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_The Adventures of
DANNY MEADOW MOUSE_
_by Thornton W. Burgess_
[Illustration]
The Adventures of
Danny Meadow Mouse
By THORNTON W. BURGESS
_Illustrated by_ HARRISON CADY
[Illustration]
PUBLISHERS
Grosset & Dunlap
NEW YORK
COPYRIGHT, 1915, 1944,
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
_The Adventures of Danny Meadow Mouse_
[Illustration]
Contents
CHAPTER PAGE
I Danny Meadow Mouse Is Worried 11
II Danny Meadow Mouse and His Short Tail 17
III Danny Meadow Mouse Plays Hide-and-Seek 23
IV Old Granny Fox Tries for Danny
Meadow Mouse 31
V What Happened on the Green Meadows 37
VI Danny Meadow Mouse Remembers,
Reddy Fox Forgets 44
VII Old Granny Fox Tries a New Plan 52
VIII Brother North Wind Proves a Friend 59
IX Danny Meadow Mouse Is Caught at Last 68
X A Strange Ride and How It Ended 75
XI Peter Rabbit Gets a Fright 84
XII The Old Briar-Patch Has a New Tenant 91
XIII Peter Rabbit Visits the Peach Orchard 99
XIV Farmer Brown Sets a Trap 105
XV Peter Rabbit Is Caught in a Snare 113
XVI Peter Rabbit's Hard Journey 119
XVII Danny Meadow Mouse Becomes Worried 126
XVIII Danny Meadow Mouse Returns a Kindness 133
XIX Peter Rabbit and Danny Meadow Mouse
Live High 141
XX Timid Danny Meadow Mouse 148
XXI An Exciting Day for Danny Meadow Mouse 158
XXII What Happened Next to Danny Meadow Mouse 165
XXIII Reddy Fox Grows Curious 172
XXIV Reddy Fox Loses His Temper 179
[Illustration]
Illustrations
All Danny Meadow Mouse could think
about was his short tail 10
"Got plenty to eat and drink, haven't
you?" continued Mr. Toad 19
Danny popped his head out of another
little doorway and laughed at Reddy 29
Granny didn't finish, but licked her chops
and smacked her lips 46
It was a beautiful white world, a very
beautiful white world 64
Over in the Green Forest Hooty the Owl
had had poor hunting 72
Danny was being carried through the air
in the cruel claws of Hooty the Owl! 77
"I tell you what, you stay right here!" said
Peter 97
All around the trunk of the tree was
wrapped wire netting 109
Danny Meadow Mouse had set out to
gnaw that piece of stake all to splinters 137
"Where?" exclaimed old Mr. Toad, turning
as pale as a toad can turn 153
"Why, Mr. Toad, where are you going in
such a hurry?" asked Danny 156
With a frightened squeak, Danny dived
into the opening just in time 169
Like a flash, Danny dodged into a tangle
of barbed wire 185
The Adventures of
Danny Meadow Mouse
[Illustration: _All Danny Meadow Mouse could think about was
his short tail_]
I
Danny Meadow Mouse Is Worried
Danny Meadow Mouse sat on his doorstep 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 everyone 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 was 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 was 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 doorstep, 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.
[Illustration]
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 anyone passed, he crawled out
of sight so that they should not see how short his tail was.
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.
"I don't suppose 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.
[Illustration: _"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 stouthearted 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.
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.
[Illustration: _Danny popped his head out of another little
doorway and laughed at Reddy_]
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 tomorrow 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 toward 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, 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.
[Illustration: _Granny didn't finish, but licked her chops and
smacked her lips_]
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 as 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. "Tomorrow 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 onto the meadows and straight
over to where, down under the snow, lay the old fence post. It
had snowed again, and all 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.
[Illustration]
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
anyone should happen, just happen, to see me this morning, they
might be waiting just outside my doorway to catch me tomorrow
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, red 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.
[Illustration: _It was a beautiful white world, a very beautiful
white world_]
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 anyone 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.
[Illustration]
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 anyone 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.
[Illustration: _Over in the Green Forest Hooty the Owl had had
poor hunting_]
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, 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!
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.
[Illustration: _Danny was being carried through the air in the
cruel claws of Hooty the Owl!_]
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,
hidden away there 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.
[Illustration]
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!
[Illustration]
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 someone
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.
"Ouch! 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."
[Illustration: _"I tell you what, you stay right here!" said
Peter_]
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
toward 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 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 got into mischief and now,
like everyone 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 will fix him!" he said.
"Now what does he mean by that?" thought Peter. "Whom will it
fix? Can it be me? I don't need any fixing."
[Illustration: _All around the trunk of the tree was wrapped wire
netting_]
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 shiny little 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