Along the stone wall beside the Old Orchard raced Happy Jack to the dooryard of Farmer Brown, and after him ran Shadow the Weasel, and Shadow looked as if he was enjoying himself.  No doubt he was.  He knew just as well as Happy Jack did that there was small chance of meeting Farmer Brown’s boy so early in the morning, so he felt very sure how that chase was going to end, and that when it did end he would breakfast on Squirrel.

By the time Happy Jack reached the dooryard, Shadow was only a few jumps behind him, and Happy Jack was pretty well out of breath.  He didn’t stop to look to see if the way was clear.  There wasn’t time for that.  Besides, there could be no greater danger in front than was almost at his heels, and so, without looking one way or another, he scampered across the dooryard and up the big maple tree close to the house.  Shadow the Weasel was surprised.  He had not dreamed that Happy Jack would come over here.  But Shadow is a bold fellow, and it made little difference to him where Happy Jack went.  At least, that is what he thought.

So he followed Happy Jack across the dooryard and up the maple tree.  He took his time about it, for he knew by the way Happy Jack had run that he was pretty nearly at the end of his strength.  “He never’ll get out of this tree,” thought Shadow, as he started to climb it.  He fully expected to find Happy Jack huddled in a miserable little heap somewhere near the top.  Just imagine how surprised he was when he discovered that Happy Jack wasn’t to be seen.  He rubbed his angry little red eyes, and they grew angrier and redder than before.

“Must be a hollow up here somewhere,” he muttered.  “I’ll just follow the scent of his feet, and that will lead me to him.”

But when that scent led him out on a branch the tip of which brushed against Farmer Brown’s house Shadow got another surprise.  There was no sign of Happy Jack.  He couldn’t have reached the roof.  There was no place he could have gone unless—.  Shadow stared across at a window open about two inches.

“He couldn’t have!” muttered Shadow.  “He wouldn’t dare.  He couldn’t have!”

But Happy Jack had.  He had gone inside that window.

CHAPTER XXVI

FARMER BROWN’S BOY WAKES WITH A START

    Never think another crazy just because it happens you
    Never’ve heard of just the thing that they have started out to do.

    Happy Jack.

Isn’t it queer how hard it seems to be for some boys to go to bed at the proper time and how much harder it is for them to get up in the morning?  It was just so with Farmer Brown’s boy.  I suppose he wouldn’t have been a real boy if it hadn’t been so.  Of course, while he was sick with the mumps, he didn’t have to get up, and while he was getting over the mumps his mother let him sleep as long as he wanted to in the morning.  That was very nice, but it made it all the harder to get up when he should after he was well again.  In summer it wasn’t so bad getting up early, but in winter—­well, that was the one thing about winter that Farmer Brown’s boy didn’t like.