CHAPTER XIII
THE MISCHIEVOUS LITTLE NIGHT BREEZE
A little act of mischief can Upset the deepest, best laid plan.
_Bowser the Hound._
Reddy Fox was very pleased with himself as he thought how much smarterhe was than Old Man Coyote. He didn't waste any time in pushing open thehenyard gate. It didn't enter his head that there might be a trapinside. He was so eager to find out if the little door where in daytimethe hens ran in and out of the henhouse was open, that he jumped insidethe henyard just as soon as the gate was pushed open wide enough for himto enter.
Old Man Coyote, watching from his hiding place, saw Reddy push the gateopen and enter the henyard. "So far, so good," muttered Old Man Coyoteto himself. "There isn't any trap just inside that gate, so it will besafe enough for me to follow Reddy in there. I think I'll wait a bit,however, and see what luck he has in getting into the henhouse. If hecatches a chicken he won't stop to eat it there. He won't dare to. All Ineed do is to wait right here around the corner, and if he brings achicken out, I'll simply tell him to drop it. Then I will have thechicken and will have run no risk." You see Old Man Coyote is a very,very clever old sinner.
So Old Man Coyote peeked through the wires and watched Reddy Fox, whothought himself so much smarter, steal swiftly across to the henhouseand try that little door. It was closed, but it wasn't fastened, asReddy could tell by poking at it.
"It is just a matter of time and patience," muttered Reddy to himself."If I keep at it long enough, I can work it open." You see Reddy haddone that very thing once before a great while ago.
So he set himself to work with such patience as he could, and all thetime Old Man Coyote watched and wondered what Reddy was doing. Heguessed that Reddy was having some trouble, but also he knew fromReddy's actions that Reddy hoped to get inside that henhouse.
Now Reddy had left the henyard gate ajar. If he had pushed it wide openthings might have been different. But he didn't push it wide open. Heleft it only halfway open. By and by there happened along a mischievouslittle Night Breeze. There is nothing that a mischievous little NightBreeze enjoys more than making things move. This mischievous littleNight Breeze found that that gate would swing, so it blew against thatgate and blew and blew until suddenly, with a sharp little click, thegate closed and the spring latch snapped into place. Reddy Fox was aprisoner!
CHAPTER XIV
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE
You'll find 'twill often come about That he who's in fain would be out.
_Bowser the Hound._
It certainly is queer what a difference there is between being insideand outside. Sometimes happiness is inside and sometimes it is outside.Sometimes the one who is inside wishes with all his might that he wereoutside, and sometimes the one who is outside would give anything in theworld to be inside.
Just take the case of Reddy Fox. He had stolen inside of Farmer Brown'shenyard, leaving the gate halfway open. He had set himself to work toopen the little sliding door through which in the daytime the henspassed in and out of the henhouse. As he worked he had been filled withgreat contentment and joy. He knew that Bowser the Hound haddisappeared. He felt sure that there was nothing to fear, and he fullyexpected to dine that night on chicken. Then along came a mischievouslittle Night Breeze and swung that gate shut.
At the click of the latch Reddy turned his head, and in a flash he sawwhat had happened. All in an instant everything had changed for ReddyFox. Fear and despair took the place of contentment and happyanticipations. He was a prisoner inside that henyard.
Frantically Reddy rushed over to the gate. There wasn't even a crackthrough which he could thrust his sharp little nose. Then, besidehimself with fear, he raced around that henyard, seeking a hole throughwhich he might escape. There wasn't any hole. That fence had been builtto keep out such people as Reddy Fox, and of course a fence that wouldkeep Reddy out would also keep him in, if he happened to be caughtinside as he now was. He couldn't dig down under it, because, you know,the ground was frozen hard and covered with snow and an icy crust. Hewas caught, and that was all there was to it.
Suddenly Reddy became aware of some one just outside the wire fence,looking in and grinning wickedly. It was Old Man Coyote. Between themwas nothing but that wire, but, oh, what a difference! Reddy was insideand a prisoner. Old Man Coyote was outside and free.
