in one way peter mink was like master meadow mouse. he enjoyed swimming. and he spent a great deal of his time along the streams that threaded their way through pleasant valley. sometimes peter dawdled on the banks of swift river. sometimes he lingered for days in the neighborhood of black creek. nor did he disdain so small a stream as the brook that crossed the meadow. it was deep enough for a swim. and he knew that muskrats lived under its banks. while as for meadow mice—well, peter mink had surprised many a one swimming in the brook. if it hadn't been for the meadow mice perhaps he wouldn't have visited the brook so often.

even in winter master meadow mouse just had to have his cold dip now and then. so he ran one of his many snow tunnels to the brook, making a little opening that led under the ice, where the water had fallen away and left a cavern. just because there was skating for johnnie green on top of the brook it mustn't be supposed that master meadow mouse wasn't going to have a swim when he wanted one.

when peter mink wandered along a stream in winter he preferred to travel under the ice, rather than walk upon the upper side of it. it made little difference to him whether there was a dry strip along the edge of the stream, where he could steal silently along without wetting his feet. when he found no place to walk, he swam.

now, master meadow mouse was well aware of this trick of peter mink's—this trick of lurking beneath the ice of river, creek and brook. but master meadow mouse would have his cold dip now and then despite peter mink and his prowling ways.

to be sure, master meadow mouse tried to be careful. before he crept from the end of his tunnel, he stuck his head out and looked up and down and all around. he peeped under the bank of the brook. he even stared into the water. and then—if he saw nobody that was fiercer than paddy muskrat—only then would he venture to skip to the water's edge and plunge in.

to tell the truth, master meadow mouse always felt safer when one of the muskrat family happened to be taking a swim at the same time. for the muskrats all had a warning signal that told everybody when there was danger. when one of them caught sight of peter mink he never failed—if he was in the water—to give a loud slap upon the surface with his tail.

master meadow mouse always had one ear that was listening for that slap. and when it sounded he never waited an instant, but darted into his tunnel without even stopping to shake the water off his coat. he said that he could dry his coat after he reached home; while if he stopped to dry it at the edge of the brook perhaps he'd never get home at all.

you might think that now and then he would have said to himself, "oh, i won't bother to look for peter mink to-day. he must be miles away. i'll step right out of my tunnel and have my swim without taking a look-see first." but master meadow mouse was never so lazy as that. and the day came at last when it was well worth his while to take the little extra trouble of peeping out before he had his swim.

for master meadow mouse caught a glimpse of a snakelike head that darted out from under the bank of the brook and darted back again, out of sight. he knew that that queer head belonged to peter mink, and to nobody else.

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