After his discovery that Old Mother Nature had wrapped all the ears
of corn in extra thick husks, Blacky had no doubt in his own mind
that Johnny Chuck and Jerry Muskrat and Paddy the Beaver and the
Quacks were quite right in feeling that the coming winter would be
long, hard and cold. But Blacky long ago learned that it isn't wise
or wholly safe to depend altogether on one thing.

"Old Mother Nature never does things by halves," thought Blacky, as
he sat on the fence post on the Green Meadows, thinking over his
discovery of the thick husks on the corn. "She wouldn't take care to
protect the corn that way and not do as much for other things. There
must be other signs, if I am smart enough to find them."

He lifted one black wing and began to set in order the feathers
beneath it. Suddenly he made a funny little hop straight up.

"Well, I never!" he exclaimed, as he spread his wings to regain his
balance. "I never did!"

"Is that so?" piped a squeaky little voice. "If you say you never
did, I suppose you never did, though I want the word of some one
else before I will believe it. What is it you never did?"

Blacky looked down. Peeping up at him from the brown grass were two
bright little eyes.

"Hello, Danny Meadow Mouse!" exclaimed Blacky. "I haven't seen you
for a long time. I've looked for you several times lately."