A Stranger Visits Jerry Muskrat's House
By Thornton W. Burgess
One morning Jerry Muskrat awoke earlier than usual. You see Jerry was very lazy these days. He had worked very hard in the summer and fall to build his splendid big house in the Smiling Pool and his secret castle under the roots of the Big Hickory Tree, and now that is was winter and the Green Meadows were all white with snow and the Smiling Pool was covered with hard ice, Jerry felt that he had a right to be lazy. So he used to sleep late in the snug, warm bedroom in the upper part of his house in the Smiling Pool. He had stored there a goodly supply of roots of the yellow water lily and so didn't have to get up for breakfast unless he felt like it.
But this particular morning Jerry Muskrat awoke early and for no reason in particular he didn't feel like lying abed. So instead of eating breakfast in bed, like the gentleman of leisure that he could be if wanted to, he decided to slip out and dig a fresh lily root and take it over to a snug little place he knew of where there was the nicest little air chamber close under the bank.
He was sitting there munching away on his lily root and as happy and contented as could be when he saw a brown body moving swiftly through the water in the Smiling Pool. Jerry knew right away what that brown body was. It was a Mink. Jerry dropped his lily root and stared at the swiftly moving brown body until it had disappeared. It wasn't Billy Mink. He was sure of that, because it was a great deal bigger than Billy Mink. Jerry grew very thoughtful. If it wasn't Billy Mink it must be a stranger and if it was a stranger -- Jerry felt a little cold, sinking feeling inside which is fear. You see Jerry knew that sometimes in the winter when food is scarce and Minks grow hungry and fierce, if they are big enough they sometimes kill and eat muskrats.
Right away Jerry Muskrat lost his appetite. Where was that big mink going? Jerry wanted to follow and see, but something inside whispered for him to sit still right where he was and wait. So Jerry waited and waited and the longer he waited the greater grew that little cold, sinking feeling inside. By and by Jerry saw that swift moving brown thing coming back. It moved just as swiftly as before and it passed him without seeing him and disappeared in the direction of the Laughing Brook.
Jerry's heart went pit-a-pat-a-pit-a-pat! Oh, so still and hardly breathing Jerry sat. Right inside him grew a feeling that was queer; Jerry knew that is was something folks call fear.
After a long long time Jerry felt sure that the stranger had gone away. He drew a long breath and then as fast as he could swim he started for his house. He hurried in at the doorway down under water and scrambled up into his snug, warm bedroom. My, my, my, what a sight! His bed was torn to pieces. His store of fat lily roots had been pulled this way and that and were scattered all over the remains of his bed. Jerry sniffed once. Then he sniffed again. There was no mistaking that strong smell -- it was Mink. The stranger had been to his house and Jerry knew what for. He had expected to find Jerry asleep there and if he had -- Jerry shivered at the thought.
"This is no place for me," said Jerry as he sadly looked about at the ruin of his bedroom. "It's a good thing I built that castle under the roots of the Big Hickory Tree and the sooner I get there the better for me!"
And without waiting another minute Jerry Muskrat hurried to the hidden entrance to the long tunnel that led to his secret castle under the roots of the Old Hickory Tree.