Big Book of Animal Stories Read online

  The door of the house was too small for Reddy Fox to squeeze in.

  Sammy Jay was in mischief now, and that is why he pretended to be doing nothing when he thought anyone was looking.

  Old Mother West Wind had come down from her home behind the Purple Hills very early that morning. Indeed, jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had hardly gotten out of bed when she crossed the Green Meadows on her way to help the big ships across the ocean. Old Mother West Wind’s eyes were sharp, and she saw Sammy Jay before Sammy Jay saw her.

  “Now what can Sammy Jay be so busy about, and why is he so very, very quiet?” thought Old Mother West Wind. “He must be up to some mischief.”

  So when she opened her big bag and turned out all her Merry Little Breezes to play on the Green Meadows she sent one of them to see what Sammy Jay was doing in the old chestnut tree. The Merry Little Breeze danced along over the tree tops just as if he hadn’t a thought in the world but to wake up all the little leaves and set them to dancing too, and Sammy Jay, watching Old Mother West Wind and the other Merry Little Breezes, didn’t see this Merry Little Breeze at all.

  Pretty soon it danced back to Old Mother West Wind and whispered in her ear: “Sammy Jay is stealing the nuts Happy Jack Squirrel had hidden in the hollow of the old chestnut tree, and is hiding them for himself in the tumble down nest that Blacky the Crow built in the Great Pine last year.” “Aha!” said Old Mother West Wind. Then she went on across the Green Meadows.

  “Good morning, Old Mother West Wind,” said Sammy Jay as she passed the fence post where he was sitting.

  “Good morning, Sammy Jay,” said Old Mother West Wind. “What brings you out so early in the morning?”

  “I’m out for my health, Old Mother West Wind,” said Sammy Jay politely. “The doctor has ordered me to take a bath in the dew at sunrise every morning.”

  Old Mother West Wind said nothing, but went on her way across the Green Meadows to blow the ships across the ocean. When she had passed Sammy Jay hurried to take the last of Happy Jack’s nuts to the old nest in the Great Pine.

  Poor Happy Jack! Soon he came dancing along with another nut to put in the hollow of the old chestnut tree. When he peeped in and saw that all his big store of nuts had disappeared he couldn’t believe his own eyes. He put in one paw and felt all around but not a nut could he feel. Then he climbed in and sure enough, the hollow was empty.

  Poor Happy Jack! There were tears in his eyes when he crept out again. He looked all around but no one was to be seen but handsome Sammy Jay, very busy brushing his beautiful blue coat.

  “Good morning, Sammy Jay, have you seen anyone pass this way?” asked Happy Jack. “Someone has stolen my store of nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree.”

  Sammy Jay pretended to feel very badly indeed, and in his sweetest voice, for his voice was very sweet in those days, he offered to help Happy Jack try to catch the thief who had stolen the store of nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree.

  Together they went down across the Green Meadows asking everyone whom they met if they had seen the thief who had stolen Happy Jack’s store of nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree. All the Merry Little Breezes joined in the search, and soon everyone who lived in the Green Meadows or in the wood knew that someone had stolen all of Happy Jack Squirrel’s store of nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree. And because everyone liked Happy Jack, everyone felt very sorry indeed for him.

  The next morning all the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind were turned out of the big bag into the Green Meadows very early indeed, for they had a lot of errands to do. All over the Green Meadows they hurried, all through the wood, up and down the Laughing Brook and all around the Smiling Pool, inviting everybody to meet at the Great Pine on the hill at nine o’clock to form a committee of the whole—that’s what Old Mother West Wind called it—a committee of the whole—to try to find the thief who stole Happy Jack’s nuts from the hollow in the old chestnut tree.

  And because everyone liked Happy Jack everyone went to the Great Pine on the hill—Reddy Fox, Bobby Coon, Jimmy Skunk, Striped Chipmunk, who is Happy Jack’s cousin you know, Billy Mink, Little Joe Otter, Jerry Muskrat, Hooty the Owl, who was almost too sleepy to keep his eyes open, Blacky the Crow, Johnny Chuck, Peter Rabbit, even old Grandfather Frog. Of course Sammy Jay was there, looking his handsomest.

  When they had all gathered around the Great Pine, Old Mother West Wind pointed to the old nest way up in the top of it. “Is that your nest?” she asked Blacky the Crow.

