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Tale of Frisky Squirrel

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<h2>XVII</h2><h3>Farmer Green’s Cat</h3></div> <p>There were plenty of nuts in the attic of Farmer Green’s house, where Frisky Squirrel found himself a prisoner. And you might think that he wouldn’t have felt so unhappy to be there. But Frisky was unhappy. He was so frightened that he crept into a corner and stayed there, shivering, for a long time. And he couldn’t have eaten a single one of those nuts if he had tried. He wanted to be free. He wanted to be out of doors. He wanted to go home.</p> <p>After a time the storm passed. The wind stopped blowing. And the sun shone<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_83' id='Page_83'>[Pg 83]</SPAN></span> again. But nobody came to the attic to open the window. When it grew quite light Frisky did not feel so frightened. And at last he crept out of his corner and went nosing about the room, hoping to find a hole big enough to squeeze through.</p> <p>Now, you must not think Frisky Squirrel was stupid, when I tell you that the door was open all this time. It was open just the smallest crack, for Farmer Green’s wife hadn’t quite closed it when she went downstairs. Frisky had been too frightened to notice it. Besides, the attic had been dark, you know.</p> <p>Well, when Frisky found that crack he was the happiest little fellow you ever saw. It was only a narrow opening; but he slipped through it. And there he was, right at the head of the stairs! So downstairs he hurried. The door below was wide open. And in less time than it takes<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_84' id='Page_84'>[Pg 84]</SPAN></span> to tell the story, Frisky was in Farmer Green’s kitchen. He remembered that room very well, for he had been there when he came to taste that white-frosted cake.</p> <p>But this time Frisky did not stop to look for any cake. He just scampered across the floor toward the wide doorway. And as he bounded across the room something sprang out from behind the stove and started after him.</p> <p>Frisky Squirrel saw that some animal had leaped at him. He didn’t stop to take a good look; but he supposed that it was a small dog that had been drying himself by the fire. Frisky knew that dogs couldn’t climb trees. So he sprang through the door, never touching the big stone doorstep at all, and hurried toward a tree in Farmer Green’s yard. He laughed as he scurried up the tree-trunk. And then he looked down at his enemy.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_85' id='Page_85'>[Pg 85]</SPAN></span></p> <p>Then Frisky Squirrel’s heart almost stood still. That small animal was coming right up the tree after him! Of course, it wasn’t a dog at all. It was Farmer Green’s cat. Frisky had never seen a cat before and he began to wonder whether the small creature could fly, as well as climb trees. He scampered to the top of the tree; and then he leaped upon a branch of another tree close by.</p> <p>No! The small animal could not fly. She climbed as high as she dared. And then she stopped. Her eyes glared fiercely; and her tail grew as big as Frisky’s own. But that didn’t help her at all. She could only sit there and watch Frisky Squirrel as he dropped from branch to branch, until she lost sight of him among the leaves.</p> <hr class='major' /> <div class='figcenter' style='width: 300px; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;'> <SPAN name='illus-033' id='illus-033'></SPAN> <ANTIMG src='images/illus-065.png' alt='300' title='' /><br/></div> <div style='margin: auto; text-align: center; padding-top: 1em; padding-bottom: 1em;'> <SPAN name='XVIII' id='XVIII'></SPAN> <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name='Page_86' id='Page_86'>[Pg 86]</SPAN></span> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />

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