produced by kent fielden whitefoot the wood mouse by thornton w burgess chapter i : whitefoot spends a happy winter in all his short life whitefoot the wood mouse never had spent such a happy winter . whitefoot believes in getting the most from the present . the things which are past are past , and that is all there is to it . there is no use in thinking about them . as for the things of the future , it will be time enough to think about them when they happen . but whitefoot is happy whenever he has a chance to be , and in this he is wiser than most human beings . there are ever so many who would like nothing better than to dine on plump little whitefoot . reddy and granny fox and old man coyote are always looking for him . so you see whitefoot never knows at what instant he may have to run for his life . that is why he is such a timid little fellow and is always running away at the least little unexpected sound . in spite of all this he is a happy little chap . it didn't take him long to decide that it was the most delightful place he ever had found . he promptly decided to move in and spend the winter . in one end of the sugar-house was a pile of wood . down under this whitefoot made himself a warm , comfortable nest . it was a regular castle to whitefoot . he moved over to it the store of seeds he had laid up for winter use . when rough brother north wind howled outside , and sleet and snow were making other little people shiver , whitefoot was warm and comfortable . there was all the room he needed or wanted in which to run about and play . he could go outside when he chose to , but he didn't choose to very often . for days at a time he didn't have a single fright . yes indeed , whitefoot spent a happy winter . chapter ii : whitefoot sees queer things whitefoot had spent the winter undisturbed in farmer brown 's sugar-house . he had almost forgotten the meaning of fear . he had come to look on that sugar-house as belonging to him . it wasn't until farmer brown 's boy came over to prepare things for sugaring that whitefoot got a single real fright . at last he could stand it no longer and crept to a place where he could peep out and see what was going on . it didn't take him long to discover that this great two-legged creature was not looking for him , and right away he felt better . after a while farmer brown 's boy went away , and whitefoot had the little sugar-house to himself again . but farmer brown 's boy had carelessly left the door wide open . whitefoot didn't like that open door . it made him nervous . there was nothing to prevent those who hunt him from walking right in . so the rest of that night whitefoot felt uncomfortable and anxious . he felt still more anxious when next day farmer brown 's boy returned and became very busy putting things to right . then farmer brown himself came and strange things began to happen . it became as warm as in summer . you see farmer brown had built a fire under the evaporator . whitefoot 's curiosity kept him at a place where he could peep out and watch all that was done . he saw farmer brown and farmer brown 's boy pour pails of sap into a great pan . by and by a delicious odor filled the sugar-house . he saw them draw the golden syrup from one end of the evaporator and fill shining tin cans with it . day after day they did the same thing . he tasted that thick golden stuff and found it sweet and good . he didn't understand these queer doings at all . but he was no longer afraid . chapter iii : farmer brown 's boy becomes acquainted it didn't take farmer brown 's boy long to discover that whitefoot the wood mouse was living in the little sugar-house . he caught glimpses of whitefoot peeping out at him . now farmer brown 's boy is wise in the ways of the little people of the green forest . right away he made up his mind to get acquainted with whitefoot . so at first farmer brown 's boy paid no attention whatever to whitefoot . he took care that whitefoot shouldn't even know that he had been seen . then he and farmer brown would go out to collect sap . when they returned not a crumb would be left . one day farmer brown 's boy scattered some particularly delicious crumbs . then , instead of going out , he sat down on a bench and kept perfectly still . farmer brown and bowser the hound went out . farmer brown 's boy sat there right in plain sight , but whitefoot didn't see him . that was because farmer brown 's boy didn't move the least bit . whitefoot ran out and at once began to eat those delicious crumbs . when he had filled his little stomach , he began to carry the remainder back to his storehouse underneath the woodpile . right there he placed a big piece of bread crust . then he happened to look up right into the eyes of farmer brown 's boy . with a frightened little squeak whitefoot darted back , and for a long time he was afraid to come out again . but farmer brown 's boy didn't move , and at last whitefoot could stand the temptation no longer . he darted out halfway , scurried back , came out again , and at last ventured right up to the crust . then he began to drag it back to the woodpile . still farmer brown 's boy did not move . for two or three days the same thing happened . by this time , whitefoot had lost all fear . after that farmer brown 's boy took care that no crumbs should be scattered on the ground . whitefoot had to come to him for his food , and always farmer brown 's boy had something delicious for him . chapter iv : whitefoot grows anxious ' tis sad indeed to trust a friend then have that trust abruptly end . whitefoot i know of nothing that is more sad than to feel that a friend is no longer to be trusted . there came a time when whitefoot the wood mouse almost had this feeling . it was a very , very anxious time for whitefoot . you see , whitefoot and farmer brown 's boy had become the very best of friends there in the little sugar-house . they had become such good friends that whitefoot did not hesitate to take food from the hands of farmer brown 's boy . never in all his life had he had so much to eat or such good things to eat . he was getting so fat that his handsome little coat was uncomfortably tight . he ran about fearlessly while farmer brown and farmer brown 's boy were making maple syrup and maple sugar . he had even lost his fear of bowser the hound , for bowser had paid no attention to him whatever . now you remember that whitefoot had made his home way down beneath the great pile of wood in the sugar-house . of course farmer brown and farmer brown 's boy used that wood for the fire to boil the sap to make the syrup and sugar . whitefoot thought nothing of this until one day he discovered that his little home was no longer as dark as it had been . a little ray of light crept down between the sticks . presently another little ray of light crept down between the sticks . it was then that whitefoot began to grow anxious . of course whitefoot didn't understand why that wood was slipping away . in spite of himself he began to grow suspicious . he couldn't think of any reason why that wood should be taken away , unless it was to look for his little home . " oh dear , what does it mean ? " cried whitefoot to himself . i do hope they will stop taking this wood away . i won't have any hiding-place at all , and then i will have to go outside back to my old home in the hollow stump . i don't want to do that . oh , dear ! oh , dear ! i was so happy and now i am so worried ! why can't happy times last always ? " chapter v : the end of whitefoot 's worries you never can tell ! you never can tell ! things going wrong will often end well . whitefoot . the next time you meet him just ask whitefoot if this isn't so . things had been going very wrong for whitefoot . it had begun to look to whitefoot as if he would no longer have a snug , hidden little home in farmer brown 's sugar-house . whitefoot quite lost his appetite . he no longer came out to take food from farmer brown 's boy 's hand . he stayed right in his snug little home and worried . now farmer brown 's boy had not once thought of the trouble he was making . he wondered what had become of whitefoot , and in his turn he began to worry . he was afraid that something had happened to his little friend . he was thinking of this as he fed the sticks of wood to the fire for boiling the sap to make syrup and sugar . finally , as he pulled away two big sticks , he saw something that made him whistle with surprise . it was whitefoot 's nest which he had so cleverly hidden way down underneath that pile of wood when he had first moved into the sugar-house . with a frightened little squeak , whitefoot ran out , scurried across the little sugar-house and out though the open door . farmer brown 's boy understood . he understood perfectly that little people like whitefoot want their homes hidden away in the dark . " poor little chap , " said farmer brown 's boy."he had a regular castle here and we have destroyed it . he probably thinks we have been hunting for this little home of his . hello ! here 's his storehouse ! i 've often wondered how the little rascal could eat so much , but now i understand . he stored away here more than half of the good things i have given him . i am glad he did . i must do something to keep him here . " farmer brown 's boy sat down to think things over . then he got an old box and made a little round hole in one end of it . very carefully he took up whitefoot 's nest and placed it under the old box in the darkest corner of the sugar-house . then he carried all whitefoot 's supplies over there and put them under the box . he went outside , and got some branches of hemlock and threw these in a little pile over the box . after this he scattered some crumbs just outside . late that night whitefoot did come back . the crumbs led him to the old box . he crept inside . there was his snug little home ! all in a second whitefoot understood , and trust and happiness returned . chapter vi : a very careless jump whitefoot