Wild Creatures in Winter

CHAPTER 5 

"JUST listen to the noise that Chatterer the Red Squirrel is making!" said Worker the Gray Squirrel to himself. "I wonder whom he is scolding this morning."

The reason Chatterer was making such a fuss was that when he awoke that morning and peeped out from his Hollow Den Tree in the Wide-Wide Pasture, he saw that Jack Frost had visited there during the night. Yes, sir, everything was covered with Pretty White Crystals right up to Chatterer's doorstep.

Now Chatterer knew that when the Pretty White Crystals appeared it was time for him to fill his Secret Storehouses with Tempting Kernels and Delicious Pine Cones and Sweet Acorns before Old Man Winter hid all of them under a Soft White Blanket. Chatterer already had many, many Dried Mushrooms hidden away; but that would not be enough to last him during the Wintry Weather.

Down through the Woodlot he went, trying to see what he could find, and scolding every one he met. He surely was a noisy fellow.

Worker the Gray Squirrel lived in a Big Stick Nest in the top of a tree not far from Chatterer's Hollow Den Tree.

"I believe I will just watch Chatterer and see that he does not rob one of my Secret Storehouses," said Worker.

You see, Worker had been busy quite a while gathering all kinds of Goodies and hiding them away so he would have something to eat during the Cold-Cold Days.

But Chatterer did not like to work so well as Worker did. He would rather spend his time looking for something to steal. In the summer he looked for Round Little Nests from which to steal eggs. And then in the fall when he should have been gathering things to put into his Secret Storehouses, he spent part of his time hunting for Worker's Secret Storehouses so that he could steal from them. And that was why Worker decided to watch Chatterer.

Down through the Woodlot scampered Chatterer, and then across the Wide-Wide Pasture toward the Green Meadow. And there was Worker the Gray Squirrel following him not far behind.

At last Worker decided that Chatterer had given up looking for his Secret Storehouses. So Worker thought he would go over on the side of High Cliff and see if he could find some Brown Hazelnuts on the Hazelnut Brush that grew there.

Now it is a mystery how Worker ever expected to find half of his Secret Storehouses, for he had hidden things away under logs and in hollow trees and in knots. And sometimes he had even dug a Little Hole in the ground and covered up two or three Sweet Acorns. But if you had been there when Worker was ready to eat them, you would have seen him dig down into the Fleecy Snow right where they were.

Worker was afraid to hide all his Goodies in one Secret Storehouse, because he knew that if Chatterer found it he would have nothing left. Worker thought that he might find some Brown Hazelnuts on the side of High Cliff, and then he could tuck some under rocks for a feast on a Cold-Cold Day.

Sure enough, Worker found a patch of Hazelnut Brush, and there were many nuts hanging there. Worker had found them just in time, for in a few days Bud and Mary Smith would be along gathering nuts to eat during the Wintry Weather. Of course, Bud and Mary did not care if Worker took some of the Brown Hazelnuts, for he really had just as much right to them as they had.

Soon he was busy cutting off Brown Hazelnuts and dropping them on the ground. Then he expected to gather them up and hide them.

"Kerplunk! " went a Brown Hazelnut; and where do you suppose it landed? Why, right on Johnny Chuck's head.

You see, Johnny Chuck lived in a Friendly Burrow under a large, flat rock right under that Hazelnut Brush. And Johnny Chuck had been lying on that rock sound asleep, while the Bright Little Sunbeams warmed his broad back. You should have seen Johnny Chuck jump when that Brown Hazelnut dropped on his head.

"Ouch! " he cried; "I surely thought Aquila the Golden Eagle had grabbed me."

"I didn't see you," said Worker the Gray Squirrel. "But why are you sleeping on such a fine day? Are you not ready to fill your Secret Storehouse for the Wintry Weather?"

"Oh no," said Johnny Chuck, "I never bother to fill a Secret Storehouse."

"But what do you eat on the Cold-Cold Days, when everything is covered with Fleecy Snow?" asked Worker.

Johnny Chuck yawned. He was getting very, very sleepy. He was so sleepy he could scarcely hold his eyes open.

"Oh, I would rather sleep than eat," he said. "I believe I will just go to bed right now." And down into his Friendly Burrow went Johnny Chuck.

In the fall while Chatterer and Worker are filling their Secret Storehouses, Johnny Chuck just eats and eats and grows fatter and fatter. Then when the Chilly Fall Days come, down into his Friendly Burrow he goes, and there he curls up and goes sound asleep. And would you believe it, Johnny Chuck sometimes sleeps five months before he awakens! Yes, sir; he does not know when the Fleecy Snow is falling or anything.

Some people say that Johnny Chuck always awakens and comes out of his Friendly Burrow on February 2; and that if he sees his shadow, he goes back to bed again. They call it Groundhog Day. But, of course, that is just a joke, because Johnny Chuck gets up when he feels like it, and he doesn't look for his shadow, either. What he looks for is something to eat; for he is very hungry after sleeping so long. I think I would be too, wouldn't you?

