green spikes of the grass-plot. Quick as a flash he would dart at
the nut, whisk it into a little bag on one side of his jaws, which
Madam Nature has furnished him with for his provision-pouch, and down
into his hole again. An ungrateful, suspicious little brute he was
too; for though in this way he bagged and carried off nut after nut,
until the patient little woman had used up a pound of hazelnuts,
still he seemed to have the same wild fright at sight of her, and
would whisk off and hide himself in his hole the moment she appeared.
In vain she called, "Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey," in the most
flattering tones; in vain she coaxed and cajoled. No, no; he was not
to be caught napping. He had no objection to accepting her nuts, as
many as she chose to throw to him; but as to her taking any personal
liberty with him, you see, it was by no means to be thought of.

But at last patience and perseverance began to have their reward.
Little Master Whiskey said to himself, "Surely this is a nice, kind
lady, to take so much pains to give me nuts; she is certainly very
considerate;" and with that he edged a little nearer and nearer every
day, until, quite to the delight of the small lady, he would come and
climb into her lap and seize the nuts, when she rattled them there,
and after that he seemed to make exploring voyages all over her
person. He would climb up and sit on her shoulder; he would mount
and perch himself on her head; and when she held a nut for him
between her teeth, he would take it out of her mouth.

After a while he began to make tours of discovery in the house. He
would suddenly appear on the minister's writing-table when he was
composing his Sunday sermon, and sit cocking his little pert head at
him, seeming to wonder what he was about. But in all his
explorations he proved himself a true Yankee squirrel, having always