Mother West Wind's Children Read online

  V

  STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS

  It was one of Striped Chipmunk's busy days. Every day is a busy daywith Striped Chipmunk at this season of the year, for the sweet acornsare ripe and the hickory nuts rattle down whenever Old Mother West Windshakes the trees, while every night Jack Frost opens chestnut burrsjust to see the squirrels scamper for the plump brown nuts the nextmorning.

  So Striped Chipmunk was very busy, very busy indeed! He whisked in andout of the old stone wall along one edge of the Green Meadows. Backand forth, back and forth, sometimes to the old hickory tree, sometimesto the hollow chestnut tree, sometimes to the great oak on the edge ofthe Green Forest Striped Chipmunk scampered.

  Old Mother West Wind, coming down from the Purple Hills very early inthe morning, had found Striped Chipmunk up before her and hard at work.Later, when jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had climbed up into the sky, theMerry Little Breezes had spied Striped Chipmunk whisking along the oldstone wall and had raced over to play with him, for the Merry LittleBreezes are very fond of Striped Chipmunk. They got there just in timeto see him disappear under a great stone in the old wall. In a minutehe was out again and off as fast as he could go to the old hickory tree.

  "Oh, Striped Chipmunk, come play with us," shouted the Merry LittleBreezes, running after him.

  But Striped Chipmunk just flirted his funny little tail and winked withboth his bright eyes at them.

  "Busy! busy! busy!" said Striped Chipmunk, hurrying along as fast ashis short legs could take him.

  The Merry Little Breezes laughed, and one of them, dancing ahead,pulled the funny little tail of Striped Chipmunk.

  "It's a beautiful day; do come and play with us," cried the MerryLittle Breeze.

  But Striped Chipmunk flirted his tail over his back once more.

  "Busy! busy! busy!" he shouted over his shoulder and ran faster thanever.

  In a few minutes he was back again, but such a queer-looking fellow ashe was! His head was twice as big as it had been before and you wouldhardly have known that it was Striped Chipmunk but for the saucy way hetwitched his funny little tail and the spry way he scampered along theold stone wall.

  "Oh, Striped Chipmunk's got the mumps!" shouted the Merry LittleBreezes.

  But Striped Chipmunk said never a word. He couldn't. He ran fasterthan ever until he disappeared under the big stone. When he popped hishead out again he was just his usual saucy little self.

  "Say, Striped Chipmunk," cried the Merry Little Breezes, rushing overto him, "tell us how you happen to have pockets in your cheeks."

  But Striped Chipmunk just snapped his bright eyes at them and said"Busy! busy! busy!" as he scuttled over to the hollow chestnut tree.

  The Merry Little Breezes saw that it was no use at all to try to temptStriped Chipmunk to play with them or to answer questions.

  "I tell you what," cried one, "let's go ask Great-Grandfather Frog howStriped Chipmunk happens to have pockets in his cheeks. He'll know."

  So away they started, after they had raced over to the big hollowchestnut tree and sent a shower of brown nuts rattling down to StripedChipmunk from the burrs that Jack Frost had opened the night before.

  "Good-bye, Striped Chipmunk," they shouted as they romped across theGreen Meadows. And Striped Chipmunk stopped long enough to shout"Good-bye" before he filled his pockets with the brown nuts.

  Old Grandfather Frog sat on his big green lily pad blinking in the sun.It was very still, very, very still indeed. Suddenly out of the brownbulrushes burst the Merry Little Breezes and surrounded old GrandfatherFrog. And every one of them had brought to him a fat, foolish, greenfly.

  Grandfather's big goggly eyes sparkled and he gave a funny little hopup into the air as he caught each foolish green fly. When the last onewas safely inside his white and yellow waistcoat he settled himselfcomfortably on the big green lily pad and folded his hands over thefoolish green flies.

  "Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog. "What is it you want thismorning?"

  "Oh, Grandfather Frog," cried the Merry Little Breezes, "tell us how ithappens that Striped Chipmunk has pockets in his cheeks. Do tell us,Grandfather Frog. Please do!"

  "Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "How should I know?"

  "But you do know, Grandfather Frog, you know you do. Please tell us!"cried the Merry Little Breezes as they settled themselves among therushes.

  And presently Grandfather Frog began:

  "Once upon a time--a long, long while ago--"

  "When the world was young?" asked a mischievous little Breeze.

  Grandfather Frog pretended to be very much put out by the interruption,and tried to look very severe. But the Merry Little Breezes were allgiggling, so that presently he had to smile too.

  "Yes," said he, "it was when the world was young, before oldKing Bear became king. Mr. Chipmunk, Striped Chipmunk'sgreat-great-great-grandfather a thousand times removed, was thesmallest of the squirrels, just as Striped Chipmunk is now. But hedidn't mind that, not the least little bit. Mr. Gray Squirrel was fourtimes as big and had a handsome tail, Mr. Fox Squirrel was four timesas big and he also had a handsome tail, Mr. Red Squirrel was twice asbig and he thought his tail was very good to see. But Mr. Chipmunkdidn't envy his big cousins their fine tails; not he! You see he hadhimself a beautiful striped coat of which he was very proud and whichhe thought much more to be desired than a big tail.

  "So Mr. Chipmunk went his way happy and contented and he was such amerry little fellow and so full of fun and cut such funny capers thateverybody loved Mr. Chipmunk.

  "One day, when the nights were cool and all the trees had put on theirbrilliant colors, old Mother Nature sent word down across the GreenMeadows that every squirrel should gather for her and store away untilshe came a thousand nuts. Now the squirrels had grown fat and lazythrough the long summer, all but Mr. Chipmunk, who frisked about somuch that he had no chance to grow fat.

