"I--I threw it in a deep hole near the Tall Pine Tree," mumbled Featherhead, now thoroughly frightened.
"You come with us and get it," screamed Chippy Chipmunk, mad as a dozen hornets; and they marched the naughty squirrel over to the Tall Pine Tree.
When the sign was once more over the door Chippy Chipmunk said to his little rabbit friend:
"You got my sign back for me. To-morrow I"ll help you build your store."
LITTLE JACK RABBIT"S STORE
In a few days Little Jack Rabbit"s store was finished, and all the Little People of the Shady Forest and Sunny Meadow were coming to the grand opening. It stood just at the edge of the Old Bramble Patch, on the corner of the Shady Forest Trail and the Old Cow Path.
A nicely painted post had been set in the ground, on which was fastened a sign printed in large letters:
JACK RABBIT
CABBAGES & TURNIPS
In the doorway, between barrels of cabbages and turnips, stood Little Jack Rabbit, a smile on his face and a clean white ap.r.o.n over his little khaki trousers. His kind mother had made two of these nice ap.r.o.ns so that he would always have one to wear while the other was in the wash.
You may be sure he felt very proud as he stood, bowing and smiling to his friends who had come to wish him success in his new business.
"Too young to run a store," snapped Grandmother Magpie.
"If he"s as honest with his scales as he is truthful with his words,"
answered Granddaddy Bullfrog, looking at her through his yellow-rimmed spectacles, "all his friends will buy here."
Mrs. Rabbit was tickled to death to think that her son at such an early age had started in business all by himself. It meant to her that he would become a multi-millionaire in a few years!
Chippy Chipmunk had left his store in charge of his brother so as to be on hand, and Featherhead stood at a little distance, enviously watching the friendly greetings.
Everybody was there, even Old Parson Owl, winking and blinking, from a shady spot in the forest, nodded pleasantly and wished the little rabbit good luck.
Suddenly a sharp bark came down the Shady Forest Trail, and the next instant Old Sic"em and the Farmer"s Boy jumped over the Old Rail Fence.
Into the Old Bramble Patch went Little Jack Rabbit and his mother, while the Forest Folk either ran off or flew away.
"What"s this?" cried the Farmer"s Boy, kicking over the cabbages and turnips that the poor little rabbit had so carefully placed in front of the store.
Down fell the sign from the nicely painted post. Crack! it went under the heel of the Farmer Boy"s shoe.
"Why didn"t you catch "em, Sic"em?" he asked crossly. Then he turned away and went whistling down the path.
"I don"t feel much like whistling," said Little Jack Rabbit, "my store has all gone to smithereens!"
But Mrs. Rabbit didn"t say anything. I think she was even more disappointed than her little bunny boy.
BILLY BREEZE
"Billy Breeze, Billy Breeze!
Come and help me, if you please.
If you"ll only shake the tree, There"ll be lots of nuts for me."
This is what Chippy Chipmunk sang one morning when he found there were no more nuts on the ground.
Of course, he had a lot already stored away, but he didn"t want to use them now. No, indeed; not until the cold weather came. Pretty soon he commenced to sing again:
"Billy Breeze, Billy Breeze!
Come and help me, if you please.
Shake the nuts from off the tree; Do this favor, please, for me."
Now everybody in the Shady Forest liked Chippy Chipmunk. In the first place, he was such a good little worker. Then, too, he minded his own business and was never cross. So as soon as Billy Breeze heard him call, he blew in from the Sunny Meadow and shook the tree. Down came the nuts, pitter, patter, all over the ground, and one hit the little chipmunk right on the head.
"Ouch!" he cried.
"Whew! Did it hurt?" whistled Billy Breeze.
"Well, I should say so," answered Chippy Chipmunk. "Wait till I hide before you shake again."
Then Billy Breeze gave the big tree another shake. Pitter, patter, pitter, patter! went the nuts on the dry leaves.
"I guess that"s enough," said Billy Breeze. "I must go now!"
"What for?" asked the little chipmunk.
"To turn the Weatherc.o.c.k."
And off went Billy Breeze across the Sunny Meadow, to the Old Farm Yard.
The Weatherc.o.c.k on the Big Red Barn saw him coming and whirled around on his gilded toe. And Henny Penny at once set to work to prune and oil her feathers. She rubbed her bill over the little oil sack hidden among the feathers on her back and said to c.o.c.ky Doodle:
"It"s going to rain, for Mr. Weatherc.o.c.k is pointing to the East."
PITTER, PATTER
As soon as Billy Breeze had turned the Weatherc.o.c.k on the Big Red Barn, he hurried away to get the rain-clouds. He didn"t even wait to say howdy to Ducky Waddles, although he knew the little duck would be glad to know where he was going. But Billy Breeze didn"t have time. No, sir. He had to get those rain-clouds in a hurry. It hadn"t rained for so long that the roads were inches deep with dust, the Bubbling Brook was almost dry, and the Old Duck Pond was so low that the Mill Wheel couldn"t turn. The Miller couldn"t grind his corn, and the Miller"s Boy had so much spare time to tease Granddaddy Bullfrog that the poor old gentleman frog was nearly worried to death.
"Hurry up and get those rain-clouds," shouted Granddaddy Bullfrog as Billy Breeze hurried across the Old Duck Pond.