Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 2, Number 25, DeMotte, Jasper County, 12 January 1933 — CHILDREN’S BEDTIME STORY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CHILDREN’S BEDTIME STORY

By THORNTON W. BURGESS

THE GREEDY COUSINS NOW that Jack Frost had opened the chestnut burrs and the hickory husks the Merry Little Breezes saw a chance to help some of their friends. Ever since they had been unable to get anyone to play with them they had wished and wished that they might find some work to do. Everyone else, at least nearly every one else, was so very busy making ready for winter that the Merry Little Breezes were beginning to .feel just a wee bit ashamed to be doing nothing but play all day long. It was the sight of those open burrs and husks that gave one of them an idea. “I tell you what, we can help Chatterer the Red Squirrel and Happy Jack and Striped Chipmunk, and it will be great fun cried the Merry Little Breezes. “How?” asked all the others, crowding around eagerly. “Look up in the top of that tall

chestnut tree, and tell me what you see,” cried the Merry Little Breeze who had first spoken. All the other Merry Little Breezes looked up in the top of the tall chestnut tree and for a few minutes no one ^aid a word. At last one of them spoke: “I don’t see anything that I haven’t seen every day lately, except that Jack Frost has pinched open the burrs so that we can see the brown nuts. He must have done that last night.” “That’s just it!” cried the first Merry Little Breeze. “Yesterday those burrs were closed, but today they are open and that gives us a chance to

help, the squirrel cousins. Don’t you see now?” But the other Merry Little Breezes didn’t see, and they said so. “Watch me J” shouted the first' Merry Little Breeze, and raced over to the tall chestnut tree. He shook ttie topmost branch on which were several wideopen burrs and out fell the brown nuts and rattled down through the leaves to the ground all around Happy Jack Squirrel, who was just starting to climb the tree. He didn't keep on climbing. No, indeed. Without so much as a look up to see what had made those brown nuts fall. Happy Jack scampered after them. You see, he was afraid that if he left them lying there his cousin -Chatterer, or his oth er cousin, little Striped Chipmunk, would come along and find them. So Happy Jack scurried about hunting for tho^e , brown nuts the Merry Little Breeze had shaken down, and when he found them he hurried to hide them. The other Merry Little Breezes saw right away what the first Merry Little Breeze meant by a way in which to help the squirrel cousins. 'lTiey would just shake the brown nuts down and save Happy Jack and Chatterer the trouble of climbing, the tall trees to gather the nuts. It would not only save them trouble and real work, but also he -a great deal of fun. They always did like to shake trees, apd now it would be more fun than ever because it would really and truly be helping others. So each one hastened to shake a branch, and the hiyiwn nuts fell and rattled down like raindrops. Now Chatterer, the Red Squirrel, had been passing on his way to a hickory tree, but when he heard those brown nuts rattling among the leaves on the ground, he came hurrying over to see what it meant, and his bright eyes sparkled as he saw so many nuts on the ground just waiting to be picked up and carried away. He darted forward to fill his cheeks with them, only to Have Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel rush at him angrily. “Those are my nuts’” shouted Hap py Jack,, and his voice w’as very harsh and angry. “They are not!” screamed Chatterer. “They don’t belong to anyone until they have been picked up. I have just, as much right to them as you have. You don’t own the tree. I guess If 1 want them I’ll take them and you can’t stop me.” “I found the tree first, and they belong to me!” barked Happy Jack. “If you don’t go away and leave them alone I’ll make you sorry!” Jack ground his long sharp teeth in a way not at all pleasant to hear. The Merry Little Breezes stopped shaking the branches of the tall chestnut tree and' looked down in dismay. It seemed to them there were trees enough for both, but here were these two cousins so greedy that they were quarreling and growing angrier every minute. It was quite dreadful. ©. 1933. by T. W. Burgess.—WNU Service.

"Those Are My Nuts!” Shouted Happy Jack, and His Voice Was Very Harsh and Angry.