"Good evening, Reddy," said Old Man Coyote. "I hope you'll enjoy yourchicken dinner. When you are eating it, just think over this bit ofadvice: Never take a risk when you can get some one else to take it foryou. I would like a chicken dinner myself, but as it is, I think I willenjoy a Mouse or two better. Pay my respects to Farmer Brown's boy whenhe comes in the morning."
With this, Old Man Coyote once more grinned that wicked grin of his andtrotted away towards the Green Forest. Reddy watched him disappear andwould have given anything in the world to have been outside the fence inhis place instead of inside, where he then was.
CHAPTER XV
REDDY'S FORLORN CHANCE
This saying is both true and terse: There's nothing bad but might be worse.
_Bowser the Hound._
If any one had said this to Reddy Fox during the first half hour afterhe discovered that he was a prisoner in Farmer Brown's henyard, hewouldn't have believed it. He wouldn't have believed a word of it. Hewould have said that he couldn't possibly have been worse off than hewas.
He was a prisoner, and he couldn't possibly get out. He knew that in themorning Farmer Brown's boy would certainly discover him. It couldn't beotherwise. That is, it couldn't be otherwise as long as he remained inthat henyard. There wasn't a thing, not one solitary thing, under orbehind which he could hide. So, to Reddy's way of thinking, thingscouldn't possibly have been worse.
But after a while, having nothing else to do, Reddy began to think. Nowit is surprising how thinking will change matters. One of the firstthoughts that came to Reddy was that he might have been caught in atrap,--one of those cruel traps that close like a pair of jaws andsometimes break the bones of the foot or leg, and from which there isno escape. Right away Reddy realized that to have been so caught wouldhave been much worse than being a prisoner in Farmer Brown's henyard.This made him feel just a wee, wee bit better, and he began to do somemore thinking.
For a long time his thinking didn't help him in the least. At last,however, he remembered the chicken dinner he had felt so sure he wasgoing to enjoy. The thought of the chicken dinner reminded him thatinside the henhouse it was dark. He had been inside that henhousebefore, and he knew that there were boxes in there. If he were insidethe henhouse, it might be, it just might possibly be, that he couldhide when Farmer Brown's boy came in the morning.
So once more Reddy went to work at that little sliding door where thehens ran in and out during the day. He already had found out that itwasn't fastened, and he felt sure that with patience he could open it.So he worked away and worked away, until at last there was a littlecrack. He got his claws in the little crack and pulled and pulled. Thelittle crack became a little wider. By and by it was wide enough for himto get his whole paw in. Then it became wide enough for him to get hishead half in. After this, all he had to do was to force himselfthrough, for as he pushed and shoved, the little door opened. He wasinside at last! There was a chance, just a forlorn chance, that he mightbe able to escape the notice of Farmer Brown's boy in the morning.
CHAPTER XVI
WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER
A dinner is far better lost Than eaten at too great a cost.
_Bowser the Hound._
Can you imagine Reddy Fox with a chicken dinner right before him and nottouching it? Well, that is just what happened in Farmer Brown'shenhouse. It wasn't because Reddy had no appetite. He was hungry, veryhungry. He always is in winter. Then it doesn't often happen that hegets enough to eat at one meal to really fill his stomach. Yet here hewas with a chicken dinner right before him, and he didn't touc
h it.
You see it was this way: Reddy's wits were working very fast there inFarmer Brown's henhouse. He knew that he had only a forlorn chance ofescaping when Farmer Brown's boy should come to open the henhouse in themorning. He knew that he must make the most of that forlorn chance. Heknew that freedom is a thousand times better than a full stomach.
On one of the lower roosts sat a fat hen. She was within easy jumpingdistance. Reddy knew that with one quick spring she would be his. If thehenyard gate had been open, he would have wasted no time in making thatone quick spring. But the henyard gate, as you know, was closed fast.
