THE THRIFTY DEER MOUSE
When the days grew short and chilly, and bleak winds blew out of thegreat blue-gray cloud banks in the west, many of the forest people wentto sleep for the winter. And not only they, but over in the meadow theTree Frog and the Garter Snake had already crawled out of sight and weredreaming sweetly. The song birds had long before this started south, andthe banks of the pond and its bottom of comfortable soft mud held manysleepers. Under the water the Frogs had snuggled down in groups out ofsight. Some of the Turtles were there also, and some were in the bank.
The Ground Hogs had grown stupid and dozy before the last leavesfluttered to the ground, and had been the first of the fur-bearers togo to bed for the winter. There were so many interesting things to seeand do in the late fall days that they tried exceedingly hard to keepawake.
A Weasel was telling a Ground Hog something one day--and it was avery interesting piece of gossip, only it was rather unkind, and somight better not be told here--when he saw the Ground Hog winkingvery slow and sleepy winks and letting his head droop lower and lower.Once he asked him if he understood. The Ground Hog jumped and openedhis eyes very wide indeed, and said: "Oh, yes, yes! Perfectly!Oh-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah." His yawn didn't look so big as it sounds, becausehis mouth was so small.
He tried to act politely interested, but just as the Weasel reached themost exciting part of his story, the Ground Hog rolled over soundasleep. The next day he said "good-by" to his friends, wished them ahappy winter, and said he might see some of them before spring, as heshould come out once to make the weather. "I only hope I shall awaken intime," he said, "but I am fat enough to sleep until the violets are up."
He had to be fat, you know, to last him through the cold weather withouteating. He was so stout that he could hardly waddle, his big,loose-skinned body dragged when he walked, and was even shakier thanever. He really couldn't hurry by jumping and he was so short of breaththat he could barely whistle when he went into his hole.
The Raccoons went after the Ground Hog and the Skunks were later still.They never slept so very long, and said they didn't really need to atall, and wouldn't except that they had nothing to do and it madehousekeeping easier. It saved so much not to have to go out to theirmeals in the coldest weather.
When the large people were safely out of the way, the smaller ones hadtheir best times. The Muskrats were awake, but they had their big housesto eat and were not likely to trouble Mice and Squirrels. There was notmuch to fear except Owls and Weasels. The Ground Hogs had once tried toget the Great Horned Owl to go south when the Cranes did, and he hadlaughed in their faces. "To-whoo!" said he. "Not I! I'm not afraid ofcold weather. You don't know how warm feathers are. I never wearanything else. Furs are all right, but they are not feathers."
He and his relatives sat all day in their holes, and seldom flew outexcept at night. Sometimes, when the day was not too bright, they madeshort trips out for luncheon. It was very unfortunate for any Mouse tobe near at those times.
Now the snow had fallen and the beautiful still cold days had come. TheWeasels' fur had changed from brown to white, as it does in coldcountries in winter. The Chipmunks had taken their last scamper untilearly spring, and were living, each alone, in their comfortable burrows.They were most independent and thrifty. No one ever heard of a Chipmunklacking food unless some robber had carried off his nuts and corn. TheMice think that it must be very dull for a Chipmunk to stay by himselfall winter, since he does not sleep steadily. The Chipmunks do not findit so. One of them said: "Dull? I never find it dull. When I am awake, Ieat or clean my fur or think. If I had any one staying with me he mightrouse me when I want to sleep, or pick the nut that I want for myself,or talk when I am thinking. No, thank you, I will go calling when I wantcompany."
THE MICE MAKE WINTER THEIR PLAYTIME. _Page 195_]
The Mice make winter their playtime. Then the last summer's babies areall grown up and able to look out for themselves, and the fathers andmother's have a chance to rest. The Meadow Mice come together in bigparties and build groups of snug winter homes under the snow of themeadow, with many tiny covered walks leading from one to another. Theirfood is all around them--grass roots and brown seeds--and there is somuch of it that they never quarrel to see who shall have this root andwho shall have that. They sleep during the daytime and awaken to eat andvisit and have a good time at night.
Sometimes they are awakened in the daytime, as they were when the Grousebroke through the snow near them. That was an accident, and the Grousefelt very sorry about it. They had snuggled down in a cozy family partynear by, and were just starting out for a stroll one morning when theeldest son stumbled and fell and crushed through the snow into thelittle settlement of Meadow Mice.
The young Grouse was much ashamed of his awkwardness. "I am so sorry,"he said. "I'm not used to my snow-shoes yet. This is the first winter Ihave worn them."
