Produced by Dianne Bean
THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX
By Thornton W. Burgess
I. Granny Fox Gives Reddy a Scare
Reddy Fox lived with Granny Fox. You see, Reddy was one of a largefamily, so large that Mother Fox had hard work to feed so many hungrylittle mouths and so she had let Reddy go to live with old Granny Fox.Granny Fox was the wisest, slyest, smartest fox in all the countryround, and now that Reddy had grown so big, she thought it about timethat he began to learn the things that every fox should know. So everyday she took him hunting with her and taught him all the things that shehad learned about hunting: about how to steal Farmer Brown's chickenswithout awakening Bowser the Hound, and all about the thousand and oneways of fooling a dog which she had learned.
This morning Granny Fox had taken Reddy across the Green Meadows, upthrough the Green Forest, and over to the railroad track. Reddy hadnever been there before and he didn't know just what to make of it.Granny trotted ahead until they came to a long bridge. Then she stopped.
"Come here, Reddy, and look down," she commanded.
Reddy did as he was told, but a glance down made him giddy, so giddythat he nearly fell. Granny Fox grinned.
"Come across," said she, and ran lightly across to the other side.
But Reddy Fox was afraid. Yes, Sir, he was afraid to take one step onthe long bridge. He was afraid that he would fall through into the wateror onto the cruel rocks below. Granny Fox ran back to where Reddy sat.
"For shame, Reddy Fox!" said she. "What are you afraid of? Just don'tlook down and you will be safe enough. Now come along over with me."
But Reddy Fox hung back and begged to go home and whimpered. SuddenlyGranny Fox sprang to her feet, as if in great fright. "Bowser the Hound!Come, Reddy, come!" she cried, and started across the bridge as fast asshe could go.
Reddy didn't stop to look or to think. His one idea was to get away fromBowser the Hound. "Wait, Granny! Wait!" he cried, and started after heras fast as he could run. He was in the middle of the bridge before heremembered it at all. When he was at last safely across, it was to findold Granny Fox sitting down laughing at him. Then for the first timeReddy looked behind him to see where Bowser the Hound might be. He wasnowhere to be seen. Could he have fallen off the bridge?
"Where is Bowser the Hound?" cried Reddy.
"Home in Farmer Brown's dooryard," replied Granny Fox dryly. Reddystared at her for a minute. Then he began to understand that Granny Foxhad simply scared him into running across the bridge. Reddy felt verycheap, very cheap indeed. "Now we'll run back again," said Granny Fox.And this time Reddy did.
II. Granny Shows Reddy a Trick
Every day Granny Fox led Reddy Fox over to the long railroad bridgeand made him run back and forth across it until he had no fear of itwhatever. At first it had made him dizzy, but now he could run acrossat the top of his speed and not mind it in the least. "I don't see whatgood it does to be able to run across a bridge; anyone can do that!"exclaimed Reddy one day.
Granny Fox smiled. "Do you remember the first time you tried to do it?"she asked.
Reddy hung his head. Of course he remembered--remembered that Granny hadhad to scare him into crossing that first time.
Suddenly Granny Fox lifted her head. "Hark!" she exclaimed.
Reddy pricked up his sharp, pointed ears. Way off back, in the directionfrom which they had come, they heard the baying of a dog. It wasn't thevoice of Bowser the Hound but of a younger dog. Granny listened for afew minutes. The voice of the dog grew louder as it drew nearer.
"He certainly is following our track," said Granny Fox. "Now, Reddy,you run across the bridge and watch from the top of the little hill overthere. Perhaps I can show you a trick that will teach you why I havemade you learn to run across the bridge."
Reddy trotted across the long bridge and up to the top of the hill, asGranny had told him to. Then he sat down to watch. Granny trotted out inthe middle of a field and sat down. Pretty soon a young hound broke outof the bushes, his nose in Granny's track. Then he looked up and sawher, and his voice grew still more savage and eager. Granny Fox startedto run as soon as she was sure that the hound had seen her, but she didnot run very fast. Reddy did not know what to make of it, for Grannyseemed simply to be playing with the hound and not really trying to getaway from him at all. Pretty soon Reddy heard another sound. It was along, low rumble. Then there was a distant whistle. It was a train.
