ONCE upon a time there was a little fat comfortable grey squirrel,
called Timmy Tiptoes. He had a nest thatched with leaves in the top of a
tall tree; and he had a little squirrel wife called Goody.
TIMMY TIPTOES sat out, enjoying the breeze; he whisked his tail and
chuckled--"Little wife Goody, the nuts are ripe; we must lay up a store
for winter and spring." Goody Tiptoes was busy pushing moss under the
thatch--"The nest is so snug, we shall be sound asleep all winter."
"Then we shall wake up all the thinner, when there is nothing to eat in
spring-time," replied prudent Timothy.
WHEN Timmy and Goody Tiptoes came to the nut thicket, they found other
squirrels were there already.
Timmy took off his jacket and hung it on a twig; they worked away
quietly by themselves.
EVERY day they made several journeys and picked quantities of nuts. They
carried them away in bags, and stored them in several hollow stumps near
the tree where they had built their nest.
WHEN these stumps were full, they began to empty the bags into a hole
high up a tree, that had belonged to a wood-pecker; the nuts rattled
down--down--down inside.
"How shall you ever get them out again? It is like a money-box!" said
Goody.
"I shall be much thinner before spring-time, my love," said Timmy
Tiptoes, peeping into the hole.
THEY did collect quantities--because they did not lose them! Squirrels
who bury their nuts in the ground lose more than half, because they
cannot remember the place.
The most forgetful squirrel in the wood was called Silvertail. He began
to dig, and he could not remember. And then he dug again and found some
nuts that did not belong to him; and there was a fight. And other
squirrels began to dig,--the whole wood was in commotion!
UNFORTUNATELY, just at this time a flock of little birds flew by, from
bush to bush, searching for green caterpillars and spiders. There were
several sorts of little birds, twittering different songs.
The first one sang--"Who's bin digging-up MY nuts? Who's-been-digging-up
MY nuts?"
And another sang--"Little bita bread and-NO-cheese! Little bit-a-bread
an'-NO-cheese!"
THE squirrels followed and listened. The first little bird flew into the
bush where Timmy and Goody Tiptoes were quietly tying up their bags, and
it sang--"Who's-bin digging-up MY nuts? Who's been digging-up MY-nuts?"
Timmy Tiptoes went on with his work without replying; indeed, the little
bird did not expect an answer. It was only singing its natural song, and
it meant nothing at all.
BUT when the other squirrels heard that song, they rushed upon Timmy
Tiptoes and cuffed and scratched him, and upset his bag of nuts. The
innocent little bird which had caused all the mischief, flew away in a
fright!
Timmy rolled over and over, and then turned tail and fled towards his
nest, followed by a crowd of squirrels shouting--"Who's-been digging-up
MY-nuts?"
THEY caught him and dragged him up the very same tree, where there was
the little round hole, and they pushed him in. The hole was much too
small for Timmy Tiptoes' figure. They squeezed him dreadfully, it was a
wonder they did not break his ribs. "We will leave him here till he
confesses," said Silvertail Squirrel, and he shouted into the hole--
"Who's-been-digging-up MY-nuts?"
TIMMY TIPTOES made no reply; he had tumbled down inside the tree, upon
half a peck of nuts belonging to himself. He lay quite stunned and
still.
GOODY TIPTOES picked up the nut bags and went home. She made a cup of
tea for Timmy; but he didn't come and didn't come.
Goody Tiptoes passed a lonely and unhappy night. Next morning she
ventured back to the nut-bushes to look for him; but the other unkind
squirrels drove her away.