The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel Page 4

  "I'm going to starve to death," said Chatterer to himself over and over.

  "I'm empty, and there is plenty of food to fill me up, if you'll onlystop being silly," whispered his stomach.

  The more Chatterer tried not to think of how good something to eat wouldtaste, the more he did think of it. It made him restless and uneasy. Hetwisted and squirmed and turned. At last he decided that he would haveone more look to see if he couldn't find some way to get out of hisprison. He poked his head out of the little round doorway. All was stilland dark. He listened, but not a sound could he hear. Then he softlycrept out and hurriedly examined all the inside of his prison oncemore. It was of no use! There wasn't a single place where he could usehis sharp teeth.

  "There's that little pile of corn waiting for me," whispered hisstomach.

  "I'll never touch it!" said Chatterer fiercely.

  Just then he hit something with his foot, and it rolled. He picked it upand then put it down again. It was a nut, a plump hickory nut. Two orthree times he picked it up and put it down, and each time it was harderthan before to put it down.

  "I--I--I'd like to taste one more nut before I starve to death,"muttered Chatterer, and almost without knowing it, he began to gnaw thehard shell. When that nut was finished, he found another; and when thatwas gone, still another. Then he just had to taste a grain of corn. Thefirst thing Chatterer knew, the nuts and the corn were all gone, and hisstomach was full. Somehow he felt ever so much better. He didn't feellike starving to death now.

  "I--I believe I'll wait a bit and see what happens," said he to himself,"and while I'm waiting, I may as well be comfortable."

  With that he began to carry the shavings and rags into the hollow stumpand soon had as comfortable a bed as ever he had slept on. Chatterer haddecided to live.

  XV FARMER BROWN'S BOY TRIES TO MAKE FRIENDS

  Nobody lives who's wholly bad; Some good you'll find in every heart. Your enemies will be your friends. If only you will do your part.

  All his life Chatterer the Red Squirrel had looked on Farmer Brown's boyas his enemy, just as did all the other little people of the GreenMeadows, the Green Forest, and the Smiling Pool. They feared him, andbecause they feared him, they hated him. So whenever he came near, theyran away. Now at first, Farmer Brown's boy used to run after them forjust one thing--because he wanted to make friends with them, and hecouldn't see how ever he was going to do it unless he caught them. Aftera while, when he found that he couldn't catch them by running afterthem, he made up his mind that they didn't want to be his friends, andso then he began to hunt them, because he thought it was fun to try tooutwit them. Of course, when he began to do that, they hated him andfeared him all the more. You see, they didn't understand that really hehad one of the kindest hearts in the world; and he didn't understandthat they hated him just because they didn't know him.

  So when Chatterer had been caught in the trap in Farmer Brown'scorn-crib, he hadn't doubted in the least that Farmer Brown's boy wouldgive him to Black Pussy or do something equally cruel; and even when hefound that he was only to be kept a prisoner in a very comfortableprison, with plenty to eat and drink, he wasn't willing to believe anygood of Farmer Brown's boy. Indeed, he hated him more than ever, if thatwere possible.

  But Farmer Brown's boy was very patient. He came to Chatterer's prisonever so many times a day and whistled and clucked and talked toChatterer. And he brought good things to eat. It seemed as if he wereall the time trying to think of some new treat for Chatterer. He nevercame without bringing something. At first, Chatterer would hide in hishollow stump as soon as he saw Farmer Brown's boy coming and wouldn't somuch as peek out until he had gone away. When he was sure that the waywas clear, he would come out again, and always he found some deliciousfat nuts or some other dainty waiting for him. After a little, as soonas he saw Farmer Brown's boy coming, Chatterer would begin to wonderwhat good thing he had brought this time, and would grow terriblyimpatient for Farmer Brown's boy to go away so that he could find out.

