Evening star., 1917-10-17
t1L tT1ILdESoRlE!s
%rBE1DTInTE rB1
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS,
Copyright, 1917, by T. w BureessD
Chatterer Does a Shameful
Thing.
Some people have no sense Of shame,
And do most awful things,
Then wonder why IT is that mona
In praise Of them e'er sing.

! AZ praise oI them e'er sings.
| I am sorry to say that Chatterer the
Red Squirrel is one of these folks. He
comes very near to being quite shame
| less. BY his deeds you would think
| that he cares nothing at all for what
| MS nelghbors may think of him, vet
| no one Is quicker to resent lack Of
| frfendliness on their part The truth
| is Chatterer has no real friends. 1t is
SAD but true And there is no one to
biame Tor this state of affairs but him
self. He is too impudent too much
| of scold and too dishonest to win
any friends. In spite OF. this he wants
70 be included in all that goes on. Aren't
Now as he sat in the top of tall
hemlock tree nursing his fancied
wrongs his wits were busy trying to
think of some way to get even with his
| neighbors for laughing at him when
| Buster Bear gave him such a shaking
and terrible fright. Getting even with
Buster Bear was quite out of the ques-
tion he simply couldn't do it at pres
ent. anyway. He would have to wait
| ana watch for an opportunity. IF only
Buster stored away those nuts ] would
find his storehouse and steal them and
IN that way | would pay him back"
thought Chatterer. But the only way
that Buster stores up food is inside his
own skin. and there it is quite safe
from mlschievous rascals like Chatter
er. 1t was just the same with most of
the others who We're feasting on those
sweet little brown beech nuts but pres
entity chatterer remembered that there.
were two. two with whom he most of
the time has a standing quarrel who
nave storehouses. These two were his
cousins. Happy Jack and Gray Squirrel,
and Sammy Jay.
No sooner did Chatterer remember
thls than he began to plan a shameful
thing. He began to plan how he might
hnd out where those storehouses were
and then rob them Yes, sir, that is
what Chatterer began to plan The
first thing to do was to spy on Happy
JACK and Sammy jay. The latter would
could fly. so Chatterer decided that first
or all he would spy on Happy Jack
For once he had no desire to use that
unruly tongue of his. He wanted
above all things to be unheard and un-
seen. People who do shameful things
! always try to do them secretly. 1t was
so with Chatterer now He stole silent
~ from tree to tree. hiding behind
trunk here or big limb there, and
moving only when he was quite sure
no one was looking in his direction
AZ last he reached place where he
could look down and see his cousin,
leaves for the sweet little brown nuts.
Some he would eat. but the biggest and
latest and best he would carry away.
He didn't carry them far. because he
never was gone long enough for that.
Chatterer watched sharply. When
Happy Jack was busy hunting for nuts
Happy Jack usually took. When he'd
gone as far as he thought Happy Jack
wGSt he hid and watched.
Presently along came Happy Jack
hurrylNH as fast as ever he could. At
a certain big tree he stopped. looked
th1s way and that way. then scrambled
Up 70 mole in the under side of a big
LIMB. In this he disappeared for min
ute. then reappeared and scampered
back to the beech trees
Chatterer's eyes sparkled wickedly
and he chuckled