once more was happy . it was better than the old place under the woodpile . it was the best place for a home whitefoot ever had had . it didn't take him long to change his mind about leaving the little sugar-house . somehow he seemed to know right down inside that his home would not again be disturbed . so he proceeded to rearrange his nest and to put all his supplies of food in one corner of the old box . he liked to jump up on the bench where farmer brown 's boy sometimes sat . he would climb up to where farmer brown 's boy 's coat hung and explore the pockets of it . once he stole farmer brown 's boy 's handkerchief . he wanted it to add to the material his nest was made of . farmer brown 's boy discovered it just as it was disappearing , and how he laughed as he pulled it away . he knew that farmer brown 's boy and farmer brown and bowser the hound were his friends . he knew , too , that so long as they were about , none of his enemies would dare come near . this being so , of course there was nothing to be afraid of . no harm could possibly come to him . at least , that is what whitefoot thought . but you know , enemies are not the only dangers to watch out for . accidents will happen . when they do happen , it is very likely to be when the possibility of them is farthest from your thoughts . almost always they are due to heedlessness or carelessness . it was heedlessness that got whitefoot into one of the worst mishaps of his whole life . he had been running and jumping all around the inside of the little sugar-house . he loves to run and jump , and he had been having just the best time ever . it wasn't a very long jump , but somehow whitefoot misjudged it . he was heedless , and he didn't jump quite far enough . right beside that box was a tin pail half filled with sap . instead of landing on the box , whitefoot landed with a splash in that pail of sap . chapter vii : whitefoot gives up hope whitefoot had been in many tight places . yes , indeed , whitefoot had been in many tight places . he had had narrow escapes of all kinds . but never had he felt so utterly hopeless as now . the moment he landed in that sap , whitefoot began to swim frantically . he isn't a particularly good swimmer , but he could swim well enough to keep afloat for a while . he came up choking and gasping . the more he tried to climb out , the more frightened he became . he was in a perfect panic of fear . he quite lost his head , did whitefoot . the harder he struggled , the more tired he became , and the greater was his danger of drowning . whitefoot squeaked pitifully . he didn't want to drown . of course not . he wanted to live . but unless he could get out of that pail very soon , he would drown . he knew it . he knew that he couldn't hold on much longer . he knew that just as soon as he stopped paddling , he would sink . already he was so tired from his frantic efforts to escape that it seemed to him that he couldn't hold out any longer . but somehow he kept his legs moving , and so kept afloat . just why he kept struggling , whitefoot couldn't have told . it wasn't because he had any hope . he didn't have the least bit of hope . he knew now that he couldn't climb the sides of that pail , and there was no other way of getting out . still he kept on paddling . and all the time whitefoot squeaked hopelessly , despairingly , pitifully . he did it without knowing that he did it , just as he kept paddling round and round . chapter viii : the rescue when whitefoot made the heedless jump that landed him in a pail half filled with sap , no one else was in the little sugar-house . whitefoot was quite alone . you see , farmer brown and farmer brown 's boy were out collecting sap from the trees , and bowser the hound was with them . farmer brown 's boy was the first to return . he came in just after whitefoot had given up all hope . he went at once to the fire to put more wood on . as he finished this job he heard the faintest of little squeaks . it was a very pitiful little squeak . farmer brown 's boy stood perfectly still and listened . he heard it again . he knew right away that it was the voice of whitefoot . " hello ! " exclaimed farmer brown 's boy . " that sounds as if whitefoot is in trouble of some kind . i wonder where the little rascal is . i wonder what can have happened to him . i must look into this . " again farmer brown 's boy heard that faint little squeak . it was so faint that he couldn't tell where it came from . hurriedly and anxiously he looked all over the little sugar-house , stopping every few seconds to listen for that pitiful little squeak . it seemed to come from nowhere in particular . also it was growing fainter . at last farmer brown 's boy happened to stand still close to that tin pail half filled with sap . he heard the faint little squeak again and with it a little splash . it was the sound of the little splash that led him to look down . in a flash he understood what had happened . he saw poor little whitefoot struggling feebly , and even as he looked whitefoot 's head went under . he was very nearly drowned . stooping quickly , farmer brown 's boy grabbed whitefoot 's long tail and pulled him out . whitefoot was so nearly drowned that he didn't have strength enough to even kick . a great pity filled the eyes of farmer brown 's boy as he held whitefoot 's head down and gently shook him . he was trying to shake some of the sap out of whitefoot . it ran out of whitefoot 's nose and out of his mouth . whitefoot began to gasp . then farmer brown 's boy spread his coat close by the fire , rolled whitefoot up in his handkerchief and gently placed him on the coat . for some time whitefoot lay just gasping . but presently his breath came easier , and after a while he was breathing naturally . little by little whitefoot recovered his strength . at last he could sit up , and finally he began to move about a little , although he was still wobbly on his legs . chapter ix : two timid persons meet thus always you will meet life 's test to do the thing you can do best . whitefoot . jumper the hare sat crouched at the foot of a tree in the green forest . had you happened along there , you would not have seen him . at least , i doubt if you would . if you had seen him , you probably wouldn't have known it . just in front of juniper was a little round hole . he gave it no attention . it didn't interest him in the least . all through the green forest were little holes in the snow . jumper was so used to them that he seldom noticed them . so he took no notice of this one until something moved down in that hole . jumper 's eyes opened a little wider and he watched . a sharp little face with very bright eyes filled that little round hole . jumper moved just the tiniest bit , and in a flash that sharp little face with the bright eyes disappeared . jumper sat still and waited . after a long wait the sharp little face with bright eyes appeared again . " don't be frightened , whitefoot , " said jumper softly . this winter he was not living in farmer brown 's sugarhouse . " gracious , jumper , how you did scare me ! " said he . jumper chuckled . " whitefoot , i believe you are more timid than i am , " he replied . " why shouldn't i be ? i 'm ever so much smaller , and i have more enemies , " retorted whitefoot . " it is true you are smaller , but i am not so sure that you have more enemies , " replied jumper thoughtfully . " it sometimes seems to me that i couldn't have more , especially in winter . " " name them , " commanded whitefoot . jumper paused . " is that all ? " demanded whitefoot . " isn't that enough ? " retorted jumper rather sharply . " it seems to me sometimes as if i need eyes and ears all over me . night and day there is always some one hunting for poor little me . and then some folks wonder why i am so timid . if i were not as timid as i am , i wouldn't be alive now ; i would have been caught long ago . folks may laugh at me for being so easily frightened , but i don't care . that is what saves my life a dozen times a day . " jumper looked interested . " i hadn't thought of that , " said he . " i 'm a very timid person myself , and sometimes i have been ashamed of being so easily frightened . whitefoot suddenly darted into his hole . jumper didn't move , but his eyes widened with fear . a great white bird had just alighted on a stump a short distance away . it was whitey the snowy owl , down from the far north . " there is another enemy we both forgot , " thought jumper , and tried not to shiver . chapter x : the white watchers much may be gained by sitting still if you but have the strength of will . whitefoot . had you been there to see them , both would have appeared as white as the snow around them unless you had looked very closely . then you might have seen two narrow black lines back of jumper 's head . they were the tips of his ears , for these remain black . and near the upper part of the white mound which was whitey you might have seen two round yellow spots , his eyes . there they were for all the world like two little heaps of snow . jumper didn't move so much as a hair . whitey didn't move so much as a feather . both were waiting and watching . jumper didn't move because he knew that whitey was there . whitey didn't move because he didn't want any one to know he was there , and didn't know that jumper was there . jumper was sitting still because he was afraid . whitey was sitting still because he was hungry . so there they sat , each in plain sight of the other but only one seeing the other . this was because juniper had been fortunate enough to see whitey alight on that stump . jumper had been sitting still when whitey arrived , and so those fierce yellow eyes had not yet seen him . jumper didn't want to sit still . no , indeed ! he wanted to run . you know it is on those long legs of his that jumper depends almost wholly for safety . but there are times for running and times for sitting still , and this was a time for sitting still . he knew