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The Tale Of Timmy Tiptoes
By Helen Beatrix Potter
For Many Unknown Little Friends, Including Monica
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!"
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.
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?"
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?"
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.
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?"
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 nightcap;
and the house was full
of provisions.
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!
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.
"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 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.
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!"
"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!"
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.
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.
BUT Chippy Hackee
continued to camp out for
another week, although it was
uncomfortable.
AT last a large bear came
walking through the
wood. Perhaps he also was
looking for nuts; he seemed
to be sniffing around.
CHIPPY HACKEE went
home in a hurry!
AND when Chippy Hackee
got home, he found he
had caught a cold in his head;
and he was more uncomfortable
still.
And now Timmy and
Goody Tiptoes keep their
nut-store fastened up with a
little padlock.
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
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