HAPPY JACK
BY
THORNTON W. BURGESS
_With Illustrations by HARRISON CADY_
This book, while produced under wartime conditions, in full compliance
with government regulations for the conservation of paper and other
essential materials, is COMPLETE AND UNABRIDGED.
_1918,_
TO
DR. WILLIAM T. HORNADAY
TO WHOM POSTERITY WILL OWE A DEBT OF GRATITUDE FOR HIS VALIANT FIGHT TO
PRESERVE AMERICAN WILD LIFE, WHO HAS BEEN A LIFELONG CHAMPION OF HAPPY
JACK SQUIRREL, AND TO WHOM THE AUTHOR IS DEEPLY INDEBTED FOR
ENCOURAGEMENT AND ASSISTANCE THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
CONTENTS
I. HAPPY JACK DROPS A NUT
II. THE QUARREL
III. STRIPED CHIPMUNK Is KEPT VERY BUSY
IV. HAPPY JACK AND CHATTERER FEEL FOOLISH
V. HAPPY JACK SUSPECTS STRIPED CHIPMUNK
VI. HAPPY JACK SPIES ON STRIPED CHIPMUNK
VII. STRIPED CHIPMUNK HAS FUN WITH HAPPY JACK
VIII. HAPPY JACK TURNS BURGLAR
IX. HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL'S SAD MISTAKE
X. STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S HAPPY THOUGHT
XI. STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S THANKSGIVING DINNER
XII. HAPPY JACK DOES SOME THINKING
XIII. HAPPY JACK GETS A WARNING
XIV. HAPPY JACK'S RUN FOR LIFE
XV. WHO SAVED HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL?
XVI. HAPPY JACK MISSES FARMER BROWN'S BOY
XVII. TOMMY TIT BRINGS NEWS
XVIII. HAPPY JACK DECIDES TO MAKE A CALL
XIX. TOMMY TIT AND HAPPY JACK PAY A VISIT
XX. WHAT WAS THE MATTER WITH FARMER BROWN'S BOY?
XXI. HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL GROWS VERY BOLD
XXII. HAPPY JACK DARES TOMMY TIT
XXIII. SAMMY JAY IS QUITE UPSET
XXIV. A DREAM COMES TRUE
XXV. HAPPY JACK HAS A HAPPY THOUGHT
XXVI. FARMER BROWN'S BOY WAKES WITH A START
XXVII. HAPPY JACK IS AFRAID TO GO HOME
XXVIII. HAPPY JACK FINDS A NEW HOME
XXIX. FARMER BROWN'S BOY TAKES A PRISONER
XXX. A PRISONER WITHOUT FEAR
XXXI. WHAT FARMER BROWN'S BOY DID WITH SHADOW
XXXII. HAPPY JACK IS PERFECTLY HAPPY
XXXIII. SAMMY JAY UPSETS HAPPY JACK
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Peter Rabbit, who happened along just then, put his hands over his ears
Happy Jack tried every trick he knew to get away from Shadow the Weasel
"Did you find out anything?" asked Happy Jack eagerly
It wasn't long before Shadow began to receive many visitors
HAPPY JACK
CHAPTER I
HAPPY JACK DROPS A NUT
Save a little every day,
And for the future put away.
_Happy Jack._
Happy Jack Squirrel sat on the tip of one of the highest branches of a
big hickory tree. Happy Jack was up very early that morning. In fact,
jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was still in his bed behind the Purple Hills
when Happy Jack hopped briskly out of bed. He washed himself thoroughly
and was ready for business by the time Mr. Sun began his climb up in
the blue, blue sky.
You see, Happy Jack had found that big hickory tree just loaded with
nuts all ripe and ready to gather. He was quite sure that no one else
had found that special tree, and he wanted to get all the nuts before
any one else found out about them. So he was all ready and off he raced
to the big tree just as soon as it was light enough to see.
"The nuts that grow in the hickory tree--
They're all for me! They're all for me!"
Happy Jack was humming that little song as he rested for a few minutes
'way up in the top of the tree and wondered if his storehouse would hold
all these big, fat nuts. Just then he heard a great scolding a little
way over in the Green Forest. Happy Jack stopped humming and listened.
He knew that voice. It was his cousin's voice--the voice of Chatterer
the Red Squirrel. Happy Jack frowned. "I hope he won't come over this
way," muttered Happy Jack. He does not love his cousin Chatterer anyway,
and then there was the big tree full of hickory nuts! He didn't want
Chatterer to find that.
I am afraid that Happy Jack was selfish. There were more nuts than he
could possibly eat in one winter, and yet he wasn't willing that his
cousin, Chatterer the Red Squirrel, should have a single one. Now
Chatterer is short-tempered and a great scold. Some one or something
had upset him this morning, and he was scolding as fast as his tongue
could go, as he came running right towards the tree in which Happy Jack
was sitting. Happy Jack sat perfectly still and watched. He didn't move
so much as the tip of his big gray tail. Would Chatterer go past and not
see that big tree full of nuts? It looked very much as if he would, for
he was so busy scolding that he wasn't paying much attention to other
things.
Happy Jack smiled as Chatterer came running under the tree without once
looking up. He was so tickled that he started to hug himself and didn't
remember that he was holding a big, fat nut in his hands. Of course he
dropped it. Where do you think it went? Well, Sir, it fell straight
down, from the top of that tall tree, and it landed right on the head of
Chatterer the Red Squirrel!
"My stars!" cried Chatterer, stopping his scolding and his running
together, and rubbing his head where the nut had hit him. Then he looked
up to see where it had come from. Of course, he looked straight up at
Happy Jack.
"You did that purposely!" screamed Chatterer, his short temper flaring
up.
"I didn't!" snapped Happy Jack.
"You did!"
"I didn't!"
Oh, dear, oh, dear, such a sight! two little Squirrels, one in a gray
suit and one in a red suit, contradicting each other and calling names!
It was such a sad, sad sight, for you know they were cousins.