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Tale of Grumpy Weasel

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<h3>II AT THE OLD STONE WALL</h3> Little Mr. Chippy suddenly set up a great twitter. Anybody could see that he was frightened. And one of Jolly Robin's sons, perched in an apple tree near the stone wall where Mr. Chippy lived in a wild grapevine, wondered what could be the matter. Presently, as he looked beneath him, he saw a long, slim shape dart from a chink of the old wall, and as quickly disappear. "Huh!" said young Master Robin. "Foolish people who build their homes on walls must expect snakes for visitors." And feeling quite wise and grown up, he[Pg 6] turned his back on Mr. Chippy, as if it really made no difference to him if Mr. Chippy did have a dangerous caller. Meanwhile others of the bird neighbors began to echo Mr. Chippy's warning notes. And young Master Robin thought everybody was silly to make such a fuss over the misfortunes of a humble person like Mr. Chippy. "If they don't look out they'll scare all the angleworms back into their holes," he grumbled—a remark which shows that he knew little about the ways of the world. And when Rusty Wren swerved near him and called to him to look out for Mr. Chippy's visitor—that he was "a bad one"—young Master Robin actually puffed himself up with rage. "He seems to think I'm in danger of falling out of this tree," he sneered aloud. "He doesn't know that I can handle my[Pg 7]self in a tree as well as he can." As he spoke, Master Robin all but tumbled off his perch. But he caught himself just in time, then looked around hastily to see if anybody had noticed his awkwardness. All this time poor Mr. Chippy's cries continued. There was really no reason for his alarm. For his wife was away from home, with all their children. But Mr. Chippy kept flying back and forth in a great flutter. He too called to young Master Robin that he'd better go home. Still that knowing youngster paid no heed to his elder's advice. "If snakes climb trees I've never seen them do it," he scoffed. "Hi, there! Haven't you seen——" Mr. Chippy started to say. But before he could finish his question Master Robin interrupted him rudely. "Certainly I saw him," he cried. "I[Pg 8] saw him come out of the wall and go in again." "He'll get you if you don't go away!" Mr. Chippy shrieked. "Let him try!" Master Robin scoffed. He was sorry that Mr. Chippy did not hear him. But that distracted little person had already hurried off to warn somebody else. It was no time at all before Rusty Wren's wife gave a piercing scream. "That fat Robin boy—he'll be caught!" she wailed. Now, it made Master Robin very angry to be spoken of in such a way as that. "Fat!" he burst out in a loud tone as he stared in Mrs. Wren's direction. "Who's fat?" "You are!" said a strange, grumpy voice right behind him—or so it seemed to young Master Robin. <hr style="width: 65%;" /> [Pg 9] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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