thought of course
Striped Chipmunk had come back and was pulling his tail. When he thought
that, he got over his fright right away, for Striped Chipmunk is such a
little fellow that Happy Jack knew that he had nothing; to fear from
him.

So as fast as he could, Happy Jack backed out of the hole and whirled
around. Of course he expected to face a very angry little Chipmunk. But
he didn't. No, Sir, he didn't. Instead, he looked right into the angry
face of his other cousin, Chatterer the Red Squirrel. And Chatterer
_was_ angry! Oh my, my, how angry Chatterer was! For a minute he
couldn't find his voice, because his anger fairly choked him. And when
he did, how his tongue did fly!

"You thief! You robber! What are you doing in my storehouse?" he
shrieked.

Happy Jack backed away hurriedly, for though he is much bigger than
Chatterer, he has a very wholesome respect for Chatterer's sharp teeth,
and when he is very angry, Chatterer is a great fighter.

"I--I didn't know it was your storehouse," said Happy Jack, backing
away still further.

"It doesn't make any difference if you didn't; you're a thief just the
same!" screamed Chatterer and rushed at Happy Jack. And what do you
think Happy Jack did? Why, he just turned tail and ran, Chatterer after
him, crying "Thief! Robber! Coward!" at the top of his lungs, so that
every one in the Green Forest could hear.

CHAPTER X

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S HAPPY THOUGHT

Waste seems to me a dreadful sin;
It works to lose and not to win.

Thrift will win; it cannot lose.
Between them 'tis for you to choose.

_Happy Jack._

Striped Chipmunk sat on a mossy old log, laughing until his sides ached.
"Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho! Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!"
laughed Striped Chipmunk, holding his sides. Over in the Green Forest he
could still hear Chatterer the Red Squirrel crying "Thief! Robber!" as
he chased his big cousin, Happy Jack, and every time he heard it,
Striped Chipmunk laughed harder.

You see, Striped Chipmunk had known all the time that Happy Jack was
spying on him, and he had had no end of fun fooling Happy Jack by
suddenly disappearing and then bobbing into view. He had known that
Happy Jack was following him so as to find out where his storehouse was.
Then Striped Chipmunk had remembered the storehouse of Chatterer the Red
Squirrel. He had filled the pockets in his cheeks with acorns and gone
straight over to Chatterer's storehouse