TINY the Meadow Mouse poked his head out of his Grassy Nest and looked around. He was looking to see if there were any Enemies waiting to pounce upon him. It seemed as if no one had so many Enemies as Tiny had. There were Feathered Enemies and Furry Enemies. Some were large and some were small. Every one from Growler the Bear to Snoop the Weasel, and from Great Horn the Owl to Butcher the Shrike was always ready to catch Tiny and his friends. So Tiny had to be very, very careful whenever he went anywhere.

Now the reason why Tiny was leaving his Grassy Nest was that he expected to build another. He knew that Old Man Winter would soon arrive with his load of Fleecy Snow, and Tiny had to build a better home in which to live.

If Tiny had been like Tawny Chipmunk, he could have curled up in a Friendly Burrow under a rock some place and gone to sleep. But he wasn't like Tawny, and so he needed a winter home. Tiny rather liked to run around in the Fleecy Snow and make many Secret Tunnels in it, but he liked a nice Soft Little Nest in which to stay when he was home. And Tiny thought it was time to build his Winter Home.

When Tiny peeped out of his Grassy Nest, he could not see any of his Enemies around. He felt quite sure it would be all right to start. Tiny wanted to find a place to build his Winter Home where there would be plenty of Goodies to eat near by.

Out hopped Tiny, and away he ran toward a Large Leaf that he saw not far away. Then under the Large Leaf he dived until he could get his breath and make sure that no one had seen him.

When Tiny looked out from under the Large Leaf, everything seemed as safe as before. Not far away was a large piece of bark. Tiny decided it would be another good Resting Place. So out he jumped and ran toward it.

Suddenly there was a Swift Shadow, and Tiny ran under the bark just in time to escape Saw-Whet the Owl's sharp claws.

"Oh, dear, that was a narrow escape!" said Tiny. "I must be more careful."

Tiny did not leave the shelter of the bark until he was very sure that Saw-Whet had left. And he never ran far between Resting Places.

At last Tiny came to the edge of a field. He sat under a Big Tumbleweed and listened.

"I do believe I hear Rustling Corn Shocks," said Tiny to himself.

Soon the Playful Air Whiffs blew merrily by, shaking down Dancing Little Leaflets from the Broad Oak that stood at the edge of the field. Over in the field the Rustling Corn Shocks made scraping noises as the Playful Air Whiffs rubbed the Dry Cornstalks together.

"Yes, sir, I do hear Rustling Corn Shocks," said Tiny. "I am going right over there and start to make my Soft Little Nest."

But there was one thing that worried Tiny the Meadow Mouse, and that was how to get over to the Rustling Corn Shocks without one of his Enemies seeing him. You see, it was quite a way over to the first Rustling Corn Shock. At least it was quite a way for Tiny. It must have been more than a mouse mile. And after Mr. Smith had cut the Rustling Corn and made it into Rustling Corn Shocks, there were not many Hiding Places left.

"I wonder how I can get over to that Rustling Corn Shock," thought Tiny. It was quite a problem to know what to do.

Suddenly the Playful Air Whiffs came dancing across the ground at a merry rate. They acted as if they were going to a party and were hurrying to get there. Of course, when they came to the Big Tumbleweed under which Tiny was hiding, they rolled it right over. And there was Tiny without anything over him. You should have seen Tiny run to the Big Tumbleweed and dive under it when it stopped.

Soon more Playful Air Whiffs came along and turned the Big Tumbleweed over again, and then Tiny had to run after it as he had before.

After that came more and more Playful Air Whiffs and rolled the Big Tumbleweed along, until Tiny was almost run down. And then, just when Tiny was all out of breath from following after the Big Tumbleweed, away it flew so fast that poor Tiny could not begin to keep up.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! " said Tiny; "what shall I do now?"

And then what do you think? Well, right there by Tiny was a Rustling Corn Shock. The Big Tumbleweed had taken him right to it. My, but Tiny was glad to see it! He dived headfirst into a Narrow Doorway between two bundles of corn, and he didn't stop until he was clear in the middle of the Rustling Corn Shock. Then the first thing Tiny did was to sit down and nibble some of the Tempting Kernels.

"This place suits me exactly," he said to himself. "I will just dig a Friendly Burrow into the Soft Warm Ground under the Rustling Corn Shock, and then I will make a Soft Little Nest in it."

Tiny liked to build his Soft Little Nest in a Friendly Burrow, because then if Farmer Smith took away the Rustling Corn Shock, Tiny would still have a home. And, besides, the Friendly Burrow would be much warmer.

Soon Tiny was busy making his Friendly Burrow, and when it was finished he gathered Hairy Corn Silks with which to make his Soft Little Nest. You see, instead of filling a Pantry with Favorite Food as Paddletail the Beaver did, or filling Secret Storehouses as Worker the Gray Squirrel did, Tiny found a Pantry that was already filled, and then he built his Winter Home by it.

Dynamic Drive.