HUNTING played a great part in the life of Master Meadow Mouse. Somebody
or other was always hunting him. And he was always hunting for something
to eat. He spent a good deal of his time away from home, looking for
seeds and grain. On the other hand, he spent a good deal of his time in
his house; for Master Meadow Mouse liked to take naps--especially in the
daytime.
After he started to live in Farmer Green's woodpile, but moved away from
it before he had finished building his nest there, Master Meadow Mouse
settled near the fence between the meadow and the pasture. The mowing
machine hadn't cut the weeds and grass that grew close to the fence. He
found shelter there from the sharp eyes of birds that would have caught
him had they been able to.
This time Master Meadow Mouse didn't live underground. He made a sort of
little hut for himself, which kept out the cold in chilly weather, and
shed the rain when it didn't pour down too hard.
It was a good home. But it had one drawback. If anybody came along when
its owner was asleep in it--Well, Master Meadow Mouse didn't like to
think about that. The little nest at the end of the tunnel where he had
once lived had been far safer.
"I know what I'll do!" he cried at last, as a happy thought came to him.
"I'll hang a sign outside my door."
He set to work. And soon he had printed a sign. On one side of this was
the notice, "Gone to Lunch. Back To-morrow." And on the other side were
the words, "At Home. Don't Knock. Walk In."
"There!" said Master Meadow Mouse as he stood off a few paces and looked
at his handiwork. "That ought to do the trick."
Then he hung the sign outside his door and went into his house to enjoy
a nap. And the side of the sign that was turned outward said, "Gone to
Lunch. Back To-morrow."
Master Meadow Mouse slept late into the afternoon. And towards sunset,
while he was still asleep, Tommy Fox slipped through the pasture fence.
"Hullo!" he murmured softly as his eyes fell on Master Meadow Mouse's
dwelling. "Here's a bit of luck. I smell a Mouse. And he must be taking
a nap inside his house."
Tommy Fox crept closer to the little hut. Then all at once he
straightened up with a look of displeasure on his sharp face. He had
just noticed the sign.
"He's away from home!" Tommy exclaimed. "That's a pity. He can't have
been gone long. Maybe I can catch him near-by."
But he couldn't find Master Meadow Mouse anywhere. He looked all
around--except inside the shelter where Master Meadow Mouse was fast
asleep.
Tommy Fox came back and read the sign once more.
"Back To-morrow," he muttered. "Very well! I'll come back here
to-morrow. For that's what the sign tells me to do."
And the next day he returned. He grinned from ear to ear as he read what
the sign said: "At Home. Don't Knock. Walk In." Then he thrust his long,
sharp nose right through Master Meadow Mouse's doorway.
There was nobody there. And Tommy Fox looked silly as anything.
"Fooled!" he growled. "Fooled by a Meadow Mouse! I hope nobody ever
finds it out."
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
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