Mother West Wind's Children Read online

  II

  WHY REDDY FOX HAS NO FRIENDS

  The Green Meadows lay peaceful and still. Mother Moon, sailing highoverhead, looked down upon them and smiled and smiled, flooding themwith her silvery light. All day long the Merry Little Breezes of OldMother West Wind had romped there among the asters and goldenrod. Theyhad played tag through the cat rushes around the Smiling Pool. Forvery mischief they had rubbed the fur of the Field Mice babies thewrong way and had blown a fat green fly right out of Grandfather Frog'smouth just as his lips came together with a smack. Now they weresafely tucked in bed behind the Purple Hills, and so they missed themidnight feast at the foot of the Lone Pine.

  But Reddy Fox was there. You can always count on Reddy Fox to be aboutwhen mischief or good times are afoot, especially after Mr. Sun haspulled his nightcap on.

  Jimmy Skunk was there. If there is any mischief Reddy Fox does notthink of Jimmy Skunk will be sure to discover it.

  Billy Mink was there. Yes indeed, Billy Mink was there! Billy Mink isanother mischief maker. When Reddy Fox and Jimmy Skunk are playingpranks or in trouble of any kind you are certain to find Billy Minkclose by. That is, you are certain to find him if you look sharpenough. But Billy Mink is so slim, he moves so quickly, and his witsare so sharp, that he is not seen half so often as the others.

  With Billy Mink came his cousin, Shadow the Weasel, who is sly andcruel. No one likes Shadow the Weasel.

  Little Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat came. They were late, for the legsof Little Joe Otter are so short that he is a slow traveler on land,while Jerry Muskrat feels much more at home in the water than on thedry ground.

  Of course Peter Rabbit was there. Without him no party on the GreenMeadows would be complete, and Peter likes to be abroad at night evenbetter than by day. With Peter came his cousin, Jumper the Hare, whohad come down from the Pine Forest for a visit.

  Boomer the Nighthawk and Hooty the Owl completed the party, thoughHooty had not been invited and no one knew that he was there.

  Each was to contribute something to the feast--the thing that he likedbest. Such an array as Mother Moon looked down upon! Reddy Fox hadbrought a plump, tender chicken, stolen from Farmer Brown's dooryard.

  Very quietly, like a thin, brown shadow, Billy Mink had slipped up tothe duck pond and--alas! Now Mother Quack had one less in her prettylittle flock than when as jolly, round, red Mr. Sun went to bed behindthe Purple Hills, she had counted her babies as they tucked their headsunder their wings.

  Little Joe Otter had been fishing and he brought a great fat brother ofthe lamented Tommy Trout, who didn't mind.

  Jerry Muskrat brought up from the mud of the river bottom some finefresh water clams, of which he is very fond.

  Jimmy Skunk stole three big eggs from the nest of old Gray Goose.

  Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare rolled up a great, tender, freshcabbage.

  Boomer the Nighthawk said that he was very sorry, but he was on a dietof insects, which he must swallow one at a time, so to save trouble hehad swallowed them as he caught them.

  Now Hooty the Owl is a glutton and is lazy. "Reddy Fox and Jimmy Skunkand Billy Mink are sure to bring somethink [Transcriber's note:something?] I like, so what is the use of spending my time hunting forwhat someone else will get for me?" said he to himself. So Hooty theOwl went very early to the Lone Pine and hid among the thick brancheswhere no one could see him.

  Shadow the Weasel is sly and a thief and lives by his wits. So becausehe had rather steal than be honest, he too went to the midnight spreadwith nothing but his appetite.

  Now Reddy Fox is also a glutton and very, very crafty. When he saw theplump duck brought by Billy Mink, his mouth watered, for Reddy Fox isvery, very fond of young spring ducks. So straightway he began to planhow he could get possession of Billy Mink's duck.

  And when Billy Mink saw the fat trout Little Joe Otter had brought, hiseyes danced and his heart swelled with envy, for Billy Mink is very,very fond of fish. At once he began to plan how he could secure thatparticular fat trout Little Joe Otter guarded so carefully.

  Jimmy Skunk was quite contented with the eggs he had stolen from oldGray Goose--that is, he was until he saw the plump chicken Reddy Foxhad brought from Farmer Brown's dooryard. Then suddenly his stomachbecame very empty, very empty indeed for chicken, and Jimmy Skunk beganto think of a way to add the chicken of Reddy Fox to his own stoleneggs.

