the first thing that mr. red squirrel did after coming to the forest and meeting the gray squirrel was to look for something to eat. it was not a good season for a stranger who had no hidden store of nuts and seeds to draw upon. the apples and corn were not ripe, and last year's seeds and acorns were nearly gone. what few remained here and there had lost their sweet and wholesome taste. poor mr. red squirrel began to wish that he had eaten breakfast before he ran away. he even went to the edge of the forest and looked over toward the farmhouse, where his open cage hung in the sunshine. he knew that there were nuts and a fresh bit of fruit inside of it, and his mouth watered at the thought of them, but he was a sensible young fellow, and he knew that if he went back to eat, the cage door would be snapped shut, and he would never again be free to scamper in the beautiful trees.