hen 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.

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.

[Illustration: _Danny popped his head out of another little
doorway and laughed at Reddy_]

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!

IV

Old Granny Fox Tries for Danny Meadow Mouse

Danny Meadow Mouse had not enjoyed anything so much for a long
time as he did that game of hide-and-seek. He tickled and
chuckled all the afternoon as he thought about it. Of course,
Reddy had been "it." He had been "it" all the time, for never
once had he caught Danny Meadow Mouse. If he had--well, there
wouldn't have been any more stories about Danny Meadow Mouse,
because there wouldn't have been any Danny Meadow Mouse any more.

But Danny never let himself think about this. He had enjoyed the
game all the more because it had been such a dangerous game. It
had been such fun to dive into one of his little round doorways
in the snow, run along one of his own little tunnels, and then
peep out at another doorway and watch Reddy Fox digging as fast