It was on account of this that Peter was waiting for Mrs. Moon toput out her light. He knew that with that stake dragging afterhim he would have to go very slowly, and he could not run anymore risk of danger than he actually had to. So he waited andwaited, and by and by, sure enough, Mrs. Moon put out her light.Peter waited a little longer, listening with all his might.Everything was still. Then Peter crept out of the old stone wall.
Right away trouble began. The stake dragging at the end of thewire fast to his leg caught among the stones and pulled Peter upshort. My, how it did hurt! It made the tears come. But Petershut his teeth hard, and turning back, he worked until he got thestake free. Then he started on once more, dragging the stakeafter him.
Very slowly across the orchard and under the fence on the otherside crept Peter Rabbit, his leg so stiff and sore that he couldhardly touch it to the snow, and all the time dragging that pieceof stake, which seemed to grow heavier and harder to drag everyminute. Peter did not dare to go out across the open fields, forfear some danger might happen along, and he would have no placeto hide. So he crept along close to the fences where bushes grow,and this made it very, very hard, for the dragging stake wasforever catching in the bushes with a yank at the sore leg whichbrought Peter up short with a squeal of pain.
This was bad enough, but all the time Peter was filled with adreadful fear that Hooty the Owl or Granny Fox might just happenalong. He had to stop to rest very, very often, and then he wouldlisten and listen. Over and over again he said to himself:
"Oh dear, whatever did I go up to the young peach orchard forwhen I knew I had no business there? Why couldn't I have beencontent with all the good things that were mine in the GreenForest and on the Green Meadows? Oh dear! Oh dear!"
Just as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun began to light up the GreenMeadows, Peter Rabbit reached the dear Old Briar-patch. DannyMeadow Mouse was sitting on the edge of it anxiously watching forhim. Peter crawled up and started to creep in along one of hislittle private paths. He got in himself, but the dragging stakecaught among the brambles, and Peter just fell down in the snowright where he was, too tired and worn out to move.
XVII
Danny Meadow Mouse Becomes Worried
Danny Meadow Mouse limped around through the dear OldBriar-patch, where he had lived with Peter Rabbit ever since hehad squirmed out of the claws of Hooty the Owl and dropped there,right at the feet of Peter Rabbit. Danny limped because he wasstill lame and sore from Hooty's terrible claws, but he didn'tlet himself think much about that, because he was so thankful tobe alive at all. So he limped around in the Old Briar-patch,picking up seed which had fallen on the snow, and sometimespulling down a few of the red berries which cling all winter tothe wild rose bushes. The seeds in these were very nice indeed,and Danny always felt especially good after a meal of them.
Danny Meadow Mouse had grown very fond of Peter Rabbit, for Peterhad been very, very good to him. Danny felt that he never, nevercould repay all of Peter's kindness. It had been very good ofPeter to offer to share the Old Briar-patch with Danny becauseDanny was so far from his own home that it would not be safe forhim to try to get back there. But Peter had done more than that.He had taken care of Danny, such good care, during the first fewdays after Danny's escape from Hooty the Owl. He had brought goodthings to eat while Danny was too weak and sore to get things forhimself. Oh, Peter had been very good indeed to him!
But now, as Danny limped around, he was not happy. No, Sir, hewas not happy. The truth is, Danny Meadow Mouse was worried. Itwas a different kind of worry from any he had known before. Yousee, for the first time in his life, Danny was worrying aboutsomeone else. He was worrying about Peter Rabbit. Peter had beengone from the Old Briar-patch a whole night and a whole day. Heoften was gone all night, but never all day too. Danny was surethat something had happened to Peter. He thought of how he hadbegged Peter not to go up to Farmer Brown's young peach orchard.He had felt in his bones that it was not safe, that somethingdreadful would happen to Peter. How Peter had laughed at him andbravely started off! Why hadn't he come home?
