Aug 17, 2026 · 1 hr 33 min · 26 segments
Join Chatterer the Red Squirrel on his delightful adventures in the enchanting world crafted by Thornton W. Burgess. This dramatic reading brings to life the timeless themes of curiosity, friendship…
He had even tried to make some excitement by waking up Bobby Coon and making him angry that Bobby had threatened to eat him alive.
It had been great fun to dance and call Bobby names and make fun of him.
Oh yes, it had been great fun.
You see, he knew all that time Bobby couldn't catch him if he should try.
But now things were different.
Chatterer had all the excitement that he wanted.
Indeed, he had more than he wanted.
The truth is, Chatterer was running for his life, and he knew it.
It is a terrible thing, a very terrible thing to have to run for one's life.
Peter Rabbit knows all about it.
He has run for his life often.
Sometimes it has been Reddy Fox behind him, sometimes Bowser the Hound, and once or twice Old Man Coyote.
Peter has known that on his long legs his life has depended, and more than once a terrible fear has filled his heart.
But Peter has also known that if he could reach the old stone wall or the dear old briar patch first, he would be safe, and he always reached it.
So when he has been running with the terrible fear in his heart, there has always been hope there too.
Yes, sir, there was nothing but fear, terrible fear in his heart, for he knew not where to go.
The hollow tree or the hollows in the old stone wall where he would be safe from anyone else, even Farmer Brown's boy, offered him no safety now for the one who was following him with hunger in his angry red eyes could go into any hole big enough for him to squeeze into you see it was shadow the weasel from whom chatterer was running and shadow is so slim that he can slip in and out of places that even chatterer cannot get through
chatterer knew all this and so because it was no use to run to his usual safe hiding places he ran in just the other direction He didn't know where he was going.
He had just one thought, to run and run as long as he could, and then, well, he would try to fight, though he knew it would be of no use.
Oh dear, oh dear,
he sobbed as he ran out on the branch of a tree and leaped across to the next tree.
i wish i had minded my own business i wish i had kept my tongue still shadow the weasel wouldn't have known where i was if he hadn't heard my voice oh dear oh dear me what can i do what can i do
now in his great fright chatterer had run and jumped so hard that he was beginning to grow very tired Presently, he found that he must make a very long jump to reach the next tree.
He had often made as long a jump as this and thought nothing of it.
But now he was so tired that the distance seemed to look twice as great as it really was.
He didn't dare stop to run down the tree and scamper across.
So he took a long breath, ran swiftly along the branch, and leaped.
His hands just touched the tip of the nearest branch of the other tree.
He tried his very best to hold on, but he couldn't.
Then down, down, down he fell.
He spread himself out as flat as he could, and that saved him a little.
But still was a dreadful fall, and when he landed, it seemed for just a minute as if all the breath was gone from his body.
But it wasn't quite, and in another minute he was scrambling up the tree.
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He had even tried to make some excitement by waking up Bobby Coon and making him angry that Bobby had threatened to eat him alive.
It had been great fun to dance and call Bobby names and make fun of him.
Oh yes, it had been great fun.
You see, he knew all that time Bobby couldn't catch him if he should try.
But now things were different.
Chatterer had all the excitement that he wanted.
Indeed, he had more than he wanted.
The truth is, Chatterer was running for his life, and he knew it.
It is a terrible thing, a very terrible thing to have to run for one's life.
Peter Rabbit knows all about it.
He has run for his life often.
Sometimes it has been Reddy Fox behind him, sometimes Bowser the Hound, and once or twice Old Man Coyote.
Peter has known that on his long legs his life has depended, and more than once a terrible fear has filled his heart.
But Peter has also known that if he could reach the old stone wall or the dear old briar patch first, he would be safe, and he always reached it.
So when he has been running with the terrible fear in his heart, there has always been hope there too.
Yes, sir, there was nothing but fear, terrible fear in his heart, for he knew not where to go.
The hollow tree or the hollows in the old stone wall where he would be safe from anyone else, even Farmer Brown's boy, offered him no safety now for the one who was following him with hunger in his angry red eyes could go into any hole big enough for him to squeeze into you see it was shadow the weasel from whom chatterer was running and shadow is so slim that he can slip in and out of places that even chatterer cannot get through
chatterer knew all this and so because it was no use to run to his usual safe hiding places he ran in just the other direction He didn't know where he was going.
He had just one thought, to run and run as long as he could, and then, well, he would try to fight, though he knew it would be of no use.
Oh dear, oh dear,
he sobbed as he ran out on the branch of a tree and leaped across to the next tree.
i wish i had minded my own business i wish i had kept my tongue still shadow the weasel wouldn't have known where i was if he hadn't heard my voice oh dear oh dear me what can i do what can i do
now in his great fright chatterer had run and jumped so hard that he was beginning to grow very tired Presently, he found that he must make a very long jump to reach the next tree.
He had often made as long a jump as this and thought nothing of it.
But now he was so tired that the distance seemed to look twice as great as it really was.
He didn't dare stop to run down the tree and scamper across.
So he took a long breath, ran swiftly along the branch, and leaped.
His hands just touched the tip of the nearest branch of the other tree.
He tried his very best to hold on, but he couldn't.
Then down, down, down he fell.
He spread himself out as flat as he could, and that saved him a little.
But still was a dreadful fall, and when he landed, it seemed for just a minute as if all the breath was gone from his body.
But it wasn't quite, and in another minute he was scrambling up the tree.
