The Story of a Graysquirrel 



he used perforce to drop to the ground 

 and amble to the other post. He was 

 making for the white oak and hickory- 

 groves; but his keen nose brought him 

 the message of a big red acorn under the 

 leaves. He scratched it out and smelled 

 it — yes, good. He ripped off the shell 

 and here, ensconced in the middle, was a 

 fat white grub, just as good as the nut 

 itself, or better. So Bannertail had grub 

 on the half-shell and nuts on the side for 

 his first course. Then he set about nos- 

 ing for hidden hickory-nuts; few and 

 scarce were they. He had not found one 

 when a growing racket announced the 

 curse-beast of the woods, a self-hunting 

 dog. Clatter, crash, among the dry leaves 

 and brush, it came, yelping with noisy, 

 senseless stupidity when it found a track 

 that seemed faintly fresh. Bannertail 

 went quietly up a near elm-tree, keeping 

 the trunk between himself and the beast. 



[45] 



Grub on the "*.i 

 half She'l 