As he limped around, Danny talked to himself:
"_Why cannot people be content With all the good things that are sent, And mind their own affairs at home Instead of going forth to roam?_"
It was now the second night since Peter Rabbit had gone away.Danny Meadow Mouse couldn't sleep at all. Round and round throughthe Old Briar-patch he limped, and finally sat down at the edgeof it to wait and watch. At last, just as jolly, round, red Mr.Sun sent his first long rays of light across the Green Meadows,Danny saw something crawling toward the Old Briar-patch. Herubbed his eyes and looked again. It was--no, it couldn'tbe--yes, it was Peter Rabbit! But what was the matter with him?Always before Peter had come home lipperty-lipperty-lipperty-lip,but now he was crawling, actually crawling! Danny Meadow Mousedidn't know what to make of it.
Nearer and nearer came Peter. Something was following him. No,Peter was dragging something after him. At last Peter started tocrawl along one of his little private paths into the OldBriar-patch. The thing dragging behind caught in the brambles,and Peter fell headlong in the snow, too tired and worn out tomove. Then Danny saw what the trouble was. A wire was fast to oneof Peter's long hind legs, and to the other end of the wire wasfastened part of a stake. Peter had been caught in a snare! Dannyhurried over to Peter and tears stood in his eyes.
"Poor Peter Rabbit! Oh, I'm so sorry, Peter!" he whispered.
XVIII
Danny Meadow Mouse Returns a Kindness
There Peter Rabbit lay. He had dragged that piece of stake a longway, a very long way, indeed. But now he could drag it nofarther, for it had caught in the bramble bushes. So Peter justdropped on the snow and cried. Yes, Sir, he cried! You see, hewas so tired and worn out and frightened, and his leg was sostiff and sore and hurt him so! And then it was so dreadful toactually get home and be stopped right on your very own doorstep.So Peter just lay there and cried. Just supposing old Granny Foxshould come poking around and find Peter caught that way! All shewould have to do would be to get hold of that hateful stakecaught in the bramble bushes and pull Peter out where she couldget him. Do you wonder that Peter cried?
By and by he became aware that someone was wiping away his tears.It was Danny Meadow Mouse. And Danny was singing in a funnylittle voice. Pretty soon Peter stopped crying and listened, andthis is what he heard:
"_Isn't any use to cry! Not a bit! Not a bit! Wipe your eyes and wipe 'em dry! Use your wit! Use your wit! Just remember that tomorrow Never brings a single sorrow. Yesterday has gone forever And tomorrow gets here never. Chase your worries all away; Nothing's worse than just today._"
Peter smiled in spite of himself.
"That's right! That's right! Smile away, Peter Rabbit. Smileaway! Your troubles, Sir, are all today. And between you and me,I don't believe they are so bad as you think they are. Now youlie still just where you are, while I go see what can be done."
With that, off whisked Danny Meadow Mouse as spry as you please,in spite of his lame leg, and in a few minutes Peter knew bylittle twitches of the wire on his leg that Danny was doingsomething at the other end. He was. Danny Meadow Mouse had setout to gnaw that piece of stake all to splinters. So there he satand gnawed and gnawed and gnawed. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sunclimbed higher and higher in the sky, and Danny Meadow Mousegrew hungry, but still he kept right on gnawing at thatbothersome stake.
_Danny Meadow Mouse had set out to gnaw that pieceof stake all to splinters_]
By and by, happening to look across the snow-covered GreenMeadows, he saw something that made his heart jump. It was FarmerBrown's boy coming straight over toward the dear Old Briar-patch.
Danny didn't say a word to Peter Rabbit, but gnawed faster thanever.
Farmer Brown's boy was almost there when Danny stopped gnawing.There was only a tiny bit of the stake left now, and Dannyhurried to te
ll Peter Rabbit that there was nothing to stop himnow from going to his most secret retreat in the very heart ofthe Old Briar-patch. While Peter slowly dragged his way along,Danny trotted behind to see that the wire did not catch on thebushes.
They had safely reached Peter Rabbit's secretest retreat whenFarmer Brown's boy came up to the edge of the dear Old Briar-patch.
