UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 



near a neighbor. He has at last become so familiar 

 that he climbs to my lap, then to the table, then to 

 my shoulder and head, looking for the kernels of 

 popcorn that he is convinced have some perennial 

 source of supply near me or about me. He clears up 

 every kernel, and then on his return, in a few min- 

 utes, there they are again ! I might think him a good 

 deal puzzled by the prompt renewal of the supply 

 if I were to read my own thoughts into his little nod- 

 dle, but I see he is only eager to gather his harvest 

 while it is plentiful and so near at hand. No, he is 

 not influenced even by that consideration; he does 

 not consider at all, in fact, but just goes for the corn 

 in nervous eagerness and haste. Yet, if he does not 

 reflect, he certainly has a wisdom and foresight of 

 his own. This morning I mixed kernels of fresh-cut 

 green corn with a handful of the dry, hard popcorn 

 upon the floor. At first he began to eat the soft 

 sweet corn, but, finding the small, dry kernels of the 

 popcorn, he at once began to stuff his cheek pockets 

 with them, and when they were full he hastened off 

 to his den. Back he came in about three minutes 

 and he kept on doing this till the popcorn was all 

 gone; then he proceeded to make his breakfast off 

 the green corn. When this was exhausted, he began 

 to strip some choke-cherries (which I had also placed 

 among the corn) of their skins and pulp, and to fill 

 his pockets with the pits, thus carrying no perish- 

 able food to his den. He acted exactly as if he knew 



8 