  "Mr. Gray Squirrel grumbled. Mr. Fox Squirrel grumbled. Mr. RedSquirrel grumbled. But they didn't dare disobey old Mother Nature, sothey all set out, each to gather a thousand nuts. And Mr. Chipmunkalone was pleasant and cheerful.

  "When they reached the nut trees, what do you suppose they discovered?Why, that they had been so greedy that they had eaten most of the nutsand it was going to be hard work to find and store a thousand nuts forold Mother Nature. Then they began to hurry, did Mr. Gray Squirrel andMr. Fox Squirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel, each trying to make sure of histhousand nuts. They quarreled and they fought over the nuts on theground and even up in the trees. And because they were so big and sostrong, they pushed Mr. Chipmunk this way and they pushed him that wayand often just as he was going to pick up a fat nut one of them wouldknock him over and make off with the prize.

  "Poor Mr. Chipmunk kept his temper and was as polite as ever, but howhe did work! His cousins are great climbers and could get the nutsstill left on the trees, but Mr. Chipmunk is a poor climber, so he hadto be content with those on the ground. Of course he could carry onlyone nut at a time and his legs were so short that he had to run as fastas ever he could to store each nut in his secret store-house and getback for another. And while the others quarreled and fought, hehurried back and forth, back and forth, from early morning until jolly,round, red Mr. Sun pulled his night cap on behind the Purple Hills,hunting for nuts and putting them away in his secret store-house.

  "But the nuts grew scarcer and scarcer on the ground and harder tofind, for the other squirrels were picking them up too, and then theydid not have so far to carry them.

  "Sometimes one of his cousins up in the trees would drop a nut, but Mr.Chipmunk never would take it, not even when he was having hard work tofind any, 'for,' said he to himself, 'if my cousin drops a nut, it ishis nut just the same.'

  "Finally Mr. Gray Squirrel announced that he had got his thousand nuts.Then Mr. Fox Squirrel announced that he had got his thousand nuts. Thenext day Mr. Red Squirrel stopped hunting because he had his thousandnuts.
r />   "But Mr. Chipmunk had hardly more than half as many. And that night hemade a dreadful discovery--some one had found his secret store-houseand had _stolen_ some of his precious nuts.

  "'It's of no use to cry over what can't be helped,' said Mr. Chipmunk,and the next morning he bravely started out again. He had worked sohard that he had grown thinner and thinner until now he was only ashadow of his old self. But he was as cheerful as ever and kept righton hunting and hunting for stray nuts. Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr. FoxSquirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel sat around and rested and made fun ofhim. Way up in the tops of the tallest trees a few nuts still clung,but his cousins did not once offer to go up and shake them down for Mr.Chipmunk.

  "And then old Mother Nature came down across the Green Meadows. FirstMr. Gray Squirrel took her to his storehouse and she counted histhousand nuts. Then Mr. Fox Squirrel led her to his storehouse and shecounted his thousand nuts. Then Mr. Red Squirrel showed her hisstore-house and she counted his thousand nuts.

  "Last of all Mr. Chipmunk led her to his secret store-house and showedher the pile of nuts he had worked so hard to get. Old Mother Naturedidn't need to count them to see that there were not a thousand there.

  "'I've done the best I could,' said Mr. Chipmunk bravely, and hetrembled all over, he was so tired.

  "Old Mother Nature said never a word but went out on the Green Meadowsand sent the Merry Little Breezes to call together all the littlemeadow people and all the little forest folks. When they had allgathered before her she suddenly turned to Mr. Gray Squirrel.

  "'Go bring me a hundred nuts from your store-house,' said she.

  "Then she turned to Mr. Fox Squirrel.

  "'Go bring me a hundred nuts from your store-house,' said she.

  "Last of all she called Mr. Red Squirrel out where all could see him.Mr. Red Squirrel crept out very slowly. His teeth chattered and histail, of which he was so proud, dragged on the ground, for you see Mr.Red Squirrel had something on his mind.

  "Then old Mother Nature told how she had ordered each squirrel to getand store for her a thousand nuts. She told just how selfish Mr. GraySquirrel and Mr. Fox Squirrel had been. She told just how hard Mr.Chipmunk had worked and then she told how part of his precious storehad been stolen.

  "'And there,' said old Mother Nature in a loud voice so that every oneshould hear, 'there is the thief!'

  "Then she commanded Mr. Red Squirrel to go to his store-house and bringher half of the biggest and best nuts he had there!

  "Mr. Red Squirrel sneaked off with his head hanging, and began to bringthe nuts. And as he tramped back and forth, back and forth, all thelittle meadow people and all the little forest folks pointed theirfingers at him and cried 'Thief! Thief! Thief!'

  "When all the nuts had been brought to her by Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr.Fox Squirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel, old Mother Nature gathered them allup and put them in the secret store-house of Mr. Chipmunk. Then sheset Mr. Chipmunk up on an old stump where all could see him and shesaid:

  "'Mr. Chipmunk, because you have been faithful, because you have beencheerful, because you have done your best, henceforth you shall havetwo pockets, one in each cheek, so that you can carry two nuts at once,that you may not have to work so hard the next time I tell you to storea thousand nuts.'

  "And all the little meadow people and all the little forest folksshouted 'Hurrah for Mr. Chipmunk!' All but his cousins, Mr. GraySquirrel and Mr. Fox Squirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel, who hid themselvesfor shame.

  "And ever since that time long ago, when the world was young, theChipmunks have had pockets in their cheeks.

  "You can't fool old Mother Nature," concluded Great-Grandfather Frog."No, Sir, you can't fool old Mother Nature and it's no use to try."

  "Thank you, thank you," cried the Merry Little Breezes, clapping theirhands. Then they all raced across the Green Meadows to shake down somemore nuts for Striped Chipmunk.