"That is all right," said the Oldest Mouse politely. "It must be hard tomanage them at first. We hope you will have better luck after this."Then they bowed to each other and the Grouse walked off to join hisbrothers and sisters, lifting his feet with their newly grown feathersnow-shoes very high at every step. The Meadow Mice went to work to maketheir homes neat again, yet they never looked really right until thatsnow had melted and more had fallen. One might think that the MeadowMice and the Grouse would care less for each other after that, but itwas not so. It never is so if people who make trouble are quick to saythat they are sorry, and those who were hurt will keep patient andforgiving.
It was only the night after this happened that one of the Deer Mice hada great fright. His home was in a Bee tree in the forest. The Bees andhe had always been the best of friends, and now that they were keepingclose to their honeycomb all winter, the Deer Mouse had taken a smallroom in the same tree. It helped to keep him warm when he slept close tothe Bees, for there was always some heat coming from their bodies. Oncein a while, too, he took a nibble of honey, and they did not mind.
The Deer Mouse did not keep much of his own winter food where he lived.He had a few beechnuts near by, and when the weather was very stormyindeed he ate some of these. There was room for many more in thestoreroom (another hole in the Bee tree), but he liked to keep food inmany places. "It is wiser," said he. "Supposing I had them all here andthis tree should be blown down, and it should fall in such a way that Icouldn't reach the hole. What would I do then?"
He was talking to a Rabbit when he said this. The Rabbit never stored upfood himself, yet he sometimes told other people how he thought itshould be done. He was sure it would be better to have all the nuts inone place as the Chipmunks did. And now that the Deer Mouse had givenhis reasons, he was just as sure as ever. "The Bee tree is not verylikely to blow down in that way," said he. "There is not much danger."
"Not much, but some," answered the Deer Mouse. "Hollow trees fall morequickly than solid ones. You may store your food where you please andI'll take care of mine."
The Deer Mouse spoke very decidedly, although he was perfectly polite.His beautiful brown eyes looked squarely at the Rabbit, and you couldtell by the position of his slender long tail that he was much inearnest. The Rabbit went home.
The Deer Mouse put away hundreds and hundreds of beechnuts. These hetook carefully out of their shells and laid in nicely lined holes intree-trunks. He used leaves for lining these places. Besides keepingfood in the trees, he hid little piles of nuts under stones and logs,and tucked seeds into chinks of fences or tiny pockets in the ground. Hehad worked in the wheatfield after the grain was cut, picking up andcarrying away the stray kernels which had fallen from the sheaves. Henever counted the places where food was stored, but he was happy inthinking about them. When he lay down to sleep in the morning he alwaysknew where the next night's meals were coming from. There was not athriftier, happier person in the forest. He was gentle, good-natured,and exceedingly businesslike. He was also very handsome, with large earsand white belly and feet.
The night after his cousins, th
e Meadow Mice, had been so frightened bythe Grouse, this Deer Mouse started out for a good time. He called onthe Meadow Mice, ate a chestnut which he dug up in the edge of theforest, scampered up a fence-post and tasted of his hidden wheat to besure that it was keeping well, and then went to the tree where most ofhis beechnuts were stored. He was not quite certain that he wanted toeat one, but he wished to be sure that they were all right before hewent on. He had been invited to a party by some other Deer Mice, and so,you see, it wouldn't do for him to spoil his appetite. They would besure to have refreshments at the party.
"I suppose they are all right," said he, as he started to run up thetree; "still it is just as well to be sure."
"My whiskers!" he exclaimed, when he reached the hole. "If that isn'tjust like a Red Squirrel!"
The opening into the tree had been barely large enough for him tosqueeze through, and now he could pass in without crushing his fur.Around the edge of it were many marks of sharp teeth. Somebody hadwanted to get in and had not found the doorway large enough. The DeerMouse went inside and sat on his beechnuts. Then he thought and thoughtand thought. He knew very well that it was a Red Squirrel, for the RedSquirrels are not so thrifty as most of the nut-eaters. They make agreat fuss about gathering food in the fall, and frisk and chatter andscold if anybody else comes where they are busy. For all that, theChipmunks and the Deer Mice work much harder than they. It is notalways the person who makes the greatest fuss, you know, who does themost.
A Red Squirrel is usually out of food long before spring comes, andafter that he takes whatever he can lay his paws on. Sometimes theChipmunks tell them that they should be ashamed of themselves and workharder. Then the Red Squirrels sigh and answer, "Oh, that is all verywell for you to say, still you must remember that we have not such cheekpouches as you."
The Deer Mouse thought of these things. "Cheek pouches!" cried he. "Ihave no cheek pouches, but I lay up my own food. It is only an excusewhen they say that. I don't think much of people who make excuses."
