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diff --git a/25301-0.txt b/25301-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7a9c66f --- /dev/null +++ b/25301-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2261 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse, by +Thornton W. Burgess + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most +other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of +the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at +www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have +to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. + +Title: The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse + +Author: Thornton W. Burgess + +Illustrator: Harrison Cady + +Release Date: November 10, 2016 [EBook #25301] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ADVENTURES OF DANNY MEADOW MOUSE *** + + + + +Produced by Emmy, MWS, Google Books and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +book was produced from images made available by the +HathiTrust Digital Library.) (An earlier version was +prepared by K. Nordquist and Barbara Tozier.) + + + + + + + + + + +THE ADVENTURES OF DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + + + +BOOKS BY THORNTON W. BURGESS + + +BEDTIME STORY-BOOKS + + 1. THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX + 2. THE ADVENTURES OF JOHNNY CHUCK + 3. THE ADVENTURES OF PETER COTTONTAIL + 4. THE ADVENTURES OF UNC’ BILLY POSSUM + 5. THE ADVENTURES OF MR. MOCKER + 6. THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY MUSKRAT + 7. THE ADVENTURES OF DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + 8. THE ADVENTURES OF GRANDFATHER FROG + 9. THE ADVENTURES OF CHATTERER, THE RED SQUIRREL + 10. THE ADVENTURES OF SAMMY JAY + 11. THE ADVENTURES OF BUSTER BEAR + 12. THE ADVENTURES OF OLD MR. TOAD + 13. THE ADVENTURES OF PRICKLY PORKY + 14. THE ADVENTURES OF OLD MAN COYOTE + 15. THE ADVENTURES OF PADDY THE BEAVER + 16. THE ADVENTURES OF POOR MRS. QUACK + 17. THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY COON + 18. THE ADVENTURES OF JIMMY SKUNK + 19. THE ADVENTURES OF BOB WHITE + 20. THE ADVENTURES OF OL’ MISTAH BUZZARD + + +OLD MOTHER WEST WIND SERIES + + 1. OLD MOTHER WEST WIND + 2. MOTHER WEST WIND’S CHILDREN + 3. MOTHER WEST WIND’S ANIMAL FRIENDS + 4. MOTHER WEST WIND’S NEIGHBORS + 5. MOTHER WEST WIND’S “WHY” STORIES + 6. MOTHER WEST WIND’S “HOW” STORIES + 7. MOTHER WEST WIND’S “WHEN” STORIES + 8. MOTHER WEST WIND’S “WHERE” STORIES + + +GREEN MEADOW SERIES + + 1. HAPPY JACK + 2. MRS. PETER RABBIT + +[Illustration: “I tell you what, you stay right here!” FRONTISPIECE. +_See page 57._] + + + + + BURGESS _TRADE_ QUADDIES _MARK_ + + The Bedtime Story-Books + + + THE ADVENTURES OF + DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + BY + THORNTON W. BURGESS + + Author of “The Adventures of Reddy Fox,” + “Old Mother West Wind,” etc. + + _With Illustrations by + HARRISON CADY_ + +[Illustration] + + BOSTON + LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY + 1919 + + + + + _Copyright, 1915_, + BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY. + + _All rights reserved_ + + + + +CONTENTS + + + CHAPTER PAGE + I. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE IS WORRIED 1 + II. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE AND HIS SHORT TAIL 5 + III. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE PLAYS HIDE AND SEEK 9 + IV. OLD GRANNY FOX TRIES FOR DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 14 + V. WHAT HAPPENED ON THE GREEN MEADOWS 19 + VI. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE REMEMBERS AND REDDY FOX FORGETS 24 + VII. OLD GRANNY FOX TRIES A NEW PLAN 29 + VIII. BROTHER NORTH WIND PROVES A FRIEND 34 + IX. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE IS CAUGHT AT LAST 39 + X. A STRANGE RIDE AND HOW IT ENDED 44 + XI. PETER RABBIT GETS A FRIGHT 49 + XII. THE OLD BRIAR-PATCH HAS A NEW TENANT 54 + XIII. PETER RABBIT VISITS THE PEACH ORCHARD 59 + XIV. FARMER BROWN SETS A TRAP 64 + XV. PETER RABBIT IS CAUGHT IN A SNARE 69 + XVI. PETER RABBIT’S HARD JOURNEY 74 + XVII. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE BECOMES WORRIED 79 + XVIII. DANNY MEADOW MOUSE RETURNS A KINDNESS 84 + XIX. PETER RABBIT AND DANNY MEADOW MOUSE LIVE HIGH 89 + XX. TIMID DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 94 + XXI. AN EXCITING DAY FOR DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 100 + XXII. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT TO DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 105 + XXIII. REDDY FOX GROWS CURIOUS 109 + XXIV. REDDY FOX LOSES HIS TEMPER 114 + + + + +LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS + + + “I TELL YOU WHAT, YOU STAY RIGHT HERE!” _Frontispiece_ + “GOT PLENTY TO EAT AND DRINK, HAVEN’T YOU?” CONTINUED + MR. TOAD PAGE 6 + DANNY POPPED HIS HEAD OUT OF ANOTHER LITTLE DOORWAY AND + LAUGHED AT REDDY “ 12 + HE WAS BEING CARRIED “ 45 + PETER KNEW THAT DANNY WAS DOING SOMETHING AT THE OTHER END “ 86 + WITH ANOTHER FRIGHTENED SQUEAK, DANNY DIVED INTO THE OPENING + JUST IN TIME “ 107 + + + + +THE ADVENTURES OF DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + + + +I + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE IS WORRIED + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE sat on his door-step with his chin in his hands, and +it was very plain to see that Danny had something on his mind. He had +only a nod for Jimmy Skunk, and even Peter Rabbit could get no more +than a grumpy “good morning.” It wasn’t that he had been caught napping +the day before by Reddy Fox and nearly made an end of. No, it wasn’t +that. Danny had learned his lesson, and Reddy would never catch him +again. It wasn’t that he was all alone with no one to play with. Danny +was rather glad that he was alone. The fact is, Danny Meadow Mouse was +worried. + +Now worry is one of the worst things in the world, and it didn’t seem +as if there was anything that Danny Meadow Mouse need worry about. But +you know it is the easiest thing in the world to find something to +worry over and make yourself uncomfortable about. And when you make +yourself uncomfortable, you are almost sure to make every one around +you equally uncomfortable. It was so with Danny Meadow Mouse. Striped +Chipmunk had twice called him “Cross Patch” that morning, and Johnny +Chuck, who had fought Reddy Fox for him the day before, had called him +“Grumpy.” And what do you think was the matter with Danny Meadow Mouse? +Why, he was worrying because his tail is short. Yes, Sir, that is all +that ailed Danny Meadow Mouse that bright morning. + +You know some people let their looks make them miserable. They worry +because they are homely or freckled, or short or tall, or thin or +stout, all of which is very foolish. And Danny Meadow Mouse was just as +foolish in worrying because his tail is short. + +It is short! It certainly is all of that! Danny never had realized how +short until he chanced to meet his cousin Whitefoot, who lives in the +Green Forest. He was very elegantly dressed, but the most imposing +thing about him was his long, slim, beautiful tail. Danny had at once +become conscious of his own stubby little tail, and he had hardly had +pride enough to hold his head up as became an honest Meadow Mouse. +Ever since he had been thinking and thinking, and wondering how his +family came to have such short tails. Then he grew envious and began to +wish and wish and wish that he could have a long tail like his cousin +Whitefoot. + +He was so busy wishing that he had a long tail that he quite forgot to +take care of the tail he did have, and he pretty nearly lost it and his +life with it. Old Whitetail the Marsh Hawk, spied Danny sitting there +moping on his door-step, and came sailing over the tops of the meadow +grasses so softly that he all but caught Danny. If it hadn’t been for +one of the Merry Little Breezes, Danny would have been caught. And all +because he was envious. It’s a bad, bad habit. + + + + +II + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE AND HIS SHORT TAIL + + +ALL Danny Meadow Mouse could think about was his short tail. He was so +ashamed of it that whenever any one passed, he crawled out of sight +so that they should not see how short his tail is. Instead of playing +in the sunshine as he used to do, he sat and sulked. Pretty soon his +friends began to pass without stopping. Finally one day old Mr. Toad +sat down in front of Danny and began to ask questions. + +“What’s the matter?” asked old Mr. Toad. + +“Nothing,” replied Danny Meadow Mouse. + +[Illustration: “Got plenty to eat and drink, haven’t you?” continued +Mr. Toad. _Page 6._] + +“I don’t suppose that there really is anything the matter, but what do +you think is the matter?” said old Mr. Toad. + +Danny fidgeted, and old Mr. Toad looked up at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun +and winked. “Sun is just as bright as ever, isn’t it?” he inquired. + +“Yes,” said Danny. + +“Got plenty to eat and drink, haven’t you?” continued Mr. Toad. + +“Yes,” said Danny. + +“Seems to me that that is a pretty good looking suit of clothes you’re +wearing,” said Mr. Toad, eyeing Danny critically. “Sunny weather, +plenty to eat and drink, and good clothes—must be you don’t know when +you’re well off, Danny Meadow Mouse.” + +Danny hung his head. Finally he looked up and caught a kindly twinkle +in old Mr. Toad’s eyes. “Mr. Toad, how can I get a long tail like my +cousin Whitefoot of the Green Forest?” he asked. + +“So that’s what’s the matter! Ha! ha! ha! Danny Meadow Mouse, I’m +ashamed of you! I certainly am ashamed of you!” said Mr. Toad. “What +good would a long tail do you? Tell me that.” + +For a minute Danny didn’t know just what to say. “I—I—I’d look so much +better if I had a long tail,” he ventured. + +Old Mr. Toad just laughed. “You never saw a Meadow Mouse with a long +tail, did you? Of course not. What a sight it would be! Why, everybody +on the Green Meadows would laugh themselves sick at the sight! You see +you need to be slim and trim and handsome to carry a long tail well. +And then what a nuisance it would be! You would always have to be +thinking of your tail and taking care to keep it out of harm’s way. +Look at me. I’m homely. Some folks call me ugly to look at. But no one +tries to catch me as Farmer Brown’s boy does Billy Mink because of +his fine coat; and no one wants to put me in a cage because of a fine +voice. I am satisfied to be just as I am, and if you’ll take my advice, +Danny Meadow Mouse, you’ll be satisfied to be just as you are.” + +“Perhaps you are right,” said Danny Meadow Mouse after a little. “I’ll +try.” + + + + +III + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE PLAYS HIDE AND SEEK + + +LIFE is always a game of hide and seek to Danny Meadow Mouse. You +see, he is such a fat little fellow that there are a great many other +furry-coated people, and almost as many who wear feathers, who would +gobble Danny up for breakfast