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 gra.s.ses 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.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
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.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _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 pa.s.sed, 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.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
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 n.o.body 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.
[Ill.u.s.tration: _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!
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