University of Virginia Library

3. III
BILLIE BUSHYTAIL'S TRICK

BILLIE and Johnnie Bushytail were jumping about from tree to tree. They could do this quite well, since Grandpa Lightfoot had taught them, and they enjoyed doing it.

“Let's take a nice long trip through the woods,” suggested Johnnie to his brother. “I know a place where there are lots of acorns. It's in a hollow stump. I saw them yesterday.”

“Pooh! those are wormy acorns,” replied Billie. “I saw a woodpecker bird hide them there, so the worms would get in them. They are no good for us.”

“What did the woodpecker do that for?” asked Johnnie.

“Because he likes worms better than nuts. But I don't mind going with you. Maybe we'll find some more Christmas nuts. They were fine.”

“Shall we ask Jennie?” inquired Johnnie.

“No, let's run off by ourselves. We don't want a girl with us.”

So the little boy squirrels started off without the little orphan chipmunk, and it was too bad that they did so, for if Jennie had been along something that did happen might not have happened. But that is always the way in this world, isn't it, children?

Well, Johnnie and Billie jumped along through the trees for quite a distance, and Johnnie showed Billie where the acorns were in the hollow stump.

“I told you they were wormy,” said Billie, after tasting one.

“Maybe there are some at the bottom of the stump which are not,” said Johnnie. “I'll look.”

So he began throwing out the acorns until he had dug all the way to the bottom, and there, sure enough, were some good nuts, that the worms had not yet reached.

“Goody!” exclaimed Billie. “Now we will have a feast.”

So the little squirrels carried off as many of the acorns as they could, and took them up into a tall tree to eat them, as it was safer there than staying on the ground.

All at once, as Billie was eating his fifth nut, he looked down, and saw a big creature asleep under the tree.

“Oh, look!” cried Billie to his brother, “What's that down there?”

Johnnie took a look, and said: “That's a man. I know because I heard Grandpa telling

about them. He is asleep. Don't wake him up, or he may shoot us.”

“Why not?” asked Billie. “I never saw a man awake, and I'd like to see one. I'm going to wake him up.”

“You had better not,” warned his brother.

“I am going to,” insisted Billie. “I am going to play a trick on him. I am going to drop an acorn on his nose.”

Then he got out on a limb, right over where the man was sleeping, and dropped down a nut. It struck the man right on the end of his nose, and he woke up just as quick as a wink, if not quicker.

“Ha! Ha!” laughed Billie, only of course the man did not understand squirrel laughter.

The man sat up, and he looked up through the trees, but he could not see the little squirrels. Then Billie, who was a mischievous

little chap, dropped another acorn. It hit the man on the head and bounced off, just like a rubber ball.

“I am a fine shot!” said Billie to Johnnie.

“You had better be careful,” warned his brother. “I think the man is angry. He may shoot us.”

“He has no gun,” said Billie, which was true enough. “I am going to drop another nut.”

“You had better not,” said Johnnie. But Billie did. He got farther out on the limb, and dropped an acorn down, and, as the man happened to be looking up, with his mouth open, the nut went right into it, and he choked and sneezed and coughed, and had a dreadful time indeed before he got the nut out of his mouth. All this while Billie was laughing so that his bushy tail shook to the very tip. Then, all at once, the man saw

the squirrels, and, oh, how angry he was! He took up some stones, and threw them at Billie and Johnnie, though Johnnie had done nothing. And one of the stones hit Billie on the left hind paw, and made him lame. Then the two little squirrels were very much frightened, and dropping all their acorns, that pattered down on the leaves like rain, they ran home to the nest, the man throwing stones at them as far as he could see them. So that is the trick Billie Bushytail played, and to-morrow night, providing nothing happens in the meantime, you shall hear about Johnnie and the tame squirrel.