There were bright-colored Thistle Birds]
BUDDY JIM AND THE CHIPMUNK FAMILY
_The world had turned to silver Sometime throughout the night, Each weed and twig, and shrub and tree Wore robes of daintiest white; The big round sun peeped out and smiled-- The world smiled back; "Oh look!" Cried Buddy Jim, "It's like a page From a fairy picture-book!"_
Of course Buddy knew all about _why_ the world was wearing lacy whitedresses; Jack Frost had come and dressed it all up in the night tobe sure; but he had not known how lovely it would be. Why, it lookedexactly like a whole world full of glittering gems, like those Motherwore in her hair when she was going to a party.
Just then, around the corner, came Old Bob the gardener. He had asharp and shiny axe in his hand. "Hello, Buddy," said he, "Want to dosomething for me?" "'Deed I do," said the little boy. He was alwaysanxious to do something for Bob, because the two were great chums.
"I've got an axe to grind," said Old Bob the gardener, "and I want youto turn the grindstone for me. We are going up to the beech woods thisforenoon to cut out the dead-and-down trees for wood, and old woodneeds sharp axes."
"I like to turn the grindstone," said Buddy, as he started the bigwheel slowly turning around on its axis, watching Bob the gardener ashe held the axe closely against it, and poured water on the stone fromtime to time.
"Why do you put water on the stone, Bob?" he asked.
"So it won't get heated by the friction," said Old Bob the gardener,"it would spoil the stone if I didn't wet it, and the axe too, verylikely. But there goes the breakfast gong, and the axe is sharp and Iam much obliged to you, Buddy."
"You're welcome," said Buddy, as he made a dash for breakfast.
When breakfast was over, Buddy went out of doors, and found Old Bob thegardener just ready to go.
"Know of any youngster who would care to go beech-nutting thismorning?" called Bob to Buddy Jim. "If you do, tell him to bring alonga sack to put the nuts in, because there'll be beech-nuts a plentyafter the fine frost we had last night."
"I certainly do know a youngster who wants to go," said Buddy, "and hewill be all ready as soon as he finds a sack for the nuts, and puts onsome hiking shoes. So be sure to call him, won't you Bob?"
"I'll sing out when I go by," said Old Bob the gardener. So Buddy askedMary the cook for a flour sack, and put on warm shoes and stockings,and was quite ready to start when Old Bob the gardener shouted "Allaboard!"
Old Dog Sandy stretched himself and looked at Buddy so beseechinglythat he hadn't the heart to leave him at home. So he said he could comealong if he would promise not to frighten any Little Neighbor.
Old Dog Sandy promised with his eyes, but down deep in his heart he wasafraid he couldn't keep the promise, not if he should happen to meetsomething _really_ interesting. However, permission to go along was allthat he wanted, and maybe he wouldn't see any wild thing, so why thinkabout it?
He was a happy old dog as they ran across the crisp fields; there wereflocks and flocks of bright-colored thistle birds, chattering andgetting their breakfast of seeds from the weeds, but old Dog Sandydidn't count those. They were too small and besides, they were justlike the canary that Mary the cook kept in a cage, and made so muchfuss over every day. It was a bit more exciting when he picked up MollyCotton-tail's trail--but of course Buddy whistled him back--he never_could_ have any fun.
Buddy thought he had never seen the beeches look so lovely as they didon this morning, not even in the summer--the leaves were so brown andrustly, and the trunks so smooth and such a lovely gray-green color.The wood cutters were there already, and after Old Bob the gardenerhad directed them where to work he came back to Buddy, and unrolled abundle he had brought, which proved to be a blanket which he spreadunder a big tree.
"Now, Buddy Jim," he said, "I'll give you a boost, and you go up andshake the branches and the nuts will fall down on the blanket, and youwill have plenty to do until noon time."
So, with a boost from Old Bob the gardener, up went Buddy, like alittle brown monkey, and he began shaking the branches of the tree, sothat the nuts fell down in a big shower, burrs and all.
When no more fell, Buddy scrambled back down the tree to fill his sack.
Old Dog Sandy wandered off by himself, talking to himself down deep inhis throat about what would be likely to happen if he ever _should_happen to meet that Pin Cushiony Person again. There must be some spoton him not covered up with pins! "And _then_ they'd see!"
Buddy lay face down on the blanket, busily separating the nuts fromthe burrs, and wondering how it could be possible that such a big treecould ever have grown from such a tiny, three-cornered little seed,when he became aware of voices just above his head.
"I am positive this is the tree that was so full of nuts yesterday,"said a small voice, "because I marked it especially for this morning'swork. And now there's only one or two clusters left!"
"Never mind, Mother dear," said another little voice, "perhaps the RedSquirrels got here first."
"Ssh," said the first voice, "it was not the Red Squirrels--I smelldog--and I smell man--and they're not far away, either. Look! what isthat, on the ground at the foot of the tree?" Buddy looked up, justas the Little Neighbors in the tree looked down. "Hurray," said he,softly, "that's Mother Chipmunk and her family, and they have alwaysbeen so shy I couldn't get acquainted!" So he kept very still knowingthat the curiosity of the little people was so great that they wouldjust have to come down to see what he was doing.
"That's a boy down there, and he has taken all our beech-nuts," saidMother Chipmunk. "That's a shame. He surely doesn't need them, and wedo."
"Come on down, Little Neighbors," called Buddy. "I won't hurt you. Comeon down and help yourselves."
The Chipmunks looked at each other, half made up their minds to takeBuddy at his word, ran part of the way down, and then ran back to thesheltering brown leaves again.
Buddy sat very still, until, making up their minds to have those nutsanyway, the timid, beautiful little animals ran down the trunk of thetree head first and jumped right in the middle of the blanket full ofbeech-nuts.
They paid no attention at all to Buddy, but went busily to work,filling their _pockets_ full of nuts, selecting only the full-meatedones, and as fast as their pockets were full, running away, andhurrying back for more.
"You must live near here," said Buddy. "We do," said one little fellow,"That's why we needed the nuts on this tree, so we should not have tomake such long trips home and back."
"I've always wanted to know," said Buddy, "what you do with the dirtthat you take out of your burrows." Little Chipmunk started to speak,but his mouth was too full. "Chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck," warned hismother, "don't talk so much, children, and work faster."
"All right, little old lady," said Buddy, "keep your secrets. Goodbye!I'm going to find another tree, and you may have this one."
"Bob," said Buddy, when they were walking home, "do the Chipmunks sleepall winter, like the bears and the wood-chucks?"
"'Deed they do not," said Old Bob the gardener, "they couldn't keepstill that long. They're too restless, and they like to know too wellwhat is going on in the world."
"Cunning little things, aren't they?" said Buddy. "Yes, they are," saidOld Bob the gardener, "and they talk a lot without saying much."
Buddy Jim smiled. He was remembering that he had not found out verymuch about the friendly little Chipmunk people after all. Not from them!