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XVI CHATTERER HAS A PLEASANT SURPRISE CHATTERER THE RED
SQUIRREL, the
mischief maker of the Green Forest, had never been more comfortable in
his
life. No matter how rough Brother North Wind roared across the Green
Meadows
and through the Green Forest, piling the snow in great drifts, he
couldn't send
so much as one tiny shiver through the little red coat of Chatterer.
And always
right at hand was plenty to eat — corn and nuts and other good things
such as
Chatterer loves. No, he never had been so comfortable in all his life.
But he
wasn't happy, not truly happy. You see, he was in prison, and no matter
how
nice a prison may be, no one can be truly happy there. Since he had been a
prisoner,
Chatterer had learned to think very differently of Farmer Brown's boy
from what
he used to think In fact, he and Farmer Brown's boy had become very
good
friends, for Farmer Brown's boy was always very gentle, and always
brought him
something good to eat. "He isn't at all like
what I had
thought," said Chatterer, "and if I were free, I wouldn't be afraid
of him at all. I — I'd like to tell some of the ether little Green
Forest
people about him. If only — " Chatterer didn't finish.
Instead a
great lump filled his throat. You see, he was thinking of the Green
Forest and
the Old Orchard, and how he used to race through the tree-tops and
along the
stone wall. Half the fun in life had been in running and jumping, and
now there
wasn't room in this little prison to stretch his legs. If only he could
run — run
as hard as ever he knew how — once in a while, he felt that his prison
wouldn't
be quite so hard to put up with. That very afternoon,
while Chatterer
was taking a nap in his bed in the hollow stump, something was slipped
over his
little round doorway, and Chatterer awoke in a terrible fright to find
himself
a prisoner inside his hollow stump. There was nothing he could do about
it but
just lie there in his bed, and shake with fright, and wonder what
dreadful
thing was going to happen next. He could hear Farmer Brown's boy very
busy
about something in his cage. After a long, long time, his little round
doorway
let in the light once more. The door had been opened. At first
Chatterer didn't
dare go out, but he heard the soft little whistle with which Farmer
Brown's boy
always called him when he had something especially nice for him to eat,
so at
last he peeped out. There on the floor of the cage were some of the
nicest
nuts. Chatterer came out at once. Then his sharp eyes discovered
something
else. It was a queer looking thing made of wire at one end of his cage.
Chatterer looked at it
with great
suspicion. Could it be a new kind of trap? But what would a trap be
doing
there, when he was already a prisoner, He ate all the nuts, all the
time
watching this new, queer looking thing. It seemed harmless enough. He
went a
little nearer. Finally he hopped into it. It moved. Of course that
frightened
him, and he started to run up. But he didn't go up. No,
Sir, he
didn't go up. You see, he was in wire wheel; and as he ran, the wheel
went
around. Chatterer was terribly frightened, and the faster he tried to
run, the
faster the wheel went around. Finally he had to stop, because he was
out of
breath and too tired to run another step. When he stopped, the wheel
stopped. Little by little, Chatterer began to understand. Farmer Brown's boy had made that wheel to give him a chance to run all he wanted to and whenever he wanted to. When he understood this, Chatterer was as nearly happy as he could be in a prison. It was such a pleasant surprise! He would race and race in it until he just had to stop for breath. Farmer Brown's boy looked on and laughed to see how much happier he had made Chatterer. |