Wild Creatures in Winter 2

CHAPTER 2 

"I BELIEVE it is time for us to start to fill our Pantry before Old Man Winter freezes our Wildwood Pond," said Paddletail the Beaver one evening.

"Yes, it is time," said Mrs. Paddletail, "for soon the Secluded Ditches and the Wildwood Pond will be covered with Glassy Ice, and then we cannot swim to the Broad Flat after Tender Buds and Spicy Bark. We had better begin to fill our Pantry at once."

Paddletail the Beaver and Mrs. Paddletail and Brownie and Silver Paddletail lived in a Hidden Den in a bank of their Wildwood Pond, which was in the Black Forest. Once upon a time Paddletail had built a High Dam across Little River, where it flowed through the Black Forest; and the High Dam had made a Wildwood Pond for the Paddletails. In it they could swim, and play Dive and Spin and Water Tag.

At first the Paddletails had lived in a Hidden Den in the bank, with a Secret Doorway under water. Then they built a Brushy House, with a Secret Doorway just like the one at the Hidden Den. In it they had lived all summer.

One day late in the summer Paddletail and Mrs. Paddletail had taken Brownie and Silver on a long excursion. They had gone away up Little River, and had expected to trade houses with Flattail the Beaver and his family. That seems like a strange thing; but that was what beavers sometimes do.

The Paddletails had given their Brushy House to the Flattails and had gone to live in the Flattails' Brushy House farther up Little River. But when the Paddletails found it, there was another family of beavers already living there. And so the Paddletails had returned to their own Wildwood Pond. Naturally, they could not live in their Brushy House after giving it to the Flattails, and so they lived in their Old Hidden Den in the Clay Bank until they could build another Brushy House...

What Paddletail expected to do was some day to build another Brushy House right beside the one he had given to the Flattails, and then they could build a roof over both houses and make a Big Colony House.

When Paddletail the Beaver and his family returned to their Wildwood Pond, Jack Frost had already been there and had painted the waking Aspen Grove, and the Drooping Willow Trees, and the Soft Poplar Trees many pretty colors. Paddletail knew that he did not have time to build another Brushy House and also to gather a supply of good things to eat during Cold-Cold Days before Old Man Winter would come. He decided he would fill his Pantry, and then, when Jolly Spring came back again, he would build his Brushy House. The Hidden Den would be a nice warm place in which to live till then.

So while Bud and Mary Smith were carrying Flaming Red Apples and Golden Pumpkins and other good things into their Dark Root Cellar to last them during the Wintry Weather, there were Paddletail and Mrs. Paddletail and Brownie and Silver filling their Pantry.

But what a queer Pantry they had ! In case you do not know where Paddletail's Pantry was, I will tell you. It was deep, deep under water, and not far from his Secret Doorway. Yes, sir, that is where Paddletail the Beaver stored his food for winter. Then whenever he wanted something to eat after the Glassy Ice covered his Wildwood Pond and he could no longer cut down Soft Poplar Trees, all he had to do was to dive down through his Secret Doorway, and there he was right in his Pantry.

Now what do you suppose Paddletail put in his Pantry to eat during the Cold-Cold Days? He filled it with Green Twigs and Willowy Poles and Stubby Sticks and Little Logs.

First, he cut down a Giant Cottonwood Tree, and over it fell kersplash! right into the Wildwood Pond, by his Hidden Den. There were many, many Green Twigs and much Spicy Bark on the Springy Limbs that were under the water. There was enough to last Paddletail and his family many days. But that was not the only thing that Paddletail tail wanted of the Giant Cottonwood. No, sir, that was not all. The Giant Cottonwood Tree was to be Paddletail's Pantry.

You see, if Paddletail had brought his Green Twigs and Willowy Poles and Stubby Sticks and Little Logs and left them in the water near his Secret Doorway, soon they would have floated away; and then he would have had nothing to eat during the Wintry Weather. But Paddletail was wise, and whenever he brought a load to his Pantry, he fastened it under the Springy Limbs of the Giant Cottonwood Tree far down where the Glassy Ice would not reach.

Sometimes Paddletail held his Green Twigs on the bottom of his Wildwood Pond by piling Oozy Mud on them. Sometimes he would hold them down with a rock. And so it was that as the nights grew colder and colder, Paddletail's Pantry became fuller and fuller.

Now, I suppose you will wonder how Paddletail could eat his meals under water; he did not mind that at all. Sometimes he could carry Green Twigs into his Hidden Den and eat them. And sometimes the water in the Wildwood Pond went down some and left an air space under the Glassy Ice. But then Paddletail could easily stay under water more than ten minutes if he had to.

That is the way Paddletail filled his Pantry when Jack Frost told him that Old Man Winter was on his way from the Land of Ice.

