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HERMIONE'S MUSKRAT ADVENTURE

On a bright Tuesday at the end of March, Hermione Bledwell decided that she was tired of playing inside. A girl of her wit and imagination needed some adventure. So she grabbed her jacket, her box of shiny treasures, and a picnic lunch and set off. There was fresh snow on the ground and the clouds were piling up in the distance, but right overhead the sky was blue. The first thing that caught her attention was a muskrat standing beside a tree. She tiptoed gently over to the muskrat.

"Don't be afraid," she said quietly, "I won't hurt you. I'm just looking for an adventure."

"What's your name?" asked the muskrat.

"I'm Hermione Bledwell, I'm in the second grade and I'd like to know if you have any adventures to share."

"Well," said the muskrat, "If you have a long piece of string and something for me to eat, I'll show you a very interesting secret."

Hermione dug in her treasure box and pulled out the ball of sparkly yarn that was left over from her auntie's sweater. "Will this do," she asked "and this?" holding out half a peanut-butter sandwich from her picnic.

The muskrat grabbed the sandwich, starting to munch as he replied "Tie the end of the yarn around this tree and unroll it as we go. Now follow me."

Was this the beginning of the adventure Hermione was seeking?

Quickly, Hermione looped the end of her sparkly yarn around the tree and tied it with a knot. She nodded at the muskrat. "What shall I call you," she asked him.

"My name is GrrHiss," he replied, "but most folks don't speak muskrat so they just call me Ratty. Follow me." With a quick switch of his rather scaly tail, he turned and started off.

Hermione hurried to keep up around the tree, past the tire-swing and straight to a big bush. Ratty dropped down on all fours and crept into a tiny opening, under the bush. Quickly, before his tail disappeared, Hermione got on her hands and knees and crawled in after him. At the center of the bush was a surprisingly large space and Hermione started to stand up.

"Wait!" hissed Ratty, "We must be sure the magpie is away."

Very carefully, he stretched himself, till he could peer over the edge of a nest that Hermione hadn't noticed.

"OK, it's all clear."

When she stood up, Hermione's head was up in the top of the bush and she could look right into the magpie's nest. What she saw made her gasp. There, in a tangle of shiny things, was the ring her Poppie gave her. She had taken it off to dig in the garden last summer and it had disappeared, right off

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