BILLY MAKES HIMSELF AT HOME
Enough to eat, a place to sleep,
A coat to shut out winter’s chill—
What more can anybody ask
Their cup of happiness to fill?
_Billy Mink._
The big woodpile between the barn and the henhouse in the farmyard Billy
Mink had discovered was a regular castle for Billy. That is what it was,
a regular castle. Billy is so slim that he could slip through the
openings between the sticks in much the same way that Striped Chipmunk
pops in and out between the stones of the old stone wall. Billy doesn’t
need much room and he soon found that down underneath that wood were
little chambers plenty big enough for him to curl up in.
The first thing he did was to make himself thoroughly acquainted with
that woodpile. He found every opening that led into or under it. He
learned every little passage it contained. He picked out one of the best
of the little chambers down underneath in which to sleep when he was
tired. No one could get at him under that woodpile. He felt as safe
there as ever he had felt anywhere in all his life. It made him chuckle
to think how safe he was there, and all the time he would be living
right close to those two-legged creatures called men, who delight in
killing such little people as Billy.
As soon as he had become thoroughly familiar with that woodpile, Billy
set out to explore the surroundings. His new home suited him, but a home
without food would be as bad as no home at all. So Billy started out to
see what chances there were of making a good living.
First he visited the henhouse. It didn’t take him long to find a way
under the henhouse and discover a hole in a dark corner of the henhouse
floor through which he could slip with ease. But Billy didn’t go inside
that night. Billy possesses a shrewd little head. He had had experience
enough with men to know that it was best for them not to know he was
anywhere about. He knew that those hens belonged to men and that the
instant they found one killed or missing they would begin to hunt for
him. So, though the smell of those hens made Billy’s mouth water, he
decided that he would see what other food was to be found.
From the henhouse Billy went over to the big barn. This was another
place just to his liking. Underneath it was dark, the very kind of a
place Billy liked. There were holes up through the floor. Billy sniffed
at the edge of the first one he came to and he knew right away who had
made that hole. It had been made by Robber the Rat. Billy’s eyes
sparkled. It would be much more fun to hunt Robber the Rat and his
relatives than to kill stupid, helpless hens.