that whitey didn't know that he was anywhere near . but just the same it was hard , very hard to sit there with one he so greatly feared watching so near . it seemed as if those fierce yellow eyes of whitey must see him . they seemed to look right through him . they made him shake inside . " i want to run . i want to run . i want to run , " jumper kept saying to himself . then he would say , " but i mustn't . i mustn't . i mustn't . " and so jumper did the hardest thing in the world , sat still and stared danger in the face . he was sitting still to save his life . whitey the snowy owl was sitting still to catch a dinner . i know that sounds queer , but it was so . he knew that so long as he sat still , he was not likely to be seen . it was for this purpose that old mother nature had given him that coat of white . so whitey had been given that white coat that he might have a better chance to catch food enough to keep him alive . and he had learned how to make the best use of it . yes , indeed , he knew how to make the best use of it . it was by doing just what he was doing now , sitting perfectly still . just before he had alighted on that stump he had seen something move at the entrance to a little round hole in the snow . he was sure of it . " a mouse , " thought whitey , and alighted on that stump . " he saw me flying , but he 'll forget about it after a while and will come out again . he won't see me then if i don't move . and i won't move until he is far enough from that hole for me to catch him before he can get back to it . " chapter xi : jumper is in doubt when doubtful what course to pursue ' tis sometimes best to nothing do . whitefoot . jumper the hare was beginning to feel easier in his mind . he was no longer shaking inside . in fact , he was beginning to feel quite safe . yes , sir , i will , " thought jumper . " by and by he will become tired and fly away . i do hope he 'll do that before whitefoot comes out again . " this is a queer world . it is so . old mother nature does queer things . it certainly is a queer world . " jumper hadn't moved once , but once in a while whitey turned his great round head for a look all about in every direction . but it was done in such a way that only eyes watching him sharply would have noticed it . most of the time he kept his fierce yellow eyes fixed on the little hole in the snow in which whitefoot had disappeared . you know whitey can see by day quite as well as any other bird . jumper , having stopped worrying about himself , began to worry about whitefoot . a tunnel led from this little hole to the first little hole . suddenly off among the trees something moved . at least , jumper thought he saw something move . yes , there it was , a little black spot moving swiftly this way and that way over the snow . jumper stared very hard . and then his heart seemed to jump right up in his throat . it did so . he felt as if he would choke . it was shadow the weasel ! in his white winter coat he is called ermine . he was running this way and that way , back and forth , with his nose to the snow . he was hunting , and jumper knew that sooner or later shadow would find him . what to do jumper didn't know . and so he did nothing . it happened to be the wisest thing he could do . chapter xii : whitey the owl saves jumper it often happens in the end an enemy may prove a friend . whitefoot . was ever any one in a worse position than jumper the hare ? to move would be to give himself away to whitey the snowy owl . neither whitey nor shadow knew he was there , but it would be only a few minutes before one of them knew it . at least , that is the way it looked to jumper . whitey wouldn't know it unless he moved , but shadow the weasel would find his tracks , and his nose would lead him straight there . he was hunting hunting for the scent of some one whom he could kill . nearer and nearer came shadow . he was slim and trim and didn't look at all terrible . " perhaps , " thought jumper , " he won't find my scent after all . perhaps he 'll go in another direction . " but all the time jumper felt in his bones that shadow would find that scent . " when he does , i 'll run , " said jumper to himself . " i 'll have at least a chance to dodge whitey . i am afraid he will catch me , but i 'll have a chance . i won't have any chance at all if shadow finds me . " suddenly shadow stopped running and sat up to look about with fierce little eyes , all the time testing the air with his nose . jumper 's heart sank . he knew that shadow had caught a faint scent of some one . then shadow began to run back and forth once more , but more carefully than before . and then he started straight for where jumper was crouching ! jumper knew then that shadow had found his trail . and as jumper did this , he looked over to that stump where whitey had been sitting so long . whitey was just leaving it on his great silent wings , and his fierce yellow eyes were fixed in the direction of shadow the weasel . he had seen that moving black spot which was the tip of shadow 's tail . jumper didn't have time to jump before whitey was swooping down at shadow . so juniper just kept still and watched with eyes almost popping from his head with fear and excitement . shadow hadn't seen whitey until just as whitey was reaching for him with his great cruel claws . now if there is any one who can move more quickly than shadow the weasel i don't know who it is . whitey 's claws closed on nothing but snow ; shadow had dodged . then began a game , whitey swooping and shadow dodging , and all the time they were getting farther and farther from where jumper was . whitey the snowy owl had saved him from shadow the weasel and didn't know it . an enemy had proved to be a friend . chapter xiii : whitefoot decides quickly your mind made up a certain way be swift to act ; do not delay . whitefoot . he had not been badly frightened . but he was somewhat upset . yes , sir , he was somewhat upset . you see , he had so many enemies to watch out for , and here was another . " just as if i didn't have troubles enough without having this white robber to add to them , " grumbled whitefoot . " why doesn't he stay where he belongs , way up in the far north ? it must be that food is scarce up there . well , now that i know he is here , he will have to be smarter than i think he is to catch me . i hope jumper the hare will have sense enough to keep perfectly still . i 've sometimes envied him his long legs , but i guess i am better off than he is , at that . whitey is watching the hole where i disappeared ; he thinks i 'll come out there again after a while . i 'll fool him . " whitefoot scampered along through a little tunnel and presently very cautiously peeped out of another little round hole in the snow . whitefoot grinned . then he looked over to where he had last seen jumper . jumper was still there ; it was clear that he hadn't moved , and so whitey hadn't seen him . again whitefoot grinned . then he settled himself to watch patiently for whitey to become tired of watching that hole and fly away . so it was that whitefoot saw all that happened . he saw whitey suddenly sail out on silent wings from that stump and swoop with great claws reaching for some one . and then he saw who that some one was , shadow the weasel ! he saw shadow dodge in the very nick of time . then he watched whitey swoop again and again as shadow dodged this way and that way . finally both disappeared amongst the trees . then he turned just in time to see jumper the hare bounding away with all the speed of his wonderful , long legs . fear , the greatest fear he had known for a long time , took possession of whitefoot . " shadow the weasel ! " he gasped and had such a thing been possible he certainly would have turned pale . " whitey won't catch him ; shadow is too quick for him . and when whitey has given up and flown away , shadow will come back . he probably had found the tracks of jumper the hare and he will come back . i know him ; he 'll come back . oh , dear ! oh , dear ! what shall i do ? " you see shadow the weasel is the one enemy that can follow whitefoot into most of his hiding-places . for a minute or two whitefoot sat there , shaking with fright . then he made up his mind . " i 'll get away from here before he returns , " thought whitefoot . " i've got to . i 've spent a comfortable winter here so far , but there will be no safety for me here any longer . i don't know where to go , but anywhere will be better than here now . " without waiting another second , whitefoot scampered away . and how he did hope that his scent would have disappeared by the time shadow returned . if it hadn't , there would be little hope for him and he knew it . chapter xiv : shadows return he little gains and has no pride who from his purpose turns aside . whitefoot . shadow the weasel believes in persistence . he is not easily discouraged . this is one reason he is so feared by the little people he delights to hunt . they know that once he gets on their trail , they will be fortunate indeed if they escape him . any other of the little people with the exception of his cousin , billy mink , would have been frightened half to death . but shadow was simply angry . he was angry that any one should try to catch him . he was still more angry because his hunt for jumper the hare was interfered with . you see , he had just found jumper 's trail when whitey swooped at him . at last he saw a hole in an old log and into this he darted . whitey couldn't get him there . whitey knew this and he knew , too , that waiting for shadow to come out again would be a waste of time . so whitey promptly flew away . hardly had he disappeared when shadow popped out of that hole , for he had been peeping out and watching whitey . without a moment 's pause he turned straight back for the place where he had found the trail of jumper the hare . he had no intention of giving up that hunt just because he had been driven away . it led him straight to