Miss Hare’s school was a very studious place during the fall; but when winter set in, some of the pupils began to lose interest in their work. The woodchuck, who was the dullest pupil in the language class, went to his bed of dried clover one night and forgot to wake up until spring had returned. Tiny, himself, felt very sleepy at times, but he sat close to the fireplace in the schoolroom and studied as hard as he could, determined to get a good education. He did his work well. At recess-time he would run out upon the pile of branches that surrounded the school building, and play until Miss Hare rang the bell. Sometimes he would run a race with Winkie Weasel, but, as he always came out ahead, he soon wearied of the pastime.

At dusk he would go to his cozy room, and for an hour or more he and Reynard would talk over their lessons and their plans for the future. There were no pretty fireflies to make light for them, but, when the moon was shining, they could see quite well. They grew contented to lie in their soft beds of leaves and reeds, and talk about the coming of spring.

One cold night they heard a knock. Reynard, who was feeling homesick, opened the door. There stood Puss Snowball, the cat, looking very beautiful against the pure white background of ice and snow, upon which the moon shone brightly.

“Good evening, Snowball,” said Reynard, kindly. “Will you not come in?”

“I thought I would run over and have a little chat with you,” said Snowball, nestling down in the coziest corner of the room. “My, isn’t it cold! I believe I have frozen my whiskers and the tip of my nose.”

“Cold weather doesn’t last always,” said Tiny, cheerily. “Reynard and I do our work quite as well in cold weather as in warm weather. If it were not for the ice and snow, we would not take so much delight in the green grass and the spring rains.”

“I suppose not,” said Snowball, his teeth chattering, “but I shouldn’t mind the cold weather if I had a more agreeable companion. I can’t understand why Miss Hare insists upon my rooming with Rover. You know cats and dogs never get along well.”

“If you were too happy together, perhaps you would forget to study,” suggested Reynard. “You remember, Snowball, how the monkey and the parrot became so sociable that they had to leave School.”

“Oh, Rover is very mannerly in some ways, but he growls and barks too much,” complained Snowball, with a sigh. “They say it is natural for a dog to bark, although I can’t see why he need be so noisy about it. He frightens me almost to death when he barks, and he is very unreasonable. To-night he has done many things to tease me. The other night he told me that my constant purring was very trying to his nerves. You know that a cat never purs unless he is happy, so I suppose that my good nature makes him cross. How peculiar some animals are!”

Tiny said that every creature has its peculiarities, and it is best to overlook things that do not please us, since we all have disagreeable traits of our own.

“We wanted to organize a singing class,” continued Snowball, changing the subject, “but when we called in Katie Goose to talk it over with us, Billy Beaver thrust his nose through the door and said that Miss Hare would never permit us to sing after night. He added that a cat, a dog, a goose, and a number of other creatures, would not make a very tuneful chorus, however fine we might be as soloists.”

“Billy Beaver can’t sing,” said Reynard. “I can see his reason for objecting to a students’ chorus.”

“He is very rude,” said Snowball, severely. “I shall not forget how horrid he made me feel the night that Weenie Mouse was missing. I am sure that he thought I might have eaten him. I was very glad, indeed, when they found Weenie hiding in Miss Hare’s room, nibbling at an ear of corn.”

“Recite the poem about the kitten that went to sleep when her mother had visitors,” begged Tiny. “I am sure that Reynard would like to hear it.”

Without waiting for Reynard to insist, Snowball recited, in his pretty purring manner, the following poem, which is said to amuse kittens even to the present day:

TABBY AND PRUE.