or for dinner if they could. Some of +them pretend to be his friends, but Danny always keeps his eyes open +when they are around and always begins to play hide and seek. Peter +Rabbit and Jimmy Skunk and Striped Chipmunk and Happy Jack Squirrel are +all friends whom he can trust, but he always has a bright twinkling +eye open for Reddy Fox and Billy Mink and Shadow the Weasel and old +Whitetail the Marsh Hawk, and several more, especially Hooty the Owl at +night. + +Now Danny Meadow Mouse is a stout-hearted little fellow, and when rough +Brother North Wind came shouting across the Green Meadows, tearing +to pieces the snow clouds and shaking out the snowflakes until they +covered the Green Meadows deep, deep, deep, Danny just snuggled down in +his warm coat in his snug little house of grass and waited. Danny liked +the snow. Yes, Sir, Danny Meadow Mouse liked the snow. He just loved to +dig in it and make tunnels. Through those tunnels in every direction +he could go where he pleased and when he pleased without being seen by +anybody. It was great fun! + +Every little way he made a little round doorway up beside a stiff +stalk of grass. Out of this he could peep at the white world, and he +could get the fresh cold air. Sometimes, when he was quite sure that +no one was around, he would scamper across on top of the snow from one +doorway to another, and when he did this, he made the prettiest little +footprints. + +Now Reddy Fox knew all about those doorways and who made them. Reddy +was having hard work to get enough to eat this cold weather, and he was +hungry most of the time. One morning, as he came tiptoeing softly over +the meadows, what should he see just ahead of him but the head of Danny +Meadow Mouse pop out of one of those little round doorways. Reddy’s +mouth watered, and he stole forward more softly than ever. When he got +within jumping distance, he drew his stout hind legs under him and +made ready to spring. Presto! Danny Meadow Mouse had disappeared! Reddy +Fox jumped just the same and began to dig as fast as he could make his +paws go. He could smell Danny Meadow Mouse and that made him almost +frantic. + +[Illustration: Danny popped his head out of another little doorway and +laughed at Reddy. _Page 12._] + +All the time Danny Meadow Mouse was scurrying along one of his little +tunnels, and when finally Reddy Fox stopped digging because he was +quite out of breath, Danny popped his head out of another little +doorway and laughed at Reddy. Of course Reddy saw him, and of course +Reddy tried to catch him there, and dug frantically just as before. And +of course Danny Meadow Mouse wasn’t there. + +After a while Reddy Fox grew tired of this kind of a game and tried +another plan. The next time he saw Danny Meadow Mouse stick his head +out, Reddy pretended not to see him. He stretched himself out on the +ground and made believe that he was very tired and sleepy. He closed +his eyes. Then he opened them just the tiniest bit, so that he could +see Danny Meadow Mouse and yet seem to be asleep. Danny watched him for +a long time. Then he chuckled to himself and dropped out of sight. + +No sooner was he gone than Reddy Fox stole over close to the little +doorway and waited. “He’ll surely stick his head out again to see if +I’m asleep, and then I’ll have him,” said Reddy to himself. So he +waited and waited and waited. By and by he turned his head. There was +Danny Meadow Mouse at another little doorway laughing at him! + + + + +IV + +OLD GRANNY FOX TRIES FOR DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE had not enjoyed anything so much for a long time +as he did that game of hide and seek. He tickled and chuckled all the +afternoon as he thought about it. Of course Reddy had been “it.” He +had been “it” all the time, for never once had he caught Danny Meadow +Mouse. If he had—well, there wouldn’t have been any more stories about +Danny Meadow Mouse, because there wouldn’t have been any Danny Meadow +Mouse any more. + +But Danny never let himself think about this. He had enjoyed the game +all the more because it had been such a dangerous game. It had been +such fun to dive into one of his little round doorways in the snow, +run along one of his own little tunnels, and then peep out at another +doorway and watch Reddy Fox digging as fast as ever he could at the +doorway Danny had just left. Finally Reddy had given up in disgust and +gone off muttering angrily to try to find something else for dinner. +Danny had sat up on the snow and watched him go. In his funny little +squeaky voice Danny shouted: + + “Though Reddy Fox is smart and sly, + Hi-hum-diddle-de-o! + I’m just as smart and twice as spry. + Hi-hum-diddle-de-o!” + +That night Reddy Fox told old Granny Fox all about how he had tried +to catch Danny Meadow Mouse. Granny listened with her head cocked on +one side. When Reddy told how fat Danny Meadow Mouse was, her mouth +watered. You see now that snow covered the Green Meadows and the Green +Forest, Granny and Reddy Fox had hard work to get enough to eat, and +they were hungry most of the time. + +“I’ll go with you down on the meadows to-morrow morning, and then we’ll +see if Danny Meadow Mouse is as smart as he thinks he is,” said Granny +Fox. + +So, bright and early the next morning, old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox +went down on the meadows where Danny Meadow Mouse lives. Danny had felt +in his bones that Reddy would come back, so he was watching, and he +saw them as soon as they came out of the Green Forest. When he saw old +Granny Fox, Danny’s heart beat a little faster than before, for he knew +that Granny Fox is very smart and very wise and has learned most of +the tricks of all the other little meadow and forest people. + +“This is going to be a more exciting game than the other,” said Danny +to himself, and scurried down out of sight to see that all his little +tunnels were clear so that he could run fast through them if he had to. +Then he peeped out of one of his little doorways hidden in a clump of +tall grass. + +Old Granny Fox set Reddy to hunting for Danny’s little round doorways, +and as fast as he found them, Granny came up and sniffed at each. She +knew that she could tell by the smell which one he had been at last. +Finally she came straight towards the tall bunch of grass. Danny ducked +down and scurried along one of his little tunnels. He heard Granny Fox +sniff at the doorway he had just left. Suddenly something plunged down +through the snow right at his very heels. Danny didn’t have to look to +know that it was Granny Fox herself, and he squeaked with fright. + + + + +V + +WHAT HAPPENED ON THE GREEN MEADOWS + + +THICK and fast things were happening to Danny Meadow Mouse down on +the snow-covered Green Meadows. Rather, they were almost happening. +He hadn’t minded when Reddy Fox all alone tried to catch him. Indeed, +he had made a regular game of hide and seek of it and had enjoyed it +immensely. But now it was different. Granny Fox wasn’t so easily fooled +as Reddy Fox. Just Granny alone would have made the game dangerous +for Danny Meadow Mouse. But Reddy was with her, and so Danny had two +to look out for, and he got so many frights that it seemed to him as +if his heart had moved right up into his mouth and was going to stay +there. Yes, Sir, that is just how it seemed. + +Down in his little tunnels underneath the snow Danny Meadow Mouse felt +perfectly safe from Reddy Fox, who would stop and dig frantically at +the little round doorway where he had last seen Danny. But old Granny +Fox knew all about those little tunnels, and she didn’t waste any time +digging at the doorways. Instead she cocked her sharp little ears and +listened with all her might. Now Granny Fox has very keen ears, oh, +very keen ears, and she heard just what she hoped she would hear. She +heard Danny Meadow Mouse running along one of his little tunnels under +the snow. + +Plunge! Old Granny Fox dived right into the snow and right through into +the tunnel of Danny Meadow Mouse. Her two black paws actually touched +Danny’s tail. He was glad then that it was no longer. + +“Ha!” cried Granny Fox, “I almost got him that time!” + +Then she ran ahead a little way over the snow, listening as before. +Plunge! Into the snow she went again. It was lucky for him that Danny +had just turned into another tunnel, for otherwise she would surely +have caught him. + +Granny Fox blew the snow out of her nose. “Next time I’ll get him!” +said she. + +Now Reddy Fox is quick to learn, especially when it is a way to get +something to eat. He watched Granny Fox, and when he understood what +she was doing, he made up his mind to have a try himself, for he was +afraid that if she caught Danny Meadow Mouse, she would think that he +was not big enough to divide. Perhaps that was because Reddy is very +selfish himself. So the next time Granny plunged into the snow and +missed Danny Meadow Mouse just as before, Reddy rushed in ahead of her, +and the minute he heard Danny running down below, he plunged in just +as he had seen Granny do. But he didn’t take the pains to make sure of +just where Danny was, and so of course he didn’t come anywhere near +him. But he frightened Danny still more and made old Granny Fox lose +her temper. + +Poor Danny Meadow Mouse! He had never been so frightened in all his +life. He didn’t know which way to turn or where to run. And so he sat +still, which, although he didn’t know it, was the very best thing he +could do. When he sat still he made no noise, and so of course Granny +and Reddy Fox could not tell where he was. Old Granny Fox sat and +listened and listened and listened, and wondered where Danny Meadow +Mouse was. And down under the snow Danny Meadow Mouse sat and listened +and listened and listened, and wondered where Granny and Reddy Fox were. + +“Pooh!” said Granny Fox after a while, “that Meadow Mouse thinks he can +fool me by sitting still. I’ll give him a scare.” + +Then she began to plunge into the snow this way and that way, and sure +enough, pretty soon she landed so close to Danny Meadow Mouse that one +of her claws scratched him. + + + + +VI + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE REMEMBERS AND REDDY FOX FORGETS + + +“THERE he goes!” cried old Granny Fox. “Don’t let him sit still again!” + +“I hear him!” shouted Reddy Fox, and plunged down into the snow just +as Granny Fox had done a minute before. But he didn’t catch anything, +and when he had blown the snow out of his nose and wiped it out of his +eyes, he saw Granny Fox dive into the snow with no better luck. + +“Never mind,” said Granny Fox, “as long as we keep him running, we can +hear him, and some one of these times we’ll catch him. Pretty soon +he’ll get too tired to be so spry, and when he is—” Granny didn’t +finish, but licked her chops and smacked her lips. Reddy Fox grinned, +then licked his chops and smacked his lips. Then once more they took +turns diving into the snow. + +And down underneath in the little