The Squirrel's Pilgrim's Progress

The Squirrel's Pilgrim's Progress;

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Have you ever heard of Squirreltown? It is a town of quaint homes in the woods, in which little animals live together as contentedly as though they were human beings. The whole town is roofed over by leafy bowers, and carpeted with wild flowers. All day long butterflies flit about in the shimmering sunlight, and by night thousands of fairies come out to dance in the pale moonlight.

In this town there once dwelt a young red squirrel named Tiny. He lived with his mother near the top of an oak tree. Mrs. Redsquirrel was a poor but industrious widow. Although red squirrels are said to be the most mischievous animals of the forest, she had taught Tiny to conduct himself in a proper way. In fact, he was much better behaved than Chatty Chipmunk, who lived in the ground at the foot of the tree.

One morning early in the autumn, while the weather was yet warm, Tiny's mother said to him, "You must bestir yourself, Tiny! Now is the time to gather acorns, seeds, and other food for the winter."

As he sat sipping water from a hollow acorn, he observed how anxiously his mother gazed at him. "Why do you look so sad?" he asked.

"I am getting too old to work," she answered, and she wiped the tears from her black eyes. Then abruptly she turned to look through the window. It was a small hole covered with a silken curtain that had been woven by a spider.

"Please don't cry, mother," implored Tiny. He put down his acorn, went over to his mother and drew her down upon a little couch made of moss. "I am willing to work hard to support you. Perhaps some day I shall become great. Who can tell?"

"But I want you to have a fine education," said his mother, looking with pride at her son, "and we have no good schools!"

"Perhaps a fairy may find me a good school. I can work to pay my way!" cheerfully suggested Tiny. "I have heard that those who do this make the best students." He fanned his mother with a small peacock feather. He thought that she might drop into a doze, for he knew that she had not been sleeping much of late, but just then a persistent rapping at the tree began.

"It must be Mr. Woodpecker," said Mrs. Redsquirrel with a sigh. "Every day he comes over to rap this tree. The noise makes my head ache."

"Please sit still. I'll go outside to see what he wants," said Tiny, hastening from the room.

"Hello!" he cried lustily.

Mr. Woodpecker did not answer. He was digging his long, straight, pointed beak into the bark of the tree. His stiff tail was spread out to prop his body, for woodpeckers would not be such good climbers if they had no tails. He was black and white, and wore a jaunty scarlet cap.

Dettagli