Mother West Winds Children | Page 3

Happy Jack
Squirrel one day went to his snug little hollow in the big chestnut tree
where he stores his nuts and discovered half had been stolen. Then
Striped Chipmunk lost the greater part of his winter store of corn. A fat
trout was stolen from Billy Mink.

"It was a terrible time, for every one suspected every one else, and no
one on the Green Meadows was happy.
"One evening Mr. Meadow Mouse went for a stroll along the Crooked
Little Path up the hill. It was dark, very dark indeed. But just as he
passed Striped Chipmunk's granary, the place where he stores his
supply of corn and acorns for the winter, Mr. Meadow Mouse met his
cousin, Mr. Wharf Rat. Now Mr. Wharf Rat was very big and strong
and Mr. Meadow Mouse had for a long time looked up to and admired
him.
"'Good evening, Cousin Meadow Mouse,' said Mr. Wharf Rat,
swinging a bag down from his shoulder. 'Will you do a favor for me?'
"Now Mr. Meadow Mouse felt very much flattered, and as he was a
very obliging fellow anyway, he promptly said he would.
"'All right,' said Mr. Wharf Rat. 'I'm going to get you to tote this bag
down the Crooked Little Path to the hollow chestnut tree. I've got an
errand back on top of the hill.'
"So Mr. Meadow Mouse picked up the bag, which was very heavy, and
swung it over his shoulder. Then he started down the Crooked Little
Path. Half way down he met Striped Chipmunk.
"'Good evening, Mr. Meadow Mouse,' said Striped Chipmunk. 'What
are you toting in the bag across your shoulder?'
"Now, of course, Mr. Meadow Mouse didn't know what was in the bag
and he didn't like to admit that he was working for another, for he was
very proud, was Mr. Meadow Mouse.
"So he said: 'Just a planting of potatoes I begged from Jimmy Skunk,
just a planting of potatoes, Striped Chipmunk.'
"Now no one had ever suspected Mr. Meadow Mouse of stealing--no
indeed! Striped Chipmunk would have gone his way and thought no
more about it, had it not happened that there was a hole in the bag and

from it something dropped at his feet. Striped Chipmunk picked it up
and it wasn't a potato. It was a fat acorn. Striped Chipmunk said
nothing but slipped it into his pocket.
"'Good night,' said Mr. Meadow Mouse, once more shouldering the
bag.
"'Good night,' said Striped Chipmunk.
"No sooner had Mr. Meadow Mouse disappeared in the darkness down
the Crooked Little Path than Striped Chipmunk hurried to his granary.
Some one had been there and stolen all his acorns!
"Then Striped Chipmunk ran to the house of his cousin, Happy Jack
Squirrel, and told him how the acorns had been stolen from his granary
and how he had met Mr. Meadow Mouse with a bag over his shoulder
and how Mr. Meadow Mouse had said that he was toting home a
planting of potatoes he had begged from Jimmy Skunk. 'And this,' said
Striped Chipmunk, holding out the fat acorn, 'is what fell out of the
bag.'
"Then Striped Chipmunk and Happy Jack Squirrel hurried over to
Jimmy Skunk's house, and, just as they expected, they found that Mr.
Meadow Mouse had not begged a planting of potatoes of Jimmy
Skunk.
"So Striped Chipmunk and Happy Jack Squirrel and Jimmy Skunk
hurried over to Mr. Rabbit's and told him all about Mr. Meadow Mouse
and the bag of potatoes that dropped acorns. Mr. Rabbit looked very
grave, very grave indeed. Then Striped Chipmunk and Happy Jack
Squirrel and Jimmy Skunk and Mr. Rabbit started to tell Mr. Coon,
who was cousin to old King Bear.
"On the way they met Hooty the Owl, and because he could fly softly
and quickly, they sent Hooty the Owl to tell all the meadow people who
were awake to come to the hollow chestnut tree. So Hooty the Owl
flew away to tell all the little meadow people who were awake to meet
at the hollow chestnut tree.

"When they reached the hollow chestnut tree whom should they find
there but Mr. Meadow Mouse fast asleep beside the bag he had brought
for Mr. Wharf Rat, who had wisely stayed away.
"Very softly Striped Chipmunk stole up and opened the bag. Out fell
his store of fat acorns. Then they waked Mr. Meadow Mouse and
marched him off to old Mother Nature, where they charged him with
being a thief.
"Old Mother Nature listened to all they had to say. She saw the bag of
acorns and she heard how Mr. Meadow Mouse had said that he had a
planting of potatoes. Then she asked him if he had stolen the acorns.
Yes, Sir, she