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!