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Hello! Welcome to Stories Podcast.

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I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.

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Today's story is called The Squirrel

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Piggy Bank, written for you by

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Beatrix Potter and adapted for audio

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the episode! and

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he had a little squirrel wife called Goody.

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Timmy Tiptoes sat out, enjoying the breeze.

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He whisked his tail and chuckled. Little

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Wife Goody, the nuts are ready. We

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should lay up a store for winter

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and spring. Goody

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Tiptoes looked up. She was

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busy pushing moss into all the cracks in

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their little nest, making sure it would stay

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warm no matter how cold it got outside.

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I don't know how much more food we need. The nest is

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so snug. I think

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we might hibernate all winter. Then

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we will wake up as skinny as sticks

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when there is nothing to eat in the

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springtime, said Timmy. So we should

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put aside a lot of nuts now, so when we

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wake up, there will be a feast waiting. Oh,

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a feast, said Goody. I think

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that's just the right idea. They

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held hands and walked over to the old nut thicket.

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This close to winter, of

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course, they found other squirrels were there already, swarming

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madly to snatch up every last nut and acorn.

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There were plenty left, but they

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were going fast. Let's

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get to it, said Goody. Timmy took off his jacket

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and hung it on a twig, and

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then they worked away quietly

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by themselves. Every

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day that week, they made several journeys back to the nut thicket

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and picked as much food as they could carry. They

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hauled them away in bags and stored them

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in several hollow stumps near the tree where

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they had built their nest. When

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these stumps were full, they began to empty

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the bags into a hole high up in

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a tree. The hole

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had belonged to a woodpecker, so it was just big

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enough for the nuts, which

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rattled down, down, down inside

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the hollow old tree. How

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are we going to get them out again? Is

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it like a piggy bank? said Goody.

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Oh, I'll be much thinner before springtime.

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my love," said Timmy Tiptoes,

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peeping into the hole and then

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staring at his plump figure. "'A

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winter of hibernating will get me

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into fighting shape, and I'll slip

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right in for the feast.'" "'If

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you say so,' said Goody,

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not entirely convinced. Still,

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they collected one of the most

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impressive acorn hordes that squirrels had

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ever seen. This is

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because they didn't lose their nuts. It's

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a well-known secret in the squirrel community

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that squirrels who bury their nuts in

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the ground lose more than half of

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them because they can never quite remember

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where they put them. This is

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bad for the squirrels, but results in

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a lot more nut trees growing over

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time, which is good for the squirrels,

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so overall it's kind of a wash.

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But Timmy and Goody, they had their

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piggybank tree, so they didn't lose a

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single scrap of food. Other

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squirrels, forgetful squirrels, started to

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get jealous. The

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most forgetful squirrel in the

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whole wood was called Silvertail.

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He began to dig at random because he

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couldn't remember where he put his food. One

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hole he happened to dig hit some nuts that

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didn't belong to him, and there was a fight.

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The other squirrels began to dig

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in a frenzy. The whole wood

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was in commotion. Unfortunately,

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just at this time, a flock

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of little birds flew by from

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bush to bush searching for green

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caterpillars and spiders. There

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were several sorts of little birds

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Twittering different songs. The

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first heard the squirrels fighting and

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began to repeat them. Who's been

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digging up my nuts? Who's been digging up

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my nuts? It sang out, and

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another sang, little bit of

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bread and no cheese, little bit of

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bread and no cheese. The

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squirrels followed and listened. The

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first little bird flew into the bush where

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Timmy and Goody tipped tiptoes were quietly

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tying up their bags and it sang,

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Who's been digging up my nuts? Who's been

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digging up my nuts? Timmy

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tiptoes went on with his work without replying.

