They must have turned a double-quick 

 somersault, for, like another flash there 

 were the little heads and bright eyes 

 looking out at the very openings where 

 their tails had vanished an instant be- 

 fore. Scores of curious little faces 

 were peering out and their owners were 

 anxious to know what made the first 

 prairie-dog call out, "Danger, danger!" 



Again came several quick calls from 

 the distant sentinel; then all the little 

 animals disappeared into their burrows. 



No, not quite all of them. Way over 

 on Last street there was an exciting 

 scene. Mr. Silence Prairie Dog sat up- 

 right in front of his door fairly shaking 

 all over with anger. His body shook, 

 his tail shook, his head shook, and he 

 yelped and barked — turned and popped 

 into his burrow — turned again and 

 popped out of his burrow in the same 

 instant, and acted like one going crazy. 



No wonder! Crawling slowly along 

 through the short, dry grass, came a 

 large rattlesnake. Nearer and nearer 

 it glided to the door of the burrow. 

 When it was almost there, Mr. Silence 

 Prairie Dog keeled into his house, the 

 snake slid after him, and then silence 

 fell. 



That night the village heard the rest 

 of the story — how Mr. and Mrs. Silence 

 Prairie Dog bit at the rattlesnake with 

 their sharp teeth and scratched at him 

 with their sharp claws, but could not 

 drive him out of their nest where lay 

 two baby prairie dogs. These two he 

 ate for his dinner and then lay down in 

 the deep, soft, warm nest of dried grass. 

 How Mother Silence crept back after 

 a long time and found the greedy old 

 snake lying dead. Yes, truly; killed 

 by the fierce bites of Mr. and Mrs. 

 Silence. 



Now all these sad affairs made young 

 Wish-ton-wish quite blue. 



Besides, when he went that afternoon 

 to call on the Talky misses, he found 

 that the plumpest one had gone after 

 timothy with another young fellow. 

 All at once he made up his mind that 

 life was a failure and that he would run 

 away from home. 



When the prairie-dog folk found out 

 that he was gone they were very sorry. 

 They felt sure he had been eaten by 

 some bird of prey or by a sly coyote. 



" He was so wise and so handsome 

 and so brave," said his mother; "there 

 was no young fellow in the village who 

 could be named in the same day with 

 Wish-ton-wish." 



Most everybody praised him now 

 that he was dead, or now that they 

 thought he was. I wonder if it isn't 

 rather a poor plan to wait until people 

 are dead or far away before we say the 

 kind things that might have made them 

 happy when they were near? 



"We must not neglect our duties 

 even in sorrow," said the father. " It 

 is going to rain. Let us go out and 

 put our mound into good order so that 

 the water may not run into our bur- 

 rows." They worked with a will, and 

 found out, as everyone always does, 

 that nothing helps sorrow and trouble 

 so quickly as hard work. 



When morning came the very first 

 one to be out of a burrow was Wish- 

 ton-wish's mother. Perhaps she had 

 not slept any all night. 



She went up to the top of the mound, 

 then stood still with astonishment and 

 joy; for there, on the other side of it, 

 was Wish-ton-wish, hard at work. He 

 was patting and smoothing the sides 

 and making them even after the rain. 



" O, where have you been all night. 

 Wish-ton-wish?" cried his mother. 



"I went over to the next village; I 

 thought they might not have so many 

 troubles as we have and perhaps I'd 

 stay. But they have even more, 

 mother; they have snakes and hawks 

 and owls and coyotes and men, for yes- 

 terday some vie7i came there with a 

 great tank of water and poured five 

 barrels into one burrow. They said 

 they were making an 'experiment.' Of 

 course they couldn't drown anybod}- 

 because the burrows run down and up 

 in every direction. So I thought I'd 

 come home again." 



"My son," said his mother, "you 

 have learned a wise lesson. It is of no 

 use to run away from trouble, hoping 

 to find a place where there isn't any. 

 Trouble comes everywhere; and so 

 does happiness." 



"Yes, mother; I believe it." said 

 Wish-ton-wish, and he looked with soft 

 eyes over toward the burrow of the 

 plumpest Miss Talky. 



163 



