"Baa, baa, baa!" cried the sheep and started to run. Reddy hung ontightly, and away they raced across the pasture.
Now Bowser the Hound trusts wholly to his nose to follow Reddy Fox orPeter Rabbit or his master, Farmer Brown's boy. So he did not see Reddyjump on the back of the sheep, and, of course, when he reached theplace where Reddy had found his strange horse, he was puzzled. Round andround, and round and round Bowser worked in a circle, but no trace ofReddy could he find.
And all the time Reddy sat behind the stone wall on the far side of thepasture, getting his wind and laughing and laughing at the smart way inwhich he had fooled Bowser the Hound.
VII. REDDY INVITES PETER RABBIT TO TAKE A WALK
|OLD GRANNY FOX was not feeling well. For three days she had beenunable to go out hunting, and for three days Reddy Fox had tried to findsomething to tempt Granny's appetite. He had brought in a tender youngchicken from Farmer Brown's hen yard, and he had stolen a plump troutfrom Billy Mink's storehouse, but Granny had just turned up her nose.
"What I need," said Granny Fox, "is a tender young rabbit."
Now, Reddy Fox is very fond of Granny Fox, and when she said that sheneeded a tender young rabbit, Reddy made up his mind that he would getit for her, though how he was going to do it he didn't know. Dozens oftimes he had tried to catch Peter Rabbit, and every time Peter's longlegs had taken him to a place of safety. "I'll just have to fool PeterRabbit," said Reddy Fox, as he sat on his door-steps and looked over theGreen Meadows.
Reddy Fox is very sly. He is so sly that it is hard work to be surewhen he is honest and when he is playing a trick. As he sat on hisdoor-steps, looking across the Green Meadows, he saw the Merry LittleBreezes coming his way. Reddy smiled to himself. When they got nearenough, he shouted to them.
"Will you do something for me?" he asked.
"Of course we will," shouted the Merry Little Breezes, who are alwaysdelighted to do something for others.
"I wish you would find Peter Rabbit and tell him that I have found a newbed of tender young carrots in Farmer Brown's garden, and invite him togo there with me to-morrow morning at sun-up," said Reddy Fox.
Away raced the Merry Little Breezes to find Peter Rabbit and give himthe invitation of Reddy Fox. Pretty soon back they came to tell Reddythat Peter Rabbit would be delighted to meet Reddy on the edge of theOld Briar-patch at sun-up the next morning, and go with him to get sometender young carrots.
Reddy smiled to himself, for now he was sure that he would get PeterRabbit for Granny's breakfast.
Early the next morning, just before sun-up, Reddy Fox started downthe Lone Little Path and hurried across the Green Meadows to the OldBriar-patch. Reddy was dressed in his very best suit of clothes, andvery smart and handsome he looked. When he reached the Old Briar-patchhe could see nothing of Peter Rabbit. He waited and waited and waited,but still Peter Rabbit did not come. Finally he gave it up and decidedthat he would go over and have a look at the young carrots in FarmerBrown's garden. When he got there, what do you think he saw? Why,all around that bed of tender young carrots were footprints, and thefootprints were Peter Rabbit's!
Reddy Fox ground his teeth and snarled wickedly, for he knew then thatinstead of fooling Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit had fooled him. Just thenup came one of the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind.
"Good morning, Reddy Fox," said the Merry Little Breeze.
"Good morning," replied Reddy Fox, and if you could have seen himand heard him, you would never have suspected how ill-tempered he wasfeeling.
"Peter Rabbit asked me to come and tell you that he is very sorry thathe could not meet you at the Briar-patch this morning, but that he grewso hungry thinking of those tender young carrots that he just had tocome and get some before sun-up, and he is very much obliged to you fortelling him about them. He says they are the finest young carrots thathe has ever tasted," said the Merry Little Breeze.
The heart of Reddy Fox was filled with rage, but he did not let theMerry Little Breeze know it. He just smiled and sent the Merry LittleBreeze back to Peter Rabbit to tell him how glad he was that Peterenjoyed the carrots, and to invite Peter to meet him the next morning onthe edge of the Old Briar-patch at sun-up, to go with him to a patch ofsweet clover which he had just found near the old hickory-tree.
