BUDDY JIM AND THE GRAY SQUIRREL FAMILY
_The Golden-Rod was sprinkling Fresh perfume on the air, And the little Milk-weed fairies Were flying everywhere. The blackberries were ripening in The splendid August sun! Said Buddy Jim, "I'm sure there'll be Enough for everyone."_
"Enough of what?" asked Old Bob the gardener, who happened to bepassing the porch just that minute.
"O, good morning, Bob," said Buddy, running to meet the old gardener;they were great friends. "Enough blackberries for all of us, is what Imeant. For us and the birds too."
"Guess there will be," said Old Bob the gardener, "never did see sucha blackbr'y crop as there is this year. Are you thinking of goingblackberryin'?"
"Mary the cook said that if I would go and get some that she would makeme some jam to have for my breakfasts next winter, with my own name onthe labels," said Buddy. "So I'm going to get them today before theyripen too much."
There were really wild Animals in the Forest!]
"Well, Buddy," said Old Bob the gardener, "if you are going into thatblackbr'y bramble you'd better put on your shoes and stockings, unlessyou want to get your feet and legs scratched."
"I'll take them along," said Buddy, "and put them on after I get there.It is so much fun to go barefoot in the dewy grass."
So, after getting a shiny new tin pail from Mary the cook, Buddytied his shoes together by the strings, and hung them around hisneck, whistled to Old Dog Sandy, and went across the fields of lateclover where the big bumblebees were busy, to the hillside where theblackberries grew.
Such a tangle of bushes as he found there; and all simply _loaded_ withgreat ripe berries.
Buddy Jim sat down on a fallen log and put on his shoes and stockings,while Old Dog Sandy just nosed around. It was very pleasant up there,Buddy Jim thought. He could look away down on the shining meadows,where the little crooked river ran like a silver ribbon through thegreen of the wild fields that ran out to the edge of the big woods.
There were very big fish in the river, so Bob the gardener had said,and really wild animals in the forest. Bears and wolves even, anddeer. And on dark nights sometimes, Jack O' Lantern danced and swunghis light around. Old Bob the gardener had promised that Buddy shouldgo along with him and camp out some night while the men were cuttingthe wild hay on the shining meadows. He wished he were going therenow. Now, this minute! Then he remembered that he had come to pickblackberries.
Old Dog Sandy was not interested in the berries. So he started off byhimself to see what he could find. "Look out for old man Porcupine,"called Buddy. Sandy looked foolish, and ran away. His mouth was stillsore at the corners, because he had sneaked away one day to settle anold score with Prickly Porcupine; and he did not like to be reminded ofit.
It was fun to pick the berries, and although Buddy put one in his mouthfor every two that he put in the pail, he soon had the pail full. Thenhe sat down to rest and wait for Old Dog Sandy to come back.
At first there was no noise at all, except the Katy-dids' quarrellingwith each other, and then making up again, and the song of the locusts,but presently Buddy became aware of other voices.
"O-dear-O-dear," chattered a small somebody, "it is just as I expected,all the nicest berries are gone! You would loiter so, children, wastingour time on hazel-nuts that won't be ready to eat for a month yet."
"Now never mind, never mind, Mother," said a second small voice, "I'msure we shall find enough ripe berries for our lunch. Here is a nicebig one now, just full of seeds."
"The best thing about blackberries," said the first voice, "is thatthey are both food and drink."
"Oo--oo--ee--ee," shouted another little voice. "What luck! Somebodyhas picked a lot of berries and put them in a dish for us, and leftthem here. Come quickly, Sister, come quickly!"
"Now they've found my pail full of berries," said Buddy. "Children,Children!" called the Mother voice, "don't touch those. It may be atrap!"
"You must _never_ touch anything that has the Man smell about it," saidtheir father.
Very softly, so as not to frighten away those who were making so freewith his blackberries, Buddy turned around. And there was Father andMother and Sister and Brother Gray Squirrel.
They certainly looked funny, with their eager little faces all stainedwith blackberry juice. Buddy just couldn't help it. He laughed rightout loud.
Then they saw him, and as quick as a wink there wasn't a squirrel insight. They had all whisked like little gray streaks up in the branchesof an old birch tree.
But squirrels are such curious little people that they just had topeep, to see who and what was down below them. And Buddy Jim, knowingthat they would be back presently, stretched out on the ground and layvery still.
"He seems to be harmless," said Father Squirrel. "He does indeed," saidMother Gray Squirrel. "He _is_ harmless," said Brother Gray Squirrel,"and what is better he is kind. He is the boy who made the nest forFlying Squirrel's family in the barn at haying time. I'm not afraidof him. I'm going down and get my lunch." "So am I," said Sister GraySquirrel. And they both slid down head first, on the trunk of the bigold birch tree. "Help yourselves, Little Neighbors," said Buddy softly."I won't look. I can gather some more."
With little squeals of joy Sister Gray Squirrel and Brother GraySquirrel stood up on their haunches and reached their little paws intothe pail of berries, and ate and ate. Then they filled their pocketsfull and the juice all ran down on their little gray dresses, but theydidn't care, and then they ran up the big birch tree to take some toFather and Mother. They were just in time, too, for Old Dog Sandy cametrotting back and barked at them.
"I'm glad you are safely back," said Mother Gray Squirrel, "for whileyou may be able to trust _some_ people, you certainly can not trustdogs and cats."
Buddy laughed. "See what a bad opinion folks have of you, Old DogSandy," said he, as he filled his pail again.
When he took the berries to Mary the cook, she said, "Your lunch is allcold, Buddy. Didn't you hear the horn?"
"Yes, I heard it," said Buddy. "But I had to pick some more berries.Some little gray tramps ate part of what I had gathered."
"Tramps!" said Mary the cook. "_We_ don't allow tramps here on thisfarm. You'd better speak to Old Bob the gardener about it."
Buddy Jim smiled. He knew Old Bob the gardener would never object to_his_ little gray tramps!