MRS RED SQUIRREL

    Mrs. Red Squirrel sat on the top of a tree;
    “I believe in the habit of saving,” said she;
    “If it were not for that, in the cold winter weather
    I should starve, and my young ones, I know, altogether;
    But I am teaching my children to run and lay up
    Every acorn as soon as it drops from its cup,
    And to get out the corn from the shocks in the field--
    There’s a nice hollow tree where I keep it concealed.

    “We have laid up some wheat, and some barley and rye,
    And some very nice pumpkin seeds I have put by;
    Best of all, we have gathered in all that we could
    Of beechnuts and butternuts grown in the wood;
    For cold days and hard times winter surely will bring,
    And a habit of saving’s an excellent thing.

    “But my children--you know how young squirrels like play,
    ‘We have plenty, great plenty, already,’ they say;
    ‘We are tired of bringing in food for our store;
    Let us all have a frolic, and gather no more!’
    But I tell them it’s pleasant when winter is rough,
    If we feel both to use and to give we’ve enough;
    And they’ll find, ere the butternuts bloom in the spring,
    That a habit of saving’s an excellent thing.”

 Write five sentences about Mrs. Red Squirrel, and the habit of saving.