That Disagreeable Freddie Weasel
Almost everybody liked Frisky Squirrel, he was such a happy little fellow. But there were a few of the forest-people with whom Frisky never was able to make friends. They were the disagreeable, selfish kind, who never liked anyone except themselves.
Freddie Weasel was one of the few with whom Frisky Squirrel never could have a good time. Frisky often tried to play with him. But their games always ended in trouble; and I must say that it was not Frisky's fault.
Now, Frisky had often heard it said among his neighbors that no one had ever caught Freddie Weasel asleep. Indeed, Jimmy Rabbit claimed that Freddie Weasel never slept at all.
That seemed very strange to Frisky. He could hardly believe it. And he made up his mind that he would watch Freddie Weasel and see whether it was really true.
So one evening, just after sundown, when Frisky met Freddie Weasel in the woods, he thought it would be a good time to spy upon him. Of course it wasn't at all a polite thing to do. But Frisky was very curious. And anyhow, he meant no harm.
"Hello, Freddie!" he said, as he came face to face with the sly, slim chap.
"Hello, yourself!" said Freddie Weasel in a disagreeable tone.
"Where you going?" Frisky inquired pleasantly enough.
"Never you mind," Freddie Weasel answered. "And you'd better keep out of my way, or I'll bite your head off."
Frisky Squirrel didn't know what to say. Very few people--except Jasper Jay and one or two other quarrelsome forest-folk--had ever spoken to him like that. So he just stood still and stared.
That seemed to make Freddie angrier than ever. He darted toward Frisky and tried to bite his neck. But Frisky was quick, too. He ran up a tree before Freddie Weasel could catch him, and smiled at the bad-tempered fellow.
"You'd better go home and take a nap," Frisky told him. "You're crosser than ever to-day."
Freddie looked up at Frisky as if he would just like to get hold of him for about one second.
"I never sleep," he said. "I'm always awake. And some night when you're dreaming, I'm coming to your house and I'm going to eat you." And then he hurried away.
Frisky Squirrel ran down the tree and dashed after Freddie. He didn't make any noise at all. And he was careful not to let Freddie see him. He was going to find out for himself whether Freddie stayed awake all night.
Mrs. Squirrel was worried because Frisky didn't come home. Of course he ought to have let her know what he was about. But he felt that he mustn't lose sight of Freddie. And he saw no one at all by whom he could send word to his mother as to where he was and what he was doing.
Frisky had the busiest sort of time following Freddie. It grew so dark that it was very hard to see Freddie Weasel as he sneaked along through the bushes, hunting for small birds that build their nests on the ground.
Freddie Weasel caught several sleeping birds. And Frisky could not help being sorry for them. He began to feel very guilty for having teased them, and for having eaten their eggs.
Finally it grew so dark that Frisky had just about decided that he would have to give up spying on Freddie and hurry home, when he saw Freddie slip into a hole in a bank and vanish.
Was Freddie Weasel at last going to bed and to sleep?