Sammy Jay promised to go straight to Happy Jack and warn him thatShadow the Weasel was back in the Green Forest, and off he started,screaming the news as he flew, so that all the little people in theGreen Forest might know. Chatterer listened a few minutes and thenstarted on.
"Where shall I go?" he muttered. "Where shall I go? I don't dare stay inthe Green Forest, for now Shadow will never rest until he catches me."
IV CHATTERER LEAVES THE GREEN FOREST
Chatterer was in a peck of trouble. Yes, Sir, he was in a peck oftrouble. There was no doubt about it. "Oh, dear! Oh, dear! If only I hadkept my tongue still! If only I had kept my tongue still!" he keptsaying over and over to himself, as he hurried through the Green Forest.You see, Chatterer was just beginning to realize what a lot of troublean unruly tongue can get one into. Here it was cold weather, the veryedge of winter, and Chatterer didn't dare stay in the Green Forest wherehe had always made his home. His storehouses were full of nuts and seedsand corn, enough and more than enough to keep him in comfort allwinter, and now he must turn his back on them and go he didn't knowwhere, and all because of his mean disposition and bad tongue.
If he hadn't called Bobby Coon names that morning at the top of hisvoice, Shadow the Weasel might not have found him. He knew that Shadowhas a long memory, and that he would never forget the trick by whichChatterer had escaped, and so the only way Chatterer would ever be ableto have a moment's peace would be to leave the Green Forest for as longas Shadow the Weasel chose to stay there. Chatterer shivered inside hiswarm, red fur coat as he thought of the long, cold winter and how hardit would be to find enough to eat. Was ever any one else in such adreadful fix?
Presently he came to the edge of the Green Forest. He sat down to restin the top of a tree where he could look off over the Green Meadows.Far, far away he could see the Purple Hills, behind which jolly, round,red Mr. Sun goes to bed every night. He could see the old stone wallthat separates Farmer Brown's cornfield from the Green Meadows. He couldsee Farmer Brown's house and barn and near them the Old Orchard whereJohnny Chuck had spent the summer with Polly Chuck and their babyChucks. He knew every nook and corner in the old stone wall and manytimes he had been to the Old Orchard. It was there that he had stolenthe eggs of Drummer the Woodpecker. He grinned at the thought of thoseeggs and how he had stolen them, and then he shivered as he rememberedhow he had finally been caught and how sharp the bills of Drummer andMrs. Drummer were.
But all that was in the past, and thinking about it wasn't going to helphim now. He had got to do something right away. Perhaps he might find aplace to live in the old stone wall, and there might, there just might,be enough grains of corn scattered over the ground of the cornfield forhim to lay up a supply, if he worked very hard and fast. Anyway, hewould have a look. So he hurried down from the tree and out along theold stone wall. His spirits began to rise as he whisked along, peeringinto every hole and jumping from stone to stone. It really seemed asthough he might find a snug home somewhere here. Then he rememberedsomething that made his heart sink again. He remembered having seenShadow the Weasel more than once exploring that very wall. Just aslikely as not he would do it again, for it was so very near the GreenForest. No, the old stone wall wouldn't do.
Just then along came Peter Rabbit. Peter saw right away that somethingwas wrong with Chatterer, and he wanted to know what it was. Chatterertold him. He felt that he had just got to tell some one. Peter lookedthoughtful. He scratched his long left ear with his long right hindfoot.
"You know there is another old stone wall up there by the Old Orchard,"said he. "It is pretty near Farmer Brown's house, and Black Pussy huntsthere a great deal, but you ought to be smart enough to keep out of herclutches."
"I should hope so!" exclaimed Chatterer scornfully. "I have never seena cat yet that I was afraid of! believe I'll go over and have a look atthat old wall, Peter Rabbit."
"I'll go with you," said Peter, and off they started together.
V CHATTERER FINDS A HOME
When your plans are upset and all scattered about Just make up your mind that you'll find a way out.
