Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-09-03

1
! Well, one day Mrs. Tattle-Tale got
It happened in this way: AS she was
starting down to the pond with her
two dear little children, Patty and
Tatty, twin son and daughter, her
keen ears always on the alert tc
hear that which was not intended for
them) overheard Mrs. Adam Squirrel
saying to Mrs. Peep-boo Squirrel:
II hear that the widower, Mr.. Max
Dandy Squirrel, is to marry little Miss
Mousie Brown Squirrel. And my in
formant says it is not love match
on little Miss Mousie Grown Squirrels
part"
Now, when Mrs. Tattle-Tale SPUR
rel heard that, she said to her child
rem: Run along and take your dip in
the pond alone. Mother must attend
to some business right away" And
off she ran, first to one house and then
to another, repeating the thing she had
overheard Mrs Adam Squirrel saying
to her sister, Mrs. Peep-boo Squirrel
And she-like all gossips-was not
satisfied with repeating just what she
heard, but added some of her own
ideas to the tale, which, after the third
repetition, went something like this:
did you know that that old widower,
Max Dandy Squirrel. is to marry
againse her will-Miss Mousie Brown
Squirrel? And they say the match
was made by Miss Mousies grasping
mother, who is DESTROYS of moving
from the tree she now lives in to a
larger and more pretentious one, and
| ho IN
Mousie weds wealth Isn't that dis
grew even more and more as Mrs.
Tattle-Tale Squirrel went the rounds
of her neighbors.
And by nightfall the story reached
the ears Of Mr.. Max Dandy Squirrel, a
very amiable gentleman, who was
very much in love with his little fan
Gee, Mousie Brown Squirrel. And
when he was told what the town was
saying, he was so hurt that he decided
to break off the engagement and leave
The Wood, seeking contentment in
some other forest. He-foolish squir
rel-did not think to inquire who the
tale-bearer was, but took 1t, for granted
that Miss Mousie had told some one
that she was bringing no love to her
husband on her wedding day. So,
writing heart-broken note on a huge
forest leaf, poor Mr.. Max Dandy pack
ed up his. belongings and left The
Wood. He travelled all night and on
the following morning found snug
place to rest on the banks of a strange
stream. There he decided to remain
till he might recover from his grief
over the loss of his lovely bride-tO-be.
And when little Miss Mousie Brown
Squirrel received the farewell note
from from her fiance she ran to her
mother in grief: Mamma, what can
this mean?" she cried, tears streaming
from her eyes. Dearest Max has brok-
en- our engagement. He says he
thinks it means my happiness to have
my freedom Now, what can it
mean?' And the poor little Mousie
three herself into her mothers arms,
weeping over the note she could not
understand. For certainty, Mousie
Brown Squirrel was deeply devoted to
Mr. Max Dandy Squirrel, and was hap
py in the anticipation of their future
life together in the dear home in a
tree neighboring her mothers tree.
And she had planned so many sweet
little parties to be given in honor OF
her kind-hearted fiance, one of which
was to have taken place within the
week that he broke their engagement
so Unexpectedly.
After thinking the matter over,
Mousie's mother decided to go to Mr..
Max Dandy's father and ask for some
excuse as to his sons strange be-
havior. This she did, and soon the
beginning Of the whole exaggerated
story was discovered, and then the
unravelling began. When the end was
reached, Mousie's mother was so in
dignant and SO was Mr.. Max Dandy's
father, that they asked of their
friends: "Are we to allow these Cos
sips to go about, stirring up false re-
ports, and do nothing in self-defense?"
And the friends said: mo, we must
rid The Wood of obnoxious people. Let
the bad go somewhere and live togeth-
err and the good squirrels will be very
happy without Them
So committee of the best squirrels
of The Wood visited Mrs. Tattle-Tale
Squirrel, and begged her to either
pledge herself to telling no more lies,
and repeating no more gossip or to
take herself off to some other place.
Then the sisters, Mrs. Adam Squirrel
and Mrs. Peep-boo Squirrel were also
waited upon with the same request. To
be sure, they were not such disagree
able or dangerous gossips as was Mrs.
Tattle-Tale, but they were the means
Of starting the latter with many Of her
misunderstanding stories, and should be
made to become honest citizens of The
Wood or told to move to more con-
genial cline So Mrs. Tattle-Tale
Squirrel shamefacedly confessed to
having exaggerated the gossip she had
overheard, and promised that she
would behave better in future if al
lowed to remain citizen of The
Wood. And the sisters, Mrs. Adam
and Mrs. Peep-boo did the same. So
they were allowed to remain, with the