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The Adventures of Squirrel Fluffytail

[Illustration: “‘Go straight there and come straight home before
dark!’”]




                           The Adventures of
                          Squirrel Fluffytail

                   A Picture Story-Book for Children

                               Story by
                            Dolores McKenna

                              Pictures by
                            Ruth H. Bennett

                            [Illustration]

                      Frederick A. Stokes Company
                       New York      Publishers

                        _Copyright, MCMXXI, by_
                   THE SAALFIELD PUBLISHING COMPANY

                         _All Rights Reserved_




CHAPTER ONE


Once upon a time, on a beautiful island that stood in the center of a
great big lake, there lived in the heart of a kindly old oak tree a
dear little squirrel family. There were three in all; Father, Mother
and Fluffy-tail, and they were just the happiest family one could
imagine.

Father Squirrel worked hard all day long gathering nuts to store away
so that they would all have enough food in the larder for winter, and
when Mother Squirrel was not too busy doing her housework she too
helped to gather nuts, which she would tuck away in all sorts of places
so that no lazy squirrels could find them. She knew that there were
some lazy little rascals who would play all summer long and that when
the winter came their poor babies would ofttimes cry because they were
so hungry.

Not that she would not help any one in need, for she was a good, kind
mother, but she knew from experience that those little squirrels who
would not work and gather nuts when they were plentiful, would help
themselves to other folks’ supply if they had a chance to do so.

One day while Mrs. Squirrel was ironing some pretty petties for
Fluffy-tail she heard a knock at the door. It was a messenger from Mrs.
Squire Squirrel inviting Fluffy-tail to a surprise-party to be given
to her little daughter Furrikins. When Fluffy-tail came bouncing in
to dinner that day and saw something pink peeping out from under her
plate, you can just imagine how delighted she was when she pulled it
out and found it was an invitation to a party, for parties were few and
far between on the Island.

They had to be just after the summer visitors left the place, as it
would not be very safe while they were there. With summer visitors
there was sure to be a boy with a gun who was always just so hungry
for squirrel pot-pie. In the winter it was too cold, and in the spring
there was seldom enough food left for regular meals, much less a party.
So now the time was just right and Fluffy-tail thought she was never so
happy in all her life.




CHAPTER TWO


After lunch, on the day of the party, Mrs. Squirrel washed, brushed
and combed Fluffy-tail until it hurt so she thought she would have to
squeal once or twice; then dressed her in one of the prettiest little
party dresses one ever saw. Fluffy-tail even had new slippers with
fluffy pink bows. “You must live up to your name, my dear,” her mother
said, as she tied her pretty pink bonnet strings, “and too, my dear,”
as she kissed her for at least the twentieth time, “be very careful
of your manners; don’t lose your present (the cutest lace trimmed hanky
with blue birds in the corners); go straight there and come straight
back home before dark. You know Old Tabby Cat just loves little
squirrels for dinner and she wouldn’t care even if you did have on your
party dress. Cats are such prowling creatures sometimes,” she added.




CHAPTER THREE


[Illustration: “Mrs. Squirrel followed Fluffy down the path.”]

Mrs. Squirrel followed Fluffy a little way down the path and at the
corner Fluffy turned, waved goodbye with her little fan, and then was
gone out of sight. Mrs. Squirrel sighed as she went back into the
house, hoping all would be happy for her darling that day.

Fluffy herself was surely happy, and after waving goodbye to her
mother, her thoughts were filled with the good time and the good things
she knew she would get to eat at the party. Her little brown eyes
seemed to just dance whenever she would think of the pleasures in store
for her. She had not gone very far along the road when she heard a wee
voice crying, “Oh, please help me! It hurts so!” and looking around
she saw a poor little mouse whose tail was caught between two stones.

[Illustration: “‘Oh, please help me!’”]

“Just a minute,” said Fluffy, and after carefully putting down her
hanky and fan, she tried to move the stones between which little Timmy
Mouse’s tail was caught. At first she thought she would not be able to,
but at last she got a good sized stick and raised the stone just enough
for poor little Tim to get loose. He was so glad to be free, he said,
not only because the stone hurt him dreadfully but because he feared
that Old Mrs. Tabby Cat was liable to be along any minute. “I can’t
tell you how much I thank you,” he said, “but maybe some day I can do
something for you.”

