So Happy Jack was the first to stop. He sat on a branch 'way
up in the top of the tall hickory tree and glared across at Chatterer,
who sat on a branch on the other side of the tall tree.
"Couldn't catch me, could you, smarty?" taunted Chatterer.
"You just wait until I do! I'll make you sorry you ever came near my
hickory tree," snapped Happy Jack.
"I'm waiting. Besides, it isn't your tree any more than it's mine,"
replied Chatterer, and made a face at Happy Jack.
Happy Jack hopped up as if he meant to begin the chase again, but he had
a pain in his side from running so hard and so long, and so he sat down
again. Right down in his heart Happy Jack knew that Chatterer was
right, that the tree didn't belong to him any more than to his cousin.
But when he thought of all those big, fat nuts with which the tall
hickory tree had been loaded, greedy thoughts chased out all thoughts of
right and he said to himself again, as he had said when he first saw his
cousin, that Chatterer shouldn't have _one_ of them. He stopped scolding
long enough to steal a look at them, and then--what do you think Happy
Jack did? Why, he gave such a jump of surprise that he nearly lost his
balance.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25