“You don’t tell me!” cried his father, who was, by this time, getting over the shock. “I must take a look!”
Timidly, all the woodchucks followed him to the back-door. Just as Blunk had said, a lot of earth and stones had caved in, completely filling up the passage way and the door.
“No getting out there,” said Winkie, for she had been quicker than any of the others to see what had happened.
“Hurry!” cried her father. “We must try the front-door hole! I think I know what happened. The farmer shot off his gun down our back-door hole and blew it shut!”
But alas for this woodchuck family! As Mr. Woodchuck was patting and tapping Winkie, Blinkie, and Blunk with his paws to make them run faster, and just as they were close to the front-door hole, there came another loud sound, and the earth trembled under the paws of the little animals.
“Oh! Oh, dear!” whined Blinkie.
“Dear me! I hope no one is hurt,” said Mrs. Woodchuck. “This is dreadful!”
No one was hurt; but they were all covered with moist earth that had rattled down on them. But as woodchucks are always burrowing and digging in the earth, this did not matter.
Daddy Woodchuck scrambled on ahead of the others until he reached the front door.