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.”