quite a while, and when I was where a
view of the club premises could be had, my surprise was great because
not a single boy was to be seen. I had supposed we'd have them
loitering around nearly all day, and why they went away so quickly was
more than I could make out. It was while I was trying to solve the
mystery that I saw, at the very foot of the old oak, the dearest
little house that ever was built. Some careless person had left the
door wide open, and there, in full view of any dishonest person who
might be passing, was a large ear of corn. It seemed queer that the
thing should have appeared there so suddenly; but yet I never
suspected that Mr. Man's boy Tommy had anything to do with it until I
heard Mr. Crow calling out in his hoarsest voice:

"'You'd better get away from that thing, Cheeko Squirrel, unless
you're aching to spend the rest of your days in jail!'

"Then it was I saw Cheeko running around and around the house,
looking at it from every point, and chattering in that crazy way of
his until you would have thought there were at least a dozen squirrels
near about.

"'I reckon I can do what I please without any interference from you,
Jim Crow!' Cheeko cried with that exasperating chuckle of his. 'I
wasn't brought up in these woods to be scared by an owl, or a crow
either, for that matter. When I'm wanting advice from you I'll ask for
it.'

"'You'd better ask quickly, if there's any idea in your head of going
into that place,' Mr. Crow said, never seeming to lose his temper,
though it must have been terribly trying for one of his age and
experience to have a young thing like Cheeko speak so saucily. 'I saw
Mr. Man's boy Tommy when he put that house there, and he took good
care that the corn should be seen by any who passed. Now he never has
been very careful to do folks a good turn, so I'm advising you to keep
your nose out of the place, for it must be a trap of some kind.'

"'I reckon I know as much about what's what as any old crow that ever
cawed,' Cheeko said with a laugh, as he ran around to the front of
the house and looked in. 'Mr. Man's boy Tommy knows too much to set a
trap for me, and I'm going to teach him a lesson on the folly of
leaving good corn where I can get my paws on it.'

"'Don't go in there, Cheeko!' I cried, forgetting how impertinent he
had been, and a moment later felt sorry I had spoken, for he cried as
he shook his tail with that seasick motion:

"'Mind your own business,