The Merry Little Breeze danced off with the message. Pretty soon hewas back to say that Peter Rabbit would be delighted to go to the sweetclover patch the next morning.
Reddy grinned as he trudged off home. "I'll just be at the clover patchan hour before sun-up to-morrow morning, and then we'll see!" he said tohimself.
VIII. PETER RABBIT GETS AN EARLY BREAKFAST
|PETER RABBIT crept out of his snug little bed in the middle of theOld Briar-patch two hours before sun-up and hurried over to the bighickory-tree. Sure enough, close by, he found a beautiful bed of sweetclover, just as Reddy Fox had said was there. Peter chuckled to himselfas he ate and ate and ate, until his little round stomach was so fullthat he could hardly hop.
When he had eaten all that he could, he hurried back to the OldBriar-patch to finish his morning nap, and all the time he keptchuckling to himself. You see, Peter was suspicious of Reddy Fox, and sohe had gone over to the sweet clover bed alone two hours before sun-up.
Peter Rabbit had hardly left the sweet clover bed when Reddy Foxarrived. Reddy lay down in the long meadow grass and grinned to himselfas he waited. Slowly the minutes went by, until up from behind thePurple Hills came jolly, round, red Mr. Sun--but no Peter Rabbit. Reddystopped grinning.
"Perhaps," said he to himself, "Peter is waiting for me on the edge ofthe Old Briar-patch and wasn't going to try to fool me."
So Reddy hurried over to the Old Briar-patch, and sure enough there wasPeter Rabbit 'sitting on the edge of it. When Peter saw him coming, hedodged in behind a big clump of friendly old brambles. Reddy came upwith his broadest smile.
"Good morning, Peter Rabbit," said Reddy. "Shall we go over to thatsweet clover bed?"
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Peter put one hand over his mouth to hide a smile. "Oh," said he, "I wasso dreadfully hungry for sweet clover that I couldn't wait until sun-up,and so I went over two hours ago. I hope you will excuse me, Reddy Fox.I certainly do appreciate your kindness in telling me of that new, sweetclover bed and I hope I have not put you out."
"Certainly not," replied Reddy Fox, in his pleasantest manner, and youknow Reddy Fox can be very pleasant indeed when he wants to be. "It is avery great pleasure to be able to give you pleasure. There is nothingI so like to do as to give pleasure to others. By the way, I have justheard that Farmer Brown has a new planting of young cabbage in thecorner of his garden. Will you meet me here at sun-up to-morrow morningto go over there?"
"I will be delighted to, I will indeed!" replied Peter Rabbit, and allthe time he smiled to himself behind his hand.
Reddy Fox bade Peter Rabbit good-by in the pleasantest way you canimagine, yet all the time, down in his heart, Reddy was so angry that hehardly knew what to do, for you see he had got to go back to Granny Foxwithout the tender young rabbit which he had promised her.
"This time I will be there two hours before sun-up, and then we willsee, Peter Rabbit, who is the smartest!" said Reddy Fox to himself.
IX. REDDY FOX GETS A SCARE
|PETER RABBIT looked up at the silvery moon and laughed aloud. Then hekicked up his heels and laughed again as he started out across the GreenMeadows towards Fanner Brown's garden. You see, Peter was suspicious,very suspicious indeed of Reddy Fox. So, as it was a beautiful night fora walk, he thought he would just run over to Farmer Brown's garden andsee if he could find that bed of newly planted cabbage, about whichReddy Fox had told him.
So Peter hopped and skipped across the Green Meadows, singing as hewent;
"Hold, ol' Miss Moon, hold up your light!
Show the way! show the way!
The little stars are shining bright;
Night folks all are out to play."
When Peter reached Farmer Brown's garden, he had no trouble in findingthe new planting of cabbage. It was tender. It was good. My, how good itwas! Peter started in to fill his little round stomach. He ate and ateand ate and ate! By and by, just when he thought he couldn't eat anothermouthful, he happened to look over to a patch of moonlight. For justa second Peter's heart stopped beating. There was Reddy Fox comingstraight over to the new cabbage bed!
Peter Rabbit didn't know what to do. Reddy Fox hadn't seen him yet, buthe would in a minute or two, unless Peter could hide. He was too farfrom the dear Old Briar-patch to run there. Peter looked this way andlooked that way. Ha! ha! There lay Fanner Brown's boy's old straw hat,just where he had left it when the supper horn blew. Peter crawled underit. It covered him completely.
