THE NUTCRACKERS OF NUTCRACKER LODGE. 15 



ments, and old Parson Too-whit, a venerable owl who inhab- 

 ited a branch somewhat more exalted, as became his pro- 

 fession, was in the habit of saving himself much trouble in 

 his parochial exhortations by telling his parishioners in short 

 to "look at the Nutcrackers" if they wanted to see what it 

 was to. live a virtuous life. Everything had gone on pros- 

 perously with them, and they had reared many successive 

 families of young Nutcrackers, who went forth to assume 

 their places in the forest of life, and to reflect credit on 

 their bringing-up, so that naturally enough they began 

 to have a very easy way of considering themselves models 

 of wisdom. 



But at last it came along, in the course of events, that 

 they had a son named Featherhead, who was destined to 

 bring them a great deal of anxiety. Nobody knows what 

 the reason is, but the fact was, that Master Featherhead 

 was as different from all the former children of this worthy 

 couple as if he had been dropped out of the moon into 

 their nest, instead of coming into it in the general way. 

 Young Featherhead was a squirrel of good parts and a 

 lively disposition, but he was sulky and contrary and unrea- 

 sonable, and always finding matter of complaint in every- 

 thing his respectable papa and mamma did. Instead of 

 assisting in the cares of a family, picking up nuts and 

 learning other lessons proper to a young squirrel, he 

 seemed to settle himself from his earliest years into a sort 



