Whitefoot the Wood Mouse | Page 6

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. But he was
too weak and tired to move, so he just lay there while Farmer Brown's
boy gently stroked his head and told him how sorry he was.

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. Farmer Brown's boy put some bits of food where
Whitefoot could get them, and as he ate, Whitefoot's beautiful soft eyes
were filled with gratitude.

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. You see, in his white coat Jumper was so exactly the color of
the snow that he looked like nothing more than a little heap of snow.
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. At the first word the
sharp little face disappeared, but in a moment it was back, and the sharp
little eyes were fixed on Jumper suspiciously. After a long stare the
suspicion left them, and out of the little round hole came trim little
Whitefoot in a soft brown coat with white waistcoat and with white feet
and a long, slim tail. 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.
"Hooty the Great Horned Owl, Yowler the Bob Cat, Old Man Coyote,
Reddy Fox, Terror the Goshawk, Shadow the Weasel, Billy Mink."
Jumper paused.
"Is that all?" demanded Whitefoot.
"Isn't that enough?" retorted Jumper rather sharply.
"I have all of those and Blacky the Crow and Butcher the Shrike and
Sammy Jay in winter, and Buster Hear and Jimmy Skunk and several
of the Snake family in summer," replied Whitefoot. "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. But come to think of it, I guess you are right; the
more timid I am, the longer I am likely