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Show By Ruth Headrick i ; Just after Chitter and Chatter had slipped up to get their second piece of oatmeal cookie, they jwere startled nearly out of their ;wits by the sound of footsteps, BIG, BIG footsteps coming along the path. Dropping their cookies, they scrambled swiftly into the highest branches of the cedar tree, and crouched fearfully behind be-hind the sheltering branches. And imagine their surprise to see, coming down the pathway,! a creature just like the one on the I "You wouldn't want to do a thing like that, Jimmy, " his father fa-ther shook his head. "You see, that would be just like putting you in prison, where you never could go the places you wanted to, or do any of the things you like. You wouldn't be happy like that, would you?" "No oh, my goodness, NO!" Jimmy exclaimed. "I guess I never ne-ver thought of that I surely wouldn't want to hurt them. But, maybe I can make friends with them right here in the forest, and then they could go whenever they wanted to, and still I could see them. Do you think I could?" "I don't see any reason why you couldn't. You already have made a start, and all you need to do is to keep right on the way you have been, and the first thing you Iknow, they'll come right down and eat out of your hand." "Oh. Dad, do you really think so? I'll be oh, so careful, and I'll try never to frighten them. I'll come again tomorrow to meet you and all bring some more cookies j and see if I can get them to comej closer." And Jimmy followed his father down the path, still planning plan-ning on how he would get to know Chitter and Chatter better. And that is the way Chitter and Chatter came to know that Jimmy and his Dad were their friends, and they didn't need to be afraid of them. T log, only much, much bigger, and! carrying over his shoulder a big black stick. And as they watched, i this Man (for that is just what it was) sat right down on the log beside Jimmy. "Been waiting long, son," he asked, and his voice was low and pleasant, with a gentleness that drove much of the fear from the pattering hearts of our little friends. "Not too long, Dad," Jimmy replied re-plied softly, "I've been feeding the chipmunks. If you turn very slowly, you may be able to see them in the branches of the cedar tree. They scampered away when they heard you coming." Carefully both the Man and the boy turned, and sure enough, way up in the tree they could see Chitter Chit-ter and Chatter watching them, their bright little eyes shining like two little drops of ink and 'their bushy little tails flicking; back and forth. I i "Aren't they two of the cutest little fellows, tho?" Jimmy chuckled. chuckl-ed. "I sure would like to have them for pets. Do you suppose we could catch them, Dad?" |
