<div><h1 id='ch31'>CHAPTER XXXI<br/> <span class='sub-head'>BILLY TRAILS HIS BREAKFAST</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>Thoughtful kindness in the end</p>
<p class='line0'>Is bound to win for you a friend.</p>
<p class='line0'>                  <span class='it'>Billy Mink.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>Billy Mink</span> had overslept. This
was very unusual for Billy. Usually
he was watching for the
farmer to bring him his breakfast.
But this morning Billy had overslept.
He knew it the minute his
eyes opened. Right away he
scrambled out to see what had been
left him for breakfast. He found
nothing.</p>
<p class='pindent'>He blinked two or three times,
for he had become so used to finding
his breakfast right at the edge
of the woodpile, that he couldn’t
believe there was none left for him
that morning. But there wasn’t a
thing. Not even the tiniest scrap.
Billy began to wonder if some one
had stolen his breakfast while he
slept.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Right away he put his nose to
the ground and began to run
about, this way and that way. He
was trying to find out if something
had been put down and then taken
away. He knew that if anything
had been there he would be able to
smell it, for he has a very wonderful
little nose.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Presently a very delicious smell
tickled that wonderful little nose.
That is, it was a very wonderful
smell to Billy. It wouldn’t have
been wonderful to you. You
would have called it a very bad
smell. It was the smell of fish,
and not fresh fish at that.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Billy began to gallop along with
his nose to the ground, following
that smell. He didn’t care who
saw him. You see, he had become
so at home in that farmyard that
he felt quite safe there. He and
the farmer had become very good
friends. There was no dog to
fear, and Billy wasn’t afraid of the
Cat. He had just one thought in
his mind, and that was to find out
what had become of that fish. He
was sure it had been meant for
him. Whoever had taken it away
had dragged it along the ground,
and so it was easy for Billy to follow
the smell.</p>
<p class='pindent'>He was trailing his breakfast in
just the same way he had followed
the Rats in the barn. Straight
across the barnyard the trail led
and over to the shed at the back of
the house. There, just in front of
a hole under the shed, Billy found
the fish. His eyes sparkled and he
wasted no time. He began to eat
that fish at once. He didn’t stop
to wonder who had dragged it
there. He didn’t care. It was
his fish, and he intended to make
sure of it.</p>
<p class='pindent'>When he had finished the last
scrap, Billy felt so stuffed that he
didn’t want to move any more
than he had to. He looked over
to the woodpile, and then he
looked at the hole under the shed.
The woodpile was too far away.
He felt sure that he would find a
nice comfortable dark place under
that shed. Without hesitating a
second, he disappeared in the hole.</p>
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