tunnels he had made, Danny Meadow +Mouse was running for his life. He was getting tired, just as old +Granny Fox had said he would. He was almost out of breath. He was sore +and one leg smarted, for in one of her jumps old Granny Fox had so +nearly caught him that her claws had torn his pants and scratched him. + +“Oh, dear! Oh, dear! If only I had time to think!” panted Danny Meadow +Mouse, and then he squealed in still greater fright as Reddy Fox +crashed down into his tunnel right at his very heels. “I’ve got to get +somewhere! I’ve got to get somewhere where they can’t get at me!” he +sobbed. And right that very instant he remembered the old fence-post! + +The old fence-post lay on the ground and was hollow. Fastened to it +were long wires with sharp cruel barbs. Danny had made a tunnel over to +that old fence-post the very first day after the snow came, for in that +hollow in the old post he had a secret store of seeds. Why hadn’t he +thought of it before? It must have been because he was too frightened +to think. But he remembered now, and he dodged into the tunnel that +led to the old fence-post, running faster than ever, for though his +heart was in his mouth from fear, in his heart was hope, and hope is a +wonderful thing. + +Now old Granny Fox knew all about that old fence-post and she +remembered all about those barbed wires fastened to it. Although they +were covered with snow she knew just about where they lay, and just +before she reached them she stopped plunging down into the snow. Reddy +Fox knew about those wires, too, but he was so excited that he forgot +all about them. + +“Stop!” cried old Granny Fox sharply. + +But Reddy Fox didn’t hear, or if he heard he didn’t heed. His sharp +ears could hear Danny Meadow Mouse running almost underneath him. +Granny Fox could stop if she wanted to, but he was going to have Danny +Meadow Mouse for his breakfast! Down into the snow he plunged as hard +as ever he could. + +“Oh! Oh! Wow! Wow! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” + +That wasn’t the voice of Danny Meadow Mouse. Oh, my, no! It was the +voice of Reddy Fox. Yes, Sir, it was the voice of Reddy Fox. He had +landed with one of his black paws right on one of those sharp wire +barbs, and it did hurt dreadfully. + +“I never did know a young Fox who could get into so much trouble as +you can!” snapped old Granny Fox, as Reddy hobbled along on three legs +behind her, across the snow-covered Green Meadows. “It serves you right +for forgetting!” + +“Yes’m,” said Reddy meekly. + +And safe in the hollow of the old fence-post, Danny Meadow Mouse was +dressing the scratch on his leg made by the claws of old Granny Fox. + + + + +VII + +OLD GRANNY FOX TRIES A NEW PLAN + + +OLD Granny Fox kept thinking about Danny Meadow Mouse. She knew that he +was fat, and it made her mouth water every time she thought of him. She +made up her mind that she must and would have him. She knew that Danny +had been very, very much frightened when she and Reddy Fox had tried +so hard to catch him by plunging down through the snow into his little +tunnels after him, and she felt pretty sure that he wouldn’t go far +away from the old fence-post, in the hollow of which he was snug and +safe. + +Old Granny Fox is very smart. “Danny Meadow Mouse won’t put his nose +out of that old fence-post for a day or two. Then he’ll get tired of +staying inside all the time, and he’ll peep out of one of his little +round doorways to see if the way is clear. If he doesn’t see any +danger, he’ll come out and run around on top of the snow to get some of +the seeds in the tops of the tall grasses that stick out through the +snow. If nothing frightens him, he’ll keep going a little farther and +a little farther from that old fence-post. I must see to it that Danny +Meadow Mouse isn’t frightened for a few days.” So said old Granny Fox +to herself, as she lay under a hemlock-tree, studying how she could +best get the next meal. + +Then she called Reddy Fox to her and forbade him to go down on the +meadows until she should tell him he might. Reddy grumbled and mumbled +and didn’t see why he shouldn’t go where he pleased, but he didn’t +dare disobey. You see he had a sore foot. He had hurt it on a wire barb +when he was plunging through the snow after Danny Meadow Mouse, and now +he had to run on three legs. That meant that he must depend upon Granny +Fox to help him get enough to eat. So Reddy didn’t dare to disobey. + +It all came out just as Granny Fox had thought it would. Danny Meadow +Mouse _did_ get tired of staying in the old fence-post. He _did_ peep +out first, and then he _did_ run a little way on the snow, and then a +little farther and a little farther. But all the time he took great +care not to get more than a jump or two from one of his little round +doorways leading down to his tunnels under the snow. + +Hidden on the edge of the Green Forest, Granny Fox watched him. She +looked up at the sky, and she knew that it was going to snow again. +“That’s good,” said she. “To-morrow morning I’ll have fat Meadow Mouse +for breakfast,” and she smiled a hungry smile. + +The next morning, before jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was out of bed, old +Granny Fox trotted down on to the meadows and straight over to where, +down under the snow, lay the old fence-post. It had snowed again, and +all of the little doorways of Danny Meadow Mouse were covered up with +soft, fleecy snow. Behind Granny Fox limped Reddy Fox, grumbling to +himself. + +When they reached the place where the old fence-post lay buried under +the snow, old Granny Fox stretched out as flat as she could. Then she +told Reddy to cover her up with the new soft snow. Reddy did as he was +told, but all the time he grumbled. “Now you go off to the Green Forest +and keep out of sight,” said Granny Fox. “By and by I’ll bring you +some Meadow Mouse for your breakfast,” and Granny Fox chuckled to think +how smart she was and how she was going to catch Danny Meadow Mouse. + + + + +VIII + +BROTHER NORTH WIND PROVES A FRIEND + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE had seen nothing of old Granny Fox or Reddy Fox for +several days. Every morning the first thing he did, even before he had +breakfast, was to climb up to one of his little round doorways and peep +out over the beautiful white meadows, to see if there was any danger +near. But every time he did this, Danny used a different doorway. +“For,” said Danny to himself, “if any one should happen, just happen, +to see me this morning, they might be waiting just outside my doorway +to catch me to-morrow morning.” You see there is a great deal of wisdom +in the little head that Danny Meadow Mouse carries on his shoulders. + +But the first day and the second day and the third day he saw nothing +of old Granny Fox or of Reddy Fox, and he began to enjoy running +through his tunnels under the snow and scurrying across from one +doorway to another on top of the snow, just as he had before the Foxes +had tried so hard to catch him. But he hadn’t forgotten, as Granny Fox +had hoped he would. No, indeed, Danny Meadow Mouse hadn’t forgotten. He +was too wise for that. + +One morning, when he started to climb up to one of his little doorways, +he found that it was closed. Yes, Sir, it was closed. In fact, there +wasn’t any doorway. More snow had fallen from the clouds in the night +and had covered up every one of the little round doorways of Danny +Meadow Mouse. + +“Ha!” said Danny, “I shall have a busy day, a very busy day, opening +all my doorways. I’ll eat my breakfast, and then I’ll go to work.” + +So Danny Meadow Mouse ate a good breakfast of seeds which he had stored +in the hollow in the old fence-post buried under the snow, and then he +began work on the nearest doorway. It really wasn’t work at all, for +you see the snow was soft and light, and Danny dearly loved to dig in +it. In a few minutes he had made a wee hole through which he could peep +up at jolly, round Mr. Sun. In a few minutes more he had made it big +enough to put his head out. He looked this way and he looked that way. +Far, far off on the top of a tree he could see old Roughleg the Hawk, +but he was so far away that Danny didn’t fear him at all. + +“I don’t see anything or anybody to be afraid of,” said Danny and +poked his head out a little farther. + +Then he sat and studied everything around him a long, long time. It was +a beautiful white world, a very beautiful white world. Everything was +so white and pure and beautiful that it didn’t seem possible that harm +or danger for any one could even be thought of. But Danny Meadow Mouse +learned long ago that things are not always what they seem, and so he +sat with just his little head sticking out of his doorway and studied +and studied. Just a little way off was a little heap of snow. + +“I don’t remember that,” said Danny. “And I don’t remember anything +that would make that. There isn’t any little bush or old log or +anything underneath it. Perhaps rough Brother North Wind heaped it up, +just for fun.” + +But all the time Danny Meadow Mouse kept studying and studying that +little heap of snow. Pretty soon he saw rough Brother North Wind coming +his way and tossing the snow about as he came. He caught a handful from +the top of the little heap of snow that Danny was studying, and when he +had passed, Danny’s sharp eyes saw something red there. It was just the +color of the cloak old Granny Fox wears. + + “Granny Fox, you can’t fool me! + I see you plain as plain can be!” + +shouted Danny Meadow Mouse and dropped down out of sight, while old +Granny Fox shook the snow from her red cloak and, with a snarl of +disappointment and anger, slowly started for the Green Forest, where +Reddy Fox was waiting for her. + + + + +IX + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE IS CAUGHT AT LAST + + “Tippy-toppy-tippy-toe, + Play and frolic in the snow! + Now you see me! Now you don’t! + Think you’ll catch me, but you won’t! + Tippy-toppy-tippy-toe, + Oh, such fun to play in snow!” + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE sang this, or at least he tried to sing it, as he +skipped about on the snow that covered the Green Meadows. But Danny +Meadow Mouse has such a little voice, such a funny little squeaky +voice, that had you been there you probably would never have guessed +that he was singing. He thought he was, though, and was enjoying it +just as much as if he had the most beautiful voice in the world. You +know singing is nothing in the world but happiness in the heart making +itself heard. + +Oh, yes, Danny Meadow Mouse was happy! Why shouldn’t he have been? +Hadn’t he proved himself smarter than old Granny Fox? That is something +to make any one happy. Some folks may fool Granny Fox once; some may +fool her twice; but there are very few who can keep right on fooling +her until she gives up in disgust. That is just what Danny Meadow Mouse +had done, and he felt very smart and of course he felt very happy. + +So