"I'm awfully hungry," muttered Reddy to himself, "but if I should catchand eat that fat hen, Farmer Brown's boy would be sure to notice thefeathers on the floor the very minute he opened the door. It won't do,Reddy; it won't do. You can't afford to have the least little thing seemwrong in this henhouse. What you have got to do is to swallow yourappetite and keep quiet in the darkest corner you can find,"
So Reddy Fox spent the rest of the night curled up in the darkestcorner, partly behind a box. All the time his nose was filled with thesmell of fat hens. Every little while a hen who was being crowded toomuch on the roost would stir uneasily and protest in a sleepy voice.Just think of what Reddy suffered. Just think how you would feel to bevery, very hungry and have right within reach the one thing you likebest in all the world to eat and then not dare touch it. Some foolishfolks in Reddy's place would have eaten that dinner and trusted to luckto get out of trouble later. But Reddy was far too wise to do anythingof that kind.
Doing as Reddy did that night is called exercising self-restraint.Everybody should be able to do it. But it sometimes seems as if verymany people cannot do it. Anyway, they don't do it, and because theydon't do it they are forever getting into trouble.
Reddy knew when morning came, although the henhouse was still dark.Somehow or other hens always know just when jolly, round, red Mr. Sunkicks his blankets off and begins his daily climb up in the blue, bluesky. The big rooster on the topmost perch stretched his long neck,flapped his wings, and crowed at the top of his voice. Reddy shivered."It won't be long now before Farmer Brown's boy comes," thought he.
CHAPTER XVII
FARMER BROWN'S BOY DROPS A PAN OF CORN
Who when surprised keeps calm and cool Is one most difficult to fool.
_Bowser the Hound._
In his lifetime Reddy Fox has spent many anxious moments, but none moreanxious than those in which he waited for Farmer Brown's boy to open thehenhouse and feed the biddies on this particular morning.
From the moment when the big rooster on the topmost perch stretchedforth his neck, flapped his wings, and crowed as only he can crow, Reddywas on pins and needles, as the saying is. Hiding behind a box in thedarkest corner of the henhouse, he hardly dared to breathe. You see, hedidn't want those hens to discover him. He knew that if they did theywould make such a racket that they would bring Farmer Brown's boyhurrying out to find out what the trouble was.
Reddy had had experience with hens before. He knew that if FarmerBrown's boy heard them making a great racket, he would know thatsomething was wrong, and he would come all prepared. This was the onething that Reddy did not want. His one chance to escape would be to takeFarmer Brown's boy entirely by surprise.
Never had time dragged more slowly. The hens were awake, and several ofthem flew down to the floor of the henhouse. They passed so close towhere Reddy was hiding that merely by reaching out a black paw he couldhave touched them. Because he took particular pains not to move, noteven to twitch a black ear, they did not see him. Anyway, if they didsee him, they took no notice of him. How the moments did drag! All thetime he lay there listening, wishing that Farmer Brown's boy would come,yet dreading to have him come. It seemed ages before he heard soundswhich told him that people were awake in Farmer Brown's house.
Finally he heard a distant door slam. Then he heard a whistle, a merrywhistle. It drew nearer and nearer; Farmer Brown's boy was coming tofeed the hens. Reddy tried to hold his breath. He heard the click of thehenyard gate as Farmer Brown's boy opened it, then he heard the crunch,crunch, crunch of Farmer Brown's boy's feet on the snow.
Suddenly the henhouse door was thrown open and Farmer Brown's boystepped inside. In his hand he held a pan filled with the breakfast hehad brought for the hens. Suddenly a box in the darkest corner of thehenhouse moved. Farmer Brown's boy turned to look, and as he did so aslim form dashed fairly between his legs. It startled him so that hedropped the pan and spilled the corn all over the henhouse floor. "GreatScott!" he exclaimed. "What under the sun was that?" and rushed to thedoor to see. He was just in time to get a glimpse of a red coat and abushy tail disappearing around a corner of the barn.
CHAPTER XVIII
MUTUAL RELIEF
The wise Fox knows that with every chicken he steals he puts an increased price on his own skin.
_Bowser the Hound._
When Reddy Fox dashed between the legs of Farmer Brown's boy and out ofthe open door of the henhouse, it was with his heart in his mouth. Atleast, it seemed that way. Would he find the henyard gate open?Supposing Farmer Brown's boy had closed it after he entered! Reddy wouldthen be a prisoner just as he had been all night, and all hope wouldend.