He passed through the doorway several times to see just how big it was.He found it was not yet large enough for a Red Squirrel. Then hescampered over the snow to a friend's home. "I'm not going to theparty," said he. "I have some work to do."
"Work?" said the friend. "Work? In winter?" But before he had finishedspeaking his caller had gone.
All night long the Deer Mouse carried beechnuts from the oldhiding-place to a new one. He wore quite a path in the snow between onetree and the other. His feet were tiny, but there were four of them, andhis long tail dragged after him. It was not far that he had to go. Thenew place was one which he had looked at before. It was in a maple tree,and had a long and very narrow opening leading to the storeroom. It washaving to go so far into the tree that had kept the Deer Mouse fromusing it before. Now he liked it all the better for having this.
"If that Red Squirrel ever gnaws his way in here," he said, "he won'thave any teeth left for eating."
When the sun rose, the Deer Mouse went to sleep in the maple tree. TheRed Squirrel came and gnawed at the opening into his old storeroom. Ifhe had gnawed all day he would surely have gotten in. As it was, he hadto spend much time hunting for food. He found some frozen apples stillhanging in the orchard, and bit away at them until he reached the seedsinside. He found one large acorn, but it was old and tasted musty. Healso squabbled with another Red Squirrel and chased him nearly to thefarmyard. Then Collie heard them and chased him most of the way back.
When night came and he ran off to sleep in his hollow tree, he had madethe hole almost, but not quite, large enough. He could smell thebeechnuts inside, and it made him hungry to think how good they wouldtaste. "I will get up early to-morrow morning and come here," he said."I can gnaw my way in before breakfast, and then!"
He went off in fine leaps to his home and was soon sound asleep. Insummer he often frolicked around half of the night, but now it was cold,and when the sun went down he liked to get home quickly and wrap upwarmly in his tail. The Red Squirrel was hardly out of sight when theDeer Mouse came along his path in the snow and up to his old storeroom.His dainty white feet shook a little as he climbed, and he hardly daredlook in for fear of finding the hole empty. You can guess how happy hewas to find everything safe.
All night long he worked, and when morning came it was a very tiredlittle Deer Mouse who carried his last beechnut over the trodden path toits safe new resting place. He was tired but he was happy.
There was just one other thing that he wanted to do. He wanted to seethat Red Squirrel when he found the beechnuts gone. He waited near byfor him to come. It was a beautiful, still winter morning when thehoar-frost clung to all the branches, and the shadows which fell uponthe snow looked fairly blue, it was so cold. The Deer Mouse croucheddown upon his dainty feet to keep them warm, and wrapped his tailcarefully around to help.
Along came the Red Squirrel, dashing finely and not noticing the DeerMouse at all. A few leaps brought him to the tree, a quick run took himto the hole, and then he began to gnaw. The Deer Mouse was growingsleepy and decided not to wait longer. He ran along near the RedSquirrel. "Oh, good-morning!" said he. "Beautiful day! I see you aregetting that hole ready to use. Hope you will like it. I liked it verywell for a while, but I began to fear it wasn't safe."
"Wh-what do you mean?" asked the Red Squirrel sternly. He had seen theDeer Mouse's eyes twinkle and he was afraid of a joke.
"Oh," answered the Deer Mouse with a careless whisk of his tail, "I hadsome beechnuts there until I moved them."
"You had!" exclaimed the Red Squirrel. He did not gnaw any after that.He suddenly became very friendly. "You couldn't tell me where to findfood, I suppose," said he. "I'd eat almost anything."
The Deer Mouse thought for a minute. "I believe," said he, "that youwill find plenty in the farmer's barn, but you must look out for theDog."
"Thank you," said the Red Squirrel. "I will go."
"There!" said the Deer Mouse after he had whisked out of sight. "He hasgone to steal from the farmer. Still, men have so very much that theyought to share with Squirrels."
And that, you know, is true.
THE HUMMING-BIRD AND THE HAWK-MOTH
The Hawk-Moths are acquainted with nearly everybody and are greatsociety people. They are invited to companies given by the daylight set,and also to parties given at night by those who sleep during the day.This is not because the Hawk-Moths are always awake. Oh dear, no! Thereis nobody in pond, forest, meadow, marsh, or even in houses, who can bewell and strong and happy without plenty of sleep.