Danny sang his little song and skipped about in the moonlight, and +dodged in and out of his little round doorways, and all the time kept +his sharp little eyes open for any sign of Granny Fox or Reddy Fox. +But with all his smartness, Danny forgot. Yes, Sir, Danny forgot one +thing. He forgot to watch up in the sky. He knew that of course old +Roughleg the Hawk was asleep, so he had nothing to fear from him. But +he never once thought of Hooty the Owl. + +Dear me, dear me! Forgetting is a dreadful habit. If nobody ever +forgot, there wouldn’t be nearly so much trouble in the world. No, +indeed, there wouldn’t be nearly so much trouble. And Danny Meadow +Mouse forgot. He skipped and sang and was happy as could be, and never +once thought to watch up in the sky. + +Over in the Green Forest Hooty the Owl had had poor hunting, and he was +feeling cross. You see, Hooty was hungry, and hunger is apt to make one +feel cross. The longer he hunted, the hungrier and crosser he grew. +Suddenly he thought of Danny Meadow Mouse. + +“I suppose he is asleep somewhere safe and snug under the snow,” +grumbled Hooty, “but he might be, he just _might_ be out for a frolic +in the moonlight. I believe I’ll go down on the meadows and see.” + +Now Hooty the Owl can fly without making the teeniest, weeniest sound. +It seems as if he just drifts along through the air like a great +shadow. Now he spread his great wings and floated out over the meadows. +You know Hooty can see as well at night as most folks can by day, and +it was not long before he saw Danny Meadow Mouse skipping about on the +snow and dodging in and out of his little round doorways. Hooty’s great +eyes grew brighter and fiercer. Without a sound he floated through the +moonlight until he was just over Danny Meadow Mouse. + +Too late Danny looked up. His little song ended in a tiny squeak of +fear, and he started for his nearest little round doorway. Hooty the +Owl reached down with his long cruel claws and—Danny Meadow Mouse was +caught at last! + + + + +X + +A STRANGE RIDE AND HOW IT ENDED + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE often had sat watching Skimmer the Swallow sailing +around up in the blue, blue sky. He had watched Ol’ Mistah Buzzard +go up, up, up, until he was nothing but a tiny speck, and Danny had +wondered how it would seem to be way up above the Green Meadows and the +Green Forest and look down. It had seemed to him that it must be very +wonderful and beautiful. Sometimes he had wished that he had wings and +could go up in the air and look down. And now here he was, he, Danny +Meadow Mouse, actually doing that very thing! + +[Illustration: He was being carried. _Page 45._] + +But Danny could see nothing wonderful or beautiful now. No, indeed! +Everything was terrible, for you see Danny Meadow Mouse wasn’t flying +himself. He was being carried. Yes, Sir, Danny Meadow Mouse was being +carried through the air in the cruel claws of Hooty the Owl! And all +because Danny had forgotten—forgotten to watch up in the sky for danger. + +Poor, poor Danny Meadow Mouse! Hooty’s great cruel claws hurt him +dreadfully! But it wasn’t the pain that was the worst. No, indeed! It +wasn’t the pain! It was the thought of what would happen when Hooty +reached his home in the Green Forest, for he knew that there Hooty +would gobble him up, bones and all. As he flew, Hooty kept chuckling, +and Danny Meadow Mouse knew just what those chuckles meant. They meant +that Hooty was thinking of the good meal he was going to have. + +Hanging there in Hooty’s great cruel claws, Danny looked down on the +snow-covered Green Meadows he loved so well. They seemed a frightfully +long way below him, though really they were not far at all, for Hooty +was flying very low. But Danny Meadow Mouse had never in all his life +been so high up before, and so it seemed to him that he was way, way up +in the sky, and he shut his eyes so as not to see. But he couldn’t keep +them shut. No, Sir, he couldn’t keep them shut! He just _had_ to keep +opening them. There was the dear old Green Forest drawing nearer and +nearer. It always had looked very beautiful to Danny Meadow Mouse, but +now it looked terrible, very terrible indeed, because over in it, in +some dark place, was the home of Hooty the Owl. + +Just ahead of him was the Old Briar-patch where Peter Rabbit lives so +safely. Every old bramble in it was covered with snow and it was very, +very beautiful. Really everything was just as beautiful as ever—the +moonlight, the Green Forest, the snow-covered Green Meadows, the Old +Briar-patch. The only change was in Danny Meadow Mouse himself, and it +was all because he had forgotten. + +Suddenly Danny began to wriggle and struggle. “Keep still!” snapped +Hooty the Owl. + +But Danny only struggled harder than ever. It seemed to him that Hooty +wasn’t holding him as tightly as at first. He felt one of Hooty’s claws +slip. It tore his coat and hurt dreadfully, but it slipped! The fact +is, Hooty had only grabbed Danny Meadow Mouse by the loose part of his +coat, and up in the air he couldn’t get hold of Danny any better. Danny +kicked, squirmed and twisted, and twisted, squirmed, and kicked. He +felt his coat tear and of course the skin with it, but he kept right +on, for now he was hanging almost free. Hooty had started down now, +so as to get a better hold. Danny gave one more kick and then—he felt +himself falling! + +Danny Meadow Mouse shut his eyes and held his breath. Down, down, down +he fell. It seemed to him that he never would strike the snow-covered +meadows! Really he fell only a very little distance. But it seemed a +terrible distance to Danny. He hit something that scratched him, and +then plump! he landed in the soft snow right in the very middle of +the Old Briar-patch, and the last thing he remembered was hearing the +scream of disappointment and rage of Hooty the Owl. + + + + +XI + +PETER RABBIT GETS A FRIGHT + + +PETER RABBIT sat in his favorite place in the middle of the dear Old +Briar-patch, trying to decide which way he would go on his travels that +night. The night before he had had a narrow escape from old Granny Fox +over in the Green Forest. There was nothing to eat around the Smiling +Pool and no one to talk to there any more, and you know that Peter must +either eat or ask questions in order to be perfectly happy. No, the +Smiling Pool was too dull a place to interest Peter on such a beautiful +moonlight night, and Peter had no mind to try his legs against those +of old Granny Fox again in the Green Forest. + +Early that morning, just after Peter had settled down for his morning +nap, Tommy Tit the Chickadee had dropped into the dear Old Briar-patch +just to be neighborly. Peter was just dozing off when he heard the +cheeriest little voice in the world. It was saying: + + “Dee-dee-chickadee! + I see you! Can you see me?” + +Peter began to smile even before he could get his eyes open and look +up. There, right over his head, was Tommy Tit hanging head down from a +nodding old bramble. In a twinkling he was down on the snow right in +front of Peter, then up in the brambles again, right side up, upside +down, here, there, everywhere, never still a minute, and all the time +chattering away in the cheeriest little voice in the world. + + “Dee-dee-chickadee! + I’m as happy as can be! + Find it much the better way + To be happy all the day. + Dee-dee-chickadee! + Everybody’s good to me!” + +“Hello, Tommy!” said Peter Rabbit. “Where’d you come from?” + +“From Farmer Brown’s new orchard up on the hill. It’s a fine orchard, +Peter Rabbit, a fine orchard. I go there every morning for my +breakfast. If the winter lasts long enough, I’ll have all the trees +cleaned up for Farmer Brown.” + +Peter looked puzzled. “What do you mean?” he asked. + +“Just what I say,” replied Tommy Tit, almost turning a somersault in +the air. “There’s a million eggs of insects on those young peach-trees, +but I’m clearing them all off as fast as I can. They’re mighty fine +eating, Peter Rabbit, mighty fine eating!” And with that Tommy Tit had +said good-by and flitted away. + +Peter was thinking of that young orchard now, as he sat in the +moonlight trying to make up his mind where to go. The thought of those +young peach-trees made his mouth water. It was a long way up to the +orchard on the hill, a very long way, and Peter was wondering if it +really was safe to go. He had just about made up his mind to try it, +for Peter is very, very fond of the bark of young peach-trees, when +thump! something dropped out of the sky at his very feet. + +It startled Peter so that he nearly tumbled over backward. And right at +the same instant came the fierce, angry scream of Hooty the Owl. That +almost made Peter’s heart stop beating, although he knew that Hooty +couldn’t get him down there in the Old Briar-patch. When Peter got his +wits together and his heart didn’t go so jumpy, he looked to see what +had dropped so close to him out of the sky. His big eyes grew bigger +than ever, and he rubbed them to make quite sure that he really saw +what he thought he saw. Yes, there was no doubt about it—there at his +feet lay Danny Meadow Mouse! + + + + +XII + +THE OLD BRIAR-PATCH HAS A NEW TENANT + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE slowly opened his eyes and then closed them again +quickly, as if afraid to look around. He could hear some one talking. +It was a pleasant voice, not at all like the terrible voice of Hooty +the Owl, which was the very last thing that Danny Meadow Mouse could +remember. Danny lay still a minute and listened. + +“Why, Danny Meadow Mouse, where in the world did you drop from?” asked +the voice. It sounded like—why, very much like Peter Rabbit speaking. +Danny opened his eyes again. It _was_ Peter Rabbit. + +“Where—where am I?” asked Danny Meadow Mouse in a very weak and small +voice. + +“In the middle of the dear Old Briar-patch with me,” replied Peter +Rabbit. “But how did you get here? You seemed to drop right out of the +sky.” + +Danny Meadow Mouse shuddered. Suddenly he remembered everything: how +Hooty the Owl had caught him in great cruel claws and had carried him +through the moonlight across the snow-covered Green Meadows; how he had +felt Hooty’s claws slip and then had struggled and kicked and twisted +and turned until his coat had torn and he had dropped down, down, down +until he had landed in the soft snow and knocked all the breath out of +his little body. The very last thing he could remember was Hooty’s +fierce scream of rage and disappointment. Danny shuddered again. + +Then a new thought came to him. He must get out of sight! Hooty might +catch him again! Danny tried to scramble to his feet. + +“Ooch! Oh!” groaned Danny and lay still again. + +“There, there. Keep still, Danny Meadow Mouse. There’s nothing to be +afraid of here,” said Peter Rabbit gently. His big eyes filled with +tears as he looked at Danny Meadow Mouse, for Danny was all torn and +hurt by the cruel claws of Hooty the Owl, and