Granny heard it, too. As she ran, she began to work back toward the longbridge. The train was in sight now. Suddenly Granny Fox started acrossthe bridge so fast that she looked like a little red streak. The dogwas close at her heels when she started and he was so eager to catch herthat he didn't see either the bridge or the train. But he couldn't beginto run as fast as Granny Fox. Oh, my, no! When she had reached the otherside, he wasn't halfway across, and right behind him, whistling for himto get out of the way, was the train.
The hound gave one frightened yelp, and then he did the only thing hecould do; he leaped down, down into the swift water below, and the lastReddy saw of him he was frantically trying to swim ashore.
"Now you know why I wanted you to learn to cross a bridge; it's a verynice way of getting rid of dogs," said Granny Fox, as she climbed upbeside Reddy.
III. Bowser the Hound Isn't Fooled
Reddy Fox had been taught so much by Granny Fox that he began to feelvery wise and very important. Reddy is naturally smart and he had beenvery quick to learn the tricks that old Granny Fox had taught him.But Reddy Fox is a boaster. Every day he swaggered about on the GreenMeadows and bragged how smart he was. Blacky the Crow grew tired ofReddy's boasting.
"If you're so smart, what is the reason you always keep out of sight ofBowser the Hound?" asked Blacky. "For my part, I don't believe that youare smart enough to fool him."
A lot of little meadow people heard Blacky say this, and Reddy knew it.He also knew that if he didn't prove Blacky in the wrong he would belaughed at forever after. Suddenly he remembered the trick that GrannyFox had played on the young hound at the railroad bridge. Why not playthe same trick on Bowser and invite Blacky the Crow to see him do it? Hewould.
"If you will be over at the railroad bridge when the train comes thisafternoon, I'll show you how easy it is to fool Bowser the Hound," saidReddy.
Blacky agreed to be there, and Reddy started off to find out whereBowser was. Blacky told everyone he met how Reddy Fox had promised tofool Bowser the Hound, and every time he told it he chuckled as if hethought it the best joke ever.
Blacky the Crow was on hand promptly that afternoon and with him camehis cousin, Sammy Jay. Presently they saw Reddy Fox hurrying across thefields, and behind him in full cry came Bowser the Hound. Just as oldGranny Fox had done with the young hound, Reddy allowed Bowser to getvery near him and then, as the train came roaring along, he raced acrossthe long bridge just ahead of it. He had thought that Bowser would be sointent on catching him that he would not notice the train until he wason the bridge and it was too late, as had been the case with the younghound. Then Bowser would have to jump down into the swift river or berun over. As soon as Reddy was across the bridge, he jumped off thetrack and turned to see what would happen to Bowser the Hound. The trainwas halfway across the bridge, but Bowser was nowhere to be seen.He must have jumped already. Reddy sat down and grinned in the mostself-satisfied way.
The long train roared past, and Reddy closed his eyes to shut out thedust and smoke. When he opened them again, he looked right into thewide-open mouth of Bowser the Hound, who was not ten feet away.
"Did you think you could fool me with that old trick?" roared Bowser.
Reddy didn't stop to make reply; he just started off at the top
of hisspeed, a badly frightened little fox.
You see, Bowser the Hound knew all about that trick and he had justwaited until the train had passed and then had run across the bridgeright behind it.
And as Reddy Fox, out of breath and tired, ran to seek the aid of GrannyFox in getting rid of Bowser the Hound, he heard a sound that made himgrind his teeth.
"Haw, haw, haw! How smart we are!"
It was Blacky the Crow.
IV. Reddy Fox Grows Bold
Reddy Fox was growing bold. Everybody said so, and what everybody saysmust be so. Reddy Fox had always been very sly and not bold at all. Thetruth is Reddy Fox had so many times fooled Bowser the Hound and FarmerBrown's boy that he had begun to think himself very smart indeed. Hehad really fooled himself. Yes, Sir, Reddy Fox had fooled himself. Hethought himself so smart that nobody could fool him.
Now it is one of the worst habits in the world to think too muchof one's self. And Reddy Fox had the habit. Oh, my, yes! Reddy Foxcertainly did have the habit! When anyone mentioned Bowser the Hound,Reddy would turn up his nose and say: "Pooh! It's the easiest thing inthe world to fool him."
You see, he had forgotten all about the time Bowser had fooled him atthe railroad bridge.
Whenever Reddy saw Farmer Brown's boy he would say with the greatestscorn: "Who's afraid of him? Not I!"