"I SEE that Paddletail the Beaver is filling his Pantry," said Danny Muskrat to Mrs. Muskrat.

"Yes, and it is about time for us to go to work ourselves," said Mrs. Muskrat. "We must make our house warmer before Old Man Winter arrives."

The Muskrats lived in a Grassy House on the Wildwood Pond not far from Paddletail the Beaver's Hidden Den. The Beavers and the Muskrats were very good friends. Almost every night the Muskrats would go to visit the Beavers for a game of Water Tag.

Now it happened that when Jack Frost came to the Old Homestead, the first ones who noticed him were the Furry Folk who lived in the water much of the time. You see, as soon as Danny Muskrat and the other Water Animals left the water on Cold-Cold Nights the Playful Air Whiffs began to freeze Sharp Little Icicles on their fur. And so, as the nights grew colder and colder, they had to stay in the water more and more to keep the Sharp Little Icicles from forming on their fur. Danny Muskrat knew that after the Wildwood Pond was covered with Glassy Ice, the only place he could go out of water was in his Grassy House.

During the Balmy Summer Days, Danny liked to sit on his Grassy House, or on a Floating Log, or at a Mud Slide, while he ate his Sweet Cattail Stalks and Juicy Water Bulbs. But after the Wintry Weather came, Danny knew he would have to eat them in his Grassy House, or under the Glassy Ice if he could find a place. So his Grassy House had to be warm.

Away went Danny and Mrs. Muskrat, and soon they were carrying large bunches of Tumbled Bulrushes and Green Water Moss and Fuzzy Cattail Heads and Swamp Grass, and piling it on their Grassy House. It was no trouble at all to find plenty of things with which to make their house warmer, and within a few nights their Grassy House had thick, warm sides.

Danny Muskrat was better off than Paddletail the Beaver in one way. He did not have to fill a Pantry. That was because the Juicy Water Bulbs and Sweet Cat-tail Stalks grew under water. At least there were enough under water so that Danny could usually find plenty under the Glassy Ice. But Danny had a dining room in his Grassy House, and sometimes he kept some Juicy Water Bulbs there so he would have a supply in very cold weather. He did not always eat all that he carried into his Grassy House for supper; then he would have some left for another day.

Now, it was a wonder how Danny could swim around under the Glassy Ice and find something to eat without drowning, but he did. Yes, sir, he could go just as far as he wanted to. When Danny left his Grassy House, he took a full breath of air. After he had swum a long way and needed a fresh breath, if he could not find an air space under the ice, he let out his breath against the ice; then soon it was fresh and ready to be breathed again. That was a trick that Paddletail knew also.

But there was one who lived at the Wildwood Pond that could do more than either Paddletail or Danny. That was Croaker the Frog.

"Cronk, croak," he said, one Cold-Cold Day; "I believe it is time to get ready for winter."

And then all Croaker did was to burrow down deep into the Oozy Mud in the bottom of the Wildwood Pond and go to sleep. And there he stayed until Jolly Spring came back and awoke him. Wasn't that an unusual way to spend the winter?

And then there was Ouzel the Dipper, who lived near Paddletail's High Dam, where the Swift Waterfall came tumbling over. You would never see Ouzel worrying about Cold-Cold Days. He wore a coat of Soft Warm Down, and he could dive right through the Swift Waterfall or into the Icy Water and not mind it at all, though what he could find there to eat is a mystery.

One would never have guessed that Ouzel liked to play in the water any more than he would have thought that Jenny Wren did, because he was not much larger than Jenny Wren and looked something like her. But while Jenny Wren was playing in the Sunny Southland, there was Ouzel sitting on a rock and looking into the Icy Water for something to dive in after.

Each day after Jack Frost came, and even before he came, the Feathered Friends around the Wildwood Pond became scarcer and scarcer. Crooner the Dove left his nest in the Giant Cottonwood Tree near Dandy the Chickadee's nest, and went out to the Yellow Stubble Field to live for a while where he could eat the scattered Tempting Kernels.

Browny Thrasher and Mew-Mew the Catbird left the Big Jungle Thicket and started for the Land of Sunshine. Altyon the Kingfisher had to leave also when the Glassy Ice would not let him catch fish any more. And even Pesty the Magpie spent more time away from the Black Forest.

"It seems as if every one is leaving," said Danny Muskrat.

"Yes, it is rather quiet around here," said Paddletail the Beaver.

"Tap-tap-tap-tap," went Redhead the Woodpecker on a Giant Cottonwood Tree; "I am still here, and I haven't quite made up my mind to leave."

It seemed as if Redhead never could decide whether to go south or not until the last minute; and then he was just as likely to stay as to go. You see, he could usually find plenty of Tree Borers and such things to eat all winter, so it really did not make much difference to him.

