“Squeak—wee-ee-ak!” That was the end of them. For it hid Tad Coon and Stripes Skunk and his three kittens. That’s what Watch had been doing. He’d been sneaking them in there when nobody was looking. And Doctor Muskrat was there, too, with those three jolly white ducks who’ll gobble a mouse gladly if any one will kill it for them. And Nibble Rabbit and the whole bunny family were on guard to make sure nobody got past the fighters while they were busy.
Mrs. Tabitha Puss-Cat knew that’s what would happen when the thrashing machine ate up the straw from over the very heads of the mice. But she was the only one who was clever enough to think about it.
Yet she wasn’t proud. She was worried. She’d seen Killer the Weasel run into that stack. Where was he if he wasn’t hiding in the little bit of it that was left? And if he was—well, she didn’t want the Woodsfolk to spend their time catching mice and leave her to fight him. She wanted them to do it. That’s why she took the trouble to make friends with them. So she kept walking about on top of it saying “Mewaur-r-r. Mewaur-r-r,” in a troubled voice.
“What’s up now?” asked Watch, bouncing over to hear what the old cat was saying. But she felt so sneaky about what she’d been hiding from them all that now she didn’t care to explain. She just danced about like someone was biting her toes on the bottom and yowled. So of course he began sniffing and digging.
“There’s something else here,” said Tommy’s father. “Let’s see.” He took up his fork and made the straw fly. The other men came to help him. They kept the old cat jumping.
The Woodsfolk began bursting out of the straw pile, in and out and up and down.
“Yaur-r!” she squalled. Her tail swelled up with fright and her eyes began to gleam. A dark streak had shot out of the straw—the very thing she had been looking for—Killer the Weasel! My, but he was going!
And nobody seemed to have any wits about him. Nobody you’d expect to have them. Nobody but little Tommy Peele and Stripes Skunk’s children. They thought Killer was a rat, and they just had to hunt him. They weren’t afraid of men; the only men they knew were Tommy Peele and Louie Thomson, and they were good friends. Wow! but just didn’t they take after him!
The Woodsfolk began bursting out of that strawpile.