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WHIFFET SQUIRREL

Written and Pictured by

JULIA GREENE







New York
Cupples & Leon Company


     *     *     *     *     *     *

THE MAKE-BELIEVE SERIES

Whiffet Squirrel       The Mouse's Tail
The Yaller Dog         Miss Patty Peep

     *     *     *     *     *     *

Copyright, 1917, by
Cupples & Leon Company



WHIFFET SQUIRREL

Whiffet, Skiffet and Skud were three little red squirrels who lived
with their father and mother in a tiny brown house in the old chestnut
tree. First, I must tell you how the Squirrel family came to live in
this dear little house. You see it happened this way. Father and
Mother Squirrel started out very early one morning in the spring, to
hunt a new home as they did not feel safe any longer living under the
old pine stump, with the children getting large enough to run about.
They both scampered up the old chestnut tree at the back of the farm
house to see if they could find a nice deep hollow that would make a
safe home for their little ones. When Mother Squirrel had gone about
half way up the tree trunk, and as she climbed around a big limb, she
almost bumped her head against what seemed to be a brownish wall. She
peeped around the corner of the brownish wall and what do you suppose
she saw? She held her breath in rapture for there before her bright
little eyes sat the cutest little brown house resting right on the big
limb. It was far more wonderful than any home that she had ever
dreamed of. It had a sloping red roof and two little round doors. A
good sized porch jutted out in front and each little door was several
inches above the porch. Mother Squirrel very cautiously placed her two
front feet on the porch and listened intently but all was very quiet.
Of course the folks who owned the house might be still asleep or they
might be away. She crept quietly to the first little round door and
peeped in. She saw a cute little room entirely empty. "The family must
be away" she thought. Boldly she peeped in through the second little
door and saw another cute little room just like the first and also
empty. Then she walked in and explored both rooms and found a sort of
cubby hole closet at the back of each. "What a fine place for storing
nuts," said Mother Squirrel to herself, "but it would be much handier
with a door between the two rooms." Then she walked out on the porch
and looked around. The little house was shut in almost completely by
the thick green leaves except for a patch of blue sky that showed
above the roof. "I wonder who this little house belongs to" thought
Mother Squirrel to herself with an envious sigh. Just then she looked
up at the patch of blue sky and her bright eyes caught sight of a
small sign on the peak of the roof which she had not noticed before.
On the sign were printed the words "FOR RENT" in bright red letters.

When Mother Squirrel saw the sign "FOR RENT" she nearly fell backwards
off the porch in her joy and excitement. She began to chatter and
scream in a loud shrill voice which brought her husband scampering to
the spot at top speed. Father Squirrel was quite as excited and
delighted over the house as was his wife. "It was surely meant for us"
he said; "we'll move in at once. You'd better stay here, my dear, in
case anyone should come along while I go back to the old stump for the
children and our things. I had better get the moving done before many
people are out." Off he scampered and Mother Squirrel began at once to
plan her housekeeping arrangements and started to gnaw a door between
the two rooms with her sharp little teeth. As she was working busily
at her task a shadow fell across the door and she heard a strange
chirping voice say: "My love, I am sure this is just the place we've
been looking for." Her heart began to beat violently with alarm.
Peeping through the door she saw two large fat Newly-wed Robins
standing on the porch in an affectionate attitude gazing admiringly up
at the house. "The nerve of some people" thought Mother Squirrel,
shaking with indignation. "They seem to think it's a bird house. It's
that 'FOR RENT' sign. The idea of their talking about our house like
that! But I'll fix _them_." Mother Squirrel poked her head out of
the little round door very suddenly and glaring with a very fierce
expression, she exclaimed in a loud voice: "THE CAT'S COMING"!

The Newly-wed Robins both turned very pale and flew--I think they're
flying yet. Mother Squirrel chuckled to herself but decided to take no
more risks so she climbed up the roof and took down the "FOR RENT"
sign.

Soon Father Squirrel and the children Whiffet, Skiffet and Skud, each
carrying a bag came scampering up the tree trunk. Mother Squirrel made
them nearly die laughing when she told them how she had frightened the
Newly-wed Robins.

Then Father Squirrel turned the "FOR RENT" sign over and painted on
the other side the words "NO TRESPASSING" and placed it on the corner
of the porch.

This is how the Squirrel family found their new home but I will tell
you something that they do not even suspect. The little brown house is
a bird house built by Tom the farmer's son for his little sister
Polly.

The thickening leaves had hidden it from view and little Polly had
forgotten all about it.

Whiffet, Skiffet and Skud led a jolly life in the old chestnut tree.
They played from the topmost branch to the lowest limb but Mother
Squirrel would not let them go down the tree trunk to the ground for
fear of cats. Whiffet Squirrel the tiniest of the three could think of
more mischief than her two big brothers Skiffet and Skud put together.
She was not afraid of anything and was always bossing her brothers and
leading them into trouble.

