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Show CHATTERER HAS ANOTHER SURPRISE pHATTERER the Red Squirrel never had had so many surprises sur-prises good surprises in all his life, as since the day he had been caught in a trap in Farmer Brown's corncrib. In the first place, it had oeen a great surprise to him that be had not been given to Black Pussy the Cat, as he had fully expected ex-pected to be. Then had come the sven greater surprise of finding that Farmer Brown's Boy was ever and sver so much nicer than he had thought. A later surprise had been the wire wheel in his cage, so that ae could run to his heart's content. The fact is, Chatterer could have been truly happy but for one thing-he thing-he was a prisoner. Yes, sir, he was a prisoner, and he couldn't forget It for one minute while he was awake. He used to watch Farmer Brown's Boy and wish with all his Like a little red flash. might that he could make him understand un-derstand how dreadful it was to be in a prison. But Farmer Brown's Boy couldn't understand what Chatterer Chat-terer said no matter how hard Chatterer Chat-terer tried to make him. He seemed to think that Chatterer was happy. Chatterer had stood it pretty well and made the best of things until Sammy Jay had found him, and Reddy Fox had made fun of him, ind Peter Rabbit had peeped at him from behind the old stone wall. The irery sight of them going where they pleased, and when they pleased, had been too much for Chatterer, and such a great longing for the Green Forest and the Old Orchard filled tus heart that he could think of nothing noth-ing else. He just sat in a corner of bis cage and looked as miserable as le felt. Farmer Brown's Boy brought aim the fattest nuts and other lainties, but he just couldn't eat for the great longing for freedom that Hied his heart until it seemed ready to burst. He no longer cared to run in that new wire wheel. He was liomesick, terribly homesick, and he lust couldn't help it. Farmer Brown's Boy noticed it and his face grew sober and thoughtful. thought-ful. He watched Chatterer when the latter didn't know that he was about, and if he couldn't understand Chatterer's Chat-terer's talk he could understand Chatterer's actions and knew that he was unhappy and guessed why. One morning Chatterer did not come out of his hollow stump, as he usually usual-ly did when his cage was placed on the shelf outside the farmhouse 3oor. He just didn't feel like it. He stayed curled up in his bed for a long, long time, too sad and miserable mis-erable to move. At last he crawled up and peeped out of his little round doorway. Chatterer gave a little gasp and rubbed his eyes. Was he dreaming? He scrambled out in a hurry and peeped through the wires of his cage. Then he rubbed his eyes again and rushed over to the other side of the cage for another look. His cage wasn't on the usual shelf at all! It was on the stone wall on the edge of the Old Orchard! Chatterer was so excited he didn't know what to do. He raced around the cage. Then he jumped into the wire wheel and made it spin around and round as never before. When he was too tired to run any more he jumped out And right then he discovered something he hadn't noticed no-ticed before. The little door in the top of his cage was open! It must be that Farmer Brown's Boy had forgotten to close it when he put in Chatterer's breakfast. Chatterer forgot for-got that he was tired. Like a little red flash he was outside and whisking whisk-ing along the stone wall straight for his home in the Old Orchard. "Chickaree! Chickaree! Chickaree!" Chick-aree!" he shouted as he ran. "Ha, ha, ha! Go it, you little red scamp!" shouted a voice behind him. Then Chatterer knew that Farmer Farm-er Brown's Boy had not left the little door open by mistake, but had given him his freedom, and right then he knew that they were going to be the best of friends. |