the foot of the tree where jumper had crouched so long . but , as you know , jumper wasn't there then . shadow ran in a circle and presently he found where jumper had landed on the snow at the end of that first bound . shadow snarled . he understood exactly what had happened . i can tell that by the length of this jump . probably he is still going . then , for such is his way , he wasted no more time or thought on jumper the hare . instead he began to look for other trails . so it was that he found one of the little holes of whitefoot the wood mouse . " ha ! so this is where whitefoot has been living this winter ! " he exclaimed . once more his eyes glowed red , but this time with eagerness and the joy of the hunt . he plunged down into that little hole in the snow . down there the scent of whitefoot was strong . shadow followed it until it led out of another little hole in the snow . but there he lost it . you see , it was so long since whitefoot had hurriedly left that the scent on the surface had disappeared . shadow ran swiftly this way and that way in a big circle , but he couldn't find whitefoot 's trail again . snarling with anger and disappointment , he returned to the little hole in the snow and vanished . then he followed all whitefoot 's little tunnels . he found whitefoot 's nest . he found his store of seeds . but he didn't find whitefoot . " he 'll come back , " muttered shadow , and curled up in whitefoot 's nest to wait . chapter xv : whitefoots dreadful journey danger may be anywhere , so i expect it everywhere . whitefoot . whitefoot the wood mouse was terribly frightened . yes , sir , he was terribly frightened . it was a long , long time since he had been as frightened as he now was . he is used to frights , is whitefoot . he has them every day and every night , but usually they are sudden frights , quickly over and as quickly forgotten . this fright was different . you see whitefoot had caught a glimpse of shadow the weasel . the only thing for whitefoot to do was to get just as far from that place as he could before shadow should return . and so poor little whitefoot started out on a journey that was to take him he knew not where . all he could do was to go and go and go until he could find a safe hiding-place . my , my , but that was a dreadful journey ! every time a twig snapped , whitefoot 's heart seemed to jump right up in his throat . you see , whitefoot has so many enemies always looking for him that he hides whenever he sees anything moving . when at home , he is forever dodging in and out of his hiding-places . for a long way no one saw him , for no one was about . " oh , dear ! oh , dear me ! " he kept saying over and over to himself . " wherever shall i go ? whatever shall i do ? however shall i get enough to eat ? i am getting tired . my legs ache . i ' m getting hungry . i want my nice , warm , soft bed . oh , dear ! oh , dear ! oh , dear me ! " but in spite of his frights , whitefoot kept on . you see , he was more afraid to stop than he was to go on . he just had to get as far from shadow the weasel as he could . being such a little fellow , what would be a short distance for you or me is a long distance for whitefoot . and so that journey was to him very long indeed . of course , it seemed longer because of the constant frights which came one right after another . it really was a terrible journey . yet if he had only known it , there wasn't a thing along the whole way to be afraid of . you know it often happens that people are frightened more by what they don't know than by what they do know . chapter xvi : whitefoot climbs a tree i 'd rather be frightened with no cause for fear than fearful of nothing when danger is near . whitefoot . whitefoot kept on going and going . every time he thought that he was so tired he must stop , he would think of shadow the weasel and then go on again . by and by he became so tired that not even the thought of shadow the weasel could make him go much farther . so he began to look about for a safe hiding-place in which to rest . now the home which he had left had been a snug little room beneath the roots of a certain old stump . there he had lived for a long time in the greatest comfort . little tunnels led to his storehouses and up to the surface of the snow . it had been a splendid place and one in which he had felt perfectly safe until shadow the weasel had appeared . but whitefoot is quite as much at home in trees as on the ground . so now that he must find a hiding-place , whitefoot decided that he would feel much safer in a tree than on the ground . " if only i can find a hollow tree , " whimpered whitefoot . " i will feel ever so much safer in a tree than hiding in or near the ground in a strange place . " so whitefoot began to look for a dead tree . you see , he knew that there was more likely to be a hollow in a dead tree than in a living tree . by and by he came to a tall , dead tree . he knew it was a dead tree , because there was no bark on it . but , of course , he couldn't tell whether or not that tree was hollow . i mean he couldn't tell from the ground . " oh , dear ! " he whimpered again . " oh , dear ! i suppose i will have to climb this , and i am so tired . it ought to be hollow . there ought to be splendid holes in it . it is just the kind of a tree that drummer the woodpecker likes to make his house in . well , here goes . " he looked anxiously this way . he looked anxiously that way . he looked anxiously the other way . in fact , he looked anxiously every way . but he saw no one and nothing to be afraid of , and so he started up the tree . he was half-way up when , glancing down , he saw a shadow moving across the snow . once more whitefoot 's heart seemed to jump right up in his throat . that shadow was the shadow of some one flying . there couldn't be the least bit of doubt about it . whitefoot flattened himself against the side of the tree and peeked around it . he had come along near the ground and then risen sharply into the tree . his bill was black , and there was just a tiny hook on the end of it . whitefoot knew who it was . it was butcher the shrike . whitefoot shivered . chapter xvii : whitefoot finds a hole just in time just in time , not just too late , will make you master of your fate . whitefoot . it was butcher the shrike . often he is called just butcher bird . he did not look at all terrible . he was not quite as big as sammy jay . he had no terrible claws like the hawks and owls . there was a tiny hook at the end of his black bill , but it wasn't big enough to look very dreadful . but you can not always judge a person by looks , and whitefoot knew that butcher was one to be feared . so his heart went pit-a-pat , pit-a-pat as he wondered if butcher had seen him . he didn't have to wait long to find out . butcher flew to a tree back of whitefoot and then straight at him . whitefoot dodged around to the other side of the tree . then began a dreadful game . at least , it was dreadful to whitefoot . this way and that way around the trunk of that tree he dodged , while butcher did his best to catch him . but he was tired , very tired , for you remember he had had what was a very long and terrible journey to him . he had felt almost too tired to climb that tree in the first place to see if it had any holes in it higher up . now he didn't know whether to keep on going up or to go down . two or three times he dodged around the tree without doing either . then he decided to go up . now butcher was enjoying this game of dodge . if he should catch whitefoot , he would have a good dinner . if he didn't catch whitefoot , he would simply go hungry a little longer . so you see , there was a very big difference in the feelings of whitefoot and butcher . whitefoot had his life to lose , while butcher had only a dinner to lose . dodging this way and dodging that way , whitefoot climbed higher and higher . twice he whisked around that tree trunk barely in time . all the time he was growing more and more tired , and more and more discouraged . supposing he should find no hole in that tree ! " there must be one . there must be one , " he kept saying over and over to himself , to keep his courage up . " i can't keep dodging much longer . if i don't find a hole pretty soon , butcher will surely catch me . oh , dear ! oh , dear ! " just above whitefoot was a broken branch . only the stub of it remained . the next time he dodged around the trunk he found himself just below that stub . oh , joy ! there , close under that stub , was a round hole . whitefoot didn't hesitate a second . he didn't wait to find out whether or not any one was in that hole . he didn't even think that there might be some one in there . with a tiny little squeak of relief he darted in . he was just in time . he was just in the nick of time . butcher struck at him and just missed him as he disappeared in that hole . whitefoot had saved his life and butcher had missed a dinner . chapter xviii : an unpleasant surprise be careful never to be rude enough to thoughtlessly intrude . whitefoot . for a few minutes he did nothing but pant , for he was quite out of breath . " i was right , " he said over and over to himself , " i was right . i was sure there must be a hole in this tree . it is one of the old houses of drummer the woodpecker . now i am safe . " presently he peeped out . he wanted to see if butcher was watching outside . he was just in time to see butcher 's gray and black and white coat disappearing among the trees . butcher was not foolish enough to waste time watching for whitefoot to come out . whitefoot sighed happily . for the first time since he had started on his dreadful journey he felt safe . nothing else mattered . he was hungry , but he didn't mind that . he was willing to go hungry for the sake of being safe . whitefoot watched until butcher was out of sight . then he turned to see what that house was like . right away he discovered that there was a soft , warm bed in it . it was