Peter rabbit went straight over to the old stone wall on the edge of theOld Orchard, lipperty-lipperty-lip so fast that it didn't take him longto get there. But Chatterer the Red Squirrel never feels really safe onthe ground unless there is something to climb close at hand, so he wenta long way round by way of the rail fence. He always did like to runalong a rail fence, and he wouldn't have minded it a bit this morningif he hadn't been in such a hurry. It seemed to him that he never wouldget there. But of course he did.
When he did get there, he found Peter Rabbit sitting on Johnny Chuck'sdoorstep, staring down Johnny Chuck's long hall. "They're asleep," saidhe, as Chatterer came up all out of breath. "I've thumped and thumpedand thumped, but it isn't the least bit of use. They are asleep, andthey'll stay asleep until Mistress Spring arrives. I can't understand itat all. No, Sir, I can't understand how anybody can be willing to missthis splendid cold weather."
Peter shook his head in a puzzled way and continued to stare down thelong empty hall. Of course he was talking about Johnny and Polly Chuck,who had gone to sleep for the winter. That sleeping business alwayspuzzles Peter. It seems to him like a terrible waste of time. ButChatterer had too much on his mind to waste time wondering how otherpeople could sleep all winter. He couldn't himself, and now that he hadbeen driven away from his own home in the Green Forest by fear of Shadowthe Weasel, he couldn't waste a minute. He must find a new home and thenspend every minute of daytime laying up a new store of food for the dayswhen everything would be covered with snow.
Up and down the length of the stone wall he scampered, looking for aplace to make a home, but nothing suited him. You know he likes best tomake his home in a tree. He isn't like Striped Chipmunk, who lives inthe ground. Poor Chatterer! He just couldn't see how he was going tolive in the old stone wall. He sat on top of a big stone to rest andthink it over. He was discouraged. Life didn't seem worth the livingjust then. He felt as if his heart had gone way down to his toes. Justthen his eyes saw something that made his heart come up again with agreat bound right where it ought to be, and just then Peter Rabbit camehopping along.
"Have you found a new home yet?" asked Peter.
"Yes," replied Chatterer, "I think I have.
"That's good," replied Peter. "I was sure you would find one over here.Where is it?"
Illustration: "Have you found a new home yet?" asked Peter.
Chatterer opened his mouth to tell Peter and then closed it with a snap.He remembered just in time how hard it is for Peter to keep a secret. Ifhe should tell Peter, it would be just like Peter to tell some one elsewithout meaning to, and then it might get back to Shadow the Weasel.
"I'm not going to tell you now, Peter Rabbit," said he. "You see, Idon't want anybody to know where it is until I am sure that it will do.But I'll tell you this much," he added, as he saw how disappointed Peterlooked, "I'm going to live right here."
Peter brightened up right away. You see, he thought that of courseChatterer meant that he had found a hole in the old stone wall, and hefelt very sure that he could find it by keeping watch. "That's good," hesaid again. "I'll come see you often. But watch out for Black Pussy; herclaws are very sharp. Now I think I'll be going back to the OldBriar-patch."
"Don't tell where I am," called Chatterer.
VI PETER RABBIT LISTENS TO THE WRONG VOICE
Peter Rabbit didn't play fair. No, Sir, Peter didn't play fair. Peoplewho have too much curiosity about other people's affairs seldom do playfair. He didn't mean to be unfair. Oh, my, no! Peter didn't mean to beunfair. When he left Chatterer the Red Squirrel sitting on the old stonewall on the edge of Farmer Brown's Old Orchard, he intended to gostraight home to the dear Old Briar-patch. He was a little disappointed,was Peter, that Chatterer hadn't told him just where his new house was.Not that it really mattered; he just wanted to know, that was all. Withevery jump away from the old stone wall, that desire to know
just whereChatterer's new house was seemed to grow. Peter stopped and looked back.He couldn't see Chatterer now, because the bushes hid him. And if hecouldn't see Chatterer, why of course Chatterer couldn't see him.
Peter sat down and began to pull his whiskers in a way he has when he istrying to decide something. It seemed as if two little voices werequarreling inside him. "Go along home like the good fellow you are andmind your own business," said one. "Steal back to the old wall and watchChatterer and so find out just where his new house is; he'll never knowanything about it, and there'll be no harm done," said the other littlevoice. It was louder than the first voice, and Peter liked the sound ofit.