"HOE-HOE-HOE," said Great Horn the Owl; "I guess it is time to get up." And then he blinked his large, round eyes a few times to make sure he was awake.

Great Horn had been sleeping all day in the Heavy Boughs of a Great Pine Tree. He liked to hide and sleep during the day, because he could not see well then. But when the Long Shadows began to chase one another through the Black Forest, Great Horn was ready to start his night's hunt, for then his eyes could see better.

Great Horn left his Heavy Bough and flew silently to a High Limb of an Old Hollow Stub, to look around.

"Hoe-hoe-hoe," he said, "Jack Frost has caused many of the Dancing Little Leaflets to fall off, and I can see through the Rabbit Bushes and the Bitter Willow Bushes so much better. I believe I will just fly over to Little River and see if I can find Snowshoe the Hare or Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit. I surely would like tender rabbit for breakfast."

You see, Great Horn the Owl ate his breakfast in the evening instead of in the morning, because he slept all day and hunted at night.

Away flew Great Horn as silently as a shadow through the Black Tree Tops. "Hoe-hoe-hoe," he said; "I wonder if Snowshoe the Hare is still living in his Bitter Willow Thicket over by Paddletail's Wildwood Pond."

Snowshoe's Bitter Willow Thicket was along Little River just above the place where Little River flowed into the Wildwood Pond. Great Horn had been there many times, and he knew every Lookout Stub and High Limb along the way. Every little while he would stop and look around to see if there were any Frolicking Bunnies in sight.

Now it happened that when Jack Frost nipped the Dancing Little Leaflets, almost the first trees to undress for their long winter's sleep were the Bitter Willow Trees in the Thicket where Snowshoe the Hare lived. Yes, sir, in just a little while there was scarcely a Dancing Little Leaflet left on them.

You may be sure that when the Dancing Little Leaflets began to fall off, Snowshoe the Hare was worried. You see, Snowshoe lived in a Cozy Form, which was like a little round nest on the ground, and he knew that when all the Dancing Little Leaflets had fallen there would not be much to hide his Cozy Form. No, sir, it would be in plain sight of Great Horn the Owl and Shadow the Lynx and anyone else that came along.

"Oh, dear me," said Snowshoe, when he saw the Dancing Little Leaflets come tumbling down; "I fear that I shall be caught if I stay here."

So Snowshoe the Hare decided to move over into the Big Jungle Thicket for a while. There were many, many Blackberry Brambles and Twining Vines and Dead Grasses in which he could hide. That was why Snowshoe was not in his Bitter Willow Thicket when Great Horn the Owl came to look for him.

But there was one Great Enemy that Snowshoe feared, even in the seclusion of the Big Jungle Thicket, and that was Shadow the Lynx. Snowshoe feared that Shadow would come sneaking noiselessly through the Big Jungle Thicket on his large, padded feet, and pounce upon him before he saw him. It really was hard to see anyone coming among all those Blackberry Brambles and Twining Vines, and no one could hear Shadow when he walked.

It is a wonder that Snowshoe did not find a Friendly Burrow into which he could run when he wanted to hide, as Peter and Molly Cottontail did. But Snowshoe was like his big cousin Jack the Jumper. He did not like to live in a Friendly Burrow. And neither did Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit.

Jack the Jumper really did not need a Friendly Burrow. He lived on the Broad Prairie and in the Rustling Cornfield; and whenever he saw Ranger the Coyote or some other Enemy coming near, he jumped out of his Cozy Form and ran away.

And how Jack could run

Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit did not need a Friendly Burrow, because he could jump into the Singing Water and swim away from his Furry Enemies; that is, he could when the Singing Water was not frozen.

Now although Snowshoe the Hare could not run nearly so fast and so far as his cousin Jack the Jumper, or swim like his other cousin Jimmy the Swamp Rabbit, there was one thing he could do that neither Jack nor Jimmy could do. That was to change the color of his coat.

Of course, Snowshoe really was not the one that did the changing. It was the work of God, who created Snowshoe in the beginning. You see, during the summer months while there were all kinds of Bushes and Grasses and Vines in which Snowshoe could hide, the Lord gave him a dusky brown coat to wear so that Great Horn the Owl and Shadow the Lynx and Shaggy the Wolf and Terror the Hunter could not see him so easily when he was sitting in his Cozy Form.

But when Old Man Winter came and covered the Great Wide World with Fleecy Snow, the Lord knew that anyone could see Snowshoe as plain as day if he were sleeping on the Soft White Blanket in his dusky brown coat. So He gave him a new white coat each fall, just about the time that the Bluebirds were leaving for the Sunny Southland. And then Snowshoe could go back to his Bitter Willow Thicket to live.

"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.