"The spicy wind blows full and free,
And the nuts come rattling down
On green moss, where the great trees grow,
With their golden leaves and brown."

"Indeed, it is fine," said the owl teacher. "Now scatter about, and see
who can find the first nuts. But don't get lost."

Of course Billie and Johnnie Bushytail, the squirrels, at once scrambled
up the trees, and, naturally, they found the first nuts, but they kindly
shared them with the others. Then Sammie and Susie Littletail went off
one way, and Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg in another direction, and Lulu
and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble, the duck children, in still another.
And Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow, the puppy dogs, took a path right
through the bramble bushes, looking for butternuts to spread on their
bread, I guess.

"Come on," said Jacko to Jumpo, as the two monkey boys walked side by
side, "we'll go down by the little brook. I think there is a hickory nut
tree there."

"Are you sure there are no wolves or foxes there?" asked the green
monkey.

"I don't believe there are any," said the red monkey. "We'll get a lot
of nuts and give the others some."

So away they went through the forest, sometimes hanging by their tails
from the low branches, sometimes turning somersaults and sometimes
swinging by their feet, for they could hold on by their toes as well as
you can by your fingers.

"Oh, there's a nut tree!" suddenly exclaimed Jacko, as they got down by
the little brook.

"And see all the nuts!" cried Jumpo, for the ground was just covered
with them. Then the monkey boys began filling their pockets.

They had almost as many nuts as they could carry, and they were thinking
of going back to join the others, for they could hear the teacher
calling to the pupils some distance off in the woods. And then, all of a
sudden, Jacko looked toward a big stump, and he exclaimed in a whisper
to Jumpo:

"Look at that big bear!"

"Where?" asked Jumpo, getting close to his red brother.

"There," whispered Jacko again, and he pointed toward the stump. Surely
enough, there was a bear, wearing a blue cap and a pink coat. And, oh,
what a big fellow he was!

"He hasn't seen us," said Jumpo, in a low voice. "Perhaps we can get
softly away before he does see us, and then we can tell the others to
hurry out of the woods. Move very softly, Jacko."

"I will," whispered the red monkey, and he tried to, but all at once
some hickory nuts fell out of hi