Hazel Squirrel | Page 3

a good place for a little rest. She was beginning to feel very tired.
Bushy-Tail had lost the handkerchief off his tail, too, and it was hurting
again. So the two little squirrels rolled themselves up into two dear,
little balls and Hazel spread her lovely tail over them to keep the wind
off, and before you could say "Jack Robinson" they were both sound
asleep.
When Mr. Smith came back after his hat you can imagine how
surprised he was to find it had a new fur lining. "How I wish Alice
could see them," he thought. Then, very carefully, so as not to frighten
them, he spread his coat over them and started for home with a queer
shaped bundle in his arms.
"Guess what I have," he cried as his little girl ran to the door to meet
him.

"Ice cream," she screamed.
"Guess again!"
"Kittens."
"You're warmer," he said, "but not right yet."
Then, as he carefully lifted up his coat, "baby squirrel," she cried, and
clapped her hands and jumped up and down for joy.
Of course the ride had awakened the squirrels. They were still more
frightened to be in this strange house with strange people standing
around looking at them. They huddled very close together inside the hat
and would not eat the nuts Alice brought them. Have you ever been so
scared you could not eat?
"Don't you think they would be more comfortable in a regular bed?"
Alice asked her father and he agreed heartily.
So she ran and got her doll's cradle and tucked them in carefully
between the white sheets and rocked them just a little, so they would
think they were in the branches of a tree and feel more at home. Alice's
mother had to remind her several times it was her bed-time, too, she did
so hate to leave her dear little play-fellows.
By and by Mother Moon looked in at the window. Quick as a flash
both squirrels jumped out of the cradle and ran to ask her the shortest
way home. They found the window just a little open. You can imagine
they did not stop to say good-bye to Alice or think to thank her for the
supper they had not eaten.
Outside everything looked very strange and unreal. They had never
been out alone at night before. Do you know why everything looks so
different at night, even though it is most as light as day? It is because
the shadows the moon makes are blacker and each one seems to hide
something alive.

[Illustration: SHE ROCKED THEM IN HER DOLL'S CRADLE]
Hazel and Bushy-Tail ran as fast as their little legs could carry them.
They were too scared to even ask Mrs. Moon the shortest way home.
Presently it began to rain and Mrs. Moon went inside to get out of the
wet. Two little streams of tears began to roll down Hazel's cheeks. If
you have never been home-sick, you have no way of knowing how
unhappy these poor, little, lost squirrels were. It is a much worse pain
than cutting one's finger. Something hurt Bushy-Tail inside so much he
wanted to cry, too. But he had to be brave and try and comfort little
Hazel. Besides, they had only one handkerchief now. You remember
Hazel had tied hers around his sore tail and he had lost it.
Presently they came to the edge of a woods. But Hazel would not
venture in. She was afraid some robin would think they were the "babes
in the woods" and cover them with leaves. "Such queer things are
happening to us now," she said.
Mr. Bat was passing by and he saw them huddled together between the
rails of a fence. Thinking they were the lost children of his neighbor,
Mrs. Squirrel, he hurried off to tell her.
[Illustration: MR. BAT SAW THEM HUDDLED TOGETHER]
Now, only the week before two of this poor lady's little ones had got
caught in a trap. She had scolded, coaxed and begged the farmer's boys
not to carry them off, but they had paid no attention to her. And when
Mr. Bat told her what he had seen she jumped right out of bed and ran
down the tree without stopping to take an umbrella or put on her
rubbers even.
Of course she was disappointed when she saw only Hazel and
Bushy-Tail!
"They are city squirrels," she told Mr. Bat. "We have only red ones
here in the woods. I can't imagine how these little squirrels got so far
from home alone."

"How worried their mothers must be," she thought to herself and that
settled it. She took them by the shoulders and shook them very gently
and when they opened their eyes and saw the fire-fly