Peter peeped out from under one edge. He saw Reddy Fox standing in themoonlight, looking at the bed of newly set cabbage. Reddy was smiling asif his thoughts were very pleasant. Peter shivered. He could just guesswhat Reddy was thinking--how he would gobble up Peter, when once he gothim away from the safety of the Old Briar-patch.
The thought made Peter so indignant that he forgot that he was hiding,and he sat up on his hind legs. Of course, he lifted the straw hat withhim. Then he remembered and sat down again in a hurry. Of course, thestraw hat went down quite as quickly.
Presently Peter peeped out. Reddy Fox was staring and staring at the oldstraw hat, and he wasn't smiling now. He actually looked frightened. Itgave Peter an idea. He made three long hops straight towards Reddy Fox,all the time keeping the old straw hat over him. Of course the hat wentalong with him, and, because it covered Peter all up, it looked for allthe world as if the hat was alive.
Reddy Fox gave one more long look at the strange thing coming towardshim through the cabbage bed, and then he started for home as fast as hecould go, his tail between his legs.
Peter Rabbit just lay down right where he was and laughed and laughedand laughed. And it almost seemed as if the old straw hat laughed too.
X. PETER HAS ANOTHER GREAT LAUGH
|IT was just sun-up as Reddy Fox started down the Lone Little Pathto the Green Meadows. Reddy was late. He should be over at the OldBriar-patch by this time. He was afraid now that Peter Rabbit would notbe there. When he came in sight of the Old Briar-patch, there sat Peteron the edge of it.
"Good morning, Peter Rabbit," said Reddy Fox, in his politest manner."I am sorry to have kept you waiting; it is all because I had a terriblefright last night."
"Is that so? What was it?" asked Peter, ducking down behind a bigbramble bush to hide his smile.
"Why, I went over to Farmer Brown's garden to see if that new plantingof young cabbage was all right, and there I met a terrible monster.It frightened me so that I did not dare to come out this morning untiljolly, round Mr. Sun had begun to climb up in the sky, and so I am alittle late. Are you ready, Peter Rabbit, to go up to the new plantingof young cabbage with me?" asked Reddy, in his pleasantest manner.
Now, what do you think Peter Rabbit did? Why, Peter just began to laugh.He laughed and laughed and shouted! He lay down on his back and kickedhis heels for very joy! But all the time he took care to keep behind abig, friendly bramble bush.
Reddy Fox stared at Peter Rabbit. He just didn't know what to make ofit. He began to think that Peter had gone crazy. He couldn't see a thingto laugh at, yet here was Peter laughing fit to kill himself. FinallyPeter stopped and sat up.
"Did--did--the monster catch you, Reddy Fox?" he asked, wiping his eyes.
"No," replied Reddy, "it didn't catch me, because I could run fasterthan it could, but it chased me all the way home."
"In that case, I think I'll not go up to the cabbage bed this morning,for you know I cannot run as fast as you can, Reddy, and the monstermight catch me," replied Peter, very gravely. "Besides," he added, "Ihave had my fill of tender young cabbage, and it was very nice indeed."
"What!" shouted Reddy Fox.
"Yes," continued Peter Rabbit, "I just couldn't wait till morning, so Iwent up there early last night. I'm much obliged to you for telling meof it, Reddy Fox; I am indeed."
For just a little minute an ugly look crept into Reddy's face, for nowhe knew that once more Peter Rabbit had fooled him. But he kept histemper and managed to smile, as he said:
"Oh, don't mention it, Peter Rabbit, don't mention it. But tell me,didn't you meet the monster?"
"No," replied Peter Rabbit. And then, do what he would, he couldn't keepsober another minute, but began to laugh just as he had before.
"What's the joke, Peter Rabbit? Tell me so that I can laugh too," beggedReddy Fox.
"Why," said Peter Rabbit, when he could get his breath, "the joke isthat the monster that frightened you so was the old straw hat of FarmerBrown's boy, and I was underneath it. Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho!"
