JUNIOR KING'S BUSINESS
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L in d y w a s a happy little gopher with a glossy tan-and-white striped coat and bright black eyes. He was good most of the time, but he had one bad habit: he liked to run away from home and look for newly- planted corn which tasted to him as delicious as candy does to a boy or girl. This was not only a naughtly thing for Lindy to do, but it was also dan gerous. Joe, the Farmer Boy, became very angry when the gophers nibbled at his young corn. One morning he said to his father, “ I am going to catch that gopher today if I get noth ing else done!” “ How will you do it?” asked his father. “ Oh, I’ll set a trap for him or drive him out of his hole and kill him with a stick!” he replied grimly. If little Lindy had heard that con versation, he certainly would have listened to his mother that morning when she said to him, “Now, Lindy, I want you to pay attention. Your fa ther and I have to go to that field over the hill to gather some food for the winter. Under no circumstances do I want you to leave our home. . . do you hear me?” she interrupted herself as she saw a faraway look in Lindy’s eyes. He said, “ Yes Moth er,” but he really wasn’t listening. He was thinking of those juicy ker nels of corn and wishing he had some. Sure enough, as soon as his par ents slipped a w a y very softly
through the tall grass, he pushed aside the dried stalks that were his playthings, and made his way to the surface of the ground where there was an opening. Gophers make their homes by digging tunnels in the ground and lining them with leaves and grass and sticks. First, Lindy looked out. The sun shine was bright gold and the fields a shining green. “ It’s much warmer up here,” he said as he climbed out of the hole. He took a deep breath. “ Oh, how fresh the air is! And how hungry I am!” he exclaimed. He lay for a few minutes on the warm green carpet. All he could think of was the won derful flavor of that corn. Suddenly he could bear it no longer. He jumped up and scooted off as fast as his legs would carry him to the cornfield. In a few minutes, he was devouring ker nel after kernel with his sharp little teeth. He had forgotten completely what his mother had said. He was enjoying himself to the full when suddenly right beside him he heard a step and there was the big, heavy shoe of Joe, the Farmer Boy! He was so frightened he crouched down beside the com, scarcely breathing. How he wished he had listened to his mother when she said, “ Lindy, don’t go away from home! Don’t go away!” Wonder of wonders! Joe had not seen him! So, as soon as the Farmer
Boy walked on, Lindy slipped out of the row of corn and ran for home. But he was too late! Joe heard a rustle in the com and started after him. Gophers run very fast indeed and Joe could not catch him. But he only laughed. “ Good, you little ras cal! I’ll just let you lead me to your hole and I’ll get rid of your whole family!” Lindy was out of breath when he reached his hole and he just stumbled down into it. lying there shaking like a leaf. Suddenly a stream of water began to trickle in. It covered his feet, reached his waist and soon was up to his head. He floundered around, swimming a little, and soon he was washed right out of the hole up on to the ground. There towering above him was big Joe, the Farmer Boy. “ Ho, ho!” he shouted. “ So I drowned you out, eh?” He picked up Lindy, all wet and shiv ering and looked at him. “Why, you are just a baby gopher,” he laughed, “how could you do so much damage?” Little Lindy’s heart was beating as if it would burst as he struggled to escape from Joe’s hand. The Farmer Boy grinned broadly. “ I never saw anything so scared in my whole life,” he said. “ You know I ought to get rid of you, for if I don’t, you will eat a lot more of my good com, but I just can’t . . .” and to Lindy’s sur prise he put him down on the ground, and gave him a gentle kick. “ Get going before I change my
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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