  By and by it got so that he couldn't wait, but would slyly peep out ofhis little, round doorway to see what had been brought for him. Then oneday Farmer Brown's boy didn't come at all. Chatterer tried to makehimself believe that he was glad. He told himself that he hated FarmerBrown's boy, and he hoped that he never, never would see him again. Butall the time he knew that it wasn't true. It was the longest day sinceChatterer had been a prisoner. Early the next morning, before Chattererwas out of bed, he heard a step in the woodshed, and before he thoughtwhat he was doing, he was out of his hollow stump to see if it reallywas Farmer Brown's boy. It was, and he had three great fat nuts which hedropped into Chatterer's cage. It seemed to Chatterer that he justcouldn't wait for Farmer Brown's boy to go away. Finally he dartedforward and seized one. Then he scampered to the shelter of his hollowstump to eat it. When it was finished, he just had to have another.Farmer Brown's boy was still watching, but somehow Chatterer didn't feelso much afraid. This time he sat up on one of the little branches of thestump and ate it in plain sight. Farmer Brown's boy smiled, and it was apleasant smile.

  "I believe we shall be friends, after all," said he.

  XVI CHATTERER HAS A PLEASANT SURPRISE

  Chatterer the Red Squirrel, the mischief maker of the Green Forest, hadnever been more comfortable in his life. No matter how rough BrotherNorth Wind roared across the Green Meadows and through the Green Forest,piling the snow in great drifts, he couldn't send so much as one tinyshiver through the little red coat of Chatterer. And always right athand was plenty to eat--corn and nuts and other good things such asChatterer loves. No, he never had been so comfortable in all his life.But he wasn't happy, not truly happy. You see, he was in prison, and nomatter how nice a prison may be, no one can be truly happy there.

  Since he had been a prisoner, Chatterer had learned to think verydifferently of Farmer Brown's boy from what he used to think. In fact,he and Farmer Brown's boy had become very good friends, for FarmerBrown's boy was always very gentle, and always brought him somethinggood to eat.

  "He isn't at all like what I had thought," said Chatterer, "and if Iwere free, I wouldn't be afraid of him at all. I--I'd like to tell someof the other little Green Forest people about him. If only--"

  Chatterer didn't finish. Instead a great lump filled his throat. Yousee, he was thinking of the Green Forest and the Old Orchard, and how heused to race through the tree-tops and along the stone wall. Half thefun in life had been in running and jumping, and now there wasn't roomin this little prison to stretch his legs. If only he could run--run ashard as ever he knew how--once in a while, he felt that his prisonwouldn't be quite so hard to put up with.

  That very afternoon, while Chatterer was taking a nap in his bed in thehollow stump, something was slipped over his little round doorway, andChatterer awoke in a terrible fright to find himself a prisoner insidehis hollow stump. There was nothing he could do about it but just liethere in his bed, and shake with fright, and wonder what dreadful thingwas going to happen next. He could hear Farmer Brown's boy very busyabout something in his cage. After a long, long time, his little rounddoorway let in the light once more. The door had been opened. At firstChatterer didn't dare go out, but he heard the soft little whistle withwhich Farmer Brown's boy always called him when he had somethingespecially nice for him to eat, so at last he peeped out. There on thefloor of the cage were some of the nicest nuts. Chatterer came out atonce. Then his sharp eyes discovered something else. It was a queerlooking thing made of wire at one end of his cage.

  Chatterer looked at it with great suspicion. Could it be a new kind oftrap? But what would a trap be doing there, when he was already aprisoner? He ate all the nuts, all the time watching this new, queerlooking thing. It seemed harmless enough. He went a little nearer.Finally he hopped into it. It moved. Of course that frightened him, andhe started to run up. But he didn't go up. No, Sir, he didn't go up.You see, he was in a wire wheel; and as he ran, the wheel went around.Chatterer was terr
ibly frightened, and the faster he tried to run, thefaster the wheel went around. Finally he had to stop, because he was outof breath and too tired to run another step. When he stopped, the wheelstopped.

  Little by little, Chatterer began to understand. Farmer Brown's boy hadmade that wheel to give him a chance to run all he wanted to andwhenever he wanted to. When he understood this, Chatterer was as nearlyhappy as he could be in a prison. It was such a pleasant surprise! Hewould race and race in it until he just had to stop for breath. FarmerBrown's boy looked on and laughed to see how much happier he had madeChatterer.

  XVII SAMMY JAY'S SHARP EYES

  Everybody knows that Sammy Jay has sharp eyes. In fact, there are veryfew of the little forest people whose eyes are as sharp as Sammy's. Thatis because he uses them so much. A long time ago he found out that themore he used his eyes, the sharper they became, and so there are veryfew minutes when Sammy is awake that he isn't trying to see something.He is always looking. That is the reason he always knows so much aboutwhat is going on in the Green Forest and on the Green Meadows.

