Hazel Squirrel and Other Stories Part 4

When she saw what had happened, she was very distressed. She quieted her babies and nestled down with them in the fence corner.

Father Gray said, "Never mind, my dears, I will find you a nice, new home," and away he went.

Bye and bye he returned and told them with joy that he had found a splendid place for them to live. It was just inside the door of a big apartment building.

Father Gray and Mother Gray gathered together all the pieces of their nest and carried them in their mouths. Then, keeping very close to the fence, they started for their new home.

This new home was a nice square place under the floor and far enough back so that a cat or a dog could not reach them. Soon they were settled and Pinkie Whiskers, Twinkle and Winkle were fast asleep.

In the morning, just as Mrs. Gray was washing her children's faces, they heard a bell ring right in front of their door.

To their great alarm their home began to tremble and then move. Yes, really move. Up and up it went, faster and faster.

Oh, how frightened they were! All at once their home stopped. They heard people talking and then down, down they went. My, what a queer feeling it gave them!

They heard a voice say, "Your elevator is running fine today, Tom."

"An elevator!" cried Mother Gray--"Our home is in an elevator. We must move at once for we cannot be always going up and down."

Father Gray just laughed and laughed, then said: "Well, well, I have heard of elevators, but I never expected to have a ride in one and now we have a home in one. That is a good joke, ha! ha!"

Mother Gray said, "You may laugh all you wish, but I am tired of city life, you are never sure of a safe home. We will go to the country to live."

"Oh, oh," cried Pinkie Whiskers, "let us go and live with Uncle Whiskers in the cheese factory."

"A very good idea," said Father Gray, and straightway they started for the country.

When they arrived at the cheese factory, they found it dark and deserted, but Father Gray discovered a hole and soon they had all crawled in through this hole. Mother Gray selected a great, big round cheese to live in. Father Gray made an entrance into it and very soon the tired rats were in bed in the cheese.

The next day Pinkie Whiskers, Winkle and Twinkle went out in the meadow to explore and they found a net, which some boy had lost.

Pinkie Whiskers said, "You just watch me catch that b.u.t.terfly in this net!"

He swiftly ran after the b.u.t.terfly, but when the b.u.t.terfly saw Pinkie Whiskers coming, he thought how nice it would be to have a ride on Pinkie Whiskers' back, so he flew after him.

Now, Pinkie Whiskers did not know much about b.u.t.terflies and he thought this b.u.t.terfly was chasing him.

So Pinkie Whiskers started to run for home.

"Don't let him catch me," begged Pinkie Whiskers.

Winkle and Twinkle took out their little handkerchiefs and waved them fast and hard. The b.u.t.terfly was so amazed at the sight, that he forgot about Pinkie Whiskers and flew away.

CHAPTER II

Pinkie Whiskers ran to Winkle and Twinkle. He was so frightened that he hid behind them. Twinkle laughed and said:

"Do not hide, for the b.u.t.terfly has gone and anyway it was as afraid of us as you were of it. b.u.t.terflies are perfectly harmless. They do not sting or bite. They are as gentle and timid as they are beautiful."

Pinkie Whiskers looked in every direction, but he could not see the b.u.t.terfly, so he shook himself and ran about once more. He was glad to know that b.u.t.terflies were harmless, for he might meet one again.

"Look, look! what is that?" cried Winkle as he pointed to a fat, brown, furry animal which was coming slowly toward them.

"I do not know," replied Twinkle. "Don't you think that we had better go now?"

"No, indeed," said Pinkie Whiskers, who had suddenly become very brave.

"I want to wait and see what kind of an animal he is."

When the fat, brown, furry animal was near enough to hear, Pinkie Whiskers called out:

"h.e.l.lo! who are you?"

"I am Sammy Woodchuck. I live here in the meadow. You look like strangers. Where do you live?" he inquired.

"Our names are Twinkle Gray, Winkle Gray and Pinkie Whiskers Gray,"

replied Pinkie Whiskers. "We live in the cheese factory."

"Why, that is strange, that is strange," said Sammy Woodchuck. "You must be relatives of Uncle Whiskers. I have heard him speak of you. Welcome to the country."

"Thank you very much for your welcome," replied Pinkie Whiskers, for Mother Gray had taught her children to be very polite.

"Why do you call our Uncle Whiskers, your Uncle Whiskers," inquired Twinkle. "Is he related to you also?"

Sammy Woodchuck threw back his fat head and laughed until his eyes were full of tears. "No, no!" he cried. "He is not related to me. How could a rat and a woodchuck be related? Everyone calls him Uncle Whiskers because we all love him. He is so kind and good to us all. You see I have known him all my life and 'Uncle' is my pet name for him. You ask any of the animals about here and they will tell you the same thing."

"That is very nice," said Pinkie Whiskers. "When I get old, I hope everyone will love me enough to call me 'Uncle.' I shall try and be good and kind like Uncle Whiskers."

"Won't you come home with me?" urged Sammy Woodchuck. "It is just a nice walk from here."

"Yes, we would love to go home with you," cried the three little brothers all at once. As they walked along they came to a beautiful tree and at the foot of this tree lay a shiny new axe.

Pinkie Whiskers ran and picked it up. He had never seen anything like it, so he turned it over and over and inquired:

"What is this wonderful thing and what is it for?"

"It is an axe," replied Sammy Woodchuck. "It is very sharp and Farmer Gale uses it to cut down trees. You see he has already started to chop this tree down. He must have been called away and I am sure that he intends to return soon or he would not have left his axe here."

"I will help him chop down this tree," said Pinkie Whiskers.

He took off his little red coat and hung it on a stick, which Farmer Gale had stuck in the ground. Then he put his brown cap on top of his little red coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves and began his work.

He swung the axe high above his head and brought it down against the tree with a great bang! He looked and to his disappointment saw that he had not cut even a tiny chip.

"I will try again," he vowed. "What others have done, I can do."