Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-24
THE CHATTING DISH
TOBACCO u TALES
The Squirrels Revenge
"a Story for ChiIdren)

COMBINES about twilight. when
~ Daddy gets home from work. the chill
dren climb up beside him on a big sofa and
say, Daddy, Is there a story in the tobacco
pouch tonight?" Then Daddy puts away
the evening paper and gets out a great big
tobacco pouch and looks in 1t. rs there
any magic in 1t tonight?" says little Nick
eagerly. Sometimes there is and some
times there isn't, because you can't dlrdys
find magic, even in tobacco. If there isn't
any magic there, they have to fall back on
mere games, such as trying to reckon how
long IL will be before all three of the chill
dren put together will be as old as Daddy.
All their three ages added up are only
twenty-eight, so they still have some time
TO go before they can catch Daddy. They
expect to catch up with Mother pretty soon
II Daddy will only tell how old Mother is.
But when Daddy thinks he sees some
magic in the pouch he tells Stumpy TO get
the Special Pipe. Stumpy is called Stumpy
because she is short and very plump; and
Bonyboy is called Bonyboy because he is
long and bony. Nick is just Nick, because,
as Daddy says, he's been NiCknamed al.
ready. SO stump hurries back with the
Special Pipe, which is a very large pipe
indeed and holds a great deal of smoke.
Then they all make themselves comfortable
on the sofa while Mother is doing her hair,
without anyone to pick up the hairpins for
her. Daddy fills the Special Pipe and Nick
holds out the ash tray for the match. And
then Daddy blows out a great cloud of blue
sm6ke that twirls and twists in the lamp
light, and looking in the smoke he sees a
story.
once upon a time there was a little boy
" whose name was John Edward Andrews.
He was not a bad little boy as boys of that
age go. What age? Well, what age are little
boys usually? Somewhere between seven and
eleven. As ! say, he was not a bad little
boy in fact, I have known at least two
small boys who could be. when they tried.
much worse than John Edward ever was.
DIT Al Ea,Ea,I hal 80. ,.an,s 49, a,A
habit.
John Edward lived in a comfortable home
near the Park. His mother lived there too,
and also the cook, except on Thursday eve
nings. His daddy lived there at night, but
all day he lived ct an Office and only came
home at supper time to find out If anybody
had been naughty.
TIME magic in the tobacco doesn't tell me
l. whether John Edward had any little
brothers and sisters, but 1t does tell me
about his bad habit. Every fine day he used
TO go out TO play in the park. He had a
little tricycle. with rubber tires, and he used
to ride this along the paths under the trees,
and there he used TO see lots and lots OF
gray squirrels. Great big, beautiful squirrels,
with bushy tails as soft as whipped cream
and little bright eyes watching for nuts and
little paws that they washed carefully three
times a day in the fountain. Now it didn't
take John Edward long to see how fond the
squirrels were Of peanuts. And that was how
his bad habit began. He used to pick up an
empty peanut shell from the path. where
there were usually some lying about. and
then he would hold It out and call Bunny,
Bunny. Bunny. and the squirrels would come
h%urrying, looking first this way and then that
way, to get the peanuts. And John Edward
would hold out the empty peanut shell, just
as though there really were something in 1t,
and the squirrels would come right up to him.
Then one squirrel would put its front paws
on his shoe and look up at him. and John
Edward would keep on saying Bunny. Bunny,
Bunny, and finally the squirrel would walk
up his stocking and hang onto his trouser
leg and smell the empty peanut shell and
find there was nothing there.
TOHN EDWARD kept up this game for a
- long time, until finally all the squirrels
got TO know him by sight. They knew his
sailor suit and his round sailor hat with the
band that said u. s. S. Pennsylvania in gold
letters, and even if he wore another suit
they knew him by his tricycle.. And they
used to watch him, and when they saw him
stoop and pick up a peanut shell they would
all turn their backs and wave their plumey
tails at him as much as to say You can't
fool U.s." And they even watched him so
carefully that they noticed where he lived
right across the street from the park.
Now We light our pipe again and come to
the sad part Of the story.
TT WAS winter time, and a hard winter, too.
L All the squirrels had been economizing and
doing without nuts as much as they could,
for orders had come from the Mr.. Hoover
among the squirrels that as many nuts as
could possibly be spared were to be shipped
overseas for the squirrels in France and
Belgium, and even for the squirrels in Ger
many, for those countries had very little
food. And every extra peanut that came
along was very welcome, indeed, but not
many of them came. for it was winter time
and snow was on the ground and few people
were in the park. And then, on Christmas
ENn a bright sna Fklin1 nftprnnnn 1oh0 Ed
ward went out to make snowballs. In the
pocket of his coat he found some empty pea
nut shells, and he couldn't resist the tempta-
ton to play his old trick. He did not really
mean to be deceitful, but he loved to see
the squirrels come darling across the snow
and climb up his leg. So he held out an
empty shell and called Bunny, Bunny, Bunny!
And the squirrels, not dreaming he would
we're hungry, came running and shifted at
the empty shell. And when they saw it was
a fraud they were very angry.
THAT night was Christmas Eve, as I have
i said. Santa Claus was late on his rounds
for he had to attend to all the children OF
France and Belgium and England and Italy
and even Germany before he came over Ia
America, where the children were luckier
and didn't need so much. Still, his pack hat
plenty in 1t, and when he got to John Ed
wards house he found a little note that Johr
Edwards father had left, saying:
SDear Santa-As far as l know John Ed
ward has been a good boy, and you can go
, ahead and do your best. I've left the tree
all ready in the nursery and a cigar on the
r table for your good self.
(Signed) JOHN EDWARDS FATHER.
t So Santa determined to Guido himself
( John Edward was fast asleep in bed, and al
the moon was shining in the window Santi
didn't need any light He really enjoyed
decorating that tree. He covered 1t witt
= little colored balls, and peppermint canes, ant
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