One morning early she ran out on the large limb on which the little
brown house rested and found that it almost reached to one of the
windows of the farmhouse. Peeping in the window she saw a pretty
little girl asleep in a small white bed. She leaped lightly to the
window-sill and looked around her. In one corner of the room she saw
many toys and dolls of every description, but the thing that attracted
her the most was a dear little doll's trunk. It was standing at the
foot of the doll's bed. "Just the right size for a squirrel" she
thought to herself. Just then Polly turned over in her sleep and
Whiffet scampered up the limb and back home as fast as she could run.
Of course she told Skiffet and Skud all about what she had seen and
she began to plan right away how they could get the little trunk. Yes
I will have to confess that they sometimes took things which did not
belong to them but as they were only squirrels no one had ever told
them any better.

Needless to say Whiffet kept her plan a secret as she knew that Mother
Squirrel would never consent. The following morning, just after
daylight, as soon as Father and Mother Squirrel had started out to
hunt their food for the day, the three little squirrels, Whiffet
leading the way, crept softly down the limb to the window-sill. The
little trunk was standing in the same place and Polly was sleeping
soundly. A chair stood beneath the window and they leaped to the chair
seat then to the floor and crept softly toward the trunk. Whiffet as
usual bossed her brothers and made them each take a handle of the
trunk and carry it across the floor to the chair. Skiffet then climbed
to the chair seat and reached down and pulled valiantly at his end of
the trunk while Skud pushed from below. It was pretty heavy but they
got it safely to the chair seat. They had to be very careful about
making a noise as the window was near Polly's bed. Next Skiffet
climbed to the window sill and pulled again while Skud boosted from
below. It was almost up when Skiffet's foot slipped and he fell over
backwards losing his hold of the trunk; down it fell to the floor with
a loud bump. The little squirrels trembled with fear thinking that the
noise would awaken Polly but she only turned on her other side, and in
a few minutes they started to lift the trunk again. This time they
were more careful. They succeeded in getting it safely to the window
sill, but to hoist it to the tree branch was too risky a feat for them
to try, so Whiffet decided to open the trunk and see what was inside.
She lifted up the lid very softly and found that it contained enough
pretty clothes for a whole doll family. In one of the trays was a
doll's tiny white hand mirror, comb, brush and powder puff. Whiffet
was so taken up with these things she nearly forgot everything else,
but Skiffet reminded her that they had better carry the doll's clothes
home at once as it was getting late and Polly might wake up any
minute.

They had to make several trips but at last the trunk was emptied; they
shut down the lid and left it standing on the window sill. There was
much excitement over the new clothes and Father and Mother Squirrel
were as delighted as the children. I wish you could have seen the
Squirrel family all dressed up in their finery. Skiffet fell in love
with a cunning red sweater, and Skud took possession of a tiny pair of
blue overalls.

As for Whiffet she became very vain. She looked into the mirror every
day and powdered her nose regularly. She was very proud of a pale blue
evening dress which she found in the bottom of the little trunk, and
with slippers to match, her bliss was complete.

Two or three days later little Polly went to her doll's trunk to get a
dress that she wanted and was very much surprised to find the trunk
entirely empty. She hunted everywhere but not a single one of the
things could she find. Polly felt very badly at the loss of her doll's
clothes but especially missed the doll's toilet articles as they were
the only ones she had. The mystery was not solved until one day late
in the month of October, when the leaves began to fall. Tom was
looking up in the chestnut tree when he caught a glimpse of the bird
house. "I wonder if any birds did use it" thought Tom. He climbed up
and peeped in the little round doors. The two little cubby holes at
the back were full of chestnuts and in a corner of each room lay a
pile of doll's clothes. "Oh Polly," he shouted, "come here quick; I've
found out who stole your doll's clothes. It's the squirrels." Polly
came running; with Tom's help she climbed the tree and peeped into the
house. (Of course the Squirrel family were all out walking when this
happened). "Did you ever" she cried. "The mischievous little rascals.
What do you suppose they wanted them for?" She reached her little hand
through the "bedroom" door and picked up a pile of the doll's clothes.
Underneath she found the little mirror, brush, comb, and powder puff
where Whiffet had carefully hidden them. Polly was delighted to find
her treasures. "I will take these home," she said, "but I will leave
the doll's clothes, for no doll would care to wear them now." "We'd
better climb down" said Tom, "for the squirrels can't be far away and
we don't want to scare them off." "I wonder what became of the 'FOR
RENT' sign," said Polly. Just then a big red squirrel came scolding
and chattering down the tree trunk towards them. (It was Father
Squirrel). Tom and Polly climbed down quickly.

That night when Whiffet went to look for her mirror and powder puff
she exclaimed angrily, stamping her little blue slippered foot, "the
nerve of some people."

So now Whiffet has to go without powdering her nose, and she can't
tell when her hat is on straight for she has no mirror. Skiffet and
Skud have left off combing their top "Fur" as they have no comb or
brush, but I'm sure that Polly's doll is very glad indeed to get her
own tiny things again.