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THE TALE

OF

SQUIRREL NUTKIN

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THE TALE OF

SQUIRREL NUTKIN

BY

BEATRIX POTTER

Authot

LONDON

FREDERICK WARNE & CO., Ltd.

AND NEW YORK

[All rights reserved]

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FREDERICK WARNE & CO. LTD.
1903

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN FOR THE PUBLISHERS

BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS LTD

LONDON AND BECCLES

642-857

A STORY FOR NORAH

'HpHIS is a Tale about a tail —
a tail that belonged to a
little red squirrel, and his name
was Nutkin.

He had a brother called
Twinkleberry, and a great many
cousins: they lived in a wood
at the edge of a lake.

TN the middle of the lake there
is an island covered with
trees and nut bushes; and
amongst those trees stands a
hollow oak-tree, which is the
house of an owl who is called
Old Brown.

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/^\NE autumn when the nuts
were ripe, and the leaves
on the hazel bushes were golden
and green — Nutkin and Twinkle-
berry and all the other little
squirrels came out of the wood,
and down to the edge of the
lake.

13

■ /

'""pHEY made little rafts out of
twigs, and they paddled
away over the water to Owl
Island to gather nuts.

Each squirrel had a little sack
and a large oar, and spread out
his tail for a sail.

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/ T V HEY also took with them an
offering of three fat mice
as a present for Old Brown,
and put them down upon his
door-step.

Then Twinkleberry and the
other little squirrels each made
a low bow, and said politely —

"Old Mr. Brown, will you
favour us with permission to
gather nuts upon your island?"

17

T>UT Nutkin was excessively
impertinent in his manners.
He bobbed up and down like a
little red cherry, singing —

"Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote!
A little wee man, in a red red coat !
A staff in his hand, and a stone in his

throat ;
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you
a groat."

Now this riddle is as old as
the hills; Mr. Brown paid no
attention whatever to Nutkin.

He shut his eyes obstinately
and went to sleep.

iS

19

H^HE squirrels filled their little
sacks with nuts, and sailed
away home in the evening.

DUT next morning they all
came back again to Owl
Island; and Twinkleberry and
the others brought a fine fat mole,
and laid it on the stone in front
of Old Brown's doorway, and
said —

"Mr. Brown, will you favour
us with your gracious permission
to gather some more nuts?"

^3

—

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24

T>UT Nutkin, who had no
respect, began to dance up
and down, tickling old Mr. Brown
with a nettle and singing —

' ' Old Mr. B ! Riddle-me-ree !
Hitty Pitty within the wall,
Hitty Pitty without the wall;
If you touch Hitty Pitty,
Hitty Pitty will bite you!"

Mr. Brown woke up suddenly
and carried the mole into his
house.

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TTE shut the door in Nutkin's
face. Presently a little thread
of blue smoke from a wood fire
came up from the top of the tree,
and Nutkin peeped through the
key-hole and sang —

"A house full, a hole full!
And you cannot gather a bowl-full'"

26

27

28

/ T~ A HE squirrels searched for
nuts all over the island and
filled their little sacks.

But Nutkin gathered oak-apples
— yellow and scarlet — and sat
upon a beech-stump playing
marbles, and watching the door
of old Mr. Brown.

29

/^N the third day the squirrels
got up very early and went
fishing; they caught seven fat
minnows as a present for Old
Brown.

They paddled over the lake
and landed under a crooked chest-
nut tree on Owl Island.

SO

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32

'"pWINKLEBERRY and six
other little squirrels each
carried a fat minnow; but Nut-
kin, who had no nice manners,
brought no present at all. He
ran in front, singing —

"The man in the wilderness said to me,
' How many strawberries grow in the sea?'
I answered him as I thought good —
As many red herrings as grow in the
wood.' "

But old Mr. Brown took no
interest in riddles — not even
when the answer was provided
for him.

33

/^N the fourth day the squirrels
brought a present of six fat
beetles, which were as good as
plums in plum-pudding for Old
Brown. Each beetle was wrapped
up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened
with a pine-needle-pin.

But Nutkin sang as rudely as
ever —

"Old Mr. B! riddle-me-ree
Flour of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string,
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a
ring!"

Which was ridiculous of Nutkin,
because he had not got any ring
to give to Old Brown.

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35

36

'HpHE other squirrels hunted up
and down the nut bushes;
but Nutkin gathered robin's pin-
cushions off a briar bush, and
stuck them full of pine-needle
pins.

37

ON the fifth day the squirrels
brought a present of wild
honey ; it was so sweet and sticky
that they licked their fingers as
they put it down upon the stone.
They had stolen it out of a bumble
bees nest on the tippitty top of
the hill.

But Nutkin skipped up and
down, singing —

"Hum-a-bum! buzz! buzz! Hum-a-bum
buzz!
As I went over Tipple-tine
I met a flock of bonny swine;

Some yellow-nacked, some yellow backed!
They were the very bonniest swine
That e'er went over Tipple-tine."

3*

39

4 o

/^)LD Mr. Brown turned up
his eyes in disgust at the
impertinence of Nutkin.
But he ate up the honey!

4"

HPHE squirrels filled their little
sacks with nuts.
But Nutkin sat upon a big flat
rock, and played ninepins with a
crab apple and green fir-cones.

42

43

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(")N the sixth day, which was
Saturday, the squirrels
came again for the last time ; they
brought a new-laid egg in a little
rush basket as a last parting pre-
sent for Old Brown.

But Nutkin ran in front laugh-
ing, and shouting —

" Humpty Dumpty lies in the beck,
With a white counterpane round his neck,
Forty doctors and forty wrights,
Cannot put Humpty Dumpty to rights! "

45

VTOW old Mr. Brown took an
interest in eggs; he opened
one eye and shut it again. But
still he did not speak.

4 6

47

48

N

UTKIN became more and
more impertinent —

"Old Mr. B! Old Mr. B!
Hickamore, Hackamore, on the King's

kitchen door;
All the King's horses, and all the

King's men,
Couldn't drive Hickamore, Hackamore,
Off the King's kitchen door."

Nutkin danced up and down
like a sunbeam; but still Old
Brown said nothing at all.

49

^TUTKIN began again- —

"Arthur O'Bower has broken his band,
He comes roaring up the land!
The King of Scots with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!"

Nutkin made a whirring noise
to sound like the wind, and he
took a running jump right onto
the head of Old Brown! ....

Then all at once there was a
flutterment and a scufflement and
a loud " Squeak!"

The other squirrels scuttered
away into the bushes.

50

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V^HEN they came back very
cautiously, peeping round
the tree — there was Old Brown
sitting on his door-step, quite
still, with his eyes closed, as if
nothing had happened.

But Nut kin was in his waist-
coat pocket!

53

HpHIS looks like the end of the
story; but it isn't.

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QLD BROWN carried Nutkin
into his house, and held him
up by the tail, intending to skin
him; but Nutkin pulled so very
hard that his tail broke in two,
and he dashed up the staircase
and escaped out of the attic
window.

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57

5*

A ND to this day, if you meet

Nutkin up a tree and ask

him a riddle, he will throw sticks

at you, and stamp his feet and

scold, and shout —

"Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r-
cuck-k-k!"

THE END

\

Potter, B.

The tale of Squirrel
Nutkin#

5

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