  “It was, but I gave it to my cousin, Sammy Jay,” said Blacky the Crow.

  “Is that your nest, and may I have a stick out of it?” asked Old Mother West Wind of Sammy Jay.

  “It is,” said Sammy Jay, with his politest bow, “and you are welcome to a stick out of it.” To himself he thought, “She will only take one from the top and that won’t matter.”

  Old Mother West Wind suddenly puffed out her cheeks and blew so hard that she blew a big stick right out of the bottom of the old nest. Down it fell bumpity-bump on the branches of the Great Pine. After it fell—what do you think? Why, hickory nuts and chestnuts and acorns and hazel nuts, such a lot of them!

  “Why! Why-e-e!” cried Happy Jack. “There are all my stolen nuts!”

  Everybody turned to look at Sammy Jay, but he was flying off through the wood as fast as he could go. “Stop thief!” cried Old Mother West Wind. “Stop thief!” cried all the Merry Little Breezes and Johnny Chuck and Billy Mink and all the rest. But Sammy Jay didn’t stop.

  Then all began to pick up the nuts that had fallen from the old nest where Sammy Jay had hidden them. By and by, with Happy Jack leading the way, they all marched back to the old chestnut tree and there Happy Jack stored all the nuts away in his snug little hollow once more.

  And ever since that day, Sammy Jay, whenever he tries to call, just screams: “Thief!” “Thief!” “Thief!”

  XI. Jerry Muskrat’s Party

  All the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind were hurrying over the Green Meadows. Some flew this way and some ran that way and some danced the other way. You see Jerry Muskrat had asked them to carry his invitations to a party at the Big Rock in the Smiling Pool.

  Of course everyone said that they would be delighted to go to Jerry Muskrat’s party. Round Mr. Sun shone his very brightest. The sky was its bluest and the little birds had promised to be there to sing for Jerry Muskrat, so of course all the little folks in the Green Meadows and in the wood wanted to go.

  There were Johnny Chuck and Reddy Fox and Jimmy Skunk and Bobby Coon and Happy Jack Squirrel and Striped Chipmunk and Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter and Grandfather Frog and old Mr. Toad and Mr. Black Snake—all going to Jerry Muskrat’s party.

  When they reached the Smiling Pool they found Jerry Muskrat all ready. His brothers and his sisters, his aunts and his uncles and his cousins were all there. Such a merry, merry time as there was in the Smiling Pool! How the water did splash! Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter and Grandfather Frog jumped right in as soon as they got there. They played tag in the water and hide and seek behind the Big Rock. They turned somersaults down the slippery slide and they had such a good time!

  But Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit and Bobby Coon and Johnny Chuck and Jimmy Skunk and Happy Jack and Striped Chipmunk couldn’t swim, so of course they couldn’t play tag in the water or hide and seek or go down the slippery slide; all they could do was sit around to look on and wish that they knew how to swim, too. So of course they didn’t have a good time. Soon they began to wish that they hadn’t come to Jerry Muskrat’s party. When he found that they were not having a good time, poor Jerry Muskrat felt very badly indeed. You see he lives in the water so much that he had quite forgotten that there was any one who couldn’t swim, or he never, never would have invited all the little meadow folks who live on dry land.

  “Let’s go home,” said Peter Rabbit to Johnny Chuck.

  “We can have more fun up on the hill,” said Jimmy Skunk.

  Just then Little Joe Otter came pushing a great big log across the Smiling Pool.

  “Here’s a ship, Bobby Coon. You get on one end and I’ll give you a sail across the Smiling Pool,” shouted Little Joe Otter.

  So Bobby Coon crawled out on the big log and held on very tight, while Little Joe Otter swam behind and pushed the big log. Across the Smiling Pool they went and back again. Bobby Coon had such a good ride that he wanted to go again, but Jimmy Skunk wanted a ride. So Bobby Coon hopped off of the big log and Jimmy Skunk hopped on and away he went across the Smiling Pool with Little Joe Otter pushing behind.

  Then Jerry Muskrat found another log and gave Peter Rabbit a ride. Jerry Muskrat’s brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins found logs and took Reddy Fox and Johnny Chuck and even Mr. Toad back and forth across the Smiling Pool.