“That’s all right,” said Fluffy, gathering up her things. “Tell your
mother to put some arnica on your tail and it won’t hurt any more,” and
she was gone out of sight. “I must hurry a little more,” she thought,
“as I would hate dreadfully to be late for the party.”




CHAPTER FOUR


“Oh dear me! What a narrow escape!” exclaimed Fluffy, as she stooped
down and picked up a tiny little woodpecker that had fallen to the
ground. “Your mother must be very careless to let you fall.” “No,” said
the little chap, “Mother has gone for food for us and I played too near
the edge of the stump and fell off.” Just then the woodpecker’s mother
returned, and being alarmed that something was happening to her babies,
came flying toward Fluffy screaming, “What are you doing here?” “I am
not harming your children,” said Fluffy. “I was just putting your
little baby back in your nest. He had fallen to the ground and could
not get up himself. It was lucky for him that I saw him when I did, for
I almost stepped on him.” By this time Mrs. Woodpecker was over her
alarm and was very sorry she had spoken so crossly. “Please forgive
me,” she said, “I was so terribly frightened I hardly knew what I was
saying. I thank you a thousand times; should you ever need a friend,
let me know and I will do all I can to help you.” Fluffy did not wait
to talk longer; she knew it was getting nearer party time every minute,
so she hurried on.

[Illustration: “Fluffy knew it was getting nearer party time every
minute.”]




CHAPTER FIVE


“Now,” thought Fluffy-tail, “I shall not stop again, no matter what
happens--I’ll just hustle along and not stop until I reach Squire
Squirrel’s house. Why, it must be time for the party now!” she thought,
as she looked at her tiny little wrist watch. While looking at her
watch she heard a fluttering and rustling in the leaves along the
roadside. “I’ll not stop,” she thought, “I’ll just pretend I don’t
hear anything.” She had only gone a few steps though when she had to
turn back to see what was wrong. She was such a tender-hearted little
creature, she could not go to a place where she knew she was to have
a good time and feel that she might by any chance have passed by some
suffering little person.

“What is it?” she asked rather impatiently, as she glanced to where the
noise seemed to come from. “You needn’t be so cross about it!” said a
little Bat that was lying alongside the path. “Won’t you please pick me
up and hang me on that old tree? I guess I must have fallen asleep and
loosed my hold on the bark. No! No! Not that way!” he said, as Fluffy
was trying to place him on the branch. “Hang me upside down. That’s the
way I sleep.”

“Very well,” said Fluffy, “There you are, upside down. Now I hope
everything is all right.” “Yes, thank you,” said Mr. Bat, “I can go
to sleep again now, and I’ll try to be more careful. Before you go,
though,” he went on, “I wish you would give me your name and address.
I’ll put it in my vest pocket and maybe some day I’ll be able to be of
some use to you for your kindness in helping me out today.” Fluffy told
him in as few words as possible, her name, where she lived, and where
she was going; then bidding him goodbye, she picked up her packages and
hurried along faster than ever.




CHAPTER SIX


“Oh dear!” she sighed, “I might almost as well go home now. It’s so
late. I’m sure the ice cream and cake and all the goodies will be eaten
before I get there. I do wish people would not be so careless and make
so much work for other people to do. I’m all tired out now and I do
hope that I’ve had my last delay.” With this thought she hurried along
just as fast as her little feet would go. So excited was poor Fluffy
now that she made a turn to the left instead to the right, and she had
gone quite a distance before she discovered that there was something
wrong. She did not know just what to do and became so dreadfully
frightened that she sat down and cried as though her little heart
would break. How long she had been sitting there she could not tell;
she went over the happenings since her dear mother kissed her goodbye,
and wondered if she would be able to find her way back home without
being caught by that awful Old Tabby Cat.

“If ever I get out of this trouble,” thought she, “I’ll never again
stop any place to help anybody. If I had only gone straight to the
party and let other folks take care of themselves I would be safe now.”
With the thought that she was now the most unhappy creature in the
world, she burst into tears again.

[Illustration: “‘Won’t you please give me those tears?’”]

