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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14797 ***
+
+THE TALE OF
+TIMMY TIPTOES
+
+[Illustration]
+
+By
+BEATRIX POTTER
+
+Author of
+"The Tale of Peter Rabbit," etc.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+FREDERICK WARNE & CO., INC.
+NEW YORK
+
+
+
+
+1911
+BY
+FREDERICK WARNE & Co.
+
+
+PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. BY
+PRINCETON POLYCHROME PRESS
+
+
+BINDING BY
+A. HOROWITZ & SON
+
+
+
+
+FOR
+
+MANY UNKNOWN LITTLE FRIENDS,
+
+INCLUDING MONICA
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+Once upon a time there was a little fat comfortable grey squirrel, called
+Timmy Tiptoes. He had a nest thatched with leaves in the top of a tall
+tree; and he had a little squirrel wife called Goody.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 shall be sound asleep all winter." "Then
+we shall wake up all the thinner, when there is nothing to eat in
+spring-time," replied prudent Timothy.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Every day they made several journeys and picked quantities of nuts. They
+carried them away in bags, and stored them in several hollow stumps near
+the tree where they had built their nest.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+When these stumps were full, 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 shall you ever get them out again? It is like a money-box!" said
+Goody.
+
+"I shall be much thinner before spring-time, my love," said Timmy Tiptoes,
+peeping into the hole.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+They did collect 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 called 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!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Unfortunately, just at this time a flock of little birds flew by, from
+bush to bush, searching for green caterpillars 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!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The squirrels followed 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 all.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 all the mischief, flew away in a
+fright!
+
+Timmy rolled over and over, and then turned tail and fled towards his
+nest, followed by a crowd of squirrels shouting--"Who's-been digging-up
+_my_-nuts?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 small for
+Timmy Tiptoes' figure. They squeezed him dreadfully, it was a wonder they
+did not break his ribs. "We will leave him here till he confesses," said
+Silvertail Squirrel, and he shouted into the hole--
+
+"Who's-been-digging-up _my_-nuts?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 still.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 all over the wood, calling--
+
+"Timmy Tiptoes! Timmy Tiptoes! Oh, where is Timmy Tiptoes?"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 small 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 full of provisions.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 shall I ever get out through that hole unless I thin
+myself? My wife will be anxious!" "Just another nut--or two nuts; let me
+crack them for you," said the Chipmunk. Timmy Tiptoes grew fatter and
+fatter!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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.
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"It is getting perfectly full-up down-stairs; the sitting-room is full,
+and they are rolling 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.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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 fell out,
+     How shall we bring this matter about?
+     Bring it about as well as you can,
+     And get you gone, you little old man!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+"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!"
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Then Goody peeped in at the hole, and called 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.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And so it went on for a fortnight; till 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 umbrella.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+But Chippy Hackee continued to camp out for another week, although it was
+uncomfortable.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+At last a large bear came walking through the wood. Perhaps he also was
+looking for nuts; he seemed to be sniffing around.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+Chippy Hackee went home in a hurry!
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And when Chippy Hackee got home, he found he had caught a cold in his
+head; and he was more uncomfortable still.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+And now Timmy and Goody Tiptoes keep their nut-store fastened up with a
+little padlock.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+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
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes, by Beatrix Potter
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 14797 ***