made of leaves , grass , moss , and the lining of bark . it was a very fine bed indeed . " my , my , my , but i am lucky , " said whitefoot to himself . " i wonder who could have made this fine bed . i certainly shall sleep comfortably here . goodness knows , i need a rest . if i can find food enough near here , i 'll make this my home . i couldn't ask for a better one . " chuckling happily , whitefoot began to pull away the top of that bed so as to get to the middle of it . and then he got a surprise . it was an unpleasant surprise . it was a most unpleasant surprise . there was some one in that bed ! yes , sir , there was some one curled up in a little round ball in the middle of that fine bed . it was some one with a coat of the softest , finest fur . can you guess who it was ? it was timmy the flying squirrel . it seemed to whitefoot as if his heart flopped right over . you see at first he didn't recognize timmy . whitefoot is himself so very timid that his thought was to run ; to get out of there as quickly as possible . but he had no place to run to , so he hesitated . never in all his life had whitefoot had a greater disappointment . he knew now that this splendid house was not for him . timmy the flying squirrel didn't move . he remained curled up in a soft little ball . he was asleep . whitefoot felt easier in his mind then . timmy was so sound asleep that he knew nothing of his visitor . and so whitefoot felt safe in staying long enough to get rested . then he would go out and hunt for another home . not in all the green forest could two more timid little people be found than the two in that old home of drummer the woodpecker . chapter xix : whitefoot finds a home at last true independence he has known whose home has been his very own . whitefoot . curled up in his splendid warm bed , timmy the flying squirrel slept peacefully . he didn't know he had a visitor . he didn't know that on top of that same bed lay whitefoot the wood mouse . whitefoot wasn't asleep . no , indeed ! whitefoot was too worried to sleep . he knew he couldn't stay in that fine house because it belonged to timmy . he knew that as soon as timmy awoke , he , whitefoot , would have to get out . where should he go ? he wished he knew . how he did long for the old home he had left . but when he thought of that , he remembered shadow the weasel . it was better to be homeless than to feel that at any minute shadow the weasel might appear . it was getting late in the afternoon . then timmy the flying squirrel would awake . " it won't do for me to be here then , " said whitefoot to himself . " i must find some other place before he wakes . if only i knew this part of the green forest i might know where to go . as it is , i shall have to go hunt for a new home and trust to luck . did ever a poor little mouse have so much trouble ? " after awhile whitefoot felt rested and peeped out of the doorway . no enemy was to be seen anywhere . whitefoot crept out and climbed a little higher up in the tree . presently he found another hole . he peeped inside and listened long and carefully . he didn't intend to make the mistake of going into another house where some one might be living . at last , sure that there was no one in there , he crept in . then he made a discovery . there were beech nuts in there and there were seeds . it was a storehouse ! whitefoot knew at once that it must be timmy 's storehouse . right away he realized how very , very hungry he was . of course , he had no right to any of those seeds or nuts . certainly not ! that is , he wouldn't have had any right had he been a boy or girl . but it is the law of the green forest that whatever any one finds he may help himself to if he can . so whitefoot began to fill his empty little stomach with some of those seeds . he ate and ate and ate and quite forgot all his troubles . just as he felt that he hadn't room for another seed , he heard the sound of claws outside on the trunk of the tree . in a flash he knew that timmy the flying squirrel was awake , and that it wouldn't do to be found in there by him . in a jiffy whitefoot was outside . he was just in time . timmy was almost up to the entrance . " hi , there ! " cried timmy . " what were you doing in my storehouse ? " " i i i was looking for a new home , " stammered whitefoot . " you mean you were stealing some of my food , " snapped timmy suspiciously . " i i i did take a few seeds because i was almost starved . but truly i was looking for a new home , " replied whitefoot . " what was the matter with your old home ? " demanded timmy . timmy listened suspiciously at first , but soon he made up his mind that whitefoot was telling the truth . the mere mention of shadow the weasel made him very sober . he scratched his nose thoughtfully . " over in that tall , dead stub you can see from here is an old home of mine , " said he . " no one lives in it now . i guess you can live there until you can find a better home . but remember to keep away from my storehouse . " so it was that whitefoot found a new home . chapter xx : whitefoot makes himself at home look not too much on that behind lest to the future you be blind . whitefoot . whitefoot didn't wait to be told twice of that empty house . he thanked timmy and then scampered over to that stub as fast as his legs would take him . up the stub he climbed , and near the top he found a little round hole . timmy had said no one was living there now , and so whitefoot didn't hesitate to pop inside . there was even a bed in there . it was an old bed , but it was dry and soft . it was quite clear that no one had been in there for a long time . with a little sigh of pure happiness , whitefoot curled up in that bed for the sleep he so much needed . his stomach was full , and once more he felt safe . the very fact that this was an old house in which no one had lived for a long time made it safer . he was so tired that he slept all night . whitefoot is one of those who sleeps when he feels sleepy , whether it be by day or night . he prefers the night to be out and about in , because he feels safer then , but he often comes out by day . so when he awoke in the early morning , he promptly went out for a look about and to get acquainted with his new surroundings . just a little way off was the tall , dead tree in which timmy the flying squirrel had his home . timmy was nowhere to be seen . you see , he had been out most of the night and had gone to bed to sleep through the day . so he scurried about to see what he could find for a breakfast . it didn't take him long to find some pine cones in which a few seeds were still clinging . these would do nicely . whitefoot ate what he wanted and then carried some of them back to his new home in the tall stub . then he went to work to tear to pieces the old bed in there and make it over to suit himself . it was an old bed of timmy the flying squirrel , for you know this was timmy 's old house . whitefoot soon had the bed made over to suit him . and when this was done he felt quite at home . then he started out to explore all about within a short distance of the old stub . he wanted to know every hole and every possible hiding-place all around , for it is on such knowledge that his life depends . when at last he returned home he was very well satisfied . " it is going to be a good place to live , " said he to himself . " there are plenty of hiding-places and i am going to be able to find enough to eat . it will be very nice to have timmy the flying squirrel for a neighbor . i am sure he and i will get along together very nicely . i don't believe shadow the weasel , even if he should come around here , would bother to climb up this old stub . he probably would expect to find me living down in the ground or close to it , anyway . i certainly am glad that i am such a good climber . chapter xxi : whitefoot envies timmy a useless thing is envy ; a foolish thing to boot . why should a fox who has a bark want like an owl to hoot ? whitefoot was beginning to feel quite at home . he would have been wholly contented but for one thing , he had no well-filled storehouse . this meant that each day he must hunt for his food . it wasn't that whitefoot minded hunting for food . he would have done that anyway , even though he had had close at hand a store-house with plenty in it . but he would have felt easier in his mind . but whitefoot is a happy little fellow and wisely made the best of things . at first he came out very little by day . he would peek out of his doorway and watch for chance visitors in the daytime . twice he saw butcher the shrike alight a short distance from the tree in which timmy lived . he knew butcher had not forgotten that he had chased a badly frightened mouse into a hole in that tree . once he saw whitey the snowy owl and so knew that whitey had not yet returned to the far north . timmy came out about the same time , and they had become the best of friends . timmy would nimbly climb to the top of a tree and then jump . down he would come in a long beautiful glide , for all the world as if he were sliding on the air . the first time whitefoot saw him do it he held his breath . he really didn't know what to make of it . " oh ! " squeaked whitefoot . " oh ! he 'll kill himself ! he surely will kill himself ! he 'll break his neck ! " but timmy did nothing of the kind . whitefoot had hard work to believe his own eyes . timmy seemed to be jumping just for the pleasure of it . as a matter of fact , he was . he was getting his evening exercise . whitefoot sighed . " i wish i could jump like that , " said he to himself . " i wouldn't ever be afraid of anybody if i could jump like that . i envy timmy . i do so . " chapter xxii : timmy proves to be a true neighbor he proves himself a neighbor true who seeks a kindly deed to do . whitefoot . occasionally timmy the flying squirrel came over to visit whitefoot . if whitefoot was in his house he always knew when timmy arrived . he would hear a soft thump down near