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Tale of Frisky Squirrel

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<h2>XVI</h2><h3>Caught in the Attic</h3></div> <p>Long before Frisky Squirrel reached Farmer Green’s place, he began to worry for fear Mr. Crow had grown tired of waiting for him. To be sure, he knew that the butternuts were up in the attic. But to tell the truth, Frisky felt uneasy about visiting the farmhouse. And he hoped that Mr. Crow would show him just how to get through the attic window, as he had promised.</p> <p>Just as he came in sight of the farmhouse Frisky heard Mr. Crow calling to him from a tall tree close by the road. He was glad to hear the old gentleman’s husky<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_78' id='Page_78'>[Pg 78]</SPAN></span> voice. And he couldn’t help thinking how kind Mr. Crow was, and how mistaken his mother had been to believe that Mr. Crow liked to get folks into trouble.</p> <p>“Come on!” said Mr. Crow, as Frisky paused beneath the tall tree. “I’m going to fly over to that tree right next the farmhouse. You run along the stone-wall and climb up beside me.”</p> <p>“Now, then!” said Mr. Crow a few minutes later, when Frisky had joined him. “There’s the window—wide open. And there are the butternuts, lying on the floor.”</p> <p>Frisky could see great heaps of nuts. And without another word he crept out on a limb that brushed the window-sill and in another moment he was inside Farmer Green’s attic. Frisky forgot to thank Mr. Crow. He never once thought of that, he was in such a hurry to taste those nuts.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_79' id='Page_79'>[Pg 79]</SPAN></span></p> <p>He just ate and ate and ate; and he was so busy cracking the nuts and picking out the meats that he never noticed that it was growing dark.</p> <p>At last, to his astonishment, the attic door opened. Frisky leaped behind a pile of butternuts and hid, while someone walked across the floor. Then there was a bang. And Frisky shivered when he heard it. But the person left the attic at once and went downstairs.</p> <p>Frisky Squirrel breathed easily again. And he stole out from behind the pile of nuts. Somehow, he did not care to eat any more. He wanted to get out of the house. So he went to the window. And then Frisky Squirrel was really frightened. The window was shut!</p> <p>You see, while Frisky was so busy eating butternuts, a storm was gathering. And it grew so dark, and the wind howled<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_80' id='Page_80'>[Pg 80]</SPAN></span> so shrilly, that Farmer Green’s wife thought she had better shut the attic window, to keep the rain from beating in.</p> <p>How Frisky Squirrel did wish he had minded his mother and kept away from old Mr. Crow! Poor Frisky looked out through the little square panes of glass. His friend Mr. Crow was nowhere to be seen. Frisky had hoped that the old gentleman would be waiting for him, and that since Mr. Crow had told him how to get inside the attic he would be able to tell him how to get out again.</p> <p>The wind swept the branches of the tall tree back and forth across the window. How easy it would have been—if the window had been open—to hop out upon one of those swaying limbs! Frisky pressed his soft little body close against the glass and pushed as hard as he could. But he couldn’t break out of his prison. It was a<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_81' id='Page_81'>[Pg 81]</SPAN></span> queer thing—that glass! He could see through it just as if there was nothing there; and yet it held him fast. Frisky could not understand it.</p> <div class='figcenter' style='width: 300px; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;'> <SPAN name='illus-031' id='illus-031'></SPAN> <ANTIMG src='images/illus-061.png' alt='300' title='' /><br/></div> <hr class='major' /> <div class='figcenter' style='width: 300px; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;'> <SPAN name='illus-032' id='illus-032'></SPAN> <ANTIMG src='images/illus-063.png' alt='300' title='' /><br/></div> <div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;'> <SPAN name='XVII' id='XVII'></SPAN> <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_82' id='Page_82'>[Pg 82]</SPAN></span> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />

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