"So this is where that rabbit that killed our peach tree lives!"said he. "We'll try a few snares and put you out of mischief."
And for the rest of the afternoon Farmer Brown's boy was verybusy around the edge of the Old Briar-patch.
XIX
Peter Rabbit and Danny Meadow Mouse Live High
Peter Rabbit sat in his secretest place in the dear OldBriar-patch with one of his long hind legs all swelled up andterribly sore because of the fine wire fast around it and cuttinginto it. He could hear Farmer Brown's boy going around on theedge of the dear Old Briar-patch and stopping every little whileto do something. In spite of his pain, Peter was curious.Finally he called Danny Meadow Mouse.
"Danny, you are small and can keep out of sight easier than Ican. Go as near as ever you dare to Farmer Brown's boy and findout what he is doing," said Peter Rabbit.
So Danny Meadow Mouse crept out as near to Farmer Brown's boy asever he dared, and studied and studied to make out what FarmerBrown's boy was doing. By and by he returned to Peter Rabbit.
"I don't know what he's doing, Peter, but he's putting somethingin every one of your private little paths leading into theBriar-patch from the Green Meadows."
"Ha!" said Peter Rabbit.
"There are little loops of that queer stuff you've got hanging toyour leg, Peter," continued Danny Meadow Mouse.
"Just so!" said Peter Rabbit.
"And he's put cabbage leaves and pieces of apple all around,"said Danny.
"We must be careful!" said Peter Rabbit.
Peter's leg was in a very bad way, indeed, and Peter suffered agreat deal of pain. The worst of it was, he didn't know how toget off the wire that was cutting into it so. He had tried tocut the wire with his big teeth, but he couldn't do it. DannyMeadow Mouse had tried and tried to gnaw the wire, but it wasn'tthe least bit of use. But Danny wasn't easily discouraged, and hekept working and working at it. Once he thought he felt it slip alittle. He said nothing, but kept right on working. Pretty soonhe was sure that it slipped. He went right on working harder thanever. By and by he had it so loose that he slipped it right offPeter's leg, and Peter didn't know anything about it. You see,that cruel wire snare had been so tight that Peter didn't haveany feeling except of pain left in his leg, and so when DannyMeadow Mouse pulled the cruel wire snare off, Peter didn't knowit until Danny held it up in front of him.
My, how thankful Peter was, and how he did thank Danny MeadowMouse! But Danny said that it was nothing at all, just nothing atall, and that he owed more than that to Peter Rabbit for being sogood to him and letting him live in the dear Old Briar-patch.
It was a long time before Peter could hop as he used to, butafter the first day he managed to get around. He found thatFarmer Brown's boy had spread those miserable wire snares inevery one of his private little paths. But Peter knew what theywere now. He showed Danny Meadow Mouse how he, because he was sosmall, could safely run about among the snares and steal all thecabbage leaves and apples which Farmer Brown's boy had put therefor bait.
Danny Meadow Mouse thought this great fun and a great joke onFarmer Brown's boy. So every day he stole the bait, and he andPeter Rabbit lived high while Peter's leg was getting well. Andall the time Farmer Brown's boy wondered why he couldn't catchPeter Rabbit.
XX
Timid Danny Meadow Mouse
Danny Meadow Mouse is timid. Everybody says so, and whateverybody says ought to be so. But just as anybody can make amistake sometimes, so can everybody. Still, in this case, it isquite likely that everybody is right. Danny Meadow Mouse istimid. Ask Peter Rabbit. Ask Sammy Jay. Ask Striped Chipmunk.They will all tell you the same thing. Sammy Jay might even tellyou that Danny is afraid of his own shadow, or that he tries torun away from his own tail. Of course this isn't true. Sammy Jaylikes to say mean things. It isn't fair to Danny Meadow Mouse tobelieve what Sammy Jay says.
But the fact is Danny certainly is timid. More than this, heisn't ashamed of it--not the least little bit.
