Now Happy Jack is ever so much bigger than his cousin Chatterer but he isn’t as spry.  So in spite of him Chatterer got past, and like a little red flash was up in the top of the tree where the big, fat nuts were.  But he didn’t have time to pick even one, for after him came Happy Jack so angry that Chatterer knew that he would fare badly if Happy Jack should catch him.  Round and round, over and across, this way and that way, in the top of the tall hickory tree raced Chatterer the Red Squirrel with his cousin, Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel, right at his heels, and calling him everything bad to be thought of.  Yes, indeed it was truly dreadful, and Peter Rabbit, who happened along just then, put his hands over his ears so as not to hear such a dreadful quarrel.

[Illustration:  Peter rabbit, who happened along just then, put his hands over his ears.]

CHAPTER III

STRIPED CHIPMUNK IS KEPT VERY BUSY

I prefer big acorns but I never refuse little ones. 
They fit in between.

Happy Jack.

Striped Chipmunk was sitting just inside a hollow log, studying about how he could fill up his new storehouse for the winter.  Striped Chipmunk is very thrifty.  He likes to play, and he is one of the merriest of all the little people who live on the Green Meadows or in the Green Forest.  He lives right on the edge of both and knows everybody, and everybody knows him.  Almost every morning the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind hurry over to have a frolic with him the very first thing.  But though he dearly loves to play, he never lets play interfere with work.  Whatever he does, be it play or work, he does with all his might.

    “I love the sun; I love the rain;
       I love to work; I love to play. 
    Whatever it may bring to me
       I love each minute of each day.”

So said Striped Chipmunk, as he sat in the hollow log and studied how he could fill that splendid big new storehouse.  Pretty soon he pricked up his funny little ears.  What was all that noise over in the Green Forest?  Striped Chipmunk peeped out of the hollow log.  Over in the top of a tall hickory tree a terrible fuss was going on.  Striped Chipmunk listened.  He heard angry voices, such angry voices!  They were the voices of his big cousins, Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel and Chatterer the Red Squirrel.

“Dear me!  Dear me!  How those two do quarrel!  I must go over and see what it is all about,” thought Striped Chipmunk.

So, with a flirt of his funny, little tail, he scampered out of the hollow log and over to the tall hickory tree.  He knew all about that tree.  Many, many times he had looked up at the big fat nuts in the top of it, watching them grow bigger and fatter, and hoping that when they grew ripe, Old Mother West Wind would find time to shake them down to him.  You know Striped Chipmunk is not much of a climber, and so he cannot go up and pick the nuts as do his big cousins, Happy Jack and Chatterer.