“Won’t you please give me those tears?” Fluffy heard a tiny voice ask.
“I am withering away and must die soon if somebody does not give a
me tiny drink.” Looking down, Fluffy saw a tiny little Bluebell all
wilted, and looking so sad. “The trees are so thick here,” it said,
“I cannot get the rain or dew, and the fairies are having a big party
today and have forgotten poor little me.” By this time Fluffy’s tears
were all dried up, seeing some one in distress made her forget her
own troubles. “I can’t give you my tears,” she said, “for they have
all dried now, but I can get you some water from the brook,” so again
putting down her dear little fan and hanky she skipped off to the brook
to get the water. She had nothing in which to carry it so she made a
cup of her tiny hands and was stepping from one stone to another when
her little foot slipped and splash into the water it went. “Oh, my dear
little shoe!” wailed Fluffy as she looked down and saw the pretty bow
all wet and muddy, “I can never go to the party now.”

She tried her best to wipe off the mud and fluff up the bow and then
got more water which she took back to the little Bluebell who was
eagerly waiting for her to return. “There now, raise up your head and
be happy,” said Fluffy as she poured the water around its tiny roots.
“If you want more I shall get it for you, then I must try to find my
way home, as I have lost my way to Furrikins’ party.” By this time the
little Bluebell was refreshed after its hearty drink and told Fluffy
the way to reach Furrikins’ home.




CHAPTER SEVEN


Thanking the little flower, she again started out and was just making
the last turn when who should she see in her path but Old Tabby Cat.
Fluffy looked but for an instant. She knew she must move quickly to
escape, so she turned about, yelled for help as loudly as she could,
and ran just as fast as her little legs would carry her. She was tired
already after her long walk and could not make very good time. Old
Tabby was gaining on her rapidly when Mrs. Woodpecker, who had heard
Fluffy’s first cry for help, flew at once to the rescue. She jumped on
Mrs. Tabby’s head and began pecking for all she was worth. This was
such a surprise to Old Tabby that she fell head over heels into a hole
by the roadside and it was quite a few minutes before she recovered
herself enough to peep out to try to discover just what had attacked
her. As she did so a big stone dropped from some place down in the
hole beside her, pinning her tail fast. It was some time before little
Timmy Mouse (for it was he who had rolled the stone on Old Tabby’s
tail) dared to look over the edge of the pit to see how well his plans
worked. “So it was you?” said Tabby, glaring at Timmy.

One look was enough for little Timmy and he scurried off home as fast
as he could go.




CHAPTER EIGHT


By this time it was quite late and poor little Fluffy was still running
thankful to have escaped Old Tabby, but fearful of some new danger at
every step.

Suddenly a voice beside her said, “Don’t be frightened, follow close to
me for I can see quite well in the dark. You did me a good turn once in
the daylight and now I can help you in the dark.” With these words, Mr.
Bat (for it was the same one she had helped that afternoon when he had
fallen from the tree) took hold of her hand and led her to Furrykins’
home where they were all waiting to greet her. After Mrs. Woodpecker
had jumped on Mrs. Tabby, she flew on to tell the little folks at the
party all about poor Fluffy’s experience, and to ask them to keep the
party waiting just a little longer.




CHAPTER NINE


[Illustration: “It was surely a grand party.”]

It was surely a grand party. They had it on their beautiful lawn and
the moon had come out so brightly that the little folks played all
their games they had arranged for the daytime. There were nuts, apples,
candies, and all sorts of goodies to eat, nice games to play, and they
danced around in the moonlight till the Whip-poor-will called, which
was the curfew for all.

As it was so late when Fluffy arrived at the party, Mrs. Furrykins sent
a message to her mother telling her that she would keep her all night
and send her home early next morning. So after the party was over and
all the little folk had gone to their homes in the woods, Mrs. Squire
Squirrel tucked Fluffy and Furrykins in her daughter’s little bed,
kissed each of them “goodnight,” heard them say their prayers, and went
quietly to her own room on the opposite side of the big oak tree.




CHAPTER TEN


Fluffy was too tired to dream of the many experiences she had had that
day and went to sleep quickly. Early next morning, as promised, Mrs.
Furrykins saw to it that Fluffy was taken safely home. Her mother was
anxiously waiting for her at the door and each was happy to feel the
other’s arms around her.

Mother Squirrel kissed her little daughter after each adventure was
told to her, and wiping the tears from her eyes when Fluffy had
finished, she said, “After all, Fluffy dear, you see that one can
never lose anything by being kind to others. You are home again safe
and sound and I’m glad you enjoyed the party.”