himself. "Now everybody can see it. And no one will
get caught." Then he jumped into Broad Brook again and swam away.

Not long afterwards a slim figure came stealing through the woods. It
was Peter Mink; and he had a bag in his hand. He expected to use the
bag, too. For he was very sure that he would find Jimmy Rabbit fast in
the trap and he intended to put him in the bag and drag him away.

Peter was disappointed when he saw that the trap was empty. And he
wondered what had happened.

"Well, here's the bag, anyhow," he said to himself. "I've got that!" And
he sat down and made a hole in the bag for his head, and two more for
his arms, and drew the bag on. It fitted him very well.

"Why, here I've a new coat!" he said. "I see now that the bag would have
been much too small to hold Jimmy Rabbit. So it's just as well he didn't
get caught in the trap."

And Peter Mink walked away. He liked his new coat But probably it wasn't
the kind you would care for at all.

[Illustration]

THE DUCK POND

Sometimes Peter Mink grew tired of not knowing where he was going to
sleep. And now and then, when he happened to be in some neighborhood
that he liked, he would try to find a place where he might stay until he
felt like roaming on again.

There was one neighborhood that Peter liked very much. He often said
that of all the places in Pleasant Valley that he knew anything about,
there was no other as charming as Farmer Green's duck pond.

The reason for his thinking that was that he was specially fond of duck
meat. And, of course, it was convenient to be able to swim under
water, and steal upon a fat duck, and seize her before she knew that
Peter was anywhere near.

[Illustration: PETER PULLED JIMMY OUT OF THE MUD]

Now, Peter Mink learned that there was a muskrat who had built him a
house in the bank of the duck pond. And as soon as Peter found out where
the muskrat's home was, he drove away the owner and began to live in the
house himself.

He found it very comfortable. And he caught a duck every day, until at
last Farmer Green noticed that his ducks were disappearing.

"I believe it's a mink that's taking them," Farmer Green said to his son
Johnnie. "If it was a coon, he'd steal more than just one a day.... Now,
you take the old gun and go down to the pond and hide. And when I let
the ducks go out for their swim, I want you to watch for a mink."

Naturally, Peter Mink didn't hear what Farmer Green said. If h