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 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.

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 passed, 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.

CHAPTER 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 Me