<div><h1 id='ch2'>CHAPTER II<br/> <span class='sub-head'>BILLY FINDS A TRAP</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>True wisdom watches closest where</p>
<p class='line0'>There seems least cause for fear or care.</p>
<p class='line0'>                        <span class='it'>Billy Mink.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>For</span> two days Billy Mink saw
nothing more of the man who had
made him suspicious. But this
didn’t make Billy feel any easier
in his mind. He had a feeling
that the man had visited the Laughing
Brook and the Smiling Pool
for no good purpose. He had a
feeling that his visit had something
to do with himself. So Billy became
more watchful than ever and
traveled up and down the length
of the Laughing Brook more often
than ever, trying with eyes and
nose to find out just what that
man had been about.</p>
<p class='pindent'>On the third day the man came
again. Billy saw him almost as
soon as he reached the Laughing
Brook, but not quite. The man
had come down the Laughing
Brook a little way before Billy
had discovered him. Just as he
had done the first time, Billy followed
the man. Just as before,
the man seemed to be looking for
something. Billy watched him until
finally he tramped off through
the Green Forest. Then Billy
turned and hurried back to the
place where he had first seen the
man that morning.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“He didn’t do anything while I
watched him but poke about and
seem to be looking for something,”
muttered Billy. “I wonder if he
did anything else before I discovered
him. I think I’ll look
and make sure that everything is
all right up the Laughing Brook.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>So Billy went up the Laughing
Brook above the place where he
had first seen the man that morning.
He crossed back and forth
from one bank to the other, and
he examined every stick and log
and hole as he went along. Being
suspicious, he took the greatest
care not to step anywhere until he
had first looked to make sure that
it was safe.</p>
<p class='pindent'>His nose told him just where
the man had been, but for some
time he found nothing suspicious.
Everything was just as it should
be. Nevertheless, Billy was filled
with uneasiness. He couldn’t get
rid of a feeling that something was
wrong somewhere. Presently he
came to a hole in the bank, a hole
with which he was very familiar.
From that hole came the most appetizing
smell. Now Billy was
hungry. He had spent so much
time following that strange man
that for some time he had had no
chance to eat.</p>
<p class='pindent'>The smell from that hole was of
fish. That fish was in the back of
the hole. There was no doubt
about that. All Billy had to do
was to go in and get it, and that
is what he was tempted to do.
Then in a flash a thought came to
him. There never had been a fish
there before, so why should there
be one now? With the greatest
care Billy began to examine everything
around that hole. In the
water, just at the entrance to that
hole, were some dead leaves held
down by a little bit of mud. Billy
didn’t remember ever seeing those
leaves before. Very cautiously he
reached out and lifted them. Underneath
was a trap!</p>
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