Whiffet Squirrel | Page 3

trunk again. This time they were more careful. They
succeeded in getting it safely to the window sill, but to hoist it to the
tree branch was too risky a feat for them to try, so Whiffet decided to
open the trunk and see what was inside. She lifted up the lid very softly
and found that it contained enough pretty clothes for a whole doll
family. In one of the trays was a doll's tiny white hand mirror, comb,
brush and powder puff. Whiffet was so taken up with these things she
nearly forgot everything else, but Skiffet reminded her that they had
better carry the doll's clothes home at once as it was getting late and
Polly might wake up any minute.
They had to make several trips but at last the trunk was emptied; they
shut down the lid and left it standing on the window sill. There was
much excitement over the new clothes and Father and Mother Squirrel
were as delighted as the children. I wish you could have seen the
Squirrel family all dressed up in their finery. Skiffet fell in love with a
cunning red sweater, and Skud took possession of a tiny pair of blue
overalls.
As for Whiffet she became very vain. She looked into the mirror every
day and powdered her nose regularly. She was very proud of a pale
blue evening dress which she found in the bottom of the little trunk,
and with slippers to match, her bliss was complete.
Two or three days later little Polly went to her doll's trunk to get a dress
that she wanted and was very much surprised to find the trunk entirely
empty. She hunted everywhere but not a single one of the things could
she find. Polly felt very badly at the loss of her doll's clothes but
especially missed the doll's toilet articles as they were the only ones she
had. The mystery was not solved until one day late in the month of
October, when the leaves began to fall. Tom was looking up in the
chestnut tree when he caught a glimpse of the bird house. "I wonder if
any birds did use it" thought Tom. He climbed up and peeped in the
little round doors. The two little cubby holes at the back were full of
chestnuts and in a corner of each room lay a pile of doll's clothes. "Oh

Polly," he shouted, "come here quick; I've found out who stole your
doll's clothes. It's the squirrels." Polly came running; with Tom's help
she climbed the tree and peeped into the house. (Of course the Squirrel
family were all out walking when this happened). "Did you ever" she
cried. "The mischievous little rascals. What do you suppose they
wanted them for?" She reached her little hand through the "bedroom"
door and picked up a pile of the doll's clothes. Underneath she found
the little mirror, brush, comb, and powder puff where Whiffet had
carefully hidden them. Polly was delighted to find her treasures. "I will
take these home," she said, "but I will leave the doll's clothes, for no
doll would care to wear them now." "We'd better climb down" said
Tom, "for the squirrels can't be far away and we don't want to scare
them off." "I wonder what became of the 'FOR RENT' sign," said Polly.
Just then a big red squirrel came scolding and chattering down the tree
trunk towards them. (It was Father Squirrel). Tom and Polly climbed
down quickly.
That night when Whiffet went to look for her mirror and powder puff
she exclaimed angrily, stamping her little blue slippered foot, "the
nerve of some people."
So now Whiffet has to go without powdering her nose, and she can't
tell when her hat is on straight for she has no mirror. Skiffet and Skud
have left off combing their top "Fur" as they have no comb or brush,
but I'm sure that Polly's doll is very glad indeed to get her own tiny
things again.

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SQUIRREL***
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