when your plans are upset and all scattered about
just make up your mind that you'll find a way out.
peter rabbit went straight over to the old stone wall on the edge of the old orchard, lipperty-lipperty-lip so fast that it didn't take him long to get there. but chatterer the red squirrel never feels really safe on the ground unless there is something to climb close at hand, so he went a long way round by way of the rail fence. he always did like to run along a rail fence, and he wouldn't have minded it a bit this [pg 24]morning if he hadn't been in such a hurry. it seemed to him that he never would get there. but of course he did.
when he did get there, he found peter rabbit sitting on johnny chuck's doorstep, staring down johnny chuck's long hall. "they're asleep," said he, as chatterer came up all out of breath. "i've thumped and thumped and thumped, but it isn't the least bit of use. they are asleep, and they'll stay asleep until mistress spring arrives. i can't understand it at all. no, sir, i can't understand how anybody can be willing to miss this splendid cold weather."
peter shook his head in a puzzled way and continued to stare down the long empty hall. of course he was talking about johnny and polly chuck, who had gone to sleep for the winter. that sleeping business always puzzles [pg 25]peter. it seems to him like a terrible waste of time. but chatterer had too much on his mind to waste time wondering how other people could sleep all winter. he couldn't himself, and now that he had been driven away from his own home in the green forest by fear of shadow the weasel, he couldn't waste a minute. he must find a new home and then spend every minute of daytime laying up a new store of food for the days when everything would be covered with snow.
up and down the length of the stone wall he scampered, looking for a place to make a home, but nothing suited him. you know he likes best to make his home in a tree. he isn't like striped chipmunk, who lives in the ground. poor chatterer! he just couldn't see how he was going to live in the old stone wall. he sat on top of [pg 26]a big stone to rest and think it over. he was discouraged. life didn't seem worth the living just then. he felt as if his heart had gone way down to his toes. just then his eyes saw something that made his heart come up again with a great bound right where it ought to be, and just then peter rabbit came hopping along.
"have you found a new home yet?" asked peter.
"yes," replied chatterer, "i think i have.
"that's good," replied peter. "i was sure you would find one over here. where is it?"
chatterer opened his mouth to tell peter and then closed it with a snap. he remembered just in time how hard it is for peter to keep a secret. if he should tell peter, it would be just like peter to tell some one else without [pg 27]meaning to, and then it might get back to shadow the weasel.
"i'm not going to tell you now, peter rabbit," said he. "you see, i don't want anybody to know where it is until i am sure that it will do. but i'll tell you this much," he added, as he saw how disappointed peter looked, "i'm going to live right here."
peter brightened up right away. you see, he thought that of course chatterer meant that he had found a hole in the old stone wall, and he felt very sure that he could find it by keeping watch. "that's good," he said again. "i'll come see you often. but watch out for black pussy; her claws are very sharp. now i think i'll be going back to the old briar-patch."
"don't tell where i am," called chatterer.