  Happy Jack Squirrel sat up very straight on the end of his log and spread his great bushy tail for a sail. All the little Breezes blew and blew and Happy Jack Squirrel sailed round and round the Smiling Pool.

  Sometimes some one would fall off into the water and get wet, but Jerry Muskrat or Billy Mink always pulled them out again, and no one cared the tiniest bit for a wetting.

  In the bushes around the Smiling Pool the little birds sang and sang. Reddy Fox barked his loudest. Happy Jack Squirrel chattered and chir-r-r-ed. All the muskrats squealed and squeaked, for Jerry Muskrat’s party was such fun!

  By and by when Mr. Sun went down behind the Purple Hills to his home and Old Mother West Wind with all her Merry Little Breezes went after him, and the little stars came out to twinkle and twinkle, the Smiling Pool lay all quiet and still, but smiling and smiling to think what a good time everyone had had at Jerry Muskrat’s party.

  XII.
Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox Play Tricks

  It was night. All the little stars were looking down and twinkling and twinkling. Mother Moon was doing her best to make the Green Meadows as light as Mr. Sun did in the daytime. All the little birds except Hooty the Owl and Boomer the Night Hawk, and noisy Mr. Whip-poor-will were fast asleep in their little nests. Old Mother West Wind’s Merry Little Breezes had all gone to sleep, too. It was oh so still! Indeed it was so very still that Bobby Coon, coming down the Lone Little Path through the wood, began to talk to himself.

  “I don’t see what people want to play all day and sleep all night for,” said Bobby Coon. “Night’s the best time to be about. Now Reddy Fox—”

  “Be careful what you say about Reddy Fox,” said a voice right behind Bobby Coon.

  Bobby Coon turned around very quickly indeed, for he had thought he was all alone. There was Reddy Fox himself, trotting down the Lone Little Path through the wood.

  “I thought you were home and fast asleep, Reddy Fox,” said Bobby Coon.

  “You were mistaken,” said Reddy Fox, “for you see I’m out to take a walk in the moonlight.”

  So Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox walked together down the Lone Little Path through the wood to the Green Meadows. They met Jimmy Skunk, who had dreamed that there were a lot of beetles up on the hill, and was just going to climb the Crooked Little Path to see.

  “Hello, Jimmy Skunk!” said Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox. “Come down to the Green Meadows with us.”

  Jimmy Skunk said he would, so they all went down on the Green Meadows together, Bobby Coon first, Reddy Fox next and Jimmy Skunk last of all, for Jimmy Skunk never hurries. Pretty soon they came to the house of Johnny Chuck.

  “Listen,” said Bobby Coon, “Johnny Chuck is fast asleep.”

  They all listened and they could hear Johnny Chuck snoring away down in his snug little bed.

  “Let’s give Johnny Chuck a surprise,” said Reddy Fox.

  “What shall it be?” asked Bobby Coon.

  “I know,” said Reddy Fox. “Let’s roll that big stone right over Johnny Chuck’s doorway; then he’ll have to dig his way out in the morning.”

  So Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox pulled and tugged and tugged and pulled at the big stone till they had rolled it over Johnny Chuck’s doorway. Jimmy Skunk pretended not to see what they were doing.

  “Now let’s go down to the Laughing Brook and wake up old Grandfather Frog and hear him say ‘Chug-a-rum,’” said Bobby Coon.

  “Come on!” cried Reddy Fox, “I’ll get there first!”

  Away raced Reddy Fox down the Lone Little Path and after him ran Bobby Coon, going to wake old Grandfather Frog from a nice comfortable sleep on his green lily-pad.

  But Jimmy Skunk didn’t go. He watched Reddy Fox and Bobby Coon until they were nearly to the Laughing Brook. Then he began to dig at one side of the big stone which filled the doorway of Johnny Chuck’s house. My, how he made the dirt fly! Pretty soon he had made a hole big enough to call through to Johnny Chuck, who was snoring away, fast asleep in his snug little bed below.

  “Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny Woodchuck!” called Jimmy Skunk.

  But Johnny Chuck just snored.

  “Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny Woodchuck!” called Jimmy Skunk once more.

  But Johnny Chuck just snored. Then Jimmy Skunk called again, this time louder than before.

  “Who is it?” asked a very sleepy voice.

  “It’s Jimmy Skunk. Put your coat on and come up here!” called Jimmy Skunk.

