It didn’t take old Spot long to see Billy. And as soon as he spied him he made a dash for him.
That was exactly what Billy Woodchuck wanted. He waited as long as he dared. And then he made off like a gray streak toward his newest house.
Old Spot saw his bushy tail disappear through the front door. And Spot looked down into the darkness and called Billy a few names.
He pawed and scratched at the door, too. But he was no such digger as Billy Woodchuck. And after a while he grew tired of staying there and went away.
That night, after Billy Woodchuck went home, he boasted about his newest play-house.
“It’s exactly as good as this one,” he bragged. “To-day old Spot chased me, and I ran into my house and he never touched me. After this I’m always going to hide there.”
Billy’s brothers and sisters thought he was very clever. But his mother said:
“I want to see that play-house. To-morrow you may show it to me.”
That pleased Billy. It made him feel prouder than ever. And the next morning he was up bright and early. Sometimes he was very slow about dressing, because he stopped to play. And that made him late to breakfast. But this morning he was even ahead of time.
As soon as Mrs. Woodchuck had finished her meal of plantain leaves, Billy reminded her that she had promised to look at his play-house.