“‘You’d better come out of there, Mr. Chipmunk, or I’ll pull you out!’ snarled Mr. Bob Cat.

“Little Mr. Chipmunk just snuggled down flatter than ever and didn’t say a word.  Mr. Bob Cat felt round and round inside the hollow stump and raked his long claws on the sides until little Mr. Chipmunk’s hair fairly stood up.  Yes, Sir, it stood right up on end, he was so scared.  When it did that, it tickled the claws of Mr. Bob Cat.  Mr. Bob Cat grinned.  It was an ugly grin to see.  Then he reached in a little farther and made a grab for little Mr. Chipmunk.  His wide-spread, sharp claws caught in little Mr. Chipmunk’s coat near the neck and tore little strips the whole length of it.

“Of course little Mr. Chipmunk squealed with pain, for those claws hurt dreadfully, but he was glad that his coat tore.  If it hadn’t, Mr. Bob Cat would surely have pulled him out.  After a long time, Mr. Bob Cat gave up and went off, growling and snarling.  When he thought it was safe, little Mr. Chipmunk crawled out of the old stump and hurried home.  He ached and smarted terribly, and his little plain brown coat was torn in long strips.

“‘This is what I get for meddling in the affairs of other folks!’ said little Mr. Chipmunk bitterly.  ’If I’d just minded my own business, it wouldn’t have happened.’

“Just then he happened to look over to the house of Mr. Meadow Mouse.  There was Mr. Meadow Mouse playing with his children.  He didn’t know a thing about what his neighbor, little Mr. Chipmunk, had done for him, for you remember he hadn’t seen Mr. Bob Cat at all.  Little Mr. Chipmunk grinned as well as he could for the pain.

“‘I’m glad I did it,’ he muttered.  ’Yes, Sir, I’m glad I did it, and I’m glad that Neighbor Meadow Mouse doesn’t know about it.  I’m glad that nobody knows about it.

    ’A kindly deed’s most kindly done
     In secret wrought, and seen of none.

And so I’m glad that no one knows.’

“Now just imagine how surprised little Mr. Chipmunk was, when in the fall it came time to put on a new coat, to have Old Mother Nature hand him out a beautiful striped coat instead of the little plain brown coat he had expected.  Old Mother Nature’s eyes twinkled as she said: 

“’There’s a stripe for every tear made in your old coat by the claws of Mr. Bob Cat the day you saved Mr. Meadow Mouse.  They are honor stripes, and hereafter you and your children and your children’s children shall always wear stripes.’

“And that is how it happens that Striped Chipmunk comes by his striped coat, and why he is so proud of it, and takes such good care of it,” concluded Grandfather Frog.

II

WHY PETER RABBIT CANNOT FOLD HIS HANDS

Happy Jack Squirrel sat with his hands folded across his white waistcoat.  He is very fond of sitting with his hands folded that way.  A little way from him sat Peter Rabbit.  Peter was sitting up very straight, but his hands dropped right down in front.  Happy Jack noticed it.