Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-10-15
.lT1TILEH0RIEs
by THORNTON W. BURGESS.
s(Copyrisht. 1917. By r. ". Bursess.l
Chatterer Gets a Shaking.

Chatterer the Red Squirrel is one Of
those foolish people who are positively
unhappy when others take no notice Of
than. Sometimes it seems as il he would
rather quarrel than eat. 1t was just SO
az that beech-nut picnic. At first Sam
Inys Jay and Happy Jack the Gray
So6irrel had quarreled with him. but
they soon saw how foolish this was and
attsnded strictly to the business in hand.
which was to get their fair share of those
delicious. sweet brown little nuts.
Hut foolish Chatterer continued TO race
about. sco!ding everybody and claiming
tha4 all those nuts belonged to him. The
less attention others gave to him the
angrier he grew. He was angry because
he was piggish and couldn't bear to see
the others getting those nuts. and he was
angry because no one any longer paid
him the least attention.
At first he had scolded everybody. bat
after while he devoted all his scolding
TO Buster Bear. Perhaps he felt that 1t
made him appear very brave to scold one
he was quite content to do this scolding
from the safety of a tree. AS Buster
mosed about from place to place. Chat
terer would follow In the tree tops and
cali him names and say all the mean. un-
pleasant things he could think of. Buster
paa not the least attention to him. He
went right on hunting for nuts. with lit
tie swhines and grunts of pleasure, just as
II there was no one anywhere about.
Chatterer just couldn't stand this. Lit
tie by little he crept down from his high
perch. and. cl;nging to the trunk OF the
tree, scolded harder than ever. Still Bus
ter took no notice of him. Finally Chat
ferer dropped TO the ground and darted
right past Buster to another tree. Bus
ter didn't even look up. Chatterer
rrA1 No, f~yg 1-aA
he had come there for. He forgot every
thing but the desire TO make Buster Bear
notice him. He grew holder. Instead of
rushing across to another tree he stopped
and made faces at Buster.
Buster Kept right on hunting for nuts
but. though Chatterer didn't know it. Bus
ter was watching him from the corners
of his shrewd little eyes. Gradually Bus
small and Chatterer followed. Suddenly
like flash. Buster turned on Chatterer
and there Is no one who can move quick
1y than Buster Bear when he wants to.
With a frightened shrek Chatterer raced
for tho nearest tree and scrambled up
Now IT happened that that tree was a
very small one. Chatterer had climbed
Il because 1t was nearest. Buster Bear
walked up to 1t and stood up on his hind
legs. Then he took hold Of that tree
and began to shake 1t. Buster Bear is
very big and very strong, as you know,
and the tree was small. The top where
Chatterer was clinging snapped back and
forth like whip Chatterer's tongue was
still. quite still. He had no time or desire
to scold now. He was having all he could
do to hang on, and II ever there was a
frightened Squirrel that one was Chat
terer. Back and forth. back and forth.
snapped the top Of the tree. harder and
harder. With all his might Chatterer
chung. He dug his claws into the bark
and held on.
Then came a harder snap than be-
fore. Chatterer lost his grin and
away he went flying through the
air, He hit the branches of another
tree and tried to cling. but couldn't
Then down he fell to the ground. 1t
would have been a bad, a very bad. fall
for any one but Chatterer. but it did him
no harm save to knock the breath from
him for just a second or two. Then he
was on his feet and scurrying for safety.
Buster Bear didn't even look at him.
but with a twinkle in his eyes calmly
went to hunting nuts again.