the bottom of the tall stub . whitefoot would poke his head out of his doorway and there , sure enough , would be timmy scrambling up towards him . whitefoot had grown to admire timmy with all his might . it seemed to him that timmy was the most wonderful of all the people he knew . you see there was none of the others who could jump as timmy could . timmy on his part enjoyed having whitefoot for a neighbor . it was such a new feeling that timmy enjoyed it . whitefoot never went far from the tall , dead stub in which he was now living . he didn't dare to . he wanted to be where at the first sign of danger he could scamper back there to safety . timmy would go some distance , but he was seldom gone long . he liked to be where he could watch and talk with whitefoot . you see timmy is very much like other people , he likes to gossip a little . one evening whitefoot had found it hard work to find enough food to fill his stomach . he had kept going a little farther and a little farther from home . finally he was farther from it than he had ever been before . timmy had filled his stomach and from near the top of a tree was watching whitefoot . it was hooty the owl , and it was simply good fortune that timmy happened to see him . timmy did not move . he knew that he was safe so long as he kept perfectly still . he knew that hooty didn't know he was there . unless he moved , those great eyes of hooty 's , wonderful as they were , would not see him . timmy looked over to where he had last seen whitefoot . there he was picking out seeds from a pine cone on the ground . the trunk of a tree was between him and hooty . but timmy knew that whitefoot hadn't seen hooty , and that any minute he might run out from behind that tree . if he did hooty would see him , and silently as a shadow would swoop down and catch him . what was to be done ? " it 's no business of mine , " said timmy to himself . " whitefoot must look out for himself . it is no business of mine at all . perhaps hooty will fly away before whitefoot moves . for a few minutes nothing happened . then whitefoot finished the last seed in that cone and started to look for more . timmy knew that in a moment hooty would see whitefoot . what do you think timmy did ? he jumped . yes , sir , he jumped . down , down , down , straight past the tree on which sat hooty the owl , timmy sailed . hooty saw him . of course . he couldn't help but see him . he spread his great wings and was after timmy in an instant . timmy struck near the foot of a tree and without wasting a second darted around to the other side . he was just in time . hooty was already reaching for him . up the tree ran timmy and jumped again . again hooty was too late . and so timmy led hooty the owl away from whitefoot the wood mouse . chapter xxiii : whitefoot spends a dreadful night pity those who suffer fright in the dark and stilly night . whitefoot . one night of his life whitefoot will never forget so long as he lives . even now it makes him shiver just to think of it . yes , sir , he shivers even now whenever he thinks of that night . he had just poked his nose out that little round doorway when there was the most terrible sound . it seemed to him as if it was in his very ears , so loud and terrible was it . it frightened him so that he simply let go and tumbled backward down inside his house . of course it didn't hurt him any , for he landed on his soft bed . " whooo-hoo-hoo , whooo-hoo ! " came that terrible sound again , and whitefoot shook until his little teeth rattled . at least , that is the way it seemed to him . it was the voice of hooty the owl , and whitefoot knew that hooty was sitting on the top of that very stub . he was , so to speak , on the roof of whitefoot 's house . hooty knows this . no one knows it better than he does . that is why he uses it . he knows that many of the little people are asleep , safely hidden away . he knows that it would be quite useless for him to simply look for them . he would starve before he could find a dinner in that way . his ears are so wonderful that they can catch the faintest sound and tell exactly where it comes from . so he uses that terrible hunting cry to frighten the little people and make them move . now whitefoot knew that he was safe . hooty couldn't possibly get at him , even should he find out that he was in there . he just couldn't help it . " he can't get me . i know he can't get me . i 'm perfectly safe . i 'm just as safe as if he were miles away . there 's nothing to be afraid of . it is silly to be afraid . probably hooty doesn't even know i am inside here . even if he does , it doesn't really matter . " whitefoot said these things to himself over and over again . then hooty would send out that fierce , terrible hunting call and whitefoot would jump and shake just as before . after awhile all was still . gradually whitefoot stopped trembling . he guessed that hooty had flown away . still he remained right where he was for a very long time . he didn't intend to foolishly take any chances . so he waited and waited and waited . at last he was sure that hooty had left . once more he climbed up to his little round doorway and there he waited some time before poking even his nose outside . whitefoot didn't go out that night at all . it was a moonlight night and just the kind of a night to be out . chapter xxiv : whitefoot the wood mouse is unhappy unhappiness without a cause you never , never find ; it may be in the stomach , or it may be in the mind . whitefoot . whitefoot the wood mouse should have been happy , but he wasn't . winter had gone and sweet mistress spring had brought joy to all the green forest . every one was happy , whitefoot no less so than his neighbors at first . up from the sunny south came the feathered friends and at once began planning new homes . twitterings and songs filled the air . joy was everywhere . food became plentiful , and whitefoot became sleek and fat . that is , he became as fat as a lively wood mouse ever does become . none of his enemies had discovered his new home , and he had little to worry about . but by and by whitefoot began to feel less joyous . day by day he grew more and more unhappy . he no longer took pleasure in his fine home . he began to wander about for no particular reason . he wandered much farther from home than he had ever been in the habit of doing . at times he would sit and listen , but what he was listening for he didn't know . " there is something the matter with me , and i don't know what it is , " said whitefoot to himself forlornly . " it can't be anything i have eaten . i have nothing to worry about . yet there is something wrong with me . i 'm losing my appetite . nothing tastes good any more . i want something , but i don't know what it is i want . " he tried to tell his troubles to his nearest neighbor , timmy the flying squirrel , but timmy was too busy to listen . when peter rabbit happened along , whitefoot tried to tell him . but peter himself was too happy and too eager to learn all the news in the green forest to listen . no one had any interest in whitefoot 's troubles . every one was too busy with his own affairs . the beautiful song of melody the wood thrush somehow filled him with sadness instead of with the joy he had always felt before . the very happiness of those about him seemed to make him more unhappy . once he almost decided to go hunt for another home , but somehow he couldn't get interested even in this . he did start out , but he had not gone far before he had forgotten all about what he had started for . he was unhappy , was whitefoot . yes , sir , he was unhappy ; and for no cause at all so far as he could see . chapter xxv : whitefoot finds out what the matter was pity the lonely , for deep in the heart is an ache that no doctor can heal by his art . whitefoot . of all the little people of the green forest whitefoot seemed to be the only one who was unhappy . and because he didn't know why he felt so he became day by day more unhappy . " there is something wrong , something wrong , " he would say over and over to himself . " it must be with me , because everybody else is happy , and this is the happiest time of all the year . i wish some one would tell me what ails me . i want to be happy , but somehow i just can't be . " one evening he wandered a little farther from home than usual . he wasn't going anywhere in particular . he had nothing in particular to do . he was just wandering about because somehow he couldn't remain at home . not far away melody the wood thrush was pouring out his beautiful evening song . whitefoot stopped to listen . somehow it made him more unhappy than ever . melody stopped singing for a few moments . it was just then that whitefoot heard a faint sound . it was a gentle drumming . whitefoot pricked up his ears and listened . there it was again . he knew instantly how that sound was made . it was made by dainty little feet beating very fast on an old log . whitefoot had drummed that way himself many times . it was soft , but clear , and it lasted only a moment . right then something very strange happened to whitefoot . yes , sir , something very strange happened to whitefoot . all in a flash he felt better . at first he didn't know why . he just did , that was all . without thinking what he was doing , he began to drum himself . then he listened . at first he heard nothing . then , soft and low , came that drumming sound again . whitefoot replied to it . all the time he kept feeling better . he ran a little nearer to the place from which that drumming sound had come and then once more drummed . at first he got no reply . then in a few minutes he heard it again , only this time it came from a different place . whitefoot became quite excited . " i have been lonely ! " exclaimed whitefoot . " that is all that has been the trouble with me . i have been lonely and didn't know it . i wonder if that other wood mouse has felt the same way . " again he drummed and again came