CHICKAREE THE SCOLD 117 



bite, when the foolish hand twitched. That was 

 enough. The hand had moved. He would not ap- 

 proach that hand again. 



I went on in and found the two slices, but not 

 the crust. One of the slices was high up in the 

 top of a spruce, the other in some moss behind a 

 stump. 



Perhaps these were temporary hiding-places, 

 chosen hurriedly, from which, later on, he would 

 collect his bread to store in some secret hollow for 

 the winter. I am not certain, however, that 

 Chickaree has a barn or any winter storehouse. 

 I have often found pignuts stored in old tree- 

 hollows. Still they were always shells only, as if 

 Chickaree had simply taken and eaten them there. 



Yet, more than once I have caught Chickaree 

 stuffing hollow rails with corn. Perhaps he in- 

 tended to keep these stores against the winter. I 

 suspect from what I know of Chickaree, that it 

 was more mischief and itching for occupation than 

 thought for his coming needs. 



He never finished the stuffing. Long before the 

 cavities were full the little scatterbrain would be 

 off at some other active but useless task, leaving 

 his stores to be found and devoured by the jays or 

 the mice. Chickaree will never remember that the 