Then Reddy Fox knew just how badly Peter Rabbit had fooled him. With asnarl he sprang right over the bramble bush at Peter Rabbit, but Peterwas watching and darted away along one of his own special little pathsthrough the Old Briar-patch. Reddy tried to follow, but the bramblestore his clothes and scratched his face and stuck in his feet. Finallyhe had to give it up. Tom and bleeding and angry, he tinned back home,and as he left the Old Briar-patch, he could still hear Peter Rabbitlaughing.
XI. SHADOW THE WEASEL GETS LOST
|ALL the Green Meadows had heard how Peter Rabbit had frightened ReddyFox with an old straw hat, and everywhere that Reddy went some one wassure to shout after him:
"Reddy Fox is fine to see;
He's as brave as brave can be
'Til he meets an old straw hat,
Then he don't know where he's at!"
Then Reddy would lose his temper and chase his tormentors. Most ofall, he wanted to catch Peter Rabbit. He lay in wait for Peter in fencecorners and behind bushes and trees, but somehow Peter seemed always toknow that Reddy was there.
In the Old Briar-patch Peter was safe. Reddy had tried to follow himthere, but he had found that it was of no use at all. Peter's paths wereso narrow, and the brambles tore Reddy's clothes and scratched him so,that he had to give it up.
Reddy was thinking of this one day as he sat on his door-step, scowlingover at the Old Briar-patch, and then all of a sudden he thought ofShadow the Weasel. Shadow is so slim that he can go almost anywherethat any one else can, and he is so fierce that nearly all of the LittleMeadow people are terribly afraid of him. Reddy smiled. It was a mean,wicked, crafty smile. Then he hopped up and hurried to find Shadow theWeasel and tell him his plan.
Shadow listened, and then he too began to smile. "It's easy, Reddy Fox,the easiest thing in the world! We'll get Peter Rabbit just as sureas fat hens are good eating," said he, as they started for the OldBriar-patch.
Reddy's plan was very simple. Shadow the Weasel was to follow PeterRabbit along Peter's narrow little paths and drive Peter out of the OldBriar-patch on to the Green Meadows, where Reddy Fox could surely catchhim.
So Reddy Fox sat down to wait while Shadow started into the OldBriar-patch. Peter Rabbit heard him coming and, of course, Peter beganto run. Now, when Peter first made his home in the Old Briar-patch,he had foreseen that some day Shadow the Weasel might come to hunt himthere, so Peter had made dozens and dozens of little paths, twisting andturning and crossing and recrossing in the most puzzling way. Of course,Peter himself knew every twist and turn of every one of them, but Shadowhad not gone very far before he was all mixed up. He kept his sharplittle nose to the ground to smell Peter's footsteps, but Peter keptcrossing his own tracks so often that pretty soon Shadow could not tellwhich path Peter had last taken.
Peter led him farther and farther into the middle of the OldBriar-patch. Right there Shadow came to a great big puddle of water.Peter had jumped clear across it, for you know Peter's legs are long andmeant for jumping.
Now, Shadow hates to get his feet wet, and when he reached the puddle,h
e stopped. He glared with fierce little red eyes across at PeterRabbit, sitting on the other side. Then he started around the edge.
Peter waited until Shadow was almost around, and then he jumped backacross the puddle. There was nothing for Shadow to do but go backaround, which he did. Of course, Peter just did the same thing overagain, all the time laugh-ing in his sleeve, for Shadow the Weasel wasgrowing angrier and angrier. Finally he grew so angry that he tried tojump the puddle himself, and in he fell with a great splash!
When Shadow crawled out, wet and muddy, Peter had disappeared, andShadow couldn't tell which path he had taken. Worse still, he didn'tknow which path to take to get out himself. He tried one after another,but after a little while he would find himself back at the puddle inthe middle of the Old Briar-patch. Shadow the Weasel was lost! Yes, Sir,Shadow the Weasel was lost in the Old Briar-patch.
Outside, Reddy Fox waited and watched, but no frightened Peter Rabbitcame jumping out as he expected. What could it mean? After a long, longtime he saw some one very muddy and very wet and very tired crawl out ofone of Peter Rabbit's little paths. It was Shadow the Weasel.
Reddy took one good look at him and then he hurried away. He didn't wantto hear what Shadow the Weasel would say. And as he hurried across theGreen Meadows, he heard Peter Rabbit's voice from the middle of the OldBriar-patch.
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!" shouted Peter Rabbit.