Callaway Kids Bank Savings Account*

C.B. Squirrel and the Lesson of the Acorn

Once upon a time, banker Will Harris stood in his backyard under a big oak tree and brooded.

He put his hands behind his back and stared at his shoes. He scrunched up his forehead and pressed his lips into a thin line. Suddenly, he shoved his hands into the pockets of his woolen pants and started to rock on his toes. Then, he started to mutter and mumble to himself. He paced back and forth across the yard.

Poor Will had a problem and he just couldn't seem to find an answer. Toe, heel, toe, heel -- mutter, mutter. Frown, pace, frown, pace -- mumble, mumble. Will stayed in that yard for a long time.

"What's the answer?" he wondered aloud, "There's got to be an answer!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," came a clicky little voice from the sky. "That depends. What's the question? And, by the way, what's the matter with you down there. You sure look silly!"

Will looked up at the clouds.

"What?" he said. "Oh my," he thought, "the sun is so hot and I've been out here too long." He shrugged his shoulders and leaned on the woodpile in the shade of the old oak tree. "Besides, I don't think there is a solution to my problem anyway."

Tsk, tsk, tsk," the voice clicked again. "I'm talking to you. The least you could do is give me the courtesy of a response."

And, with that a big, fat acorn landed in the crease of Will's hat, rolled off the brim, bounced off his nose, and landed with a big kerplop right in the palm of his opened hand.

"I said, what's the question?"

Will shook his head and popped his ears. He took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," said the voice. "Will, over here ... in the tree ... bottom right limb. Come on, Boy, work with me on this."

This time Will looked exactly where the voice directed. But, the only thing he saw was the same healthy-looking brown squirrel, he had watched play in the tree since he was a boy.

"You don't remember me, do you?" asked the squirrel. Suddenly, it occurred to him that perhaps this human's memory was not as long as a squirrel's -- especially an enchanted squirrel such as he.

Will stumbled back and sat down on the first handy log he could find. The squirrel seemed to be speaking to him.

Will, who always was the practical type, took a minute to assess the situation. He was hot. He was tired. He was vexed. And, a squirrel was talking to him. It was all a little hard for Will to accept.

"I'm C.B.," the squirrel said "C.B. Squirrel. Your friend! Your buddy. Your pal?" Suddenly the plucky little guy looked worried, "Don't you remember all the things we've done together, Will?"

Will did not, but the squirrel looked so rejected he felt he should answer quickly so as not to offend him any more." Well, come to think of it, you do look a bit familiar," he said. "Just like a squirrel that used to sit up in this tree and chatter at me while I got ready for school when I was a child."

C.B. brightened. "And, a little like the squirrel whose life you saved one Fourth of July when a runaway horse took a buggy full of fancy ladies for a fast ride through town? Remember? You saw them coming and yelled to warn me away from the middle of the street," he asked hopefully.

Will felt as if a bolt of lightening had struck at his feet. "You're THAT squirrel?" he shouted. "The squirrel that used to take all the acorns I played with under this tree and hide them from me?"

"Yes, yes, yes," C.B. chattered.

"The squirrel I used to watch collect those nuts all summer, store them in a secret hole, and then spend the winter in a warm and cozy nest up in the branches?"

"The very same," he squeaked with delight.

"By golly, you were always fat and sassy when the other animals were having quite a time of it. I always admired the way you worked and saved and even planted an acorn once in a while to make sure you'd have another tree in the future," Will said.

"Why thank you, Will," C.B. beamed. "I'm glad you caught on to my lesson. Some never do, you know."

"Well, how do you do, C.B. Squirrel." Will was astonished. "And, why haven't you ever spoken to me before?"

"Will, we've watched a lot of life together, you and I. We've watched the town build up and some big buildings burn down. We've watched men march off to war and we've seen them come home again. We've watched school children grow up and get jobs and get married and have children of their own.

"I've been right there with you through thick and thin. But, we've never talked before, because I've never seen you as puzzled as you are today," C.B. said.

"It's true," Will thought, "this little squirrel has been here all my life. In fact, watching the furry guy with his acorns is what gave me the idea to start a bank for people in the first place."

"You have a problem and I'm here to help you if I can," C.B. continued. "You see, Will, when you've been friends, even silent ones, for as long as we have, you know when the other guy needs help. Now, what's the problem? Let's work on it together."

Will told C.B. about his bank and how he had created a place where men and women could save their money, like acorns, so they would be comfortable and have choices in the future. He had done his very best to tell other people what he had learned about saving and investing, but there was still much more to do.

He told his friend about how the town was growing and growing. More and more people wanted to learn the Lesson of the Acorn from Will and, that was his terrible problem.

Will worked very hard. All day, every day he talked to the people about saving and investing; but, being only one man and not even an enchanted one at that, he could never talk to everyone who wanted to hear the story.

Many times the people he told of the acorn said they wished they had talked to him sooner. Will's greatest desire was that he could talk to everyone in the county. He was haunted by the fact that he could not, and even dreamed about little children counting acorns.

C.B. listened intently and then cocked his head to one side and tapped his chubby cheek with a bony finger. "Will," he said, "what we need is a plan."

They huddled there, heads together, until dinner bells all over the county began to ring. They talked and thought, thought and talked, and then they talked and thought some more. Finally, just as the sun was about to set, C.B. let out a shrill squeal and kissed the air.

"Marvelous" he smooched, "just magnificent!"

He got so excited he scampered up the oak tree to the highest branch, jumped to the roof of the house, did a dance on the weather vane, and ran back down the gutter into Will's waiting arms.

"We've got a plan! We've got a plan!" he sang. "We'll teach the Lesson of the Acorn to every child and they can start saving their money from a very early age. That way, when they grow up, they will already have a good start in life."

Will was very happy that C.B. seemed to think his problem was solved, but he remained concerned. "I'm used to talking to grown-ups. And, talking to the children will give me even more to do," he signed.

"Don't worry, Will," C.B. said. "I told you we'd work on this together and we will. You talk to the mothers and fathers and I'll talk to the children," he said jumping up onto Will's shoulder.

Will stood up and C.B. grabbed his hat for balance, "I'll show them the acorns and let them watch me just the way you did when you were a boy. You can talk to their parents about helping them save their nickels and dimes."

Will smiled and his furrowed brow was finally smooth. Now he had a helper and he was happy.

"You know what, Will? Maybe someday, after I've worked with the kids for a while, we should create a bank just for young people. Let's make that part of the plan, too. Okay?"

"Yes, my friend," Will said as he stroked the little squirrel's fur and walked into the sunset. That's a good idea. We should do that." And so they did.

*The Callaway Bank is an FDIC member and your deposits are insured up to the maximum allowable coverage.
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