The Hawk-Moths were awake more or less during the day, but it was notuntil the sun was low in the western sky that they were busiest. Whenevery tree had a shadow two or three times as long as the tree itself,then one heard the whir-r-r of wings and the Hawk-Moths darted past.They staid up long after the daylight people went to bed. The Catbird,who sang from the tip of the topmost maple tree branch long after mostof his bird friends were asleep, said that when he tucked his head underhis wing the Hawk-Moths were still flying. In that way, of course, theybecame acquainted with the people of the night-time.
There was one fine large Hawk-Moth who used to be a Tomato Worm when hewas young, although he really fed as much upon potato vines as upontomato plants. He was handsome from the tip of his long, slendersucking-tongue to the tip of his trim, gray body. His wings were pointedand light gray in color, with four blackish lines across the hind ones.His body was also gray, and over it and his wings were many daintymarkings of black or very dark gray. On the back part of it he had tensquare yellow spots edged with black. There were also twenty tiny whitespots there, but he did not care so much for them. He always felt badlyto think that his yellow spots showed so little. That couldn't behelped, of course, and he should have been thankful to have them at all.
Another thing which troubled him was the fact that he couldn't see hisown yellow spots. He would have given a great deal to do so. He couldsee the yellow spots of other Hawk-Moths who had been Tomato Worms whenh
e was, but that was not like seeing his own. He had tried and tried,and it always ended in the same way--his eyes were tired and his backached. His body was so much stouter and stiffer than that of hisbutterfly cousins that he could not bend it easily.
When he got to thinking about his yellow spots he often flew away tothe farmer's potato-fields, where the young Tomato Worms were feeding.He would fly around them and cry out: "Look at my yellow spots. Are theynot fine?" Then he would dart away to the vegetable-garden and balancehimself in the air over the tomato plants. The humming of his wingswould make the Tomato Worms there look up, and he would say: "If you aregood little Worms and eat a great deal, you may some day become fineMoths like me and have ten yellow spots apiece."
Sometimes he even went down to the corner where the farmer had tobaccoplants growing, and showed his yellow spots to the Tomato Worms there.He never went anywhere else, for these worms do not care for otherthings to eat. Everywhere that he went the Tomato Worms exclaimed: "Oh!Oh! What beautiful yellow spots! What wonderful yellow spots!" When heflew away they would not eat for a while, but rested on their fatpro-legs, raised the front part of their bodies in the air, folded theirsix little real legs under their chins, and thought and thought andthought. They always sat in that position when they were thinking, andthey had a great many cousins who did the same thing. It was a habitwhich ran in the family.
When other people saw them sitting in this way, with their real legscrossed under their chins, they always cried: "Look at the Sphinxes!"although not one of them knew what a Sphinx really was. And that wasjust one of their habits. This was why the Hawk-Moths were sometimescalled Sphinx-Moths.
It was not kind in the Hawk-Moth to come and make the Tomato Wormsdiscontented. If he had stayed away, they would have thought it theloveliest thing in the world to be fat green Tomato Worms with twosorts of legs and each with a horn standing up on the hind end of hisbody. That is not the usual place for horns, still it does very well,and these horns are worn only for looks. They are never used for pokingor stinging.
Before the Hawk-Moth came to visit them, the Tomato Worms had thought itwould be quiet, and restful, and pleasant to lie all winter in theirshining brown pupa-cases in the ground, waiting for the spring to finishturning them into Moths. Now they were so impatient to get their yellowspots that they could hardly bear the idea of waiting. They did not evencare about the long, slender tongue-case which every Tomato-Worm has onhis pupa-case, and which looks like a handle to it.
One day the Tomato Worms told the Ruby-throated Humming-Bird about allthis. The Humming-Bird was a very sensible fellow, and would no doubthave been a hard-working husband and father if his wife had not been soindependent. He had been a most devoted lover, and helped build acharming nest of fern-wool and plant-down, and cover it with beautifulgray-green lichens. When done it was about as large as half of a hen'segg, and a morning-glory blossom would have more than covered it. Thelichens were just the color of the branch on which it rested, and onecould hardly see where it was. That is the nicest thing to be said abouta nest. If a bird ever asks you what you think of his nest, and you wishto say something particularly agreeable, you must stare at the tree andask: "Where is it?" Then, when he has shown it to you, you may speak ofthe soft lining, or the fine weaving, or the stout way in which it isfastened to the branches.
After this nest was finished and the two tiny white eggs laid in it,Mrs. Humming-Bird cared for nothing else. She would not gohoney-hunting with her husband, or play in the air with him as she usedto do. He tried to coax her by darting down toward her as she satcovering her eggs, and by squeaking the sweetest things he could thinkof into her ear, but she acted as though she cared more for the eggsthan for him, and did not even squeak sweet things back. So, of course,he went away, and let her hatch and bring up her children as she chose.It was certainly her fault that he left her. She might not have beenable to leave the eggs, but she could have squeaked.
