Arthur Scott Bailey

“ But like him, Billy was quite gray; and he had whiskers, too—though, to be sure, those were black. His eyes also were black and large and bright. When Billy sat up on his hind legs—as he often did—he appeared for all the world like a huge squirrel.
In fact, some of Billy’s friends remarked how like a squirrel he looked. And one day when Billy was playing near the edge of the woods a disagreeable young hedgehog told him that. To tell the truth, [15] Billy Woodchuck had grown to be the least bit vain. ”

“ She could not see how Billy’s fat sides stuck out. And though she stopped and looked at him closely, she did not know him—for all he was the son of her own nephew.
“My, my!” she said. “How hungry you must be! Here—you just take this basket and go right home and have a good meal. I live ’way over there under the hill. And you can bring my basket home to-night.”
Billy Woodchuck thanked her. He felt somewhat ashamed to take the peas and lettuce and apples and clover-heads. But he remembered it was only a game. And Jimmy Rabbit had said it was all right. ”

“ He had often heard the Grouse boys drumming in the woods.
“I’ve already spoken to them. And they are asking me every day when we are going to begin to practise,” Mr. Fox continued. “But I couldn’t think of any fifers until I happened to remember about you and your brothers.”
“I don’t know how to play a fife,” said Billy. “I’ve never even seen one.”
“Oh, that’s nothing! You can hold a [74] stick up to your mouth, and wriggle your fingers, and whistle. No one will know that you are not playing a fife. It will sound just the same. And the music will be just as sweet.” Mr. Fox smiled at Billy. ”

“ Now, other people are always quick to see when anyone is silly in that way. And the young hedgehog thought that Billy Woodchuck needed taking down a peg. So he said to him:
“Why don’t you join the circus?”
“Circus? What’s that?” Billy asked.
“A circus is a place where they have all kinds of freaks,” the hedgehog answered with a sly smile—“giants and dwarfs, and thin people and fat people.”
“But I’m not a freak,” Billy Woodchuck replied. “Of course, I’m big for my age. But I’m not a giant.”
“Yes, you are,” the hedgehog insisted.
“You’re a giant squirrel. ”

“ Jimmy Rabbit whispered, when he had finished. “Does he look like anyone you know?”
“He looks exactly like Henry Skunk’s father,” said Billy Woodchuck. And he backed away. He was afraid of the Skunk family. “What are we going to do now?” Billy asked.
“First of all, we’ll hide these pots of paint,” said Jimmy. And as soon as they had done that Jimmy added: “Go up on the rock, whistle as loud as you can, and then run.... I’m going to hurry down [69] the hill and see the fun.”
Billy Woodchuck did exactly as he was told. And in no time at all his shrill whistle had awakened Uncle Jerry Chuck. ”

“ Billy said. “And that wouldn’t be true.”
“Oh—this is just a game,” Jimmy Rabbit said. “It’s all right. It’s often done. Everybody will understand.”
“Well, then—where shall I sit?” Billy Woodchuck asked.
“I’d advise you to go down near Farmer [46] Green’s garden,” said Jimmy—“there are so many people passing that way. I’ll wait here for you. And when you get enough food given you, you can bring it right back here and I’ll help you carry it home.”
Billy Woodchuck thought that was very kind. So down he went toward Farmer Green’s garden. ”

“ X UNCLE JERRY CHUCK
Not only Mr. Woodchuck, but his friends as well, were angry with Billy, because he forgot to whistle a warning to them, when dog Spot caught them in the clover-patch. And whenever they met Billy Woodchuck anywhere they would scold at him, and tell him that he was a heedless, careless boy.
“It will be a long time before you have another chance to be a sentinel and listen for danger,” Uncle Jerry Chuck told him. ”

“ This time he was looking forward to even a longer nap in the sun than he had had the day before. If Billy Woodchuck was willing to listen, without pay, Uncle Jerry was more than willing to let him.
Billy Woodchuck was somewhat late. But he arrived at last.
“You must be more prompt,” Uncle Jerry told him, severely. “I have no time to waste waiting for a young chap like you. When I’m good enough to let you do my listening, it seems to me you ought to be on time,” he grumbled. That is often [59] the way with people who get things for nothing. They are very likely to find fault. ”

“ But when you are out of sight in your tunnel you can dig right up to the top of the ground and make a small, round door, beneath a hummock of grass, or a stone, or a stump. People must have very sharp eyes to see a back door that’s made in that way, for the dirt all falls inside your house.
With all the help she had, Mrs. Woodchuck’s new house was soon finished. But it was done none too soon. She had hardly carried in clean grass for the beds, when her children began to feel very sleepy. At least, all of them except Billy. He was just as wide awake as his mother. ”

