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 to 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 . It was queer , very queer , how those nuts could have hidden so ! They hunted and hunted , but no nuts were to be found . Then they stopped and stared up at the top of the tall hickory tree . Not a nut could they see . Then they stared at each other , and gradually a foolish , a very foolish look crept over each face . `` Where -- where do you suppose they have gone ? '' asked Happy Jack in a queer-sounding voice . Just then they heard some one laughing fit to kill himself . It was Peter Rabbit . `` Did you take our hickory nuts ? '' they both shouted angrily . `` No , '' replied Peter , `` no , I did n't take them , though they were not yours , anyway ! '' And then he went off into another fit of laughter , for Peter had seen Striped Chipmunk very hard at work taking away those very nuts while his two big cousins had been quarreling in the tree-top .
CHAPTER V HAPPY JACK SUSPECTS STRIPED CHIPMUNK Thrift is one test XXXXX true loyalty to your country .
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