rse Happy Jack couldn't understand what he said. If he could
have, he might have guessed that it was the mumps that had made Farmer
Brown's boy look so like Striped Chipmunk when he has his cheeks stuffed
with nuts. But if he couldn't understand what Farmer Brown's boy said,
he had no difficulty in understanding that if he wanted those nuts he
would have to go after them. So at last he screwed up his courage and
put his head inside. Nothing happened, so he went wholly in and sat on
the inside sill. Then by reaching out as far as he could without
tumbling off, he managed to get one of those nuts, and as soon as he had
it, he dodged outside to eat it.

Farmer Brown's boy laughed, and putting the rest of the nuts outside,
he closed the window. Happy Jack ate his fill and then scampered back to
the Green Forest. He felt all puffed up with pride. He felt that he had
been very, very bold, and he was anxious to tell Tommy Tit the
Chickadee, who had not been with him that morning, how bold he had been.

"Pooh, that's nothing!" replied Tommy, when he had heard about it. "I've
done that often."

CHAPTER XXII

HAPPY JACK DARES TOMMY TIT

A wise philosopher is he
Who takes things as they chance to be,
And in them sees that which is best
While trying to forget the rest.

_Happy Jack._

Somehow Happy Jack's day had been spoiled. He knew that he had no
business to allow it to be spoiled, but it was, just the same. You see,
he had been all puffed up with pride because he thought himself a very
bold fellow because he had really been inside Farmer Brown's house. He
couldn't help feeling quite puffed up about it. But when he told Tommy
Tit the Chickadee about it, Tommy had said, "Pooh! I've done that
often."

That was what had spoiled the day for Happy Jack. He knew that if Tommy
Tit said that he had done a thing, he had, for Tommy always tells the
truth and nothing but the truth. So Happy Jack hadn't been so dreadfully
bold, after all, and had nothing to brag about. It made him feel quite
put out. He actually tried to make himself feel that it was all the
fault of Tommy Tit, and that he wanted to get even with him. He thought
about it all the rest of the day, and just before he fell asleep that
night an idea came to him.

"I know what I'll do! I'll dare Tommy to go as far inside Farmer
Brown's house as I do!" he exclaimed, and went to sleep to dream that he
was the boldest, bravest squirrel that e