Part 3 (1/2)

A Strange Ride and How It Ended

Danny Meadow Mouse often had sat watching Ski around up in the blue, blue sky He had watched Ol'

Mistah Buzzard go up, up, up, until he was nothing but a tiny speck, and Danny had wondered hoould seem to be way up above the Green Meadows and the Green Forest and look down It had seemed to him that it must be very wonderful and beautiful

Soo up in the air and look down And now here he was, he, Danny Meadow Mouse, actually doing that very thing!

But Danny could see nothing wonderful or beautiful now No, indeed! Everything was terrible, for you see, Danny Meadow Mouse wasn't flying hi carried Yes, Sir, Danny Meadow Mouse was being carried through the air in the cruel claws of Hooty the Owl! And all because Danny had forgotten--forgotten to watch up in the sky for danger

[Illustration: _Danny was being carried through the air in the cruel claws of Hooty the Owl!_]

Poor, poor Danny Meadow Mouse! Hooty's great cruel claws hurt him dreadfully! But it wasn't the pain that was the worst No, indeed! It wasn't the pain! It was the thought of ould happen when Hooty reached his hoobble hi, and Danny Meadow Mouse knew just what those chuckles ood reat cruel claws, Danny looked down on the snow-covered Green Meadows he loved so well They seeh really they were not far at all, for Hooty was flying very low But Danny Meadow Mouse had never in all his life been so high up before, and so it seemed to him that he ay up in the sky, and he shut his eyes so as not to see But he couldn't keep them shut No, Sir, he couldn't keep the the nearer and nearer It always had looked very beautiful to Danny Meadow Mouse, but now it looked terrible, very terrible indeed, because over in it, hidden away there in some dark place, was the home of Hooty the Owl

Just ahead of him was the Old Briar-patch where Peter Rabbit lives so safely Every old bramble in it was covered with snow and it was very, very beautiful Really everything was just as beautiful as ever--the ht, the Green Forest, the snow-covered Green Meadows, the Old Briar-patch The only change was in Danny Meadow Mouse hiotten

Suddenly Danny began to wriggle and struggle ”Keep still!”

snapped Hooty the Owl

But Danny only struggled harder than ever It seehtly as at first He felt one of Hooty's claws slip It tore his coat and hurt dreadfully, but it slipped! The fact is, Hooty had only grabbed Danny Meadow Mouse by the loose part of his coat, and up in the air he couldn't get hold of Danny any better Danny kicked, squirmed, and twisted, and twisted, squirmed, and kicked He felt his coat tear and of course the skin with it, but he kept right on, for noas hanging alet a better hold Danny gave one !

Danny Meadow Mouse shut his eyes and held his breath Down, down, down he fell It seemed to him that he never would strike the snow-covered meadows! Really he fell only a very little distance

But it see that scratched hiht in the veryhe ree of Hooty the Owl

[Illustration]

XI

Peter Rabbit Gets a Fright

Peter Rabbit sat in his favorite place in theto decide which way he would go on his travels that night The night before he had had a narrow escape fro to eat around the S Pool and no one to talk to there any more, and you know that Peter must either eat or ask questions in order to be perfectly happy No, the S Pool was too dull a place to interest Peter on such a beautiful ainst those of old Granny Fox again in the Green Forest

Early thatnap, Tommy tit the Chickadee had dropped into the dear Old Briar-patch just to be neighborly Peter was just dozing off when he heard the cheeriest little voice in the world It was saying:

”_Dee-dee-chickadee!

I see you! Can you see et his eyes open and look up There, right over his head, was To old braht in front of Peter, then up in the braht side up, upside down, here, there, everywhere, never still aaway in the cheeriest little voice in the world:

”_Dee-dee-chickadee!

I'm as happy as can be!

Find it much the better way To be happy all the day

Dee-dee-chickadee!