Evening star., 1936-09-14

HATTERER THE RED
SQUIRREL was busy. He
always is busy at this time of
~ the year. Being busy, he was
happy. Busy people are r,ore likely
to be happy than those with nothing
to do.
Chatterer had plenty to do. It
was harvest time. Acorns were ready
to be harvested. Nuts were rattling
down and must be gathered and
stored away for the Winter. Pine
cones had to be cut before they should
open and scatter their seeds. So
Chatterer the Red Squirrel was a very
busy small person. There was none
buster in all the Green Forest.
The acorns and the nuts were
slowed away in storehouseS very near
the tree in which he had made his
new home. You know that was the
tree formerly occupied by Spcoky the
Screech Owl. Few of Chatterer's
neighbors had yet discovered tina. he
had changed his home. Most Of them
took it for granted that Spooky still
lived there. This suited Chatterer.
So far a. he was concerned it would
have suited him to continue to live
there unknown. Sometimes as he
worked he chuckled. Those were times
when he was thinking Of Spooky the
Ecreech Owl.
st certainly am going to be nice
and comfortable here. Yes, sir, I'm
going to be nice and comfortable.
Everything is exactly as would Like
to have it," he would say to himself.
Then, thinking Of what he felt sure
would happen, he would chuckle
again. "I suppose Spooky think he
outsmarted me. I wonder what he'll
think when they begin to cut down
that tree. I certainly was smart to
trade with him before it was harvest
time. Had awaited until after harvest
time, my supplies would have been
too far away. Now everything Is
right here and I can see where J am
going to have very comfortable and
happy Winter
Now when he has nothing to do
Chatterer may be very miSchievous
and meddlesome fellow, but when he
has work that must be done he tends
strictly to business, and there Is no
better worker anywhere. He was up
at break Of day, and he worked until
the Black Shadows started to creep
through the Green Forest. He was
especially happy this year becau his
big cousin, Happy Jack the Gray
Squirrel, was busy elsewhere, and so
Chatterer had not had to share with
him the acorns and the nuts. In fact,
Chatterer had practically all Of these
in the neighborhood for himself, and
that added to his happiness. He did
miss his usual quarrels with Happy
Jack. You know there are some peo-
pie who seem to get real pleasure out
of uuarrels, and Chatterer Is one Of
these. But, altogether, he had never
been happier in the Fall than he now
was.
AS the pile of pine cones increased
under a certain tree and as his secret
storehouses became filled with nuts
and acorns, Chatterer became more
and more contented. He had more
thai enough to take him through the
Winter, no matter II the Winter
should be long and hard. It is splen-
did feeling to be certain that you will
never 60 hungry, no matter what the
weather. But even though he had
enough, Chatterer didn't stop work.
ing. No, sir, he didn't stop work.
ing. He would have told you that he
had the habit and couldn't stop. How
ever, this wasn't 1t. He was working
because of the happiness he found in
work. He was doing work that he
loved to do, and as long as there was
work of that kind to do, he would
do 1t.
Meanwhile, occupying Chatterer's
old home was Spooky the Screech
Owl. Spooky had no work to do. You
see, the food he lives ON cannot be
stored up. as can the food that Chat
terer lives on. So Spooky must de-
pend on finding his food each day, or
perhaps I should say each night. Now
and then he would fly over to his old
home, but as 1t was always at night,
he never saw Chatterer. The latter
doesn't like the dark. Spooky would
sit just outside the doorway and
chuckle. HE thinks he outsmarted
me-" he would chuckle to himself.
IT wonder what he'll think by and
by. He'll probably come around and
want his old house back, but he won't
get it. He has the name of being
smart, but by and by folks will know
who Is the smartest."