It was early in the winter that Whitefoot found a little hole in a corner of Farmer Brown’s sugar-house and crept inside to see what it was like in there.  It didn’t take him long to decide that it was the most delightful place he ever had found.  He promptly decided to move in and spend the winter.  In one end of the sugar-house was a pile of wood.  Down under this Whitefoot made himself a warm, comfortable nest.  It was a regular castle to Whitefoot.  He moved over to it the store of seeds he had laid up for winter use.

Not one of his enemies ever thought of visiting the sugar-house in search of Whitefoot, and they wouldn’t have been able to get in if they had.  When rough Brother North Wind howled outside, and sleet and snow were making other little people shiver, Whitefoot was warm and comfortable.  There was all the room he needed or wanted in which to run about and play.  He could go outside when he chose to, but he didn’t choose to very often.  For days at a time he didn’t have a single fright.  Yes indeed, Whitefoot spent a happy winter.

CHAPTER II:  Whitefoot Sees Queer Things

Whitefoot had spent the winter undisturbed in Farmer Brown’s sugar-house.  He had almost forgotten the meaning of fear.  He had come to look on that sugar-house as belonging to him.  It wasn’t until Farmer Brown’s boy came over to prepare things for sugaring that Whitefoot got a single real fright.  The instant Farmer Brown’s boy opened the door, Whitefoot scampered down under the pile of wood to his snug little nest, and there he lay, listening to the strange sounds.  At last he could stand it no longer and crept to a place where he could peep out and see what was going on.  It didn’t take him long to discover that this great two-legged creature was not looking for him, and right away he felt better.  After a while Farmer Brown’s boy went away, and Whitefoot had the little sugar-house to himself again.

But Farmer Brown’s boy had carelessly left the door wide open.  Whitefoot didn’t like that open door.  It made him nervous.  There was nothing to prevent those who hunt him from walking right in.  So the rest of that night Whitefoot felt uncomfortable and anxious.

He felt still more anxious when next day Farmer Brown’s boy returned and became very busy putting things to right.  Then Farmer Brown himself came and strange things began to happen.  It became as warm as in summer.  You see Farmer Brown had built a fire under the evaporator.  Whitefoot’s curiosity kept him at a place where he could peep out and watch all that was done.  He saw Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown’s boy pour pails of sap into a great pan.  By and by a delicious odor filled the sugar-house.  It didn’t take him a great while to discover that these two-legged creatures were so busy that he had nothing to fear from them, and so he crept out to watch.  He saw them draw the golden syrup