<div><h1 id='ch13'>CHAPTER XIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>BILLY MAKES HIMSELF AT HOME</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>Enough to eat, a place to sleep,</p>
<p class='line0'>  A coat to shut out winter’s chill—</p>
<p class='line0'>What more can anybody ask</p>
<p class='line0'>  Their cup of happiness to fill?</p>
<p class='line0'>                      <span class='it'>Billy Mink.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>The</span> big woodpile between the
barn and the henhouse in the farmyard
Billy Mink had discovered
was a regular castle for Billy.
That is what it was, a regular
castle. Billy is so slim that he could
slip through the openings between
the sticks in much the same way
that Striped Chipmunk pops in and
out between the stones of the old
stone wall. Billy doesn’t need
much room and he soon found that
down underneath that wood were
little chambers plenty big enough
for him to curl up in.</p>
<p class='pindent'>The first thing he did was to
make himself thoroughly acquainted
with that woodpile. He found
every opening that led into or
under it. He learned every little
passage it contained. He picked
out one of the best of the little
chambers down underneath in
which to sleep when he was tired.
No one could get at him under
that woodpile. He felt as safe
there as ever he had felt anywhere
in all his life. It made him
chuckle to think how safe he was
there, and all the time he would be
living right close to those two-legged
creatures called men, who
delight in killing such little people
as Billy.</p>
<p class='pindent'>As soon as he had become thoroughly
familiar with that woodpile,
Billy set out to explore the surroundings.
His new home suited
him, but a home without food
would be as bad as no home at all.
So Billy started out to see what
chances there were of making a
good living.</p>
<p class='pindent'>First he visited the henhouse.
It didn’t take him long to find a
way under the henhouse and discover
a hole in a dark corner of the
henhouse floor through which he
could slip with ease. But Billy
didn’t go inside that night. Billy
possesses a shrewd little head. He
had had experience enough with
men to know that it was best for
them not to know he was anywhere
about. He knew that those hens
belonged to men and that the instant
they found one killed or missing
they would begin to hunt for
him. So, though the smell of those
hens made Billy’s mouth water, he
decided that he would see what
other food was to be found.</p>
<p class='pindent'>From the henhouse Billy went
over to the big barn. This was another
place just to his liking. Underneath
it was dark, the very kind
of a place Billy liked. There were
holes up through the floor. Billy
sniffed at the edge of the first one
he came to and he knew right
away who had made that hole. It
had been made by Robber the Rat.
Billy’s eyes sparkled. It would be
much more fun to hunt Robber the
Rat and his relatives than to kill
stupid, helpless hens.</p>
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