Now that the Ruby-throated Humming-Bird had no home cares, he made manycalls on his friends. They were very short calls, for he would seldomsit down, yet he heard and told much news while he balanced himself inthe air with his tiny feet curled up and his wings moving so fast thatone could not see them.
When the Tomato Worms told him how they felt about the Hawk-Moth'syellow spots, he became very indignant. "Those poor young worms!" hesaid to himself. "It is a shame, and something must be done about it."
The more he thought, the angrier he became, and his feathers fairlystood on end. He hardly knew what he was doing, and ran his long,slender bill into the same flowers several times, although he had takenall the honey from them at first.
That night, when the sun had set and the silvery moon was peeping abovea violet-colored cloud in the eastern sky, the Ruby-throatedHumming-Bird sat on the tip of a spruce-tree branch and waited for theHawk-Moth.
"I hope nobody else will hear me talking," said he. "It would sound sosilly if I were overheard." He sat very still, his tiny feet clutchingthe branch tightly. It was late twilight now and really time that heshould go to sleep, but he had decided that if he could possibly keepawake he would teach the Hawk-Moth a lesson.
"I wish he would hurry," said he. "I can hardly keep my eyes open." Hedid not yawn because he had not the right kind of mouth for it. You knowa yawn ought to be nearly round. His beak would have made one a great,great many times higher than it was wide, and that would have beenexceedingly unbecoming to him.
Yellow evening primroses grew near the spruce-tree, and the tall stalkswere opening their flowers for the night. Above the seed-pods and belowthe buds on each stalk two, three, or four blossoms were slowlyunfolding. The Ruby-throated Humming-Bird did not often stay up longenough to see this, and he watched the four smooth yellow petals of oneuntwist themselves until they were free to spring wide open. He hadwatched five blossoms when he heard the Hawk-Moth coming. Then he dartedtoward the primroses and balanced himself daintily before one while hesucked honey from it.
Whir-r-r-r! The Hawk-Moth was there. "Good evening," said he. "Ratherlate for you, isn't it?"
"It is a little," answered the Humming-Bird. "Growing a bit chilly, too,isn't it? I should think you'd be cold without feathers. Mine are such acomfort. Feel as good as they look, and that is saying a great deal."
The Hawk-Moth balanced himself before another primrose and seemed tocare more about sucking honey up his long tongue-tube than he did abouttalking.
THE HUMMING-BIRD AND THE HAWK-MOTH. _Page 218_]
"I think it is a great thing to have a touch of bright color, too," saidthe Humming-Bird. "The beautiful red spot on my throat looksparticularly warm and becoming when the weather is cool. You ought tohave something of the sort."
"I have yellow spots--ten of them," answered the Hawk-Moth sulkily.
"You have?" exclaimed the Humming-Bird in the most surprised way. "Ohyes! I think I do remember something about them. It is a pity they don'tshow more. Mrs. Humming-Bird never wears bright colors. She says itwould not do. People would see her on her nest if she did. Excepting thered spot, she is dressed like me--white breast, green back and head, andblack wings and tail. Green is another good color. You should wear somegreen."
The Hawk-Moth murmured that he didn't see any particular use in wearinggreen.
"Oh," said the Humming-Bird, "it is just the thing to wear--neat, neverlooks dusty" (here the Hawk-Moth drew back, for his own wings, youknow, were almost dust color), "and matches the leaves perfectly."
The Hawk-Moth said something about having to go and thinking that theprimrose honey was not so good as usual.
"I thought it excellent," said the Humming-Bird. "Perhaps you do not getit so easily as I. Ah yes, you use a tongue-tube. What different waysdifferent people do have. Now I like honey, but I could not live manydays on that alone. What I care most for is the tiny insects that I findeating it. And you cannot eat meat. What a pity! I must say that youseem to make the best of it, though, and do fairly well. Oh, must yougo? Well, good
night."
The Hawk-Moth flew away feeling very much disgusted. He had alwaysthought himself the most beautiful person in the neighborhood. He ratherthought so still. Yet it troubled him to know that others did not thinkso, and he began to remember how many times he had heard people admirethe Ruby-throated Humming-Bird. He never liked him after that. Butneither did he brag.
The young Tomato Worms soon forgot what the Hawk-Moth had said to them,and became happy and contented once more. The Ruby-throated Humming-Birdnever cared to talk about it, yet he was once heard to say that he wouldrather offend the Hawk-Moth and even make him a little unhappy than tohave him bothering the poor little Tomato Worms all the time.
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