Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/117

Rh things. After the man had gone, he crawled, with his belly close to the ground, and investigated. An awful thing with yawning jaws met his gaze. Old 'Chuck knew it was a trap. He ran home as fast as his short legs would carry him and told the news. They gave the lettuce patch a wide berth after that.

They had timothy and clover for supper that night. In a few days they ventured into the farmer's garden again, but not for lettuce. They munched the young beets and cabbage and found them delicious. Green peas, celery and other "garden sass" gave variety to their diet and they fattened rapidly. It's a most desirable thing for a 'chuck to put on all the fat he can during the summer, for he hibernates (goes to sleep) during the fall and winter. So he needs the fat to nourish him during his long sleep. The drowsiness overtakes him the first of October, he sleeps through the cold weather and opens his eyes in the early spring. The saying goes that he crawls out on Ground Hog's day, and if he sees his shadow, he slinks back into his hole and sleeps for