There were two ways in which Peter Mink was different from any other
person in Pleasant Valley, or on Blue Mountain, either. In the first
place, he had no home; and in the second, he had a very long neck.
The reason why Peter had no home was because he didn't want one. And the
reason why he had such a long neck was because he couldn't help it.
When he grew sleepy he would crawl into any snug place he happened to
find--sometimes in a hollow stump, or in a pile of rocks, or a
haystack. And often he even drove a muskrat out of his house, so he
could sleep there.
Most of the time Peter Mink went about in rags and tatters. Whenever he
did have a new suit (which wasn't often) it never looked well for long.
Naturally, sleeping in all sorts of places did not improve it. But what
specially wore out his clothes was the way he was always squeezing
through small holes and cracks. Wherever Peter saw a narrow place he
never could resist trying to get through it.
He was a long, slim fellow, with a small, snake-like head. And he always
knew that if he could squeeze his head through a crack he could get his
body through it, too.
It is not at all strange that Mrs. Rabbit and Mrs. Squirrel and Mrs.
Woodchuck--as well as a good many other people--did not care to have
their sons in Peter Mink's company. They said that any one who went
about looking as untidy as he did, and without a home, was not likely to
set a good example to the young.
But Jimmy Rabbit and Frisky Squirrel and Billy Woodchuck loved to be
with Peter Mink. To be sure, he was quarrelsome. And he was always ready
to fight any one four times as big as he was. So they had to be careful
not to offend him. But in spite of that, they found him interesting--he
was such a fine swimmer. He could swim under water just as well as he
could swim with his head above the surface. And in winter he was not
afraid to swim under the ice in Broad Brook.
There was another thing about Peter Mink that made the _younger_ forest
people admire him. He was a famous fisherman. He could dive for a trout
and catch him too, just as likely as not. And there was nothing more
exciting than to see Peter Mink pull an eel out of the water.
It is really a great pity that he was so rough. But you see, he left
home at an early age and grew up without having any one to tell him what
he ought--and ought not--to do. No doubt he didn't know the difference
between right and wrong. Jimmy Rabbit's mother used to call him "the
Pest." She often remarked that she wished Peter would leave the
neighborhood and never come back.
I am sure that Johnnie Green's father would have agreed with her,
because Peter Mink was too fond of ducks to suit Farmer Green. Of
course, Peter didn't care to eat ducks _all_ the time. Sometimes he
dined on a fat hen. But even then Farmer Green was angry. No doubt Peter
Mink thought him hard to please.