Chapter 15: The Autumn Provides Food and Loneliness

Starting in September, the forest and its denizens prepare for winter. The Baron Weasel grows in his winter coat and Sam was thinking about making warmer clothes for himself as well. Sam realizes his tree would be cold and then decides to make a fireplace of clay, taken from the same banks where Bando dug clay for his jam pots. Sam feels lonely but The Baron and Frightful help assuage those feelings. Sam has problems setting up the fireplace and chimney. However, one day Frightful flies away in a wild manner and when Sam tracks her down, she's on a flat, narrow long rock which was ideal to hold up the funnel for the fireplace and complete it. When Sam first tries the fireplace, he notices Frightful having a bad reaction and realizes the fireplace is using up all the oxygen in their home. He cuts out several knotholes in the tree so there would be more ventilation.

Notes:
Sam worries about losing Frightful but instead finds an unexpected opportunity when he locates his falcon. This is repeated at the end of the story, when Sam's family find an unexpected opportunity of life on the Gribley farm when they all finally catch up with him.

Chapter 16: We All Learn About Halloween

Sam and Frightful have to compete with squirrels in order to gather nuts; when gathering apples, the race was on against the squirrels, raccoons, and a fat old skunk. One evening, The Baron helps himself to some of Sam's dinner, the first time he's ever taken food from the boy. Sam checks his calendar and realizes it is Halloween and Baron Weasel is trick-or-treating.

Sam decides to throw a Halloween party and gathers a pile of food as an invitation for the animals in the forest to join him. That first evening, nobody comes. The next day, Sam and Frightful go out until dusk. When they return home, they found some nuts taken from the pile. In the evening, Frightful is very alert and seems to notice things; Jessie C James arrives to eat the venison in the pile but a larger raccoon lays claim to it instead. A flying squirrel then arrives, as do mire guests. Sam goes to sleep but is then awakened by screaming in his house. The two raccoons were there, making a mess of the cache of acorns and beechnuts. The skunk was inside as well and sprayed Sam. A bat then made its way in, and Sam sees the red fox from the forest watching him. Frightful wakes up and has to be calmed, and Sam drives the animals out of his home.

Notes:
While one could easily argue otherwise, the chaos that results from the Halloween party illustrates that animals are not the same as humans and do not have the basic respect that humans accord their hosts. Instead it teaches Sam a lesson of the animal world, that "might makes right" ' though again, one can argue that this is as much a fact of life in the civilized world as in nature.

Chapter 17: I Find Out What to Do with Hunters

Sam learns not to feed wild animals as a result of his Halloween party. In early November, Sam hears a rifle shot and realizes hunting season has begun. Sam decides to remain in hiding for most of the week, but one day decides to see Miss Turner at the library. On his way out of the hemlock grove, he is almost shot by a hunter and hides up a tree. He sees the hunter tracking a deer and killing it, but the man is unable to find where the deer dropped. When the man goes back to join his friends, Sam goes to investigate the deer; he believes there will be other lost game and in the coming weeks gains two more deer in a similar manner. Along with the venison from the carcasses, Sam makes a jacket for himself and a blanket.

Notes:
Sam benefits from the mistakes of other humans, claiming lost game as his own. Again, this is seen as a clear opportunity in the world of nature, not thievery or deceit.