I 'll make you sorry you ever came near my hickory tree , '' snapped Happy Jack . `` I 'm waiting . Besides , it is n't your tree any more than it 's mine , '' replied Chatterer , and made a face at Happy Jack . Happy Jack hopped up as if he meant to begin the chase again , but he had a pain in his side from running so hard and so long , and so he sat down again . Right down in his heart Happy Jack knew that Chatterer was right , that the tree did n't belong to him any more than to his cousin . But when he thought of all those big , fat nuts with which the tall hickory tree had been loaded , greedy thoughts chased out all thoughts of right and he said to himself again , as he had said when he first saw his cousin , that Chatterer should n't have one of them . He stopped scolding long enough to steal a look at them , and then -- what do you think Happy Jack did ? Why , he gave such a jump of surprise that he nearly lost his balance . Not a nut was to be seen ! Happy Jack blinked . Then , he rubbed his eyes and looked again . He could n't see a nut anywhere ! There were the husks in which the nuts had grown big and fat until they were ripe , but now every husk was empty . Chatterer saw the queer look on Happy Jack 's face , and he looked too . Now Chatterer the Red Squirrel had very quick wits , and he guessed right away what had happened . He knew that while they had been quarreling and racing over the top of the tall hickory tree , they must have knocked down all the nuts , which were just ready to fall anyway . Like a little red flash , Chatterer started down the tree . Then Happy Jack guessed too , and down he started as fast as he could go , crying , `` Stop , thief ! '' all the way . When he reached the ground , there was Chatterer scurrying around and poking under the fallen leaves , but he had n't found a single nut .
Happy Jack could n't stop XXXXX quarrel any more , because you see he was afraid that Chatterer would find the biggest and fattest nuts , so he began to scurry around and hunt too .
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