THE TALE OF TIMMY TIPTOES

By

BEATRIX POTTER

Author of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," etc.

FOR

MANY UNKNOWN LITTLE FRIENDS,

INCLUDING MONICA

Once upon a time there was a little fat comfortable grey squirrel, cal ed Timmy Tiptoes. He

had a nest thatched with leaves in the top of a tal tree; and he had a little squirrel wife

cal ed Goody.

Timmy Tiptoes sat out, enjoying the breeze; he whisked his tail and chuckled "Little wife

Goody, the nuts are ripe; we must lay up a store for winter and spring." Goody Tiptoes was

busy pushing moss under the thatch "The nest is so snug, we shal be sound asleep al

winter." "Then we shal wake up al the thinner, when there is nothing to eat in spring-time,"

replied prudent Timothy.

When Timmy and Goody Tiptoes came to the nut thicket, they found other squirrels were

there already.

Timmy took off his jacket and hung it on a twig; they worked away quietly by themselves.

Every day they made several journeys and picked quantities of nuts. They carried them

away in bags, and stored them in several hol ow stumps near the tree where they had built

their nest.

When these stumps were ful , they began to empty the bags into a hole high up a tree, that

had belonged to a wood-pecker; the nuts rattled down down down inside.

"How shal you ever get them out again? It is like a money-box!" said Goody.

"I shal be much thinner before spring-time, my love," said Timmy Tiptoes, peeping into the

hole.

They did col ect quantities because they did not lose them! Squirrels who bury their nuts in

the ground lose more than half, because they cannot remember the place.

The most forgetful squirrel in the wood was cal ed Silvertail. He began to dig, and he could

not remember. And then he dug again and found some nuts that did not belong to him; and

there was a fight. And other squirrels began to dig, the whole wood was in commotion!

Unfortunately, just at this time a flock of little birds flew by, from bush to bush, searching for

green caterpil ars and spiders. There were several sorts of little birds, twittering different

songs.

The first one sang "Who's bin digging-up my nuts? Who's-been-digging-up my nuts?"

And another sang "Little bita bread and- no-cheese! Little bit-a-bread an'- no-cheese!"

The squirrels fol owed and listened. The first little bird flew into the bush where Timmy and

Goody Tiptoes were quietly tying up their bags, and it sang "Who's-bin digging-up my

nuts? Who's been digging-up my-nuts?"

Timmy Tiptoes went on with his work without replying; indeed, the little bird did not expect

an answer. It was only singing its natural song, and it meant nothing at al .

But when the other squirrels heard that song, they rushed upon Timmy Tiptoes and cuffed

and scratched him, and upset his bag of nuts. The innocent little bird which had caused al

the mischief, flew away in a fright!

Timmy rol ed over and over, and then turned tail and fled towards his nest, fol owed by a

crowd of squirrels shouting "Who's-been digging-up my-nuts?"

They caught him and dragged him up the very same tree, where there was the little round

hole, and they pushed him in. The hole was much too smal for Timmy Tiptoes' figure. They

squeezed him dreadful y, it was a wonder they did not break his ribs. "We wil leave him

here til he confesses," said Silvertail Squirrel, and he shouted into the hole

"Who's-been-digging-up my-nuts?"

Timmy Tiptoes made no reply; he had tumbled down inside the tree, upon half a peck of

nuts belonging to himself. He lay quite stunned and stil .

Goody Tiptoes picked up the nut bags and went home. She made a cup of tea for Timmy;

but he didn't come and didn't come.

Goody Tiptoes passed a lonely and unhappy night. Next morning she ventured back to the

nut-bushes to look for him; but the other unkind squirrels drove her away.

She wandered al over the wood, cal ing

"Timmy Tiptoes! Timmy Tiptoes! Oh, where is Timmy Tiptoes?"

In the meantime Timmy Tiptoes came to his senses. He found himself tucked up in a little

moss bed, very much in the dark, feeling sore; it seemed to be under ground. Timmy

coughed and groaned, because his ribs hurted him. There was a chirpy noise, and a smal

striped Chipmunk appeared with a night light, and hoped he felt better?

It was most kind to Timmy Tiptoes; it lent him its night-cap; and the house was ful of

provisions.

The Chipmunk explained that it had rained nuts through the top of the tree "Besides, I

found a few buried!" It laughed and chuckled when it heard Timmy's story. While Timmy

was confined to bed, it 'ticed him to eat quantities "But how shal I ever get out through that

hole unless I thin myself? My wife wil be anxious!" "Just another nut or two nuts; let me

crack them for you," said the Chipmunk. Timmy Tiptoes grew fatter and fatter!

Now Goody Tiptoes had set to work again by herself. She did not put any more nuts into

the woodpecker's hole, because she had always doubted how they could be got out again.

She hid them under a tree root; they rattled down, down, down. Once when Goody emptied

an extra big bagful, there was a decided squeak; and next time Goody brought another

bagful, a little striped Chipmunk scrambled out in a hurry.

"It is getting perfectly ful -up down-stairs; the sitting-room is ful , and they are rol ing along

the passage; and my husband, Chippy Hackee, has run away and left me. What is the

explanation of these showers of nuts?"

"I am sure I beg your pardon; I did not know that anybody lived here," said Mrs. Goody

Tiptoes; "but where is Chippy Hackee? My husband, Timmy Tiptoes, has run away too." "I

know where Chippy is; a little bird told me," said Mrs. Chippy Hackee.

She led the way to the woodpecker's tree, and they listened at the hole.

Down below there was a noise of nut crackers, and a fat squirrel voice and a thin squirrel

voice were singing together

"My little old man and I fel out,

How shal we bring this matter about?

Bring it about as wel as you can,

And get you gone, you little old man!"

"You could squeeze in, through that little round hole," said Goody Tiptoes. "Yes, I could,"

said the Chipmunk, "but my husband, Chippy Hackee, bites!"

Down below there was a noise of cracking nuts and nibbling; and then the fat squirrel voice

and the thin squirrel voice sang

"For the diddlum day

Day diddle dum di!

Day diddle diddle dum day!"

Then Goody peeped in at the hole, and cal ed down "Timmy Tiptoes! Oh fie, Timmy

Tiptoes!" And Timmy replied, "Is that you, Goody Tiptoes? Why, certainly!"

He came up and kissed Goody through the hole; but he was so fat that he could not get out.

Chippy Hackee was not too fat, but he did not want to come; he stayed down below and

chuckled.

And so it went on for a fortnight; til a big wind blew off the top of the tree, and opened up

the hole and let in the rain.

Then Timmy Tiptoes came out, and went home with an umbrel a.

But Chippy Hackee continued to camp out for another week, although it was uncomfortable.

At last a large bear came walking through the wood. Perhaps he also was looking for nuts;

he seemed to be sniffing around.

Chippy Hackee went home in a hurry!

And when Chippy Hackee got home, he found he had caught a cold in his head; and he

was more uncomfortable stil .

And now Timmy and Goody Tiptoes keep their nut-store fastened up with a little padlock.

And whenever that little bird sees the Chipmunks, he sings "Who's-been-digging-up my-

nuts? Who's been digging-up my-nuts?" But nobody ever answers!

THE END