they had gone.  It was no stealthy treading very
long, however.  No sooner had they crossed the roadway than they made sure of
the scent they thought they had discovered, and made one wild rush down
through the sumach and sweet-fern to the ravine.  In a few moments it was one
wild rush up again right to the foot of Tattine's apple-tree, and Tattine
looked down to see Doctor--oh, could she believe her two blue eyes!--with a
dear little rabbit clinched firmly between his teeth, and his mother (think of
it, his mother!) actually standing proudly by and wildly waving her tail from
side to side, in the most delighted manner possible.  As for Tattine, she
simply gave one horrified little scream and was down from the tree in a flash,
while the scream fortunately brought Maggie hurrying from the house, and as
Maggie was Doctor's confidential friend (owing to certain choice little
morsels, dispensed from the butler's pantry window with great regularity three
times a day), he at once, at her command, relaxed his hold on the little
jack-rabbit.  The poor little thing was still breathing, breathing indeed with