ipped in easily. Happy Jack sniffed and sniffed. He could smell nuts
and corn and other good things. My, how good they did smell! His eyes
shone greedily.

Happy Jack took one more hasty look around to see that no one was
watching, then with his long sharp teeth he began to make the doorway
larger. The wood was tough, but Happy Jack worked with might and main,
for he wanted to get those nuts and get away before Striped Chipmunk
should return, or any one else should happen along and see him. Soon the
hole was big enough for him to get his head inside. It was a storehouse,
sure enough. Happy Jack worked harder than ever, and soon the hole was
large enough for him to get wholly inside.

What a sight! There was corn! and there were chestnuts and acorns! and
there were a few hickory nuts, though these did not look so big and fat
as the ones Happy Jack was looking for! Happy Jack chuckled to himself,
a wicked, greedy chuckle, as he looked. And then something happened.

"Oh! Oh! Stop it! Leave me alone!" yelled Happy Jack.

CHAPTER IX

HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL'S SAD MISTAKE

A Squirrel always is thrifty. Be as wise as a Squirrel.

_Happy Jack._

"Let me go! Let me go!" yelled Happy Jack, as he backed out of the
hollow stump faster than he had gone in, a great deal faster. Can you
guess why? I'll tell you. It was because he was being pulled out. Yes,
Sir, Happy Jack Squirrel was being pulled out by his big, bushy tail.

Happy Jack was more frightened than hurt. To be sure, it is not at all
comfortable to have one's tail pulled, but Happy Jack wouldn't have
minded this so much had it not been so unexpected, or if he could have
seen who was pulling it. And then, right inside Happy Jack didn't feel a
bit good. Why? Well, because he was doing a dreadful thing, and he
_knew_ that it was a dreadful thing. He had broken into somebody's
storehouse to steal. He was sure that it was Striped Chipmunk's
storehouse, and he wouldn't admit to himself that he was going to steal,
actually _steal_. But all the time, right down deep in his heart, he
knew that if he took any of those hickory nuts it would be stealing.

But Happy Jack had been careless. When he had made the doorway big
enough for him to crawl inside, he had left his tail hanging outside.
Some one had very, very softly stolen up and grabbed it and begun to
pull. It was so sudden and unexpected that Happy Jack yelled with
fright. When he could get his wits together, he