trees would drop a nut, but Mr.
Chipmunk never would take it, not even when he was having hard work to
find any, 'for,' said he to himself, 'if my cousin drops a nut, it is
his nut just the same.'

"Finally Mr. Gray Squirrel announced that he had got his thousand nuts.
Then Mr. Fox Squirrel announced that he had got his thousand nuts. The
next day Mr. Red Squirrel stopped hunting because he had his thousand
nuts.

"But Mr. Chipmunk had hardly more than half as many. And that night he
made a dreadful discovery--some one had found his secret store-house
and had _stolen_ some of his precious nuts.

"'It's of no use to cry over what can't be helped,' said Mr. Chipmunk,
and the next morning he bravely started out again. He had worked so
hard that he had grown thinner and thinner until now he was only a
shadow of his old self. But he was as cheerful as ever and kept right
on hunting and hunting for stray nuts. Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr. Fox
Squirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel sat around and rested and made fun of
him. Way up in the tops of the tallest trees a few nuts still clung,
but his cousins did not once offer to go up and shake them down for Mr.
Chipmunk.

"And then old Mother Nature came down across the Green Meadows. First
Mr. Gray Squirrel took her to his storehouse and she counted his
thousand nuts. Then Mr. Fox Squirrel led her to his storehouse and she
counted his thousand nuts. Then Mr. Red Squirrel showed her his
store-house and she counted his thousand nuts.

"Last of all Mr. Chipmunk led her to his secret store-house and showed
her the pile of nuts he had worked so hard to get. Old Mother Nature
didn't need to count them to see that there were not a thousand there.

"'I've done the best I could,' said Mr. Chipmunk bravely, and he
trembled all over, he was so tired.

"Old Mother Nature said never a word but went out on the Green Meadows
and sent the Merry Little Breezes to call together all the little
meadow people and all the little forest folks. When they had all
gathered before her she suddenly turned to Mr. Gray Squirrel.

"'Go bring me a hundred nuts from your store-house,' said she.

"Then she turned to Mr. Fox Squirrel.

"'Go bring me a hundred nuts from your store-house,' said she.

"Last of all she called Mr. Red Squirrel out where all could see him.
Mr. Red Squirrel crept out very slowly. His teeth chattered and his
tail, of which he was so proud, dragged on the ground, for you see M