not one of the prairie dogs knew what benny badger meant when he cried that he "had saved the day."
of course, they had heard that the rancher did not like their village, and that he wanted to get rid of it—and them. but they couldn't imagine how benny badger might be able to help them. indeed, they rather liked the rancher better than benny, anyhow. and as for thanking benny, the only time they would ever feel like thanking him would be when he bade them good-by and left the neighborhood, to return no more.[91]
but benny badger was quite unaware of all that. he complained that the prairie dogs weren't treating him well.
"they ought to send a committee to my house to thank me for what i've done for them," he grumbled. "no one around here seems to understand me. but the rancher certainly will. you'll see before long that he'll be after me, to tell me what he thinks of me."
for several days afterward benny lost a good deal of sleep by staying outside his house while watching for the rancher to appear. and little by little, from things he said now and then, his neighbors learned his secret.
they discovered that benny badger had been digging holes for the posts of the new fence that the rancher was going to build!
"when he finds those holes already[92] made, he won't be so foolish as to dig others," benny explained.
"but you've gone and dug them on the wrong side of the prairie dog village!" somebody objected.
"of course i have!" benny retorted. "i did that on purpose. don't you understand that when the rancher finds the holes he'll use them where they are? you don't suppose—do you?—that he'll be so silly as to move the holes?"
the objector—a somewhat youthful coyote—slunk away with a foolish simper. he saw that benny badger knew what he was talking about.
"since the prairie dogs' village will lie outside the new fence, the rancher won't pay any more attention to it," benny badger said stoutly. "from this time on, the prairie dogs are quite safe—so far as the rancher is concerned....[93] and that's how i have saved the day."
benny badger's secret was out at last. and as fast as people learned it they stopped to tell him that they had known all the time that he had a fine plan of some sort, and that if there was anything they could do to help him they would be greatly obliged if he would "count on them."
of course the work was all done. but perhaps benny's neighbors hadn't stopped to think of that. anyhow he had never known them to be so pleasant before. and he quite enjoyed their praise; for everyone told him that nobody had ever suspected that he was so clever.
it was lucky that benny took the time when he did to listen to his neighbors' pleasant speeches. unfortunately they soon came to a sudden end.
