New Britain herald., 1928-01-04


 at last he came to the edge of the Green Forest and to the old stone wall that runs along one side of the Old Orchard. He bounded up on the old wall and for a moment sat up in the same way that Happy Jack the Squirrel sits up.
 By Thornton w. Burgess What Shadows Nose Discovered Who trusts his nose and believes his eyes
 Is never easy to surprise.
 1 Shadow the Weasel Shadow the Weasel is well ac- l auainted with the old stone wall on enc side of the Old Orchard. Every once in 50 often he visits 1t. It is l just the kind of a place he likes. Of course, it IS full of the loveliest kind 1 of places for such a slim fellow as Shadow to dodge in and out of. It is. of course. equally good for cer- tain other little people, and 1t is be- cause of these other little people that Shadow likes 1t so we'll.
 That Striped Chlpmunk had his home somewhere under the old stone wall was an open secret which all the little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadow knew. Shadow had known 1t for q long time. But knowing it was there anu finding 1t were two different mat ters. Shadow had hunted for Striped Chipmunk's home before and he knew just what kind of task find ing it would probably be. So until today he had put off the hunt. Now he was there, he made Q business of what he had come for.
 "Of course," thought Shadow, "the entrance to Striped Chipmunk's home is in the ground somewhere under this old stone wall. Of course. he wouldn't make that entrance right out ill the open. My guess Is that it is under the edge of some l would soon find 1t by following his scent. Now that he's asleep I'll have to depend on my eyes more than my nose. The thing to do is to look thoroughly"
 Did, you ever see a hunting dog. particularly bird dog. doing what is called quartering? He enters a field to look for Bob White. He runs fast, zigzagging back and forth un- til every bit of that field has been covered. If Bob White is in the field he is certain to be found. In just this same way Shadow the Weasel worked along the old stone wall. He would pop out of one side, disappear between the stones and pop out on the other side. Back and forth from side to side he worked. Two or three times he stopped and very, very thoroughly went over the ground with his nose.
 There's very faint smell of Chipmunk." muttered he. "Yes. sir. and unless my nose deceiyes me - and l have never known it to do that-there's little smell of Wood Mouse mixed up with that smell of Chipmunk. And. as I live, I smell Rabbit! Goodness, yes. smell rab- bit! It must be that Peter Rabbit has been fooling around over here. He ought to stay at home where he belongs Now l can't smell anything but rabbit"
 Now. Shadow moves very quickly and 1t wasn't long before he was half way down the old stone wall. He was getting near to the entrance to the home d Striped Chipmunk. Of course. he didn't know it. My. wouldn't Striped Chipmunk have been worried if he had known! And wouldn't Whitefoot the Wood Mouse have been worried if he had known! But neither knew and so there was no worrying whatever. So far Shad- ow's nose had discovered that at least three people. any one of whom he would like to have caught. had been in the old stone wall within a few days. Presently his nose picked up another scent.
 "Aha!" said he, "Chatterer the Red Squirrel has been here. l think this old stonewall will be a good place for me to stay a while. He climbed out to the top of the wall for another look around. There he discovered the scent of Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel. who had run along that wall only a short time before. Shadow licked his lips hungrily.
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