CHICKAREE THE SCOLD 113 



But ' ' I would n 't put it past him, " as my Penn- 

 sylvania friends say. For he is such a fierce lit- 

 tle monster and so greedy too ! 



Descending Mount Washington by way of the 

 carriage-road, one day we stopped at a little stone 

 bridge to eat our lunch, when chickaree came forth 

 and ordered us on. He immediately smelled the 

 lunch, however, and grew silent, creeping up 

 within arm's-reach of us, watching how we ate. 

 He showed no sign of fear, only curiosity, then 

 wonder, then deep hunger. The smell of molasses 

 cookies and Summit House rolls was new to him, 

 new and gnawing. It made him hungry, so madly 

 hungry that, when I turned and threw the lunch- 

 box into the dry bed of the stream, he was into 

 that box almost as soon as it landed. 



His first bite was of bread and butter. With- 

 out pausing to chew it, he seized the slice, scurried 

 off down a log, and disappeared in the forest. 

 "Where is he taking it!" we asked. Not far 

 away, for suddenly he popped over a rock, gave 

 us a quick glance, and jumped back into the box 

 again. 



There were several cookies left in the box, to- 

 gether with some slices of bread, and nearly half 

 a loaf of bread uncut. 