  Now of course Chatterer the Red Squirrel couldn't disappear withoutbeing missed, particularly by Sammy Jay. And of course Sammy couldn'tmiss Chatterer and not wonder what had become of him. At first, Sammythought that Chatterer was hiding, but after peeking and peering andwatching in the Old Orchard for a few days, he was forced to think thateither Chatterer had once more moved or else that something had happenedto him.

  "Perhaps Shadow the Weasel has caught him, after all," thought Sammy,and straightway flew to a certain place in the Green Forest where hemight find Shadow the Weasel. Sure enough, Shadow was there. Now ofcourse it wouldn't do to ask right out if Shadow had caught Chatterer,and Sammy was smart enough to know it.

  Illustration: "You tell Chatterer that I'll get him yet!" snarledShadow.

  "Chatterer the Red Squirrel sends his respects and hopes you areenjoying your hunt for him," called Sammy.

  Shadow looked up at Sammy, and anger blazed in his little, red eyes."You tell Chatterer that I'll get him yet!" snarled Shadow.

  Sammy's eyes sparkled with mischief. He had made Shadow angry, and hehad found out what he wanted to know. He was sure that Shadow had notcaught Chatterer.

  "But what can have become of him?" thought Sammy. "I've got no love forhim, but just the same I miss him. I really must find out. Yes, Sir, Ireally must."

  So every minute that he could spare, Sammy Jay spent trying to findChatterer. He asked every one he met if they had seen Chatterer. Hepeeked and peered into every hollow and hiding place he could think of.But look as he would and ask as he would, he could find no trace ofChatterer. At last he happened to think of Farmer Brown's corn-crib.Could it be that Chatterer had moved over there or had come to somedreadful end there? Very early the next morning, Sammy flew over to thecorn-crib. He looked it all over with his sharp eyes and listened forsounds of Chatterer inside. But not a sound could he hear. Then heremembered the hole under the edge of the roof through which Chattererused to go in and out. Sammy hurried to look at it. It was closed by astout board nailed across it. Then Sammy knew that Farmer Brown's boyhad found it.

  "He's killed Chatterer, that's what he's done!" cried Sammy, and flewover to the Old Orchard filled with sad thoughts. He meant to wait untilFarmer Brown's boy came out and then tell him what he thought of him.After that, he would fly through the Green Forest and over the GreenMeadows to spread the sad news.

  After a while, the door of the farmhouse opened, and Farmer Brown's boystepped out. Sammy had his mouth open to scream, when his sharp eyes sawsomething queer. Farmer Brown's boy had a queer looking box in his armswhich he put on a shelf where the sun would shine on it. It looked toSammy as if something moved inside that box. He forgot to scream and saythe bad things he had planned to say. He waited until Farmer Brown's boyhad gone to the barn. Then Sammy flew where he could look right into thequeer box. There was Chatterer the Red Squirrel!

  XVIII CHATTERER IS MADE FUN OF

  "Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho! Smarty caught at last!" Sammy Jay fairlyshrieked with glee, as he peered down from the top of an apple-tree atChatterer, in the cage Farmer Brown's boy had made for him. Sammy was sorelieved to think that Chatterer was not dead, and he was so tickled tothink that Chatterer, who always thought himself so smart, should havebeen caught, that he just had to torment Chatterer by laughing at himand saying mean things to him, until Chatterer lost his temper and saidthings back quite in the old way. This tickled Sammy more than ever, forit sounded so exactly like Chatterer when he had been a free little impof mischief in the Green Forest, that Sammy felt sure that Chatterer hadnothing the matter with him.

  But he couldn't stop very long to make fun of poor Chatterer. In thefirst place Farmer Brown's boy had put his head out the barn door to seewhat all the fuss was about. In the second place, Sammy fairly ached allover to spread the news through the Green Forest and over the GreenMeadows. You know he is a great gossip. And this was such unusual news.Sammy knew very well that no one would believe him. He knew that theyjust couldn't believe that smart Mr. Chatterer had really been caught.And no one did believe it.

  "All right," Sammy would reply. "It doesn't make the least bit ofdifference in the world to me whether you believe it or not. You can goup to Farmer Brown's house and see him in prison yourself, just as Idid."

