Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-04
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

Striped Chipmunk was sitting
just inside the hollow log studying
about how he could MI up his new
storehouse for the winter. Striped
Chipmunk is very thrifty. He likes
to play, and he is one of the mer-
riest Of all the little people who
live on the Green Meadows or in
the Green Forest. He lives right
on the edge Of both and knows
everybody, and everybody knows
him. Almost every morning the
Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother
West Wind hurry over to have
frolic with him the very first thing.
But though he dearly loves to play
he never lets play interfere with
work. Whatever he does, be it play
or work, he does with all his might.
II love the sun; love the rain;
I love to work; I love to play.
Whatever 1t may bring to me,
love each minute Of each day"
So said Striped Chipmunk as he
sat in the hollow log and studied
how he could MI that splendid, big,
new storehouse. Pretty soon he
pricked up his funny little ears.
What was all that noise over In the
Green Forest? Striped Chipmunk
peeped out of the hollow log. Over
in the top of a tall hickory tree
there was a terrible fuss going on.
Striped Chipmunk listened. He
heard angry voices. Such angry
voices! They we're the voices Of
his big cousins. Happy Jack the
Gray Squirrel and Chatterer the
Red Squirrel.
Dear me! Dear me! How those
two do quarrel! I must go over
and see what it is all about" thought
Striped Chipmunk.
So with flirt of his funny little
tail he scampered out Of the hollow
log and over to the tall hickory
tree. He knew all about that tree.
Many and many a time he had
looked up at the big, fat nuts in
the top of it, watching them grow
bigger and fatter and hoping that
when they grew ripe Old Mother
West Wind would find time to shake
them down to him. You know
Striped Chipmunk is not much of a
climber and so cannot go UP and
pick the nuts as his big cousins,
Happy Jack and Chatterer, do.
When he reached the tall hick-
DRY tree, what do you think was
happening? Why, those big, fat
nuts were rafting down to the
ground on every side, just as if
Old Mother West Wind was shaking
the tree as hard as she could. But
Old Mother West Wind wasn't there
at all No sir; there wasn't even
one of the Merry Little Breezes
up in the treetops. The big, fat
nuts were rafting down just on
account of the dreadful quarrel of
Striped Chipmunk's two foolish
cousins, Happy Jack and Chatterer.
You see, Happy Jack was greedy.
He had found the tree, and though
there were more nuts than he could
ever, ever use himself, he wanted
all of them. When his COUSIN Chat
terer came along and wanted some
Happy Jack had said he couldn't
have any. Then they had begun the
quarrel and called each other dread
full names. Chatterer had climbed
the tree, and now Happy Jack,
who is bigger and not so spry. was
chasing Chatterer round and round
and over the treetop, and they were
so angry that they didn't once no.
tice that they were knocking down
the very nuts over which they
were quarreling.
Striped Chipmunk didn't stop to
listen to the quarrel. No, stree! He
stuffed q big, fat nut in each pock-
ct in his cheeks and scampered
back to his splendid new store
house as fast as his little legs
would take him. Back and forth,
back and forth, all the time he was
laughing inside and hoping that
his big cousins would keep right
on uuarrelinp.