you know Peter has a very +tender heart. + +So Danny lay still, and while Peter Rabbit tried to make him +comfortable and dress his hurts, he told Peter all about how he had +forgotten to watch up in the sky and so had been caught by Hooty the +Owl, and all about his terrible ride in Hooty’s cruel claws. + +“Oh, dear, whatever shall I do now?” he ended. “However shall I get +back home to my warm house of grass, my safe little tunnels under +the snow, and my little store of seeds in the snug hollow in the old +fence-post?” + +Peter Rabbit looked thoughtful. “You can’t do it,” said he. “You +simply can’t do it. It is such a long way for a little fellow like you +that it wouldn’t be safe to try. If you went at night, Hooty the Owl +might catch you again. If you tried in daylight, old Roughleg the Hawk +would be almost sure to see you. And night or day old Granny Fox or +Reddy Fox might come snooping around, and if they did, they would be +sure to catch you. I tell you what, you stay right here! The dear Old +Briar-patch is the safest place in the world. Why, just think, here +you can come out in broad daylight and laugh at Granny and Reddy Fox +and at old Roughleg the Hawk, because the good old brambles will keep +them out, if they try to get you. You can make just as good tunnels +under the snow here as you had there, and there are lots and lots of +seeds on the ground to eat. You know I don’t care for them myself. I’m +lonesome sometimes, living here all alone. You stay here, and we’ll +have the Old Briar-patch to ourselves.” + +Danny Meadow Mouse looked at Peter gratefully. “I will, and thank you +ever so much, Peter Rabbit,” he said. + +And this is how the dear Old Briar-patch happened to have another +tenant. + + + + +XIII + +PETER RABBIT VISITS THE PEACH ORCHARD + + +“DON’T go, Peter Rabbit! Don’t go!” begged Danny Meadow Mouse. + +Peter hopped to the edge of the Old Briar-patch and looked over the +moonlit, snow-covered meadows to the hill back of Farmer Brown’s +house. On that hill was the young peach orchard of which Tommy Tit the +Chickadee had told him, and ever since Peter’s mouth had watered and +watered every time he thought of those young peach-trees and the tender +bark on them. + +“I think I will, Danny, just this once,” said Peter. “It’s a long way, +and I’ve never been there before; but I guess it’s just as safe as the +Meadows or the Green Forest. + + “Oh I’m as bold as bold can be! + Sing hoppy-hippy-hippy-hop-o! + I’ll hie me forth the world to see! + Sing hoppy-hippy-hippy-hop-o! + My ears are long, + My legs are strong, + So now good day; + I’ll hie away! + Sing hoppy-hippy-hippy-hop-o!” + +And with that, Peter Rabbit left the dear safe Old Briar-patch, and +away he went lipperty-lipperty-lip, across the Green Meadows towards +the hill and the young orchard back of Farmer Brown’s house. + +Danny Meadow Mouse watched him go and shook his head in disapproval. +“Foolish, foolish, foolish!” he said over and over to himself. “Why +can’t Peter be content with the good things that he has?” + +Peter Rabbit hurried along through the moonlight, stopping every few +minutes to sit up to look and listen. He heard the fierce hunting call +of Hooty the Owl way over in the Green Forest, so he felt sure that at +present there was nothing to fear from him. He knew that since their +return to the Green Meadows and the Green Forest, Granny and Reddy Fox +had kept away from Farmer Brown’s, so he did not worry about them. + +All in good time Peter came to the young orchard. It was just as +Tommy Tit the Chickadee had told him. Peter hopped up to the nearest +peach-tree and nibbled the bark. My, how good it tasted! He went all +around the tree, stripping off the bark. He stood up on his long hind +legs and reached as high as he could. Then he dug the snow away and ate +down as far as he could. When he could get no more tender young bark, +he went on to the next tree. + +Now though Peter didn’t know it, he was in the very worst kind of +mischief. You see, when he took off all the bark all the way around +the young peach-tree he killed the tree, for you know it is on the +inside of the bark that the sap which gives life to a tree and makes +it grow goes up from the roots to all the branches. So when Peter ate +the bark all the way around the trunk of the young tree, he had made it +impossible for the sap to come up in the spring. Oh, it was the very +worst kind of mischief that Peter Rabbit was in. + +But Peter didn’t know it, and he kept right on filling that big stomach +of his and enjoying it so much that he forgot to watch out for danger. +Suddenly, just as he had begun on another tree, a great roar right +behind him made him jump almost out of his skin. He knew that voice, +and without waiting to even look behind him, he started for the stone +wall on the other side of the orchard. Right at his heels, his great +mouth wide open, was Bowser the Hound. + + + + +XIV + +FARMER BROWN SETS A TRAP + + +PETER RABBIT was in trouble. He had gotten into mischief and now, +like every one who gets into mischief, he wished that he hadn’t. The +worst of it was that he was a long way from his home in the dear Old +Briar-patch, and he didn’t know how he ever could get back there again. +Where was he? Why, in the stone wall on one side of Farmer Brown’s +young peach orchard. How Peter blessed the old stone wall in which he +had found a safe hiding-place! Bowser had hung around nearly all night, +so that Peter had not dared to try to go home. Now it was daylight, +and Peter knew it would not be safe to put his nose outside. + +Peter was worried, so worried that he couldn’t go to sleep as he +usually does in the daytime. So he sat hidden in the old wall and +waited and watched. By and by he saw Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown’s +boy come out into the orchard. Right away they saw the mischief which +Peter had done, and he could tell by the sound of their voices that +they were very, very angry. They went away, but before long they were +back again, and all day long Peter watched them work putting something +around each of the young peach-trees. Peter grew so curious that he +forgot all about his troubles and how far away from home he was. He +could hardly wait for night to come so that he might see what they had +been doing. + +Just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun started to go to bed behind the +Purple Hills, Farmer Brown and his boy started back to the house. +Farmer Brown was smiling now. + +“I guess that that will fix him!” he said. + +“Now what does he mean by that?” thought Peter. “Who will it fix? Can +it be me? I don’t need any fixing.” + +He waited just as long as he could. When all was still, and the +moonlight had begun to make shadows of the trees on the snow, Peter +very cautiously crept out of his hiding-place. Bowser the Hound was +nowhere in sight, and everything was as quiet and peaceful as it had +been when he first came into the orchard the night before. Peter had +fully made up his mind to go straight home as fast as his long legs +would take him, but his dreadful curiosity insisted that first he must +find out what Farmer Brown and his boy had been doing to the young +peach-trees. + +So Peter hurried over to the nearest tree. All around the trunk of +the tree, from the ground clear up higher than Peter could reach, was +wrapped wire netting. Peter couldn’t get so much as a nibble of the +delicious bark. He hadn’t intended to take any, for he had meant to go +right straight home, but now that he couldn’t get any, he wanted some +more than ever,—just a bite. Peter looked around. Everything was quiet. +He would try the next tree, and then he would go home. + +But the next tree was wrapped with wire. Peter hesitated, looked +around, turned to go home, thought of how good that bark had tasted the +night before, hesitated again, and then hurried over to the third tree. +It was protected just like the others. Then Peter forgot all about +going home. He wanted some of that delicious bark, and he ran from one +tree to another as fast as he could go. + +At last, way down at the end of the orchard, Peter found a tree +that had no wire around it. “They must have forgotten this one!” he +thought, and his eyes sparkled. All around on the snow were a lot of +little, shiny wires, but Peter didn’t notice them. All he saw was that +delicious bark on the young peach-tree. He hopped right into the middle +of the wires, and then, just as he reached up to take the first bite of +bark, he felt something tugging at one of his hind legs. + + + + +XV + +PETER RABBIT IS CAUGHT IN A SNARE + + +WHEN Peter Rabbit, reaching up to nibble the bark of one of Farmer +Brown’s young trees, felt something tugging at one of his hind legs, +he was so startled that he jumped to get away. Instead of doing this, +he fell flat on his face. The thing on his hind leg had tightened and +held him fast. A great fear came to Peter Rabbit, and lying there in +the snow, he kicked and struggled with all his might. But the more he +kicked, the tighter grew that hateful thing on his leg! Finally he grew +too tired to kick any more and lay still. The dreadful thing that held +him hurt his leg, but it didn’t pull when he lay still. + +When he had grown a little calmer, Peter sat up to examine the thing +which held him so fast. It was something like one of the blackberry +vines he had sometimes tripped over, only it was bright and shiny, and +had no branches or tiny prickers, and one end was fastened to a stake. +Peter tried to bite off the shiny thing, but even his great, sharp +front teeth couldn’t cut it. Then Peter knew what it was. It was wire! +It was a snare which Farmer Brown had set to catch him, and which he +had walked right into because he had been so greedy for the bark of the +young peach-tree that he had not used his eyes to look out for danger. + +Oh, how Peter Rabbit did wish that he had not been so curious to know +what Farmer Brown had been doing that day, and that he had gone +straight home as he had meant to do, instead of trying to get one more +meal of young peach-bark! Big tears rolled down Peter’s cheeks. What +should he do? What _could_ he do? For a long time Peter sat in the +moonlight, trying to think of something to do. At last he thought of +the stake to which that hateful wire was fastened. The stake was of +wood, and Peter’s teeth would cut wood. Peter’s heart gave a great leap +of hope, and he began at once to dig away the snow from around the +stake, and then settled himself to gnaw the stake in two. + +Peter had been hard at work on the stake a long time and had it a +little more than half cut through, when he heard a loud sniff down at +the other end of the orchard. He looked up to see—whom do you think? +Why, Bowser the Hound! He hadn’t seen Peter yet, but he had already +found Peter’s tracks, and it wouldn’t be but a few minutes before he +found Peter himself. + +Poor Peter Rabbit! There wasn’t time to finish cutting off the