Little Jack Rabbit and the Squirrel Brothers Part 2

"What is it?" asked Twinkle Tail anxiously.

"The great thing, you know, is to hide your house as much as possible."

The little squirrel dropped the piece of green moss he was about to use, and waited.

"You should make it look like the place it's in," went on the little robin. "You have chosen a browny place, so you must use brown moss on the outside."

"That sounds like good advice," said Twinkle Tail. "I'll do as you say."

Here a leaf and there a twig, Piece of twine to bind them-- Then some moss to spread across, Till it's hard to find them.

Soon the tiny Treetop House Will be built and ready; Dry beneath the pelting rain, Against the wind quite steady.

AN OLD CROW'S NEST

Now Featherhead had a much harder time finding a home than Brother Twinkle Tail. He traveled from the oaks to the beech trees, jumping from branch to branch, peeping first into this place and then into that, but every hole and hollow had a tenant.

By and by he ran down to the ground and along the winding paths through the leaves and brush, but even then he could find nothing. No, sir.

There didn't seem to be a single place in the whole big forest for this little squirrel.

"Goodness me!" he exclaimed, "what shall I do? I don't want to go back to Nutcracker Lodge and tell them I can't look out for myself. I'd feel like a baby." So he sat down to think it over.

All of a sudden who should come by but Jimmy Crow.

"What's the matter? You look dreadfully worried."

"And so I am," replied the little squirrel. "And so would you be if you couldn't find a home for yourself."

Jimmy Crow turned his head first to one side and then to the other, and winked his bright little eye. Then he winked the other several times.

After that he wagged his feathered tail and opened both eyes.

"I know just the place for you."

"You don't mean it," cried Featherhead.

"I certainly do," replied Jimmy Crow, "if you'll follow me I'll take you there in a jiffy." And Jimmie Crow knew what he was about, for he quickly led the little squirrel to a tall oak tree whose acorns lay in heaps all over the ground. Way up high on a branch was an old crow's nest.

"There's the place for you," cried Jimmy Crow. "You can fix it up in no time."

Featherhead thanked him and ran up the tree to look it over. It didn't take him long to make up his mind what to do. Pressing the sticks more closely together, he covered them overhead and all around with leafy twigs, until it looked like a great big ball of leaves. In one side he made a little round hole for a doorway, and as the roof was nicely rounded, and this was the only opening, the rain couldn't get inside.

"With a good supply of nuts," he laughed, "I won't have to go down to the ground for my meals, and can sleep for days at a time when it's cold and stormy!"

My little house up in the tree Is just the very thing for me.

It holds my food and keeps the rain From off my comfy counterpane.

But sometimes it seems lonely quite When fall the shadows of the night, And I have no one but myself To climb up to the pantry shelf.

PARSON OWL EXPLAINS

One day as Twinkle Tail was taking a walk through the treetops, he met a young lady squirrel. She was anxiously looking here and there as if in search of something.

"Are you looking for anybody?" asked Twinkle Tail, lifting his little fur cap and bowing politely.

"Not exactly," she replied, "I'm looking for a furnished apartment. Do you know of one?"

Twinkle Tail didn't answer at once. He wanted to say something, but as he was a bashful little squirrel, it took him some time to make up his mind. Miss Squirrel, however, was not the least impatient, but curled her beautiful bushy tail up over her back and looked her prettiest.

At last he said: "Why don't you share my house? It's a very nice sort of a place since I fixed it up. It once belonged to Grandmother Magpie, you know."

After little Miss Squirrel had looked it over, she seemed greatly pleased, especially with the kitchenette, in which were stored lots of beech nuts, hazels and fir-cones. And I think she was even more pleased with Twinkle Tail, for she agreed to get married to him at once. So off he started for Parson Owl and a little gold ring, while she went into the kitchenette to get the wedding supper.

On his way he met little Jack Rabbit.

"I'm going to get married to-day! Come to my house this afternoon at five," shouted Twinkle Tail.

"All right," answered the little rabbit. "I'll run home to tell mother."

Pretty soon Twinkle Tail met Squirrel Nutcracker.

"I knew there was going to be a wedding," he exclaimed, when he heard the news. "I saw three magpies this very morning, and that's a sure sign." Then he patted the little squirrel's head and promised that he and Mrs. Nutcracker would surely come.

By the time Twinkle Tail reached the parsonage at the top of the old oak tree it was quite late. "Have you got the wedding ring?" asked Parson Owl as the little squirrel turned to go.

"Goodness gracious meebus!" exclaimed Twinkle Tail, "I've forgotten all about it."

Parson Owl yawned, for it's only in the night-time that owls are wide awake, you know, and replied:

"Can't marry you without a ring. No, indeed. Who ever heard of a wedding without a ring?"

(Parson Owl was wide awake enough to know that! Goodness me! I hope the little squirrel will find a jewelry store somewhere in the Shady Forest.)

THE LITTLE GOLD RING

Twinkle Tail felt dreadfully worried as he left the parsonage. Where was he to get the ring? Without it, Parson Owl had said there could be no wedding. Little Miss Squirrel was waiting for him at the house, and all the guests would be there at five o'clock. Parson Owl had agreed to be on time although it was a trifle too bright at that hour for his blinky old eyes. There was only one thing missing--the little gold wedding ring.