UNDER THE APPLE-TREES 



renewed, I thought I saw signs that he was either 

 getting discouraged or else that his den was getting 

 too full. At five o'clock he began to carry the nuts 

 out from my camp and conceal them here and there 

 under the leaves and dry grass. His manner seemed 

 imdecided. He did not return to his den again while 

 I waited near it. After some delay I saw him go to 

 the stone wall and follow it till he was lost from sight 

 under the hill. I concluded that his greed had at 

 last really turned him out of doors and that he had 

 gone off to spend the night with a neighbor. But my 

 inference was wrong. The next day he was back 

 again, carrying away a fresh supply of nuts as eag- 

 erly as ever. Two more quarts disappeared before 

 night. The next day was rainy, and though other 

 chipmunks were hurrying about, my little miser 

 rested from his labors. A day later a fresh supply of 

 nuts arrived — two quarts of chestnuts and one of 

 hickory-nuts, and the greed of the little squirrel 

 rose to the occasion. He made his trips as fre- 

 quently as ever. 



My enforced absence for a few days prevented me 

 from witnessing all that happened, but a friend took 

 notes for me. He tried to fool the chipmunk with a 

 light-colored marble placed among the nuts. The 

 squirrel picked it up, but quickly dropped it. 

 Watching his opportunity, my friend rubbed the 

 marble with the meat of a hickory-nut. The chip- 

 munk smelled it; then put it in his pocket; then 



2^ 



