There were two ways in which Peter Mink was different from any other person in Pleasant Valley, or on Blue Mountain, either. In the first place, he had no home; and in the second, he had a very long neck. The reason why Peter had no home was because he didn't want one. And the reason why he had such a long neck was because he couldn't help it. When he grew sleepy he would crawl into any snug place he happened to find sometimes in a hollow stump, or in a pile of rocks, or a haystack.