It looked like a very tiny Air-plane]
BUDDY JIM AND THE FLYING SQUIRRELS
_'Twas lots of fun to help the men Bring in the new-mown hay; Far better than the newest game A boy could ever play; "There couldn't be" said Buddy Jim, "A happier time for you Than haying time, for it's so full Of jolly things to do."_
Buddy Jim was a bit hot and tired when the last load of hay had beenstowed away in the loft in the barn.
It was almost time for supper he knew, but it was so cool and dim upthere under the rafters, and the hay was so cool and fragrant, that hedecided he would stay and take a little rest.
And you know how it is; when you're a bit weary and very comfy; well,Buddy Jim _nearly_ fell asleep.
But just as he was on the thin edge of dreamland, he woke up. And heheard voices! Very earnest little voices, too, they were.
"Don't worry, Mother," said one little voice, "I don't believe therewill be many more loads of hay this year. And anyway it will never, I'msure, reach up as high as this cross beam we are on. I don't think weshall have to move."
"I would _not_ take the chance of staying in this nest one single daymore," answered a second little voice. "Why, there was one time thisafternoon whey I thought _surely_ that our home and our babies weregoing to be ab-so-lute-ly covered up under great forks-ful of hay.
"So we are going to move, Daddy," went on the voice, "and we are goingto move this _very night_!"
"O well, if you feel that way about it," said the first voice, "Iwill look around while I'm out to dinner, and see if I can find a newplace."
"Yes, Daddy, please do that," said the second little voice earnestly,"and while you are out, I'll get the children to sleep, so they won'tbe stupid when moving time comes."
Then there came the sound of something almost, but not quite, like theflutter of wings, and Buddy Jim was surprised to see what looked like avery tiny air-plane sailing across the loft and out at the window thathad been left open for the barn swallows.
"Now I wonder," said Buddy Jim, "who these funny little people canbe?" Just then across the loft, came the sound of a little, croony,sleepy-time song. Just the kind of a song that mothers the world oversing to their babies at bed time.
Presently it died away, and all was still, and Buddy Jim knew that thebabies, whoever they were, had gone to sleep.
"I'm going to find out who that is," said he, crawling softly acrossthe hay towards the place from where the sound of the voices and thesinging had come. Presently, in the dim light he could just make out atiny creature in a tawny dress sitting on a tuft of hay. She had beendaintily munching the seeds from a buttercup stalk. But now she satvery still. Buddy sat very still, too. He knew that the small Motherperson had seen him.
But she did not run away. She couldn't, you see. Because her preciousbabies were there. So she sat quite still and hoped that Buddy Jim hadnot seen her.
"Don't be afraid of me," said Buddy Jim, "I'm just a neighbor, and Iwon't hurt you."
"My! you make me breathe easier," said the small Mother person, "mostboys would drive me away and take my babies away to live in one ofthose dreadful prisons they call cages. My! I'm glad that you are not_that_ kind of boy. Why," she went on, "we came into this hay loft tolive because we thought there wasn't a boy on the farm."
"There wasn't until my Daddy bought it," said Buddy Jim. "We came inthe Springtime. Daddy wants me to know all about my little countryneighbors. You see I'm from the city, and I've never seen many wildcreatures--nobody but Reddy Bat--so I just want to know them all. Iwouldn't hurt your babies, and I wouldn't think of taking them away."
"Well, that surely makes me feel better," said the little Mother person.
"But won't you please tell me your name?" said Buddy Jim. "Why,surely," said the small Mother person, "we are the Flying Squirrels,though we of course do not really fly, we just get our balance and sailthrough the air. Like this," she said, giving a little jump and sailingacross the loft and back again.
"I heard you planning to move," said Buddy Jim. "Why! This is such asafe big place for the babies to play around in."
"That's what we thought," said Mother Flying Squirrel, "and thatis why we moved into Barn Swallow's old nest instead of making onefor ourselves--he isn't using it this year--see, it's up on thatcross-beam. But now that they are filling the barn so full of hay, I'mafraid my children will be buried under it, so Father Squirrel has goneout to see if he can find us a new place to live in."
"Wait a minute," said Buddy Jim, "I think I can help you. You just sittight until I come back."
Buddy Jim slid down from the hayloft and went out to his own littlework bench which Daddy had given him. There he hunted until he foundjust what he wanted. It was a wooden box that used to hold soap. In afew minutes with hammer and nails he had made just the nicest littlehouse you could wish for. And then he covered the floor of it withsoft, fine shavings, and took it back to the hayloft.
Then he climbed up on the cross beam, and nailed the house way up high,so high that the hay just never could come up to it.
And then he sat down to watch little Mother Flying Squirrel move. Firstshe fixed the shavings to suit herself. Then, for fear it was not softenough she got some hay and put that in and trampled it down.
Then she moved the babies, taking one at a time, in her mouth, justthe way Tabby the Cat moves hers. When they were all safely in thenew nest, she sat up on the top of the house to look for Daddy FlyingSquirrel.
Presently he came in and sailed straight over to where his house usedto be.
You should have seen his face! But Mother Squirrel called, "We'vemoved, we live up here now."
"Well, well," said Daddy Flying Squirrel, "_where_ did you ever getthis house? And where are the babies?"
"All safely tucked in bed, bless their hearts," said Mother FlyingSquirrel. "This house is a present from our new neighbor, Buddy Jim.There he is over there on the hay."
"A Boy!" gasped Daddy Flying Squirrel. "Now we _shall_ have to move."
"Indeed we _won't_," said Mother Flying Squirrel, "Buddy Jim is theright _kind_ of a boy. He takes care of small creatures instead ofhurting them."
Just then came the call to supper. "Where have you been so long BuddyJim?" asked his father.
"I was fixing a house for the flying Squirrels and their babies, up inthe hay loft, Daddy," answered the little boy. "I'm going to tame them.I'm going to get them so tame that they will eat out of my hand beforethe summer is over."
"He will do it, too," said Old Bob the gardener to Mary the maid. "Allthe little animals around the place seem to love Buddy. He's so good tothem."