  So late that afternoon, when all was quiet around the farmyard,Chatterer saw something very familiar behind the old stone wall at theedge of the Old Orchard. It bobbed up and then dropped out of sightagain. Then it bobbed up again, only to drop out of sight just asquickly.

  "It looks to me very much as if Peter Rabbit is over there and feelingvery nervous," said Chatterer to himself, and then he called sharply,just as when he was free in the Green Forest. Right away Peter's headbobbed up for all the world like a jack-in-the-box, and this time itstayed up. Peter's eyes were round with surprise, as he stared across atChatterer's prison.

  "Oh, it's true!" gasped Peter, as if it were as hard work to believe hisown eyes as it was to believe Sammy Jay. "I must go right away and seewhat can be done to get Chatterer out of trouble." And then, because itwas broad daylight, and he really didn't dare stay another minute, Peterwaved good-by to Chatterer and started for the Green Forest as fast ashis long legs could take him.

  A little later who should appear peeping over the stone wall but ReddyFox. It seemed very bold of Reddy, but really it wasn't nearly as boldas it seemed. You see, Reddy knew that Farmer Brown's boy and Bowser theHound were over in the Old Pasture, and that he had nothing to fear. Hegrinned at Chatterer in the most provoking way. It made Chatterer angryjust to see him.

  "Smarty, Smarty, Mr. Smarty, Glad to see you looking hearty! Weather's fine, as you can see; Won't you take a walk with me?"

  So said Reddy Fox, knowing all the time that Chatterer couldn't take awalk with any one. At first Chatterer scolded and called Reddy all thebad names he could think of, but after a little he didn't feel so muchlike scolding. In fact, he didn't half hear the mean things Reddy Foxsaid to him. You see, it was coming over him more and more that nothingcould take the place of freedom. He had a comfortable home, plenty toeat, and was safe from every harm, but he was a prisoner, and havingthese visitors made him realize it more than ever. Something very liketears filled his eyes, and he crept into his hollow stump where hecouldn't see or be seen.

  XIX PETER RABBIT TRIES TO HELP

  Peter Rabbit is one of the kindest hearted little people of the GreenForest or the Green Meadows. He is happy-go-lucky, and his dreadfulcuriosity is forever getting him into all kinds of trouble. Perhaps itis because he has been in so many scrapes himself that he always feelssorry for others who get into trouble. Anyway, no sooner does Peter hearof some one in trouble, than he begins to wonder how he can help them.So just as soon as he found out for himself that Sammy Jay had told thetruth about Chatterer the Red Squirrel, and that Chatterer really was ina prison at Farmer Brown's house, he began to think and think to find
some way to help Chatterer.

  Now of course Peter didn't know what kind of a prison Chatterer was in.He remembered right away how Prickly Porky the Porcupine had gnawed agreat hole in the box in which Johnny Chuck's lost baby was kept byFarmer Brown's boy. Why shouldn't Prickly Porky do as much forChatterer? He would go see him at once. The trouble with Peter is thathe doesn't think of all sides of a question. He is impulsive. That is,he goes right ahead and does the thing that comes into his head first,and sometimes this isn't the wisest or best thing to do. So now hescampered down into the Green Forest as fast as his long legs wouldcarry him, to hunt for Prickly Porky. It was no trouble at all to findhim, for he had only to follow the line of trees that had been strippedof their bark.

  "Good afternoon, Prickly Porky. Have you heard the news aboutChatterer?" said Peter, talking very fast, for he was quite out ofbreath.

  "Yes," replied Prickly Porky. "Serves him right. I hope it will teachhim a lesson."

  Peter's heart sank. "Don't you think it is dreadful?" he asked. "Justthink, he will never, never be able to run and play in the Green Forestagain, unless we can get him out."

  "So much the better," grunted Prickly Porky. "So much the better. Healways was a nuisance. Never did see such a fellow for making troublefor other people. No, Sir, I never did. The rest of us can have somepeace now. Serves him right." Prickly Porky went on chewing bark as ifChatterer's trouble was no concern of his.

  Peter's heart sank lower still. He scratched one long ear slowly with along hind foot, which is a way he has when he is thinking very hard. Hewas so busy thinking that he didn't see the twinkle in the dull littleeyes of Prickly Porky, who really was not so hard-hearted as his wordssounded. After a long time, during which Peter thought and thought, andPrickly Porky ate and ate, the latter spoke again.