XXI

An Exciting Day for Danny Meadow Mouse

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 halfway there was an old knothole 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 Dan