"I believe I will," said he, and without waiting to hear what the firstlittle voice would say to that, he turned about and very carefully andsoftly tiptoed back to the old stone wall. Right near it was a thicklittle bush. It seemed to Peter that it must have grown there just togive him a hiding place. He crawled under it and lay very flat. He couldsee along the old stone wall in both directions. Chatterer was sittingjust where he had left him. He was looking in the direction that Peterhad gone when he had said good-by. Peter chuckled to himself. "He'swaiting to make sure I have gone before he goes to that new house ofhis," thought Peter. "This is the time I'll fool him."
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Peter Rabbit; this is none of yourbusiness," said that little small voice.
"You're not doing a bit of harm. Chatterer has no business to try tokeep his new house a secret, anyway," said the other little voiceinside. And because of his dreadful curiosity, Peter liked the sound ofthat voice best and listened to it, and after a while the first voicegrew discouraged and stopped.
Chatterer sat where he was for what seemed to Peter a very long time.But by and by he gave a sudden funny little flirt of his tail and ranalong the old wall a little way. Then with a hasty look around, hedisappeared in a hole. A minute later he popped his head out for anotherlook around and then disappeared again. He did this two or three timesas if anxious.
Peter chuckled to himself. "That's his new house right there," said heto himself, "and now that I know where it is, I think I'll hurry alonghome to the dear Old Briar-patch." He was just getting ready to startwhen Chatterer popped out of his hole and sat up on a big stone. He wastalking out loud, and Peter listened. Then his long ears began to burn,for this is what he heard:
"I'm glad that Peter's not a spy, For spies are hateful as can be; It's dreadful how some people try Affairs of other folks to see."
Chatterer whisked out of sight, and Peter hurried to get away. His earsstill burned, and somehow he didn't feel so tickled over the thoughtthat he had discovered Chatterer's secret as he had thought he would.And over in the hole in the old stone wall Chatterer the Red Squirrelwas laughing as if there was some great joke. There was, and the jokewas on Peter Rabbit. You see he hadn't discovered Chatterer's new houseat all.
VII HOW CHATTERER HAD FOOLED PETER RABBIT
Chatterer the Red Squirrel is a scamp himself and not to be trusted.Nobody in the Green Forest or on the Green Meadows trusts him. Andpeople who cannot be trusted themselves never trust any one else.Chatterer never does. He is always suspicious. So when Peter Rabbit hadsaid good-by and started for the dear Old Briar-patch without knowingwhere Chatterer's new house was, Chatterer had made up his mind rightaway that Peter would never be satisfied until he knew, or thought heknew, where that new house was. You see, he knew all about Peter'sdreadful curiosity.
He watched Peter out of sight, then he slipped down out of sight himselfbetween the stones of the old wall. "I know what Peter will do," said heto himself. "Peter will come sneaking back, and hide where he can watchme, and so find out where my new house is. I'll just stay here longenough to give him a chance to hide, and then I'll fool him."
You see, Chatterer knew that if he had been in Peter's place, he wouldhave done just that thing. So he waited a little while and then wentback to the place where Peter had left him. There he sat and pretendedto be looking in the direction in which Peter had gone, as if to makesure that Peter was really on his way home. But all the time Chattererwas watching out of the corners of his eyes to see if Peter was hidinganywhere near. He didn't see Peter, but he didn't have the least doubtthat Peter was somewhere about.
After a while, he ran over to a hole between the stones of the old walland pretended to be very busy there, just as if it really were the newhouse he had found. He kept popping in and out and looking around as ifafraid that some one was watching him. He even got some dry leaves andtook them inside, as if to make a bed. All the time, although he hadn'tseen a sign of Peter, he didn't have the least doubt in the world thatPeter was watching him. When he grew tired, a new idea popped into hisshrewd little head. He popped out of the hole and sat up on the wall.Then he said aloud that verse which had made Peter's ears burn so. Hehad meant to make Peter's ears burn. He said that verse just as if hereally did believe that Peter was not spying on him and was glad of it.When he had finished, he whisked out of sight again to give Peter achance to get away. But this time Chatterer did some peeking himself. Hehid where Peter couldn't see him, but where he himself could see bothways along the old stone wall, and so it was that he saw Peter crawl outfrom under the little bush where he had been hiding and sneak away inthe direction of the Old Briar-patch. And he knew that this time Peterhad gone for good.
