FRIENDLY ENEMIES, THE ANIMALS 97 



joined in the work of destruction by the big prairie 

 gray squirrel. The big gray with his powerful fore- 

 paws soon made quick work of the wheat plants, as 

 he was soon to do with the kernels of corn that 

 would be planted in a nearby field. 



The big gray was quite a clannish sort of fellow 

 and did not mingle with the other folks at all, so 

 he stuck strictly to his business and did not pay any 

 attention whatever to Stripes. As he returned to 

 the pasture, after eating aU the wheat he could hold, 

 he encountered Chubby, the field mouse, also en- 

 gaged in taking his breakfast from the wheat field, 

 who upon seeing Stripes rushed to the old fence post 

 and dodged into a knot hole which was the door to 

 his home. 



"What's your hurry, Chubby?" cried Stripes after 

 him, as he disappeared in the old post. 



"Just taking my morning exercise," returned 

 Chubby, thrusting his head out of the knot hole, 

 as he did not want Stripes to know that he was 

 afraid of him. He knew that Stripes would not hesi- 

 tate to kill him if he was quite hungry, provided 

 he had a good chance, so he was going to see that 

 he did not have the opportunity. 



"Say, Chubby, when did you move over here? 

 The last time I saw you, your home was over near 