Just imagine with what terrible anxiety and eagerness Reddy lookedtowards that gate as he dashed out of the open door. Just imagine therelief that was his when he saw that the gate was open. In that veryinstant the snowy outside world became more beautiful and wonderful thanever it had been in all his life before. He was free! free! free!
If ever there was a surprised boy, that boy was Farmer Brown's as hewatched Reddy twist around a corner of the barn and disappear.
"Reddy Fox!" he exclaimed. "Now how under the sun did that rascal get inhere?" Then, as he realized that Reddy had actually been inside thehenhouse, anxiety for the biddies swept over him. Hastily he turned,fully expecting to see either the bodies of two or three hens on thefloor, or scattered feathers to show that Reddy had enjoyed a midnightfeast. There were no feathers, and so far as he could see, all the henswere standing or walking about.
At once Farmer Brown's boy began to count them. Of course, he knewexactly how many there should be. When he got through counting, not onewas missing. Farmer Brown's boy was puzzled. He counted them again. Thenhe counted them a third time. He began to think there must be somethingwrong with his counting. After the fourth count, however, he was forcedto believe that not a single one was missing.
If Reddy Fox had been relieved when he discovered that henyard gateopen, Farmer Brown's boy was equally relieved when he found that not asingle biddie had been taken. When two people are relieved at the sametime, it is called mutual relief. But there was this difference betweenReddy Fox and Farmer Brown's boy: Reddy knew all about what hadhappened, and Farmer Brown's boy couldn't even guess. He went all aroundthat henhouse, trying to find a way by which Reddy Fox had managed toget in. Of course, he discovered that the little sliding door where thebiddies go in and out of the henhouse was open. He guessed that thiswas the way by which Reddy had entered.
But this didn't explain matters at all. He knew that the gate had beenlatched when he entered the henyard that morning. How had Reddy managedto get into that henyard with that gate closed? To this day, FarmerBrown's boy is still wondering.
CHAPTER XIX
WHERE WAS BOWSER THE HOUND?
A good Hound never barks on a cold trail.
_Bowser the Hound._
Where was Bowser the Hound? That was the question which was puzzling allthe little people who knew him. Also it was puzzling Farmer Brown's boyand Farmer Brown and Mrs. Brown. I have said that it was puzzling allthe little people who knew him. This is not quite true, because therewere two who could at least guess what had become of Bowser. One was OldMan Coyote, who had, as you remember, led Bowser far away and got himlost. The other was Blacky the Crow, who had discovered Bowser in histrouble and had helped him.
&n
bsp; Old Man Coyote didn't know exactly where Bowser was, and he wasn'tinterested enough to think much about it. He hoped that Bowser had beenso badly lost that he never would return. Blacky the Crow knew exactlywhere Bowser was, but he kept it to himself. It pleases Blacky to have asecret which other people would give much to know. Blacky is one ofthose people who can keep a secret. He isn't at all like Peter Rabbit.
Reddy Fox was one who was very much interested in the fate of Bowserthe Hound. As day after day went by and Bowser did not appear, Reddy hada growing hope that he never would appear.
"I can't imagine what Old Man Coyote could have done to Bowser," saidReddy to himself. "He certainly couldn't have killed Bowser in a fight,for that old rascal would never in the world dare face Bowser the Houndin a fight. But he certainly has caused something to happen to Bowser.If that bothersome dog never returns, it certainly will make things alot easier for Granny Fox and myself."
As for Farmer Brown's boy, he was as much puzzled as any of the littlepeople and a whole lot more worried. He drove all about theneighborhood, asking at every house if anything had been seen ofBowser, Nowhere did he get any trace of him. No one had seen him. It wasvery mysterious. Farmer Brown's boy had begun to suspect that Bowser hadmet with an accident somewhere off in the woods and had been unable toget help. It made Farmer Brown's boy very sad indeed. His cheery whistlewas no longer heard, for he did not feel like whistling. At last hequite gave up hope of ever again seeing Bowser.