So as Reddy Fox thought more and more of his own smartness, he grewbolder and bolder. Almost every night he visited Farmer Brown's henyard.Farmer Brown set traps all around the yard, but Reddy always found themand kept out of them. It got so that Unc' Billy Possum and Jimmy Skunkdidn't dare go to the henhouse for eggs any more, for fear that theywould get into one of the traps set for Reddy Fox. Of course they missedthose fresh eggs and of course they blamed Reddy Fox.
"Never mind," said Jimmy Skunk, scowling down on the Green Meadows whereReddy Fox was taking a sun bath, "Farmer Brown's boy will get him yet!I hope he does!" Jimmy said this a little spitefully and just as if hereally meant it.
Now when people think that they are very, very smart, they like to showoff. You know it isn't any fun at all to feel smart unless others cansee how smart you are. So Reddy Fox, just to show off, grew very bold,very bold indeed. He actually went up to Farmer Brown's henyard in broaddaylight, and almost under the nose of Bowser the Hound he caught thepet chicken of Farmer Brown's boy. 'Ol Mistah Buzzard, sailing overheadhigh up in the blue, blue sky, saw Reddy Fox and shook his bald head:
"Ah see Trouble on the way; Yes, Ah do! Yes, Ah do! Hope it ain'ta-gwine to stay; Yes, Ah do! Yes, Ah do! Trouble am a spry ol' man,Bound to find yo' if he can; If he finds yo' bound to stick. When Ahsees him, Ah runs quick! Yes, Ah do! Yes, Ah do!"
But Reddy Fox thought himself so smart that it seemed as if he reallywere hunting for Ol' Mr. Trouble. And when he caught the pet chicken ofFarmer Brown's boy, Ol' Mr. Trouble was right at his heels.
V. Reddy Grows Careless
Ol' Mistah Buzzard was right. Trouble was right at the heels of ReddyFox, although Reddy wouldn't have believed it if he had been told. Hehad stolen that plump pet chicken of Farmer Brown's boy for no reasonunder the sun but to show off. He wanted everyone to know how bold hewas. He thought himself so smart that he could do just exactly what hepleased and no one could stop him. He liked to strut around through theGreen Forest and over the Green Meadows and brag about what he had doneand what he could do.
Now people who brag and boast and who like to show off are almost sureto come to grief. And when they do, very few people are sorry for them.None of the little meadow and forest people liked Reddy Fox, anyway, andthey were getting so tired of his boasting that they just ached to seehim get into trouble. Yes, Sir, they just ached to see Reddy get intotrouble.
Peter Rabbit, happy-go-lucky Peter Rabbit, shook his head gravely whenhe heard how Reddy had stolen that pet chicken of Farmer Brown's boy,and was boasting about it to everyone.
"Reddy Fox is getting so puffed up that pretty soon he won't be able tosee his own feet," said Peter Rabbit.
"Well, what if he doesn't?" demanded Jimmy Skunk.
Peter looked at Jimmy in disgust:
"He comes to grief, however fleet, Who doesn't watch his flying feet.
"Jimmy Skunk, if you didn't have that little bag of scent that everybodyis afraid of, you would be a lot more careful where you step," repliedPeter. "If Reddy doesn't watch out, someday he'll step right into atrap."
Jimmy Skunk chuckled. "I wish he would!" said he.
Now when Farmer Brown's boy heard about the boldness of Reddy Fox, heshut his mouth tight in a way that was unpleasant to see and reached forhis gun. "I can't afford to raise chickens to feed foxes!" said he.Then he whistled for Bowser the Hound, and together they started out. Itwasn't long before Bowser found Reddy's tracks.
"Bow, wow, wow, wow!" roared Bowser the Hound.
Reddy Fox, taking a nap on the edge of the Green Forest, heard Bowser'sbig, deep voice. He pricked up his ears, then he grinned. "I feel justlike a good run today," said he, and trotted off along the CrookedLittle Path down the hill.
Now this was a beautiful summer day and Reddy knew that in summer menand boys seldom hunt foxes. "It's only Bowser the Hound," thought Reddy,"and when I've had a good run, I'll play a trick on him so that he willlose my track." So Reddy didn't use his eyes as he should have done. Yousee, he thought himself so smart that he had grown careless. Yes, Sir,Reddy Fox had grown careless. He kept looking back to see where Bowserthe Hound was, but didn't look around to make sure that no other dangerwas near.
