ng, before jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was out of bed,
old Granny Fox trotted down onto the meadows and straight over to
where, down under the snow, lay the old fence-post. It had snowed
again, and all the little doorways of Danny Meadow Mouse were
covered up with soft, fleecy snow. Behind Granny Fox limped Reddy
Fox, grumbling to himself.

When they reached the place where the old fence-post lay buried
under the snow, old Granny Fox stretched out as flat as she could.
Then she told Reddy to cover her up with the new soft snow. Reddy
did as he was told, but all the time he grumbled. "Now you go off to
the Green Forest and keep out of sight," said Granny Fox. "By and by
I'll bring you some Meadow Mouse for your breakfast," and Granny Fox
chuckled to think how smart she was and how she was going to catch
Danny Meadow Mouse.

CHAPTER VIII

_Brother North Wind Proves a Friend_

Danny Meadow Mouse had seen nothing of old Granny Fox or Reddy Fox
for several days. Every morning the first thing he did, even before
he had breakfast, was to climb up to one of his little round
doorways and peep out over the beautiful white meadows, to see if
there was any danger near. But every time he did this, Danny used a
different doorway. "For," said Danny to himself, "if any one should
happen, just happen, to see me this morning, they might be waiting
just outside my doorway to catch me to-morrow morning." You see
there is a great deal of wisdom in the little head that Danny Meadow
Mouse carries on his shoulders.

But the first day and the second day and the third day he saw
nothing of old Granny Fox or of Reddy Fox, and he began to enjoy
running through his tunnels under the snow and scurrying across from
one doorway to another on top of the snow, just as he had before the
Foxes had tried so hard to catch him. But he hadn't forgotten, as
Granny Fox had hoped he would. No, indeed, Danny Meadow Mouse hadn't
forgotten. He was too wise for that.

One morning, when he started to climb up to one of his little
doorways, he found that it was closed. Yes, sir, it was closed. In
fact, there wasn't any doorway. More snow had fallen from the clouds
in the night and had covered up every one of the little round
doorways of Danny Meadow Mouse.

"Ha!" said Danny, "I shall have a busy day, a very busy day, opening
all my doorways. I'll eat my breakfast, and then I'll go to work."

So Danny Meadow Mouse ate a good breakfast of seeds which he