Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-03
Chatterer Frightens Sammy
Jay.

Chatterer the Red Squirrel was
nightly tickled with himself. Yes. sir,
he was nightly tickled with himself.
You see, he had found a way of get
ting into Farmer Browns corncrib,
where was stored so much beautiful
yellow corn that it seemed to him that
there was enough for all the Squirrels
in the world. All he had to do was to
go up to Farmer Browns dooryard
very early in the morning before
Farmer Browns boy was up, climb the
tree with the branch hanging low over
the corncrib, drop down on the roof.
and slip through the hole he had found
close under one edge of the roof. Then
he could eat his fill. stuff his cheeks full
and scamper back to his new home in
the Old Orchard the same way he had
come.
Now the more some people have the
more they want. 1t is the very worst
| kind of selfishness and is called greed
| mess. Chatterer had found way to
get all the corn he wanted without
| to feed him as long as he lived, though
/ he should live to be hundred years
/ old. To be sure, 1t wasn't his. 1t was
i Farmer Browns. But Chatterer looked
| on Farmer Brown and Farmer Browns
/ Boy as his enemies, and he could see
/ nothing wrong in taking things from
his enemies Perhaps ne didn't want to
4 see anything wrong. All his life he had
| stolen from his neighbors. That is one
/ reason they dislike him so. Anyway,
/ il ever little voice down inside tried
to tell him that he was wrong, Chat
/ terer didn't listen to it. Perhaps after
| while the little voice grew tired and
didn't try any more.
After Chatterer had made a few sue
cessful trips to the corncrib he began
| to look upon it as his own. He would
4 sometimes hide in the old stone wall.
where he could watch Farmer Browns
Boy open the door of the corncrib and
to the hens and the pigs and the
horses At such times Chatterer would
i work himself into a great rage as If
Farmer Browns Boy@were stealing
from him. But there was nothing he
could do about il, so he would go
back to the Old Orchard and scold
for an hour. But what made him still
angrier was to see Sammy Jay help
himself TO few grains Of corn from
between the cracks in the walls Of the
corncrib. He forgot how Sammy had first
told him about the corncrib. and how
Sammy had warned him about Shadow
the Weasel. That is the trouble with
greed-it forgets everything but the
l.desire to have and to keep others from
10 Sammy Jay, because he knew it would
| be of nc use. Besides, IL he did, Sammy
might find him over in the corncrih
, some day and make such a fuss that
I II
Finally Chatterer thought OF a plan
and chuckied wickedly. The next morn
ing he was over in the corncrib bright
and early. This time he stayed there
until il was time for Sammy Jay te
arrive. Peeping out of the hole b.
| which he came and went, he saw
Sammy come flying from the Old
Orchard. Sammy made no noise, for
you see. Sammy meant to steal, too
Presently Sammy found crack
against which an ear. OF corn lay very
close He began to peck at 1t and ptcl
out the grains Chatterer stole over Il
! | it. taking the greatest care not Il
make sound. Presently Sammy's black
bill came poking through the crack
Chatterer seized 1T and held on.
, Poor Sammy Jay. He was terribly
, frightened. He thought that it wa,
| some kind of a trap. He beat his wing;
and tried TO scream. but couldn't be
cause he couldn't open his mouth. Their
: Chatterer let go so suddenly tina
I Sammy almost fell to the ground be
| fore he could catch his balance. Fl
| didn't wait to see what had caugh
e him. He started for the Green Forest ri
{ fast as his wings could take him. an,
I as he went he screamed with frigh
e and anger. Chatterer chuckled and hi
chuckle was a very wicked soundinl
| chuckle.
!. al guess" said Chatterer, "tha
o Sammy Jay win leave my corn alon
. after this