Ol' Mistah Buzzard, sailing round and round, way up in the blue, bluesky, could see everything going on down below. He could see ReddyFox running along the edge of the Green Forest and every few minutesstopping to chuckle and listen to Bowser the Hound trying to pick outthe trail Reddy had made so hard to follow by his twists and turns. Andhe saw something else, did Ol' Mistah Buzzard. It looked to him verymuch like the barrel of a gun sticking out from behind an old tree justahead of Reddy.
"Ah reckon it's just like Ah said: Reddy Fox is gwine to meet troubleright smart soon," muttered Ol' Mistah Buzzard.
VI. Drummer the Woodpecker Drums in Vain
Once upon a time, before he had grown to think himself so very, verysmart, Reddy Fox would never, never have thought of running withoutwatching out in every direction. He would have seen that thing thatlooked like the barrel of a gun sticking out from behind the old treetoward which he was running, and he would have been very suspicious,very suspicious indeed. But now all Reddy could think of was what asplendid chance he had to show all the little meadow and forest peoplewhat a bold, smart fellow he was.
So once more Reddy sat down and waited until Bowser the Hound was almostup to him. Just then Drummer the Woodpecker began to make a tremendousnoise--rat-a-tat-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat-tat! Noweverybody who heard that rat-a-tat-tat-tat knew that it was a dangersignal. Drummer the Woodpecker never drums just that way for pleasure.But Reddy Fox paid no attention to it. He didn't notice it at all. Yousee, he was so full of the idea of his own smartness that he didn't haveroom for anything else.
"Stupid thing!" said Drummer the Woodpecker to himself. "I don't knowwhat I am trying to warn him for, anyway. The Green Meadows and theGreen Forest would be better off without him, a lot better off! Nobodylikes him. He's a dreadful bully and is all the time trying to catch orscare to death those who are smaller than he. Still, he is so handsome!"Drummer cocked his head on one side and looked over at Reddy Fox.
Reddy was laughing to see how hard Bowser the Hound was working tountangle Reddy's mixed-up trail.
"Yes, Sir, he certainly is handsome," said Drummer once more.
Then he looked down at the foot of the old tree on which he was sitting,and what he saw caused Drummer to make up his mind. "I surely would missseeing that beautiful red coat of his! I surely would!" he muttered. "Ifhe doesn't hear and heed now, it won't be my fault!" Then Drummer theWoodpecker began such a furious rat-a-tat-tat-tat on the trunk of th
eold tree that it rang through the Green Forest and out across the GreenMeadows almost to the Purple Hills.
Down at the foot of the tree a freckled face on which there was a blackscowl looked up. It was the face of Farmer Brown's boy.
"What ails that pesky woodpecker?" he muttered. "If he doesn't keepstill, he'll scare that fox!"
He shook a fist at Drummer, but Drummer didn't appear to notice. He keptright on, rat-a-tat-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat-tat, rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
VII. Too Late Reddy Fox Hears
Drummer the Woodpecker was pounding out his danger signal so fast andso hard that his red head flew back and forth almost too fast to see.Rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat-tat, beat Drummer on the old tree trunk on the edgeof the Green Forest. When he stopped for breath, he looked down into thescowling face of Farmer Brown's boy, who was hiding behind the old treetrunk.
Drummer didn't like the looks of that scowl, not a bit. And he didn'tlike the looks of the gun which Farmer Brown's boy had. He knew thatFarmer Brown's boy was hiding there to shoot Reddy Fox, but Drummer wasbeginning to be afraid that Farmer Brown's boy might guess what allthat drumming meant--that it was a warning to Reddy Fox. And if FarmerBrown's boy did guess that, why--why--anyway, on the other side of thetree there was a better place to drum. So Drummer the Woodpecker creptaround to the other side of the tree and in a minute was drumming harderthan ever. Whenever he stopped for breath, he looked out over the GreenMeadows to see if Reddy Fox had heard his warning.
But if Reddy had heard, he hadn't heeded. Just to show off before allthe little meadow and forest people, Reddy had waited until Bowser theHound had almost reached him. Then, with a saucy flirt of his tail,Reddy Fox started to show how fast he could run, and that is very fastindeed. It made Bowser the Hound seem very slow, as, with his nose tothe ground, he came racing after Reddy, making a tremendous noise withhis great voice.