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Indeed, the little bird did not expect

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an answer. It was only singing its

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natural song and it meant nothing at

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all. But when the other

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squirrels heard that song and thought that someone

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had caught a thief. Rushing

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in, they saw only Timmy, so they rushed

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in and bit and scratched him and knocked

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over his bag of nuts. The

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innocent little bird, which had caused all the

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trouble, flew away in a fright. Timmy

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rolled over and over and slipped away

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through the angry crowd. He

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turned tail and fled towards his

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nest, followed by a crowd of

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squirrels shouting, Who's been digging up my

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nuts? They

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caught him and dragged him up the very

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same tree where there was the little round

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hole. Oh,

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here's where he's been hiding all the

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stolen nuts, one cried. I

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haven't stolen anything, said Timmy, but

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they didn't listen. They pushed

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him into the little hole in the piggy bank tree.

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The hole was much too small for

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Timmy tiptoe stout figure to squirrel blubber

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bunched up and caught on the sides.

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Please, I'm too plump, he

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wheezed, but they didn't listen. Get

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in there, you thief. The

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whole group of squirrels all pushed at

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once. Timmy gave a

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woom-foom-foom sound and all at once

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popped through the hole and tumbled

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down, down, down the inside of

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the hollow tree. He

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finally landed with a clattering splash on

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the pile of nuts he had stored

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in the bottom. Stay

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there until spring, shouted silver

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tail squirrel, glad that someone else had been blamed. I'll show

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you to go around digging up other

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squirrels' food. Timmy

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tiptoes was too stunned to reply. He

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lay stunned and still on the top

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of the acorns, groaning softly and rubbing

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at his chafed sides. He

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wondered what his wife must be thinking. Goody

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tiptoes had seen none of the commotion,

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and assumed Timmy was just out getting

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more nuts. She picked

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up her own nutbags and went home. She

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made a cup of tea for Timmy,

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but he didn't come home, and didn't

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come home, and even after dark, he

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still didn't come home. Goody

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tiptoes passed a lonely and

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unhappy night all alone, tossing

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and turning in bed. The

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next morning, she ventured back to the nut bushes

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to look for him, but the other

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unkind squirrels drove her away, calling her

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the wife of a thief. She

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wandered all over the wood, calling, Timmy

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tiptoes! Timmy tiptoes!

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Oh, where is Timmy tiptoes?

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In the meantime, Timmy tiptoes came

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to his senses. He

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found himself tucked up in a little moss

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bed, very much in the dark, feeling sore.

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It seemed to be underground.

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Timmy coughed and groaned because his ribs

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hurt him. There was a

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chirpy noise and a small scuffle and

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rolling of nuts. Hello,

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said Timmy. Who's there?

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And a small striped chipmunk

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appeared. He held up a little

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nightlight. Uh, are

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you okay? I'm

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okay, said Timmy, suddenly

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remembering everything. He was trapped

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in the bottom of his piggy bank tree. But

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what is happening down here? Is there

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a way out? The

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chipmunk explained that it had rained nuts through the

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top of the tree, but there was no other

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way in or out. It

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laughed and chuckled when it heard Timmy's story,

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and together they set up an extra bed

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so Timmy could rest and heal. He

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vowed that he wouldn't eat much. so he might

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fit back out the hole and go home to Goody. But

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the chipmunk was too excited to have company.

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He kept trying to food him. Just

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another nut, man, or two nuts, you know?

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Let me crack them for ya, said the

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chipmunk. How about some nut

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pancakes? Or how about a nut roast?

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Maybe just a little bit of candied

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nuts? Timmy

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tiptoes ate and ate and grew

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rounder and rounder. Now

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Goody tiptoes had set to work again by

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herself, sure that her husband would

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be home eventually. She didn't

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put any more nuts into the woodpecker's hole

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because she had always doubted how they could

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get them out again. She

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hid them under a tree root. They

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rattled down, down, down. Once,

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when Goody emptied an extra big bag full,

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there was a decided squeak. And

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next time Goody brought another bag full,

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a little striped chipmunk scrambled out in

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a hurry. It

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is getting perfectly full up downstairs. The

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sitting room is jam-packed and nuts are

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rolling along the hallway. What

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is the explanation of these showers of

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nuts? Oh,

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I'm sure I beg your pardon. I

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didn't know that anybody lived here, said

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Mrs. Goody tiptoes. Uh,

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well, I do, said the chipmunk named

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Mrs. Hacky. My

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husband did as well, but he hasn't come home

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in weeks. He

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hasn't? Where did he go? My

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husband, Timmy Tiptoes, has run away as well.