"You see, it's this way," said Danny, as he sat on his doorstepone sunny morning talking to his friend, old Mr. Toad. "If Iweren't afraid, I wouldn't be all the time watching out, and ifI weren't all the time watching out, I wouldn't have any morechance than that foolish red ant running across in front of you."
Old Mr. Toad looked where Danny was pointing, and his tonguedarted out and back again so quickly that Danny wasn't sure thathe saw it at all, but when he looked for the ant it was nowhereto be seen, and there was a satisfied twinkle in Mr. Toad's eyes.There was an answering twinkle in Danny's own eyes as hecontinued.
"No, Sir," said he, "I wouldn't stand a particle more chance thanthat foolish ant did. Now if I were big and strong, like Old ManCoyote, or had swift wings, like Skimmer the Swallow, or were sohomely and ugly looking that no one wanted me, like--like--"Danny hesitated and then finished rather lamely, "like some folksI know, I suppose I wouldn't be afraid."
Old Mr. Toad looked up sharply when Danny mentioned homely andugly-looking people, but Danny was gazing far out across theGreen Meadows and looked so innocent that Mr. Toad concluded thathe couldn't have had him in mind.
"Well," said he, thoughtfully scratching his nose, "I supposeyou may be right, but for my part fear seems a very foolishthing. Now, I don't know what it is. I mind my own business, andno one ever bothers me. I should think it would be a veryuncomfortable feeling."
"It is," replied Danny, "but, as I said before, it is a very goodthing to keep one on guard when there are as many watching forone as there are for me. Now there's Mr. Blacksnake and--"
"Where?" exclaimed old Mr. Toad, turning as pale as a toad canturn, and looking uneasily and anxiously in every direction.
_"Where?" exclaimed old Mr. Toad, turning as paleas a toad can turn_]
Danny turned his head to hide a smile. If old Mr. Toad wasn'tshowing fear, no one ever did. "Oh," said he, "I didn't mean thathe is anywhere around here now. What I was going to say was thatthere is Mr. Blacksnake and Granny Fox and Reddy Fox and Redtailthe Hawk and Hooty the Owl and others I might name, alwayswatching for a chance to make a dinner from poor little me. Doyou wonder that I am afraid most of the time?"
"No," replied old Mr. Toad. "No, I don't wonder that you areafraid. It must be dreadful to feel hungry eyes are watching foryou every minute of the day and night, too."
"Oh, it's not so bad," replied Danny. "It's rather exciting.Besides, it keeps my wits sharp all the time. I am afraid Ishould find life very dull indeed if, like you, I feared nothingand nobody. By the way, see how queerly that grass is moving overthere. It looks as if Mr. Blacksnake--Why, Mr. Toad, where areyou going in such a hurry?"
_"Why, Mr. Toad, where are you going in such ahurry?" asked Danny_]
"I've just remembered an important engagement with my cousin,Grandfather Frog, at the Smiling Pool," shouted old Mr. Toadover his shoulder, as he hurried so that he fell over his ownfeet.
Danny chuckled as he sat alone on his doorstep. "Oh, no, old Mr.Toad doesn't know what fear is!" said he. "Funny how some peoplewon't admit what everybody can see for themselves. Now, I amafraid, and I'm willing to say so."
XXI
An Exciting Day for Danny Meadow Mouse
Danny Meadow Mouse started along one of his private little pathsvery early one morning. He was on his way to get a supply of acertain kind of grass seed of which he is very fond. He had beenthinking about that seed for some time and waiting for it to getripe. Now it was just right, as he had found out the day beforeby a visit to the place where this particular grass grew
. Theonly trouble was it grew a long way from Danny's home, and toreach it he had to cross an open place where the grass was soshort 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 Iwere really wise, I would stay nearer home and do without thatnice seed. But nothing is really worth having unless it is worthworking for, and that seed will taste all the better if I havehard 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 testingevery Merry Little Breeze who happened along for any scent ofdanger which it might carry. Most of all he depended upon hisears, 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 hethought he heard a queer rustling behind him. He stopped tolisten. There it was again, and it certainly was right in thepath 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.