that soft reply . once more whitefoot hurried in the direction of it , and once more he was disappointed when the next reply came from a different place . by now he was getting quite excited . he was bound to find that other wood mouse . every time he heard that drumming , funny little thrills ran all over him . he didn't know why . they just did , that was all . he simply must find that other wood mouse . he forgot everything else . he didn't even notice where he was going . he would drum , then wait for a reply . as soon as he heard it , he would scamper in the direction of it , and then pause to drum again . chapter xxvi : love fills the heart of whitefoot joyous all the winds that blow to the heart with love aglow . whitefoot . it was a wonderful game of hide-and-seek that whitefoot the wood mouse was playing in the dusk of early evening . whitefoot was " it " all the time . that is , he was the one who had to do all the hunting . just who he was hunting for he didn't know . he would drum with his feet and after a slight pause there would be an answering drum . then whitefoot would run as fast as he could in that direction only to find no one at all . then he would drum again and the reply would come from another direction . every moment whitefoot became more excited . he forgot everything , even danger , in his desire to see that little drummer . once or twice he actually lost his temper in his disappointment . but this was only for a moment . he was too eager to find that little drummer to be angry very long . at last there came a time when there was no reply to his drumming . he drummed and listened , then drummed again and listened . nothing was to be heard . there was no reply . whitefoot 's heart sank . all the old lonesomeness crept over him again . he didn't know which way to turn to look for that stranger . when he had drummed until he was tired , he sat on the end of an old log , a perfect picture of disappointment . he was so disappointed that he could have cried if it would have done any good . instantly whitefoot was alert and watchful . long ago he had learned to be suspicious of rustling leaves . they might have been rustled by the feet of an enemy stealing up on him . no wood mouse who wants to live long is ever heedless of rustling leaves . as still as if he couldn't move , whitefoot sat staring at the place from which that faint sound had seemed to come . for two or three minutes he heard and saw nothing . then another leaf rustled a little bit to one side . whitefoot turned like a flash , his feet gathered under him ready for a long jump for safety . at first he saw nothing . then he became aware of two bright , soft little eyes watching him . he knew without being told that those eyes belonged to the little drummer with whom he had been playing hide and seek so long . whitefoot held his breath , he was so afraid that those eyes would vanish . finally he rather timidly jumped down from the log and started toward those two soft eyes . they vanished . whitefoot 's heart sank . he was tempted to rush forward , but he didn't . he sat still . there was a slight rustle off to the right . it seemed to whitefoot that he was looking at the most beautiful wood mouse in all the great world . suddenly he felt very shy and timid himself . " who who who are you ? " he stammered . " i am little miss dainty , " replied the stranger bashfully . right then and there whitefoot 's heart was filled so full of something that it seemed as if it would burst . it was love . all in that instant he knew that he had found the most wonderful thing in all the great world , which of course is love . he knew that he just couldn't live without little miss dainty . chapter xxvii : mr and mrs. whitefoot when all is said and all is done ' tis only love of two makes one . whitefoot . it took whitefoot a long time to make her believe that he really couldn't live without her . at least , she pretended not to believe it . if the truth were known , little miss dainty felt just the same way about whitefoot . secretly she thought whitefoot the most wonderful wood mouse in the great world , but she didn't tell him so . the truth is , she made him feel as if she were doing him a great favor . as for whitefoot , he was so happy that he actually tried to sing . yes , sir , whitefoot tried to sing , and he really did very well for a mouse . he was ready and eager to do anything that mrs whitefoot wanted to do . whitefoot forgot that he had ever been sad and lonely . he raced about and did all sorts of funny things from pure joy , but he never once forgot to watch out for danger . in fact he was more watchful than ever , for now he was watching for mrs whitefoot as well as for himself . at last whitefoot rather timidly suggested that they should go see his fine home in a certain hollow stub . mrs whitefoot insisted that they should go to her home . whitefoot agreed on condition that she would afterwards visit his home . so together they went back to mrs whitefoot 's home . but mrs whitefoot was very well satisfied with her old home and not at all anxious to leave it . it was in an old hollow stump close to the ground . it was just such a place as shadow the weasel would be sure to visit should he happen along that way . it didn't seem at all safe to whitefoot . in fact it worried him . then , too , it was not in such a pleasant place as was his own home . of course he didn't say this , but pretended to admire everything . two days and nights they spent there . then whitefoot suggested that they should visit his home . mrs whitefoot didn't appear at all anxious to go . she began to make excuses for staying right where they were . you see , she had a great love for that old home . they were sitting just outside the doorway talking about the matter when whitefoot caught a glimpse of a swiftly moving form not far off . it was shadow the weasel . neither of them breathed . shadow passed without looking in their direction . when he was out of sight , mrs whitefoot shivered . " let's go over to your home right away , " she whispered . " i 've never seen shadow about here before , but now that he has been here once , he may come again . " " we 'll start at once , " replied whitefoot , and for once he was glad that shadow the weasel was about . chapter xviii : mrs whitefoot decides on a home when mrs mouse makes up her mind then mr mouse best get behind . whitefoot . whitefoot the wood mouse was very proud of his home . he showed it as he led mrs whitefoot there . he felt sure that she would say at once that that would be the place for them to live . you remember that it was high up in a tall , dead stub and had once been the home of timmy the flying squirrel . " there , my dear , what do you think of that ? " said whitefoot proudly as they reached the little round doorway . mrs whitefoot said nothing , but at once went inside . she was gone what seemed a long time to whitefoot , anxiously waiting outside . you see , mrs whitefoot is a very thorough small person , and she was examining the inside of that house from top to bottom . at last she appeared at the doorway . " don't you think this is a splendid house ? " asked whitefoot rather timidly . " it is very good of its kind , " replied mrs whitefoot . whitefoot 's heart sank . he didn't like the tone in which mrs whitefoot had said that . " just what do you mean , my dear ? " whitefoot asked . that is , it won't do for me . besides , i don't like an inside house for summer . i think , whitefoot , we must look around and find a new home . " as she spoke mrs whitefoot was already starting down the stub . whitefoot followed . " all right , my dear , all right , " said he meekly . " you know best . this seems to me like a very fine home , but of course , if you don't like it we 'll look for another . " mrs whitefoot said nothing , but led the way down the tree with whitefoot meekly following . then began a patient search all about . mrs whitefoot appeared to know just what she wanted and turned up her nose at several places whitefoot thought would make fine homes . she hardly glanced at a fine hollow log whitefoot found . she merely poked her nose in at a splendid hole beneath the roots of an old stump . whitefoot began to grow tired from running about and climbing stumps and trees and bushes . he stopped to rest and lost sight of mrs whitefoot . a moment later he heard her calling excitedly . it was a nest that had once belonged to melody the wood thrush . mrs whitefoot was sitting on the edge of it , and her bright eyes snapped with excitement and pleasure . " i 've found it ! " she cried . " i 've found it ! it is just what i have been looking for . " " found what ? " whitefoot asked . " i don't see anything but an old nest of melody 's . " " i 've found the home we 've been looking for , stupid , " retorted mrs whitefoot . still whitefoot stared . " i don't see any house , " said he . mrs whitefoot stamped her feet impatiently . " right here , stupid , " said she . " this old nest will make us the finest and safest home that ever was . no one will ever think of looking for us here . we must get busy at once and fix it up . " even then whitefoot didn't understand . always he had lived either in a hole in the ground , or in a hollow stump or tree . how they were to live in that old nest he couldn't see at all . chapter xxix : making over an old house a home is always what you make it . with love there you will ne'er forsake it . whitefoot . whitefoot climbed up to the old nest of melody the wood thrush over the edge of which little mrs whitefoot was looking down at him . he found mrs whitefoot very much excited . she was delighted with that old nest and she showed it . for his part , whitefoot couldn't see anything but a deserted old house of no use to any one . to be sure , it had been a very good home in its time . it had been made of tiny twigs , stalks of old weeds , leaves , little fine roots and mud . it was still quite solid , and