Evening star., 1940-10-05
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS.


Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel and
Chatterer the Red Squirrel were
out Of breath. Happy Jack was
puffing and blowing, for he Is big
and fat and 1t is not so easy for
him to race about in the three tops
as 1t is for his smaller, slim, nim-
BILE cousin, Chatterer. So Happy
Jack was the first to stop. He sat
on branch way up in the top of
the tall hickory tree and glared
across at Chatterer. who sat on a
branch on the other side Of the
tall hickory.
Couldn't catch me, could you,
smarty?" taunted Chatterer.
You just wait until I do! I'll
make you sorry you ever came near
my hickory tree" snapped Happy
Jack
I'm waiting! Besides, it isn't
your tree any more than It's mine"
replied Chatterer, and made a face
at his cousin. Happy Jack.
Happy Jack hoped up as if he
meant to begin the chase once
more, but he had a pain in his side
from running so hard and so long
and SO he sat down again. Right
down in his heart Happy Jack knew
that Chatterer was right and that
the tree didn't belong to him any
more than to his cousin. But when
he thought of all those big fat nuts
with which the hickory tree had
been loaded, greedy thoughts chased
out all thoughts of right and he
said to himself again, as he had said
when he first saw his cousin, that
Chatterer shouldn't have one of
them. He stopped scolding long
enough to steal look at them
and then-what do you think Happy
Jack did? Why, he gave such
Jump OF surprise that he nearly
lost his balance. Not a nut was
to be seen!
Happy Jack blinked. Then he
rubbed his eyes and looked again.
He couldn't see a nut anywhere!
There were the husks in which the
nuts had grown big and fat until
they were ripe and the husks had
opened. but now every husk was
empty. Chatterer saw the queer
look on Happy Jacks face and he
looked, too. Now, Chatterer the
Red Squirrel has very quick wits
and he guessed right away what
had happened. He knew that while
they had been quarreling and
Happy Jack had been chasing him
round and round and over the top
OF the tall hickory tree they must
have knocked down all the nuts.
which were just ready to fall, any,
way. Like a little red flash Chat
terer started down the tree. Then
Happy Jack guessed, too, and down
he started as fast as he could 20,
crying stop thief" all the way.
When he reached the ground there
was Chatterer, scurrying around and
poking under the fallen leaves. but
he hadn't found a single nut. Happy
Jack couldn't stop to quarrel any
more because, you see, he was afraid
that Chatterer would find the big
gest and fattest nuts. So he began
to scurry around and hunt, too.
1t was queer, very queer. how those
nuts had hidden so! They hunted
and hunted, but no nuts were to
be found. Then they stopped and
stared up at the top OF the tall
hickory tree. Not a nut could they
see. They stared at each other and
gradually a foolish, a very foolish,
look crept into each face.
"Where-where do you suppose
they have gone to?" asked Happy
Jack, in a queer sounding voice.
Just then they heard some one
laughing fit to kill himself. It was
Peter Rabbit.
Did you take our nuts?" they
both shouted angrily.
NO" replied Peter. no. I didn't
take your nuts. though they were
not yours. anyway" And then he
went OF into another fit of laugh
ter. for Peter had seen Striped
Chipmunk, very hard at work tax
ing away those very nuts while his
two big cousins had been ouarreline
in the tree top.