Then Chatterer laughed and laughed to think how he had fooled PeterRabbit, and wished that he could pat himself on the back for being sosmart. He didn't once think of how dishonest and mean it was of Peter tospy on him, because, you see, he would have done the same thing himself."One has to have one's wits very sharp these days to keep a secret,"chuckled Chatterer.
But over in the old Briar-patch that afternoon Peter Rabbit sat verythoughtful and very much ashamed. The thought that he had found outwhere Chatterer's new house was didn't give him the pleasure that he hadthought it would. His ears still burned, for he thought that Chatterersupposed him honest when he wasn't.
"I believe I'll go over to-morrow and tell Chatterer all about it andhow mean I have been," said he at last. And when he had made up his mindto do this, he felt better.
And all the time he hadn't found Chatterer's new house at all. You see,it was the old home of Drummer the Woodpecker in an old apple-tree whichChatterer had decided to live in.
VIII CHATTERER GROWS CARELESS
When you grow careless even though It be in matters small, Old Mr. Trouble you will find Is bound to make a call.
Some people never seem to learn that. You would suppose that after allthe trouble and worry Chatterer the Red Squirrel had had, he would havelearned a lesson. For a while it seemed as if he had. Morning aftermorning, before anybody was up in Farmer Brown's house, he visitedFarmer Brown's corn-crib, taking the greatest care not to be seen and toget back to his home in the Old Orchard before it was time for FarmerBrown's boy to come out and do his morning's work. And in the corn-cribhe took the greatest care to steal only where what he took would not bemissed. The empty cobs from which he had eaten the corn he hid in thedarkest corner behind the great pile of yellow corn, where they wouldnot be found until nearly all the corn had been taken from the crib. Oh,he was very sly and crafty, was Chatterer the Red Squirrel--at first.
But after a while, when nothing happened, Chatterer grew careless. Atfirst it had seemed very dangerous to go over to the corn-crib, butafter he had been there often, it didn't seem dangerous at all. Onceinside, he would just give himself up to having a good time. He racedabout over the great pile of beautiful yellow corn and found theloveliest hiding places in it. Down in a dark corner he made a splendidbed from pieces of husk which hadn't been stripped from some of theears. It was quite the nicest place he had ever dreamed of, was FarmerBrown's corn-crib. He got to feeling that it was his own and not FarmerBrown's at all.
The more that feeling grew, the more careless Chatterer became. Hedropped a grain of corn now and then and was too lazy to go
down andpick it up, or else didn't think anything about it. Farmer Brown's boy,coming every morning for corn for the hens, noticed these grains, butsupposed they were some that had been rubbed from the ears during thehandling of them. Then one morning Chatterer dropped a cob from which hehad eaten all the corn. He meant to get it and hide it, as he had hiddenother cobs, but he didn't want to do it just then. And later--well,then he forgot all about it. Yes, Sir, he forgot all about it until hehad reached his home in the Old Orchard.
"Oh, well," thought Chatterer, "it doesn't matter. I can get it and hideit to-morrow morning."
Now a corn-cob is a very simple thing. Farmer Brown's boy knew wherethere was a whole pile of them. He added to that pile every day, aftershelling enough corn for the biddies. So it would seem that there wasnothing about a corn-cob to make him open his eyes as he did thatmorning, when he saw the one left by Chatterer the Red Squirrel. But yousee he knew that a bare corn-cob had no business inside the corn-crib,and suddenly those scattered grains of corn had a new meaning for him.
"Ha, ha!" he exclaimed, "A thief has been here, after all! I thought wewere safe from rats and mice, and I don't see now how they got in, for Idon't, I really don't, see how they could climb the stone legs of thecorn-crib. But some one with sharp teeth certainly has been in here. Itmust be that I have left the door open some time, and a rat has slippedin. I'll just have to get after you, Mr. Rat or Mr. Mouse. We can't haveyou in our corn-crib."