The squirrel children did not have to wash themselves in a basin. All any of them did was to wet one paw with his little red tongue, and wipe it over his face. Then he was washed. But you wouldn’t like to do that, I’m sure.
“Come, children, eat your breakfasts,” said Mrs. Squirrel, “and then you are going to have a new lesson.”
“A new lesson!” chattered Slicko, one of the girl squirrels, to her mamma, speaking in a language that you or I could not have understood. “What kind of a lesson is it going to be?”
You see the squirrel children had been taught how to gnaw open hard nuts, and to take out the sweet, juicy kernels inside. They had been taught how to climb trees, and wash their faces. But there were many other things for them to learn. Slicko was the largest of the squirrel children, and she asked the most questions.
“What is your lesson going to be, Mother?” Slicko wanted to know.
“I hope it’s going to be a sleeping lesson,” said Fluffy, one of the boy squirrels. “I’m sleepy yet,” and he yawned and stretched himself, just like a little monkey.
“Oh, fie on you!” said his papa. “Squirrels should be lively, and hop about when they awake in the morning. Come now, if you have finished your nuts, your mamma and I will teach you a new lesson, and one that you must learn well, or there may be danger for you.”
“Pooh, I’m not afraid! What sort of danger?” asked Nutto, the other boy squirrel. He was called Nutto because he was so fond of eating chestnuts.
“Oh, I’m afraid,” said Chatter, the littlest girl squirrel. “Don’t say such scary things, Nutto,” and Chatter looked over the edge of the nest as though she might see a big hawk-bird swooping down, for her papa and mamma had told her to always hide when a big hawk flew over the woods. But no hawk was in sight, now.
“You are going to have some jumping lessons,” went on Mr. Squirrel. “After you learn to jump, I will tell you why.”