as simon screecher remarked to his cousin, solomon owl, it was a hard winter. the snow was deep. the days were cold. and the nights were colder. and, worst of all, food became scarce. it seemed as if there wasn't anything to eat anywhere except at the farm buildings, which farmer green had stuffed full of hay and grain during the summer and autumn. many of the forest folk stole down from blue mountain after nightfall and visited the farmyard in the hope of getting a bite of something or other.

even master meadow mouse began to[95] find it harder and harder to get enough seeds under the snow to satisfy his hunger. he had stored away a stock of food. but it hadn't been big enough. and that was a great mistake. master meadow mouse promised himself that he would not repeat it another time. unfortunately, all the promises in the world wouldn't give him a square meal when he needed one.

at last he went to one of his cousins who had already spent one winter in the meadow.

"this is my first winter," master meadow mouse explained. "i'm running short of food. and i wish you'd tell me what to do in such a case."

"that's easy," his cousin answered. "get more!" and then he hurried away, for he had important business to attend to.

poor master meadow mouse ran after[96] him. it was hard to follow his cousin through the winding galleries beneath the snow. several times master meadow mouse took the wrong turn and had to retrace his steps. but at last he found his busy cousin again.

"you advised me to get more food," said master meadow mouse. "but you didn't tell me where to get it."

"in the orchard!" his cousin cried. and then he hurried away again.

"i wish he'd wait a minute," master meadow mouse grumbled as he tore after his cousin once more. "i don't feel like running. i haven't had a hearty meal for days."

the cousin seemed surprised when master meadow mouse overtook him.

"what!" that busy gentleman exclaimed. "have you been to the orchard and back so soon?"

"no!" said master meadow mouse. "i've been chasing you. i want you to tell me what i'll find to eat when i go to the orchard."

"that's easy," his cousin replied. "trees!" having said those three words he dashed off again even faster than before.

"trees!" master meadow mouse echoed. "i can't eat trees. i've never eaten a tree in all my life. there must be something that my cousin forgot to explain. so i suppose i'll have to run after him again and ask him what he meant."

the fourth time that master meadow mouse found his cousin he took no chances. he caught his cousin by his tail and held on firmly.

"you're not going to get away from me till i've found out what i want to know," he declared. "how can i eat a tree?" master meadow mouse demanded.

"you can't!" his cousin replied, struggling desperately to free himself, for he was too busy to stop long.

"then explain what you mean!" master meadow mouse cried.

"eat the bark!" his cousin answered.

then—and not till then—did master meadow mouse let him go.

master meadow mouse chased his cousin no more, but hurried away to farmer green's orchard, where he gnawed a ring all the way around one of the young fruit trees, at the top of the snow. it was the first big meal he had enjoyed for weeks. and he went home feeling that the winter was not so hard as he had thought, after all.

but farmer green didn't agree with him. when he happened to go into the orchard one day, later, and saw tree after tree ruined, he was very, very much displeased.

"i ought to have put wire netting around those young trees," he told the hired man. "this is what comes of a hard winter."