“ After that frightful noise, when her house suddenly grew light, and her husband ran away, Mrs. Woodchuck saw with dismay that there was a big hole in the ceiling. The earth had split open and the daylight was streaming in. ”

“ Woodchuck that a party of his friends was going to make a raid on Farmer Green’s clover-field.
“I’m going with them,” he said.
“Do you think you ought to?” she asked. “Isn’t it too far? Isn’t your back too lame?”
Mr. Woodchuck clapped his hands to his back and groaned a bit.
“They say there’s nothing better for my trouble than tender young clover-heads,” he replied. “So I think I ought to go.... What I came home for is this: [31] We want some spry young fellow to come along with us and be a sentinel. And I’m going to take Billy. He’s old enough now to make himself of some use.” ”

“ Finally Billy went to Uncle Jerry Chuck’s house and fairly begged the old gentleman to let him do some listening.
The sly old gentleman had been waiting for just that thing. He was very fond of taking naps in the sunshine and he wanted to find some youngster like Billy, with sharp ears, to stay near him while he slept and waken him in case some enemy should see him.
Now, if Uncle Jerry had been willing to pay them, he might have found plenty of first-class listeners. But he was stingy. [55] He was always trying to get something for nothing. ”

“ For his scream is the most dreadful sound that was ever heard.”
“I wish you would scream like him once,” said Billy.
“Bless your heart!” said his mother. “My voice may not be very sweet, but I [26] never could screech like him.”
“Why doesn’t Johnnie Green shoot him?” Billy asked. “If he only would, the Great Horned Owl could never trouble us any more.”
“Why, there’s more than just one!” his mother exclaimed. “When I say ‘the Great Horned Owl,’ I don’t mean just one!”
“Oh!” said Billy. That was different. And then he went out to play again. ”

“ They were the lazy kind. They just hunted around till they found an old, empty house and then they moved in and made themselves right at home. But that was not [105] the way of Billy Woodchuck’s mother. She wanted everything neat and clean.
You remember that when Farmer Green blasted away the old stump near Mrs. Woodchuck’s bedroom he tore a hole in the very roof of the house. And Billy and his mother and his brothers and sisters went into the woods and spent the night in a house where his great grandmother had once lived. ”

“ I would move at once—except that I will not be driven out of my own house by anyone.” He looked so fierce as he said that that Billy Woodchuck thought there could be no braver person in the whole world. ”

“ Woodchuck was not so sorry, after all, that she had to leave her home in the pasture. You see, she always moved twice a year, anyhow. Every fall she went into the woods to live; and every spring she returned to Farmer Green’s pasture. ”

“ And eyes?” her husband replied. “It’s time he helped me a little, after all I’ve done for him.”
Billy Woodchuck was sure that he wanted to go. He was listening to every word.
“What’s a sentinel?” he asked.
“A sentinel is a guard,” his father told him. “It is his duty to sit upon a knoll and watch for men and dogs, while his friends eat the clover. And if he sees or hears a man or a dog—or any other enemy—he whistles as loud as he can. That’s the danger signal. And just as soon as they hear it, all the other chucks run [32] away.” ”

“ Billy asked her.
“That’s nothing but a trap,” his mother said. “You haven’t built any back door. And if a weasel or a mink or a snake should come in after you, there you’d be, with no way to escape.... I haven’t had such a fright for years.”
Billy Woodchuck looked foolish. He had never once thought about a back door. But after that he never forgot to build one. He saw that a back door was something that every house ought to have.
[86]
XVII BILLY BRINGS THE DOCTOR
Billy Woodchuck was alarmed. His mother had come home very ill. At least, that was what Billy thought. It was a warm summer’s day ”

“ Fox. “We ought to go off in the woods, where nobody can hear us, until we learn a tune. Then we can come and play for your mother. But I wouldn’t say anything to her about the fife-and-drum corps if I were you. Let’s surprise her!”
Billy thought that was a good idea.
“Bring your brothers over to my house late this afternoon,” Mr. Fox said. “I’ll have the Grouse boys there. And we can begin to learn to make music at once.”
“Who will teach us?” asked Billy. “Do [75] you know how to drum or whistle?”
“Don’t you worry about that!” Mr. Fox answered. “I can teach you a thing or two.” ”

“ And he began to think that his mother was just a nervous old lady. Still, when he met a fox one day at the further end of the pasture Billy was somewhat frightened. But Mr. Fox seemed very [20] friendly. They talked together for a while. And then Mr. Fox said:
“Do you like surprises?
“I see you do like them,” Mr. Fox continued. “Well, you just crawl inside that old stump over there. There’s a hole in it, as you see. And in there you’ll find something to surprise you.” Mr. Fox stretched himself then. “I must go home now,” he said. “I was out late last night and I feel like taking a nap.” ”