was firmly fixed in a crotch of the young tree . but whitefoot couldn't see how it could be turned into a home for a mouse . he said as much . little mrs whitefoot became more excited than ever . " you dear old stupid , " said she , " whatever is the matter with you ? " i don't see why we don't make a new home altogether , " protested whitefoot . " it seems to me that hollow stub of mine is ever so much better than this . that has good solid walls , and we won't have to do a thing to it . " " it will be all right for winter , but winter is a long way off . it may suit you for summer , but it doesn't suit me , and this place does . so this is where we are going to live . " " certainly , my dear . certainly , " replied whitefoot very meekly . " if you want to live here , here we will live . but i must confess it isn't clear to me yet how we are going to make a decent home out of this old nest . " " don't you worry about that , " replied mrs whitefoot . " you can get the material , and i 'll attend to the rest . let us waste no time about it . i am anxious to get our home finished and to feel a little bit settled . i have already planned just what has got to be done and how we will do it . just get busy and don't stop to talk . " of course whitefoot did as he was told . he ran down to the ground and began to hunt for the things mrs whitefoot wanted . he was very particular about it . mrs whitefoot joined whitefoot in hunting for just the right things , but she spent more time in arranging the material . over that old nest she made a fine high roof . down through the lower side she cut a little round doorway just big enough for them to pass through . unless you happened to be underneath looking up , you never would have guessed there was an entrance at all . inside was a snug , round room , and in this she made the softest and most comfortable of beds . " it certainly is going to be a fine home , " said whitefoot . " didn't i tell you it would be ? " retorted mrs whitefoot . chapter xxx : the whitefoots enjoy their new home no home is ever mean or poor where love awaits you at the door . whitefoot . i don't think any water will get through it even in the hardest rain . " " it is wonderful , " declared whitefoot admiringly . " wherever did you learn to build such a house as this ? " " from my mother , " replied mrs whitefoot . " i was born in just such a home . it makes the finest kind of a home for wood mouse babies . " " you don't think there is danger that the wind will blow it down , do you ? " ventured whitefoot . " of course i don't , " retorted little mrs whitefoot scornfully . " hasn't this old nest remained right where it is for over a year ? do credit me with a little sense , my dear . " " yes 'm , i do , " replied whitefoot meekly . " you are the most sensible person in all the great world . i wasn't finding fault . but if you say it is all right , why of course it is all right . probably i will get used to it after awhile . " whitefoot did get used to it . the fact is , he rather enjoyed it . so whitefoot and mrs whitefoot settled down to enjoy their new home . now and then they added a bit to it here and there . somehow whitefoot felt unusually safe , safer than he had ever felt in any of his other homes . you see , he had seen several feathered folk alight close to it and not give it a second look . whitefoot had chuckled . he had chuckled long and heartily . " if they make that mistake , " said he to himself , " everybody else is likely to make it . it was only a day or two later that buster bear happened along that way . now buster is very fond of tender wood mouse . he saw buster glance up at the new home without the slightest interest in those shrewd little eyes of his . then buster shuffled on to roll over an old log and lick up the ants he found under it . again whitefoot chuckled . " yes , sir , " said he . " it is the safest home i ' ve ever had . " life seemed more beautiful than it had ever been before . and he almost forgot that there was such a thing as a hungry enemy . chapter xxxi : whitefoot is hurt the hurts that hardest are to bear come from those for whom we care . whitefoot . whitefoot was hurt . yes , sir , whitefoot was hurt . he was very much hurt . it wasn't a bodily hurt ; it was an inside hurt . it was a hurt that made his heart ache . and to make it worse , he couldn't understand it at all . one evening he had been met at the little round doorway by little mrs whitefoot . " you can't come in , " said she . " why can't i ? " demanded whitefoot , in the greatest surprise . " never mind why . you can't , and that is all there is to it , " replied mrs whitefoot . " you mean i can't ever come in any more ? " asked whitefoot . " i don't know about that , " replied mrs whitefoot , " but you can't come in now , nor for some time . i think the best thing you can do is to go back to your old home in the hollow stub . " whitefoot stared at little mrs whitefoot quite as if he thought she had gone crazy . then he lost his temper . " i guess i 'll come in if i want to , " said he . " this home is quite as much my home as it is yours . you have no right to keep me out of it . just you get out of my way . " but little mrs whitefoot didn't get out of his way , and do what he would , whitefoot couldn't get in . you see she quite filled that little round doorway . finally , he had to give up trying . three times he came back and each time he found little mrs whitefoot in the doorway . and each time she drove him away . finally , for lack of any other place to go to , he returned to his old home in the old stub . once he had thought this the finest home possible , but now somehow it didn't suit him at all . whitefoot 's anger did not last long . it was replaced by that hurt feeling . several times he went back to see if mrs whitefoot felt any differently , but found she didn't . finally she told him rather sharply to go away and stay away . after that whitefoot didn't venture over to the new home . he would sometimes sit a short distance away and gaze at it longingly . all the joy had gone out of the beautiful springtime for him . he was quite as unhappy as he had been before he met little mrs whitefoot . you see , he was even more lonely than he had been then . and added to this loneliness was that hurt feeling , which made it ever and ever so much worse . it was very hard to bear . i don't understand why mrs whitefoot doesn't love me any more . " chapter xxxii : the surprise surprises sometimes are so great you 're tempted to believe in fate . whitefoot . one never-to-be forgotten evening whitefoot met mrs whitefoot and she invited him to come back to their home . of course whitefoot was delighted . whitefoot hesitated . in the first place , it was dark in there . in the second place , he had the feeling that somehow that little bedroom seemed crowded . it hadn't been that way the last time he was there . mrs whitefoot was right in front of him , and she seemed very much excited about something . presently she crowded to one side . " come here and look , " said she . whitefoot looked . in the middle of a soft bed of moss was a squirming mass of legs and funny little heads . at first that was all whitefoot could make out . " don't you think this is the most wonderful surprise that ever was ? " whispered little mrs whitefoot . " aren't they darlings ? aren't you proud of them ? " by this time whitefoot had made out that that squirming mass of legs and heads was composed of baby mice . he counted them . there were four . " whose are they , and what are they doing here ? " whitefoot asked in a queer voice . " why , you old stupid , they are yours , yours and mine , " declared little mrs whitefoot . " did you ever , ever see such beautiful babies ? now i guess you understand why i kept you away from here . " whitefoot shook his head . " no , " said he , " i don't understand at all . i don't see yet what you drove me away for . " it wouldn't have done to have had you running in and out and disturbing them when they were so tiny . i had to be alone with them , and that is why i made you go off and live by yourself . i am so proud of them , i don't know what to do . aren't you proud , whitefoot ? aren't you the proudest wood mouse in all the green forest ? " of course whitefoot should have promptly said that he was , but the truth is , whitefoot wasn't proud at all . you see , he was so surprised that he hadn't yet had time to feel that they were really his . in fact , just then he felt a wee bit jealous of them . it came over him that they would take all the time and attention of little mrs whitefoot . so whitefoot didn't answer that question . he simply sat and stared at those four squirming babies . finally little mrs whitefoot gently pushed him out and followed him . " of course , " said she , " there isn't room for you to stay here now . you will have to sleep in your old home because there isn't room in here for both of us and the babies too . " whitefoot 's heart sank . he had thought that he was to stay and that everything would be just as it had been before . " can't i come over here any more ? " he asked rather timidly . " what a foolish question ! " cried little mrs whitefoot . " of course you can . you will have to help take care of these babies . why , they couldn't get along without you . neither could i , " she added softly . at that whitefoot felt better . and suddenly there was a queer swelling in his heart . it was the beginning of pride , pride in those wonderful babies . " you have given me the best surprise that ever was , my dear , " said whitefoot softly . " now i think i will go and look for some supper . " so now we will leave whitefoot and his family . you see there are two very lively little people of the green forest who demand attention and insist on having it . they are buster bear 's twins , and this is to be the title of the next book . end of project gutenberg 's whitefoot the wood mouse , by thornton w burgess