December 12,1985 - A Story for Children Squeaky's First ChristmasI
Page 16A The Suffolk Times
A Story for Children
Squeaky's First. Christmas
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
PART I
Once upon a time there was a little wood mouse
named Squeaky who made his home in the old
woodshed. The animal book calls him a deer mouse
because his soft fur is the color of the white - tailed
deer. His brown fur and white undersides make him
a handsome mouse with big black eyes, unusually
large ears, big long whiskers and a nose that is
always sniffing.
Months ago he spent a lot of time building his
winter nest, where he'll spend most of his days curled
up in a tight ball fast asleep. After all, mice do most
of their scurrying about at night. I guess that's why
they need those big, beady eyes to see in the dark,
those large ears to hear every little sound, and that
nose to sniff every smell in the air.
Anyway, Squeaky thought he had things pretty
well set, for like a squirrel he had gathered a winter
supply of seeds and nuts to hold him over during the
real cold and snowy days of winter. After all, if a
mouse had a warm nest and lots of food for winter,
that's just about all a mouse could ask for.
Two boys and a girl lived with their parents in a
small house in the woods next to the woodshed. They
were like other boys and girls -- they had tree huts,
they played in the woods, and the girl always carried
around an old doll that was growing shabby.
The big, black stove in the kitchen never seemed
to be satisfied and every day more wood had to be
brought in. It was quite a job for the two boys, and
on cold days it wasn't much fun going outside to keep
the wood box full.
The weatherman was talking about a snowstorm
coming and the family hadn't gotten their Christmas
tree yet. With only a few days left before Christmas,
the kids were pestering their parents to get one.
After all, it would be awful if it snowed and they
couldn't get a tree. Well, as most good parents would,
they got everyone together and headed out east to
get their tree.
It was a long drive but a worthwhile one. When
they got there, there was a long line of trees to choose
from. They had just been cut and smelled so good.
But it's not easy to pick out a tree, particularly when
it's cold and windy out. One of the children wanted
a tall tree, another wanted a full tree; back and forth
they went until finally they found it -- the perfect
tree. It was soon tied on top of the car and they all
headed back home in great anticipation. They put
the tree in the woodshed to protect it if it snowed. It
surely looked like it would, for it was blustery and
overcast -- real Christmas weather.
The next day everyone was excited about Christ-
mas, which was just a day away. Getting wood in
the big red wagon was almost fun, since a little work
might just help when it came to getting presents.
The boys would have to fill the wood box to overflow-
ing so they wouldn't have to be bothered getting
wood on Christmas day.
Just as they started their task, it started to snow.
Oh, boy! Snow for Christmas! Santa surely would
come in his sleigh this year. The wood seemed to fly
from the big dry wood pile. Inside, Squeaky had been
curled up in his usual way, sleeping the day away.
Often he had heard movements outside when the
boys got wood but had felt perfectly safe in his little
nest. But now the noise and movement of wood were
getting closer and closer! It even shook his nest a bit
and woke him right up. "What's goingori out there ?"
he wondered.
The wood pile was getting lower and lower and
nearer and nearer to Squeaky's nest. As a matter of
fact, it was only two logs away when Squeaky jumped
up and took a peek. It was bright outside, and he
blinked his big eyes because he was not used to the
daylight. What he saw scared him half to death.
There were two boys filling a big red wagon with
logs, logs that were part of his house. He darted back
into the safety of the pile. The boys filling the wagon
didn't even see Squeaky peeking out at them and
kept on working. Then a log moved and Squeaky's
whole nest, with all of his food supply, tumbled down.
The boys noticed this and felt badly but it was too
Tkere's no present
like the Tintes. V
Is your 1985 Christmas Gift List starting to weigh you
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Agnes, who spends her winters in Florida, or Junior,
who spends his winters away at college?
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L---------------------- - - - - -- - - - - - -J
December 12, 1985
late now, the damage was done. It lay in a loose pile
of grass and bark on the dirt floor. The boys knew
they had broken up a mouse's nest, but didn't know
what they could do about it.
They thought of picking up the pieces and trying
to put them back together, but that was impossible.
"What could we do to make it right with the mouse ?"
they wondered. After all, it was getting nearer to
Christmas and they had the Christmas spirit that
filled the air." Well, we could at least bring him
something to eat," they decided. So back to the house
one of the boys went and brought back some of the
peanut butter they knew mice loved. But where
should they put it?
"If we put it in the open," they said, "a squirrel
might get it." So they found a place deep inside the
Christmas tree and smeared the peanut butter on a
limb. This would be Squeaky's Christmas present
from them.
With that, the boys went into the house and forgot
about their mouse because Christmas excitement
was everywhere. After they were gone, Squeaky
came out to look around for his nest. It was gone,
but a certain twitching came to his nose. He smelled
something special. He smelled peanut butter. A few
short hops and jumps and there it was. What a
surprise!
"This will hold me for a time," he thought, as he
sat there nibbling away.
(NEXT WEEK: Part II.)
Wishes Everyone
a
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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