_An ill-natured child does not deserve good companionship._
Once there was a family of squirrels that lived in a nice warm hole
in a tall tree. This would have been a happy family had it not
been for the ill-temper of one of the little squirrels. When they
gathered for supper he grabbed the biggest nuts and took more than
his share. He pushed the others away and bit and scratched them. At
night he took the best place to sleep and crowded the smaller ones
to the edge where it was cold.
Mother squirrel tried to correct him, but at last father squirrel
said he could stand his quarreling no longer. So one morning he
told the little squirrel to follow him. They ran down the tree
and over the dry leaves. On and on they went until they came to a
place in the wood which the squirrel had never seen. Soon they came
to a large oak tree and up the father went, the little squirrel
following. Near the top they found a large hole. The father said:
“Go into this hole and stay there until you can be a good little
squirrel.”
The little squirrel crept in and heard his father run down the tree
and over the leaves. He felt very lonely. He began looking around
the hole and found a soft bed of leaves and a pile of nice nuts. He
thought:
“It will be fun to have this place all to myself, and do just as I
please.” So he tried to play, but it was no fun playing alone. Then
he went back into the hole and began to think that his brothers and
sisters were better off than he had thought them. It began to grow
dark, and there was no one to cuddle up to and keep warm, and no
mother to say “good-night,” to him. The night was very long, and
the next morning it was raining. He felt very far from home. He
sat thinking of all the jolly things his brothers and sisters were
doing, and he wanted to go home.
Late that night an old owl looked in the hole.
“You are a nice fat little squirrel,” he said. “I believe I’ll eat
you in the morning.” The little squirrel sat up and trembled with
fear.
“Oh, Mr. Owl, please don’t eat me. I will be very good,” cried
the little squirrel. The old owl blinked and blinked but made no
promises. That night was a very unhappy one for the poor little
squirrel. He dare not go out for fear of the owl and the owl could
not get in the small hole where the squirrel was.
Next morning his father came along and the owl flew away. His
father looked in the hole and said:
“Now, will you be good?” But there was no need for an answer, the
poor little squirrel was only too glad to go back home, and he was
never bad afterwards.