stake. +What could he do? He made a frightened jump just as he had when he +first felt the wire tugging at his leg. Just as before, he was thrown +flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and jumped again, only to be +thrown just as before. Just then Bowser the Hound saw him and opening +his mouth sent forth a great roar. Peter made one more frantic jump. +Snap! the stake had broken! Peter pitched forward on his head, turned a +somersault, and scrambled to his feet. He was free at last! That is, he +could run, but after him dragged a piece of the stake. + +How Peter did run! It was hard work, for you know he had to drag that +piece of stake after him. But he did it, and just in time he crawled +into the old stone wall on one side of the orchard, while Bowser the +Hound barked his disappointment to the moon. + + + + +XVI + +PETER RABBIT’S HARD JOURNEY + + +PETER RABBIT sat in the old stone wall along one side of Farmer Brown’s +orchard, waiting for Mrs. Moon to put out her light and leave the world +in darkness until jolly, round, red Mr. Sun should kick off his rosy +bedclothes and begin his daily climb up in the blue, blue sky. In the +winter, Mr. Sun is a late sleeper, and Peter knew that there would be +two or three hours after Mrs. Moon put out her light when it would be +quite dark. And Peter also knew too that by this time Hooty the Owl +would probably have caught his dinner. So would old Granny Fox and +Reddy Fox. Bowser the Hound would be too sleepy to be on the watch. It +would be the very safest time for Peter to try to get to his home in +the dear Old Briar-patch. + +So Peter waited and waited. Twice Bowser the Hound, who had chased him +into the old wall, came over and barked at him and tried to get at him. +But the old wall kept Peter safe, and Bowser gave it up. And all the +time Peter sat waiting he was in great pain. You see that shiny wire +was drawn so tight that it cut into his flesh and hurt dreadfully, and +to the other end of the wire was fastened a piece of wood, part of the +stake to which the snare had been made fast and which Peter had managed +to gnaw and break off. + +It was on account of this that Peter was waiting for Mrs. Moon to put +out her light. He knew that with that stake dragging after him he would +have to go very slowly, and he could not run any more risk of danger +than he actually had to. So he waited and waited, and by and by, sure +enough, Mrs. Moon put out her light. Peter waited a little longer, +listening with all his might. Everything was still. Then Peter crept +out of the old stone wall. + +Right away trouble began. The stake dragging at the end of the wire +fast to his leg caught among the stones and pulled Peter up short. +My, how it did hurt! It made the tears come. But Peter shut his teeth +hard, and turning back, he worked until he got the stake free. Then he +started on once more, dragging the stake after him. + +Very slowly across the orchard and under the fence on the other side +crept Peter Rabbit, his leg so stiff and sore that he could hardly +touch it to the snow, and all the time dragging that piece of stake, +which seemed to grow heavier and harder to drag every minute. Peter did +not dare to go out across the open fields, for fear some danger might +happen along, and he would have no place to hide. So he crept along +close to the fences where bushes grow, and this made it very, very +hard, for the dragging stake was forever catching in the bushes with a +yank at the sore leg which brought Peter up short with a squeal of pain. + +This was bad enough, but all the time Peter was filled with a dreadful +fear that Hooty the Owl or Granny Fox might just happen along. He had +to stop to rest very, very often, and then he would listen and listen. +Over and over again he said to himself: + +“Oh, dear, whatever did I go up to the young peach orchard for when I +knew I had no business there? Why couldn’t I have been content with +all the good things that were mine in the Green Forest and on the Green +Meadows? Oh, dear! Oh, dear!” + +Just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun began to light up the Green Meadows, +Peter Rabbit reached the dear Old Briar-patch. Danny Meadow Mouse was +sitting on the edge of it anxiously watching for him. Peter crawled up +and started to creep in along one of his little private paths. He got +in himself, but the dragging stake caught among the brambles, and Peter +just fell down in the snow right where he was, too tired and worn out +to move. + + + + +XVII + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE BECOMES WORRIED + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE limped around through the dear Old Briar-patch, +where he had lived with Peter Rabbit ever since he had squirmed out +of the claws of Hooty the Owl and dropped there, right at the feet of +Peter Rabbit. Danny limped because he was still lame and sore from +Hooty’s terrible claws, but he didn’t let himself think much about +that, because he was so thankful to be alive at all. So he limped +around in the Old Briar-patch, picking up seed which had fallen on the +snow, and sometimes pulling down a few of the red berries which cling +all winter to the wild rose bushes. The seeds in these were very nice +indeed, and Danny always felt especially good after a meal of them. + +Danny Meadow Mouse had grown very fond of Peter Rabbit, for Peter had +been very, very good to him. Danny felt that he never, never could +repay all of Peter’s kindness. It had been very good of Peter to offer +to share the Old Briar-patch with Danny, because Danny was so far from +his own home that it would not be safe for him to try to get back +there. But Peter had done more than that. He had taken care of Danny, +such good care, during the first few days after Danny’s escape from +Hooty the Owl. He had brought good things to eat while Danny was too +weak and sore to get things for himself. Oh, Peter had been very good +indeed to him! + +But now, as Danny limped around, he was not happy. No, Sir, he was not +happy. The truth is, Danny Meadow Mouse was worried. It was a different +kind of worry from any he had known before. You see, for the first time +in his life, Danny was worrying about some one else. He was worrying +about Peter Rabbit. Peter had been gone from the Old Briar-patch a +whole night and a whole day. He often was gone all night, but never +all day too. Danny was sure that something had happened to Peter. He +thought of how he had begged Peter not to go up to Farmer Brown’s young +peach orchard. He had felt in his bones that it was not safe, that +something dreadful would happen to Peter. How Peter had laughed at him +and bravely started off! Why hadn’t he come home? + +As he limped around, Danny talked to himself: + + “Why cannot people be content + With all the good things that are sent, + And mind their own affairs at home + Instead of going forth to roam?” + +It was now the second night since Peter Rabbit had gone away. Danny +Meadow Mouse couldn’t sleep at all. Round and round through the Old +Briar-patch he limped, and finally sat down at the edge of it to wait +and watch. At last, just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun sent his first +long rays of light across the Green Meadows, Danny saw something +crawling towards the Old Briar-patch. He rubbed his eyes and looked +again. It was—no, it couldn’t be—yes, it _was_ Peter Rabbit! But +what was the matter with him? Always before Peter had come home +lipperty-lipperty-lipperty-lip, but now he was crawling, actually +_crawling_! Danny Meadow Mouse didn’t know what to make of it. + +Nearer and nearer came Peter. Something was following him. No, Peter +was dragging something after him. At last Peter started to crawl along +one of his little private paths into the Old Briar-patch. The thing +dragging behind caught in the brambles, and Peter fell headlong in the +snow, too tired and worn out to move. Then Danny saw what the trouble +was. A wire was fast to one of Peter’s long hind legs, and to the other +end of the wire was fastened part of a stake. Peter had been caught in +a snare! Danny hurried over to Peter and tears stood in his eyes. + +“Poor Peter Rabbit! Oh, I’m so sorry, Peter!” he whispered. + + + + +XVIII + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE RETURNS A KINDNESS + + +THERE Peter Rabbit lay. He had dragged that piece of stake a long way, +a very long way, indeed. But now he could drag it no farther, for it +had caught in the bramble bushes. So Peter just dropped on the snow and +cried. Yes, Sir, he cried! You see he was so tired and worn out and +frightened, and his leg was so stiff and sore and hurt him so! And then +it was so dreadful to actually get home and be stopped right on your +very own door-step. So Peter just lay there and cried. Just supposing +old Granny Fox should come poking around and find Peter caught that +way! All she would have to do would be to get hold of that hateful +stake caught in the bramble bushes and pull Peter out where she could +get him. Do you wonder that Peter cried? + +By and by he became aware that some one was wiping away his tears. It +was Danny Meadow Mouse. And Danny was singing in a funny little voice. +Pretty soon Peter stopped crying and listened, and this is what he +heard: + + “Isn’t any use to cry! + Not a bit! Not a bit! + Wipe your eyes and wipe ’em dry! + Use your wit! Use your wit! + Just remember that to-morrow + Never brings a single sorrow. + Yesterday has gone forever + And to-morrow gets here never. + Chase your worries all away; + Nothing’s worse than just to-day.” + +Peter smiled in spite of himself. + +“That’s right! That’s right! Smile away, Peter Rabbit. Smile away! +Your troubles, Sir, are all to-day. And between you and me, I don’t +believe they are so bad as you think they are. Now you lie still just +where you are, while I go see what can be done.” + +[Illustration: Peter knew that Danny was doing something at the other +end. _Page 86._] + +With that off whisked Danny Meadow Mouse as spry as you please, in +spite of his lame leg, and in a few minutes Peter knew by little +twitches of the wire on his leg that Danny was doing something at the +other end. He was. Danny Meadow Mouse had set out to gnaw that piece +of stake all to splinters. So there he sat and gnawed and gnawed and +gnawed. