And this is just what Happy Jack did do.  He ran and jumped and jumped and ran as fast as he could until he was so out of breath that he just had to stop for a rest.  But he couldn’t rest much.  He was too terribly frightened.  He shivered and shook while he got his breath, and never for a second did he take his eyes from his back trail.  Presently he saw a slim white form darting along the snow straight towards the tree in which he was resting.  Once more Happy Jack ran, and somehow he felt terribly helpless and hopeless.

He had to rest oftener now, and each rest was shorter than the one before, because, you know, Shadow was a less and less distance behind.  Poor Happy Jack!  He had tried every trick he knew, and not one of them had fooled Shadow the Weasel.  Now he was too tired to run much farther.  The last little bit of hope left Happy Jack’s heart.  He blinked his eyes very fast to keep back the tears, as he thought that this was probably the last time he would ever look at the beautiful Green Forest he loved so.  Then he gritted his teeth and made up his mind that anyway he would fight his best, even if it was hopeless.  It was just at that very minute that he heard the voice of Tommy Tit the Chickadee calling to him in great excitement, and somehow, he didn’t know why, a wee bit of hope sprang up in his heart.

CHAPTER XV

WHO SAVED HAPPY JACK SQUIRREL?

    Blessed he whose words of cheer
    Help put hope in place of fear.

    Happy Jack.

It never has been fully decided among the little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows just who really did save Happy Jack Squirrel.  Some say that Tommy Tit the Chickadee deserves all the credit, and some say that—­but wait.  Let me tell you just what happened, and then perhaps you can decide for yourself who saved Happy Jack.

You see, it was this way:  Happy Jack had run and run and run and tried every trick he knew to get away from Shadow the Weasel, but all in vain.  At last he was so out of breath and so tired that he felt that he couldn’t run any more.  He had just made up his mind that he would wait right where he was for Shadow and then put up the best fight he could, even if it was hopeless, when he heard Tommy Tit calling to him in great excitement.

[Illustration:  HAPPY JACK TRIED EVERY TRICK HE KNEW TO GET AWAY FROM SHADOW THE WEASEL.]

“Dee, dee, chickadee!  Come here quick, Happy Jack!  Come here quick!” called Tommy Tit.

A wee bit of hope sprang up in Happy Jack’s heart.  He couldn’t imagine what possible help Tommy Tit could be, but he would go see.  So taking a long breath he started on as fast as he could in the direction of Tommy’s voice.  He couldn’t run very fast, because, you know, he was so tired, but he did the best he could.  Presently he saw Tommy just ahead of him flying about in great excitement.