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Oh, I know where my husband is, said Mrs.

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Hacky. A little bird

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told me that he ran away to live in a

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tree full of nuts. He'd rather

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eat all day than spend time with his

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wife. She shook her head. I

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don't know where we'd find such a tree, though. Oh,

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I know that tree, said Goody. I

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know just the place. Well,

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then let's go, said

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the chipmunk. Lead the way. Goody

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Tiptoes did lead the way to the woodpecker's tree

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and they listened at the hole. Down

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below there was a noise of nutcrackers

12:08

and a squirrel voice and a chipmunk

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voice were singing together. My

12:13

little old man and I fell out, how

12:15

shall we bring this matter about? Bring it

12:17

about as well as you can and get

12:19

you gone, you little old man. I'm

12:23

too big, said Goody Tiptoes, but you

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could squeeze in through that little round

12:27

hole. Yes,

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I could, said the chipmunk, but

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I won't. Why

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not? asked Goody. My

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husband, Mr. Hacky, he

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bites. Down

12:41

below there was a noise of cracking nuts

12:44

and nibbling and then the squirrel voice and

12:46

the chipmunk voice could be heard laughing about

12:48

something. Then

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Goody peeped in at the hole and called down.

12:54

Timmy Tiptoes? Oh,

12:56

Timmy Tiptoes! And

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Timmy replied, is that you, Goody

13:00

Tiptoes? Why certainly, my

13:03

wife has come at last! He

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came up and kissed Goody through the hole, but

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he was so round from the chipmunk's cooking

13:10

that he couldn't get out no matter how

13:12

he squeezed. Mr.

13:15

Hacky was not too round, but he did not

13:17

want to come and leave all the hundreds and

13:19

hundreds of nuts. He stayed

13:21

down below and chuckled. And

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so it went on for two weeks until the

13:26

night of the big storm. It came

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raging through and a fierce wind blew off

13:31

the top of the tree. It

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cracked like thunder and opened up a jagged

13:36

hole and let in the rain. It

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poured so hard that all the acorns

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in the tree began to float and

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Timmy was able to make his escape.

13:46

He scrambled out of the hole in the

13:48

tree and ran home, wishing all the way

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for his umbrella. Still,

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soaked and sodden, he got in

13:54

the door and hugged his wife,

13:56

happy to finally be freed. But

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Mr. Hackey continued to camp out for

14:02

another week, although it was uncomfortable. He

14:05

preferred the treasure of food to the company of

14:07

anyone else. At last,

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a large bear came walking through the

14:11

wood. Perhaps he was also

14:13

looking for nuts. He seemed

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to be sniffing around Mr. Hackey's tree an

14:18

awful lot. Finally, he tore

14:20

into it with a big brown paw,

14:22

and then Mr. Hackey went home in

14:25

a hurry. Timmy

14:27

and Goody settled in for a long and

14:29

pleasant winter. They managed to salvage

14:32

a good amount of nuts from their piggy

14:34

bank tree, and now they keep them safe

14:36

at home, fastened up with a little padlock.

14:39

It's just safer that way. The

14:43

End Today's

14:46

story, The Squirrel Piggy Bank, was written

14:48

for you by Beatrix Potter and adapted

14:50

for audio by Daniel Hines. It

14:53

was edited and produced by Ellie Hines and performed

14:55

for you by me, Amanda Weldon. If

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