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun climbed higher and higher in the sky, +and Danny Meadow Mouse grew hungry, but still he kept right on gnawing +at that bothersome stake. + +By and by, happening to look across the snow-covered Green Meadows, +he saw something that made his heart jump. It was Farmer Brown’s boy +coming straight over towards the dear Old Briar-patch. Danny didn’t say +a word to Peter Rabbit, but gnawed faster than ever. + +Farmer Brown’s boy was almost there when Danny stopped gnawing. There +was only a tiny bit of the stake left now, and Danny hurried to tell +Peter Rabbit that there was nothing to stop him now from going to his +most secret retreat in the very heart of the Old Briar-patch. While +Peter slowly dragged his way along, Danny trotted behind to see that +the wire did not catch on the bushes. They had safely reached Peter +Rabbit’s secretest retreat when Farmer Brown’s boy came up to the edge +of the dear Old Briar-patch. + +“So this is where that rabbit that killed our peach-tree lives!” said +he. “We’ll try a few snares and put you out of mischief.” + +And for the rest of the afternoon Farmer Brown’s boy was very busy +around the edge of the Old Briar-patch. + + + + +XIX + +PETER RABBIT AND DANNY MEADOW MOUSE LIVE HIGH + + +PETER RABBIT sat in his secretest place in the dear Old Briar-patch +with one of his long hind legs all swelled up and terribly sore because +of the fine wire fast around it and cutting into it. He could hear +Farmer Brown’s boy going around on the edge of the dear Old Briar-patch +and stopping every little while to do something. In spite of his pain, +Peter was curious. Finally he called Danny Meadow Mouse. + +“Danny, you are small and can keep out of sight easier than I can. Go +as near as ever you dare to Farmer Brown’s boy and find out what he is +doing,” said Peter Rabbit. + +So Danny Meadow Mouse crept out as near to Farmer Brown’s boy as ever +he dared and studied and studied to make out what Farmer Brown’s boy +was doing. By and by he returned to Peter Rabbit. + +“I don’t know what he’s doing, Peter, but he’s putting something in +every one of your private little paths leading in from the Green +Meadows.” + +“Ha!” said Peter Rabbit. + +“There are little loops of that queer stuff you’ve got hanging to your +leg, Peter,” continued Danny Meadow Mouse. + +“Just so!” said Peter Rabbit. + +“And he’s put cabbage leaves and pieces of apple all around,” said +Danny. + +“We must be careful!” said Peter Rabbit. + +Peter’s leg was in a very bad way, indeed, and Peter suffered a great +deal of pain. The worst of it was, he didn’t know how to get off the +wire that was cutting into it so. He had tried to cut the wire with +his big teeth, but he couldn’t do it. Danny Meadow Mouse had tried +and tried to gnaw the wire, but it wasn’t of the least bit of use. +But Danny wasn’t easily discouraged, and he kept working and working +at it. Once he thought he felt it slip a little. He said nothing, but +kept right on working. Pretty soon he was sure that it slipped. He went +right on working harder than ever. By and by he had it so loose that +he slipped it right off of Peter’s leg, and Peter didn’t know anything +about it. You see, that cruel wire snare had been so tight that Peter +didn’t have any feeling except of pain left in his leg, and so when +Danny Meadow Mouse pulled the cruel wire snare off, Peter didn’t know +it until Danny held it up in front of him. + +My, how thankful Peter was, and how he did thank Danny Meadow Mouse! +But Danny said that it was nothing at all, just nothing at all, and +that he owed more than that to Peter Rabbit for being so good to him +and letting him live in the dear Old Briar-patch. + +It was a long time before Peter could hop as he used to, but after the +first day he managed to get around. He found that Farmer Brown’s boy +had spread those miserable wire snares in every one of his private +little paths. But Peter knew what they were now. He showed Danny Meadow +Mouse how he, because he was so small, could safely run about among +the snares and steal all the cabbage leaves and apples which Farmer +Brown’s boy had put there for bait. + +Danny Meadow Mouse thought this great fun and a great joke on Farmer +Brown’s boy. So every day he stole the bait, and he and Peter Rabbit +lived high while Peter’s leg was getting well. And all the time Farmer +Brown’s boy wondered and wondered why he couldn’t catch Peter Rabbit. + + + + +XX + +TIMID DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE is timid. Everybody says so, and what everybody says +ought to be so. But just as anybody can make a mistake sometimes, so +can everybody. Still, in this case, it is quite likely that everybody +is right. Danny Meadow Mouse _is_ timid. Ask Peter Rabbit. Ask Sammy +Jay. Ask Striped Chipmunk. They will all tell you the same thing. Sammy +Jay might even tell you that Danny is afraid of his own shadow, or that +he tries to run away from his own tail. Of course this isn’t true. +Sammy Jay likes to say mean things. It isn’t fair to Danny Meadow +Mouse to believe what Sammy Jay says. + +But the fact is Danny certainly is timid. More than this, he isn’t +ashamed of it—not the least little bit. + +“You see, it’s this way,” said Danny, as he sat on his door-step one +sunny morning talking to his friend, old Mr. Toad. “If I weren’t +afraid, I wouldn’t be all the time watching out, and if I weren’t +all the time watching out, I wouldn’t have any more chance than that +foolish red ant running across in front of you.” + +Old Mr. Toad looked where Danny was pointing, and his tongue darted out +and back again so quickly that Danny wasn’t sure that he saw it at all, +but when he looked for the ant it was nowhere to be seen, and there was +a satisfied twinkle in Mr. Toad’s eyes. There was an answering twinkle +in Danny’s own eyes as he continued. + +“No, Sir,” said he, “I wouldn’t stand a particle more chance than that +foolish ant did. Now if I were big and strong, like Old Man Coyote, or +had swift wings, like Skimmer the Swallow, or were so homely and ugly +looking that no one wanted me, like—like—” Danny hesitated and then +finished rather lamely, “like some folks I know, I suppose I wouldn’t +be afraid.” + +Old Mr. Toad looked up sharply when Danny mentioned homely and ugly +looking people, but Danny was gazing far out across the Green Meadows +and looked so innocent that Mr. Toad concluded that he couldn’t have +had him in mind. + +“Well,” said he, thoughtfully scratching his nose, “I suppose you may +be right, but for my part fear seems a very foolish thing. Now, I +don’t know what it is. I mind my own business, and no one ever bothers +me. I should think it would be a very uncomfortable feeling.” + +“It is,” replied Danny, “but, as I said before, it is a very good thing +to keep one on guard when there are so many watching for one as there +are for me. Now there’s Mr. Blacksnake and—” + +“Where?” exclaimed old Mr. Toad, turning as pale as a Toad can turn, +and looking uneasily and anxiously in every direction. + +Danny turned his head to hide a smile. If old Mr. Toad wasn’t showing +fear, no one ever did. “Oh,” said he, “I didn’t mean that he is +anywhere around here now. What I was going to say was that there is Mr. +Blacksnake and Granny Fox and Reddy Fox and Redtail the Hawk and Hooty +the Owl and others I might name, always watching for a chance to make +a dinner from poor little me. Do you wonder that I am afraid most of +the time?” + +“No,” replied old Mr. Toad. “No, I don’t wonder that you are afraid. It +must be dreadful to feel hungry eyes are watching for you every minute +of the day and night, too.” + +“Oh, it’s not so bad,” replied Danny. “It’s rather exciting. Besides, +it keeps my wits sharp all the time. I am afraid I should find life +very dull indeed if, like you, I feared nothing and nobody. By the way, +see how queerly that grass is moving over there. It looks as if Mr. +Blacksnake—Why, Mr. Toad, where are you going in such a hurry?” + +“I’ve just remembered an important engagement with my cousin, +Grandfather Frog, at the Smiling Pool,” shouted old Mr. Toad over his +shoulder, as he hurried so that he fell over his own feet. + +Danny chuckled as he sat alone on his door-step. “Oh, no, old Mr. Toad +doesn’t know what fear is!” said he. “Funny how some people won’t admit +what everybody can see for themselves. Now, I _am_ afraid, and I’m +willing to say so.” + + + + +XXI + +AN EXCITING DAY FOR DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE started along one of his private little paths very +early one morning. He was on his way to get a supply of a certain kind +of grass-seed of which he is very fond. He had been thinking about that +seed for some time and waiting for it to get ripe. Now it was just +right, as he had found out the day before by a visit to the place where +this particular grass grew. The only trouble was it grew a long way +from Danny’s home, and to reach it he had to cross an open place where +the grass was so short that he couldn’t make a path under it. + +“I feel it in my bones that this is going to be an exciting day,” said +Danny to himself as he trotted along. “I suppose that if I were really +wise, I would stay nearer home and do without that nice seed. But +nothing is really worth having unless it is worth working for, and that +seed will taste all the better if I have hard work getting it.” + +So he trotted along his private little path, his ears wide open, and +his eyes wide open, and his little nose carefully testing every Merry +Little Breeze who happened along for any scent of danger which it might +carry. Most of all he depended upon his ears, for the grass was so tall +that he couldn’t see over it, even when he sat up. He had gone only a +little way when he thought he heard a queer rustling behind him. He +stopped to listen. There it was again, and it certainly was right in +the path behind him! He didn’t need to be told who was making it. +There was only one who could make such a sound as that—Mr. Blacksnake. + +Now Danny can run very fast along his private little paths, but he +knew that Mr. Blacksnake could run faster. “If my legs can’t save me, +my wits must,” thought Danny as he started to run as fast as ever he +could. “I must reach that fallen old hollow fence-post.” + +He was almost out of breath when he reached the post and scurried into +the open end. He knew by the sound of the rustling that Mr. Blacksnake +was right at his heels. Now the old post was hollow its whole length, +but half-way there was an old knot-hole just big enough for Danny to +squeeze through. Mr. Blacksnake didn’t know anything about that hole, +and because it was dark inside the old post, he didn’t see Danny pop +through it. Danny ran back along the top of the log and was just in +time to see the tip of Mr. Blacksnake’s tail disappear inside. Then +what do you think Danny did? Why, he followed Mr. Blacksnake right into +the old post, but in doing it he didn’t make the least little bit of +noise. + +Mr. Blacksnake kept right on through the old post and out the other +end, for he was sure that that was the way Danny had gone. He kept +right on along the little path. Now Danny knew that he wouldn’t go very +far before he found out that he had been fooled, and of course he would +come back. So Danny waited only long enough to get his breath and then +ran back along the path to where another little path branched off. For +just a minute he paused. + +“If Mr. Blacksnake follows me, he will be sure to think that of course +I have taken this other little path,” thought Danny, “so I won’t do