  “Go away, Jimmy Skunk. I want to sleep!” said Johnny Chuck.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you, Johnny Chuck. You’d better come!” called Jimmy Skunk through the little hole he had made. When Johnny Chuck heard that Jimmy Skunk had a surprise for him he wanted to know right away what it could be, so though he was very, very sleepy, he put on his coat and started up for his door to see what the surprise was that Jimmy Skunk had. And there he found the big stone Reddy Fox and Bobby Coon had put there, and of course he was very much surprised indeed. He thought Jimmy Skunk had played him a mean trick and for a few minutes he was very mad. But Jimmy Skunk soon told him who had filled up his doorway with the big stone.

  “Now you push from that side, Johnny Chuck, and I’ll pull from this side, and we’ll soon have this big stone out of your doorway,” said Jimmy Skunk.

  So Johnny Chuck pushed and Jimmy Skunk pulled, and sure enough they soon had the big stone out of Johnny Chuck’s doorway.

  “Now,” said Jimmy Skunk, “we’ll roll this big stone down the Lone Little Path to Reddy’s Fox’s house and we’ll give Reddy Fox a surprise.”

  So Johnny Chuck and Jimmy Skunk tugged and pulled and rolled the big stone down to the house of Reddy Fox, and sure enough, it filled his doorway.

  “Good night, Jimmy Skunk,” said Johnny Chuck, and trotted down the Lone Little Path toward home, chuckling to himself all the way.

  Jimmy Skunk walked slowly up the Lone Little Path to the wood, for Jimmy Skunk never hurries. Pretty soon he came to the big hollow tree where Bobby Coon lives, and there he met Hooty the Owl.

  “Hello, Jimmy Skunk, where have you been?” asked Hooty the Owl.

  “Just for a walk,” said Jimmy Skunk. “Who lives in this big hollow tree?”

  Now of course Jimmy Skunk knew all the time, but he pretended he didn’t.

  “Oh, this is Bobby Coon’s house,” said Hooty the Owl.

  “Let’s give Bobby Coon a surprise,” said Jimmy Skunk.

  “How?” asked Hooty the Owl.

  “We’ll fill his house full of sticks and leaves,” said Jimmy Skunk.

  Hooty the Owl thought that would be a good joke, so while Jimmy Skunk gathered all the old sticks and leaves he could find, Hooty the Owl stuffed them into the old hollow tree, which was Bobby Coon’s house, until he couldn’t get in another one.

  “Good night,” said Jimmy Skunk as he began to climb the Crooked Little Path up the hill to his own snug little house.

  “Good night,” said Hooty the Owl, as he flew like a big soft shadow over to the Great Pine.

  By and by when old Mother Moon was just going to bed and all the little stars were too sleepy to twinkle any longer, Reddy Fox and Bobby Coon, very tired and very wet from playing in the Laughing Brook, came up the Lone Little Path, ready to tumble into their snug little beds. They were chuckling over the trick they had played on Johnny Chuck, and the way they had waked up old Grandfather Frog, and all the other mischief they had done. What do you suppose they said when they reached their homes and found that someone else had been playing jokes, too?

  I’m sure I don’t know, but round, red Mr. Sun was laughing very hard as he peeped over the hill at Reddy Fox and Bobby Coon, and he won’t tell why.

  XIII. Johnny Chuck Finds the Best Thing in the World

  Old Mother West Wind had stopped to talk with the Slender Fir Tree.

  “I’ve just come across the Green Meadows,” said Old Mother West Wind, “and there I saw the Best Thing in the World.”

  Striped Chipmunk was sitting under the Slender Fir Tree and he couldn’t help hearing what Old Mother West Wind said. “The Best Thing in the World—now what can that be?” thought Striped Chipmunk. “Why, it must be heaps and heaps of nuts and acorns! I’ll go and find it.”

  So Striped Chipmunk started down the Lone Little Path through the wood as fast as he could run. Pretty soon he met Peter Rabbit.

  “Where are you going in such a hurry, Striped Chipmunk?” asked Peter Rabbit.

  “Down in the Green Meadows to find the Best Thing in the World,” replied Striped Chipmunk, and ran faster.

  “The Best Thing in the World,” said Peter Rabbit, “why, that must be a great pile of carrots and cabbage! I think I’ll go and find it.”