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But Farmer Brown’s boy didn’t do anything of the kind. No, Sir, he didn’t. Instead he shouted to Bowser and called him away. Bowser didn’t want to come, but he long ago learned to obey, and very slowly he walked over to where his master was sitting.

“You know it wouldn’t be fair, old fellow, to try to catch Peter now. It wouldn’t be fair at all, and we never want to do anything unfair, do we?” said he. Perhaps Bowser didn’t agree, but he wagged his tail as if he did, and sat down beside his master to watch Peter swim.

It seemed to Peter as if he never, never would reach the shore, though really it was only a very little distance that he had to swim. When he did scramble out, he was a sorry-looking Rabbit. He didn’t waste any time, but started for home as fast as he could go, lipperty-lipperty-lip. And Farmer Brown’s boy and Bowser the Hound just laughed and didn’t try to catch him at all.

“Well, I never!” exclaimed Sammy Jay, who had seen it all from the top of a pine tree. “Well, I never! I guess Farmer Brown’s boy isn’t so bad, after all.”

CHAPTER IX. Paddy Plans a House.

Paddy the Beaver sat on his dam, and his eyes shone with happiness as he looked out over the shining water of the pond he had made. All around the edge of it grew the tall trees of the Green Forest. It was very beautiful and very still and very lonesome. That is, it would have seemed lonesome to almost anyone but Paddy the Beaver. But Paddy never is lonesome. You see, he finds company in the trees and flowers and all the little plants.

It was still, very, very still. Over on one side was a beautiful rosy glow in the water. It was the reflection from jolly, round, red Mr. Sun. Paddy couldn’t see him because of the tall trees, but he knew exactly what Mr. Sun was doing. He was going to bed behind the Purple Hills. Pretty soon the little stars would come out and twinkle down at him. He loves the little stars and always watches for the first one.

Yes, Paddy the Beaver was very happy. He would have been perfectly happy except for one thing. Farmer Brown’s boy had found his dam and pond that very afternoon, and Paddy wasn’t quite sure what Farmer Brown’s boy might do. He had kept himself snugly hidden while Farmer Brown’s boy was there, and he felt quite sure that Farmer Brown’s boy didn’t know who had built the dam. But for this reason he might, he just might, try to find out all about it, and that would mean that Paddy would always have to be on the watch.

“But what’s the use of worrying over troubles that haven’t come yet, and may never come? Time enough to worry when they do come,” said Paddy to himself, which shows that Paddy has a great deal of wisdom in his little brown head. “The thing for me to do now is to get ready for winter, and that means a great deal of work,” he continued. “Let me see, I’ve got to build a house, a big, stout, warm house, where I will be warm and safe when my pond is frozen over. And I’ve got to lay in a supply of food, enough to last me until gentle Sister South Wind comes to prepare the way for lovely Mistress Spring. My, my, I can’t afford to be sitting here dreaming when there is so much to be done!”

With that Paddy slipped into the water and swam all around his new pond to make sure of just the best place to build his house. Now, placing one’s house in just the right place is a very important matter. Some people are dreadfully careless about this. Jimmy Skunk, for instance, often makes the mistake of digging his house (you know Jimmy makes his house underground) right where everyone who happens along that way will see it. Perhaps that is because Jimmy is so independent that he doesn’t care who knows where he lives.