down the hill, a little way from farmer green's house, a great beech tree stood beside the road. in the fall, when the nuts were ripe, johnnie green often visited the tree. and so did frisky squirrel. and so, likewise, did that noisy rascal, jasper jay. they liked beechnuts—all three. and somehow they got the notion that the beech tree belonged to them—and to nobody else.

one fine, crisp fall day when johnnie green was in school, a fourth nut-lover wandered down the road, stopped right between the wheel tracks, and sniffed. it was grunty pig. "i smell beechnuts!" he cried with a joyful squeal. and crashing into the light underbrush along the roadside, he began to search among the fallen leaves with his long nose.

soon grunty came upon a cluster of the three-sided nuts, clinging inside a bur that the frost had split open. he ate the sweet nuts, shells and all. and with many a grunt of delight he grubbed beneath the tree from which the nuts had fallen. his keen nose led him to burs that johnnie green had trampled over that very morning, and missed.

"i wonder—" said grunty pig aloud—"i wonder why nobody ever told me about this beech tree."

"perhaps it was because you are a pig," said a voice right over his head.

he looked up. and there on a low branch sat frisky squirrel. grunty96 knew him; he had sometimes seen him around farmer green's corncrib.

"of course i'm a pig," grunty retorted. "i'm mrs. pig's son."

"well, mrs. pig's son, i notice that you have helped yourself freely to beechnuts."

"i've eaten all i could find," grunty told frisky with a grin.

"i don't hear any thanks," frisky squirrel remarked. "don't you know that these beechnuts belong to me and jasper jay and johnnie green?"

"umph!"

"you did?" frisky inquired.

"umph!"

"oh, you didn't!" frisky exclaimed. "then i suppose i shall have to pardon you. but jasper jay wouldn't, if he caught you taking any of the nuts that fall from this tree."

there was truth in what frisky said.97 even as he spoke a patch of blue flashed in the top of the beech tree. and a harsh voice sang out, "what's going on here?"

jasper jay had arrived.

grunty pig, however, did not even give jasper a glance. instead, he began nosing about for another beechnut bur.

for a moment or two jasper jay watched him. and then jasper began to squawk.

"stop that!" he ordered. "don't you dare to take any of our beechnuts!"

"umph!" said grunty pig. "i can't find any more on the ground. so i suppose i shall have to obey him," grunty muttered half under his breath.

"don't mumble! speak up!" cried jasper jay. "if you have any excuses to make, let's hear them!"