it.” + +Then he ran harder than ever, until he came to a place where two little +paths branched off, one to the right and one to the left. He took the +latter and scampered on, sure that by this time Mr. Blacksnake would be +so badly fooled that he would give up the chase. And Danny was right. + + “Brains are better far than speed + As wise men long ago agreed,” + +said Danny, as he trotted on his way for the grass-seed he liked so +well. “I felt it in my bones that this would be an exciting day. I +wonder what next.” + + + + +XXII + +WHAT HAPPENED NEXT TO DANNY MEADOW MOUSE + + +DANNY is so used to narrow escapes that he doesn’t waste any time +thinking about them. He didn’t this time. “He who tries to look two +ways at once is pretty sure to see nothing,” says Danny, and he knew +that if he thought too much about the things that had already happened, +he couldn’t keep a sharp watch for the things that might happen. + +Nothing more happened as he hurried along his private little path to +the edge of a great patch of grass so short that he couldn’t hide under +it. He had got to cross this, and all the way he would be in plain +sight of any one who happened to be near. Very cautiously he peeped +out and looked this way and looked that way, not forgetting to look up +in the sky. He could see no one anywhere. Drawing a long breath, Danny +started across the open place as fast as his short legs could take him. + +[Illustration: With another frightened squeak, Danny dived into the +opening just in time. _Page 107._] + +Now all the time, Redtail the Hawk had been sitting in a tree some +distance away, sitting so still that he looked like a part of the tree +itself. That is why Danny hadn’t seen him. But Redtail saw Danny the +instant he started across the open place, for Redtail’s eyes are very +keen, and he can see a great distance. With a satisfied chuckle, he +spread his broad wings and started after Danny. + +Just about half-way to the safety of the long grass on the other +side, Danny gave a hurried look behind him, and his heart seemed +to jump right into his mouth, for there was Redtail with his cruel +claws already set to seize him! Danny gave a frightened squeak, for he +thought that surely this time he would be caught. But he didn’t mean to +give up without trying to escape. Three jumps ahead of him was a queer +looking thing. He didn’t know what it was, but if there was a hole in +it he might yet fool Redtail. + +One jump! Would he be able to reach it? Two jumps! There _was_ a hole +in it! Three jumps! With another frightened squeak, Danny dived into +the opening just in time. And what do you think he was in? Why, an old +tomato can Farmer Brown’s boy had once used to carry bait in when he +went fishing at the Smiling Pool. He had dropped it there on his way +home. + +Redtail screamed with rage and disappointment as he struck the old can +with his great claws. He had been sure, very sure of Danny Meadow Mouse +this time! He tried to pick the can up, but he couldn’t get hold of it. +It just rolled away from him every time, try as he would. Finally, in +disgust, he gave up and flew back to the tree from which he had first +seen Danny. + +Of course Danny had been terribly frightened when the can rolled, and +by the noise the claws of Redtail made when they struck his queer +hiding-place. But he wisely decided that the best thing he could do was +to stay there for a while. And it was very fortunate that he did so, as +he was very soon to find out. + + + + +XXIII + +REDDY FOX GROWS CURIOUS + + +DANNY MEADOW MOUSE had sat perfectly still for a long time inside the +old tomato can in which he had found a refuge from Redtail the Hawk. He +didn’t dare so much as put his head out for a look around, lest Redtail +should be circling overhead ready to pounce on him. + +“If I stay here long enough, he’ll get tired and go away, if he hasn’t +already,” thought Danny. “This has been a pretty exciting morning so +far, and I find that I am a little tired. I may as well take a nap +while I am waiting to make sure that the way is clear.” + +With that Danny curled up in the old tomato can. But it wasn’t meant +that Danny should have that nap. He had closed his eyes, but his ears +were still open, and presently he heard soft footsteps drawing near. +His eyes flew open, and he forgot all about sleep, you may be sure, for +those footsteps sounded familiar. They sounded to Danny very, very much +like the footsteps of—whom do you think? Why, Reddy Fox! Danny’s heart +began to beat faster as he listened. Could it be? He didn’t dare peep +out. Presently a little whiff of scent blew into the old tomato can. +Then Danny knew—it _was_ Reddy Fox. + +“Oh, dear! I hope he doesn’t find that I am in here!” thought Danny. “I +wonder what under the sun has brought him up here just now.” + +If the truth were to be known, it was curiosity that had brought Reddy +up there. Reddy had been hunting for his breakfast some distance away +on the Green Meadows when Redtail the Hawk had tried so hard to catch +Danny Meadow Mouse. Reddy’s sharp eyes had seen Redtail the minute he +left the tree in pursuit of Danny, and he had known by the way Redtail +flew that he saw something he wanted to catch. He had watched Redtail +swoop down and had heard his scream of rage when he missed Danny +because Danny had dodged into the old tomato can. He had seen Redtail +strike and strike again at something on the ground, and finally fly off +in disgust with empty claws. + +“Now, I wonder what it was Redtail was after and why he didn’t get it,” +thought Reddy. “He acts terribly put out and disappointed. I believe +I’ll go over there and find out.” + +Off he started at a smart trot towards the patch of short grass where +he had seen Redtail the Hawk striking at something on the ground. As +he drew near, he crept very softly until he reached the very edge of +the open patch. There he stopped and looked sharply all over it. There +was nothing to be seen but an old tomato can. Reddy had seen it many +times before. + +“Now what under the sun could Redtail have been after here?” thought +Reddy. “The grass isn’t long enough for a grasshopper to hide in, and +yet Redtail didn’t get what he was after. It’s very queer. It certainly +is very queer.” + +He trotted out and began to run back and forth with his nose to the +ground, hoping that his nose would tell him what his eyes couldn’t. +Back and forth, back and forth he ran, and then suddenly he stopped. + +“Ha!” exclaimed Reddy. He had found the scent left by Danny Meadow +Mouse when he ran across towards the old tomato can. Right up to the +old can Reddy’s nose led him. He hopped over the old can, but on the +other side he could find no scent of Danny Meadow Mouse. In a flash he +understood, and a gleam of satisfaction shone in his yellow eyes as he +turned back to the old can. He knew that Danny must be hiding in there. + +“I’ve got you this time!” he snarled, as he sniffed at the opening in +the end of the can. + + + + +XXIV + +REDDY FOX LOSES HIS TEMPER + + +REDDY FOX had caught Danny Meadow Mouse, and yet he hadn’t caught him. +He had found Danny hiding in the old tomato can, and it didn’t enter +Reddy’s head that he couldn’t get Danny out when he wanted to. He was +in no hurry. He had had a pretty good breakfast of grasshoppers, and so +he thought he would torment Danny a while before gobbling him up. He +lay down so that he could peep in at the open end of the old can and +see Danny trying to make himself as small as possible at the other end. +Reddy grinned until he showed all his long teeth. Reddy always is a +bully, especially when his victim is a great deal smaller and weaker +than himself. + +“I’ve got you this time, Mr. Smarty, haven’t I?” taunted Reddy. + +Danny didn’t say anything. + +“You think you’ve been very clever because you have fooled me two or +three times, don’t you? Well, this time I’ve got you where your tricks +won’t work,” continued Reddy, “so what are you going to do about it?” + +Danny didn’t answer. The fact is, he was too frightened to answer. +Besides, he didn’t know what he could do. So he just kept still, but +his bright eyes never once left Reddy’s cruel face. For all his fright, +Danny was doing some hard thinking. He had been in tight places before +and had learned never to give up hope. Something might happen to +frighten Reddy away. Anyway, Reddy had got to get him out of that old +can before he would admit that he was really caught. + +For a long time Reddy lay there licking his chops and saying all the +things he could think of to frighten poor Danny Meadow Mouse. At last +he grew tired of this and made up his mind that it was time to end it +and Danny Meadow Mouse at the same time. He thrust his sharp nose in at +the opening in the end of the old can, but the opening was too small +for him to get more than his nose in, and he only scratched it on the +sharp edges without so much as touching Danny. + +“I’ll pull you out,” said Reddy and thrust in one black paw. + +Danny promptly bit it so hard that Reddy yelped with pain and pulled +it out in a hurry. Presently he tried again with the other paw. Danny +bit this one harder still, and Reddy danced with pain and anger. Then +he lost his temper completely, a very foolish thing to do, as it always +is. He hit the old can, and away it rolled with Danny Meadow Mouse +inside. This seemed to make Reddy angrier than ever. He sprang after +it and hit it again. Then he batted it first this way and then that +way, growing angrier and angrier. And all the time Danny Meadow Mouse +managed to keep inside, although he got a terrible shaking up. + +Back and forth across the patch of short grass Reddy knocked the old +can, and he was in such a rage that he didn’t notice where he was +knocking it to. Finally he sent it spinning into the long grass on the +far side of the open patch, close to one of Danny’s private little +paths. Like a flash Danny was out and scurrying along the little path. +He dodged into another and presently into a third, which brought him to +a tangle of barbed wire left there by Farmer Brown when he had built a +new fence. Under this he was safe. + +“Phew!” exclaimed Danny, breathing very hard. “That was the narrowest +escape yet! But I guess I’ll get that special grass-seed I started out +for, after all.” + +And he did, while to this day Reddy Fox wonders how Danny got out of +the old tomato can without him knowing it. + + And so you see what temper does + For those who give it rein; + It cheats them of the very thing + They seek so hard to gain. + +Danny has had many more adventures, but there isn’t room to tell about +them here. Besides Grandfather Frog is anxious that you should hear +about the queer things that have happened to him. They are told in the +next book. + + + THE END + + * * * * * + +Transcriber’s Note: Obvious punctuation errors repaired. + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse, by +Thornton W. 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