  Because Reddy Fox is the largest he was given the place of honor at thehead of the table under the Lone Pine. On his right sat Little JoeOtter and on his left Jerry Muskrat. Shadow the Weasel was next toLittle Joe Otter, while right across from him was Jimmy Skunk. PeterRabbit was next, sitting opposite his cousin, Jumper the Hare. At theextreme end, facing Reddy Fox, sat Billy Mink, with the plump duckright under his sharp little nose.

  Boomer the Nighthawk excused himself on the plea that he neededexercise to aid digestion, and as he had brought nothing to the feast,his excuse was politely accepted.

  Reddy Fox is very, very cunning, and his crafty brain had been busilyworking out a plan to get all these good things for himself. "Littlebrothers of the Green Meadows," began Reddy Fox, "we have met hereto-night for a feast of brotherly love."

  Reddy Fox paused a moment to look hungrily at Billy Mink's duck. BillyMink cast a longing eye at Little Joe Otter's trout, while Jimmy Skunkstole an envious glance at Reddy Fox's chicken.

  "But there is one missing to make our joy complete," continued ReddyFox. "Who has seen Bobby Coon?"

  No one had seen Bobby Coon. Somehow happy-go-lucky Bobby Coon had beenoverlooked when the invitations were sent out.

  "I move," continued Reddy Fox, "that because Billy Mink runs swiftly,and because he knows where Bobby Coon usually is to be found, he beappointed a committee of one to find Bobby Coon and bring him to thefeast."

  Now nothing could have been less to the liking of Billy Mink, but therewas nothing for him to do but to yield as gracefully as he could and goin search of Bobby Coon.

  No sooner had Billy Mink disappeared down the Lone Little Path thanReddy Fox recalled a nest of grouse eggs he had seen that day under abig hemlock, and he proposed that inasmuch as Jimmy Skunk already worestripes for having stolen a nest of eggs from Mrs. Grouse, he was justthe one to go steal these eggs and bring them to the feast.

  Of course there was nothing for Jimmy Skunk to do but to yield asgracefully as he could and go in search of the nest of eggs under thebig hemlock.

  No sooner had Jimmy Skunk started off than Reddy Fox remembered a bigshining sucker Farmer Brown's boy had caught that afternoon and tossedamong the rushes beside the Smiling Pool. Little Joe Otter listenedand his mouth watered and watered until he could sit still no longer."If you please," said Little Joe Otter, "I'll run down to the SmilingPool and get that sucker to add to the feast."

  No sooner was Little Joe Otter out of sight than Reddy Fox was remindedof a field of carrots on the other side of the Green Meadows. NowPeter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare are very fond of tender young carrotsand they volunteered to bring a supply for the feast. So away theyhurried with big jumps down the Lone Little Path and out across theGreen Meadows.

  No sooner were Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare fairly started thanReddy Fox began to tell of some luscious sweet apples he had noticedunder a wild apple tree a little way back on the hill. Now JerryMuskrat is quite as fond of luscious sweet apples as of fresh-waterclams, so quietly slipping away, he set out in quest of the wild appletree a little way back on the hill.

  No sooner was Jerry Muskrat lost in the black shadows than Reddy Foxturned to speak to Shadow the Weasel. But Shadow the Weasel believesthat a feast in the stomach is worth two banquets untasted, so whilethe others had been talking, he had quietly sucked dry the three bigeggs stolen by Jimmy Skunk from old Gray Goose, and then because he isso slim and so quick and so sly, he slipped away without anyone seeinghim.

  So when Reddy Fox turned to speak to Shadow the Weasel, he foundhimself alone. At l
east he thought himself alone, and he smiled awicked, selfish smile as he walked over to Billy Mink's duck. He wasthinking how smart he had been to get rid of all the others, and of howhe would enjoy the feast all by himself.

  As Reddy Fox stooped to pick up Billy Mink's duck, a great shadowdropped softly, oh so softly, out of the Lone Pine down onto the plumpchicken. Then without the teeniest, weeniest bit of noise, it floatedback into the Lone Pine and with it went the plump chicken.

  Reddy Fox, still with his wicked, selfish smile, trotted back withBilly Mink's duck, but he dropped it in sheer surprise when hediscovered that his plump chicken had disappeared. Now Reddy Fox isvery suspicious, as people who are not honest themselves are very aptto be. So he left Billy Mink's duck where he had dropped it andtrotted very, very softly up the Lone Little Path to try to catch thethief who had stolen his plump chicken.

  No sooner was his back turned than down out of the Lone Pine floatedthe great shadow, and when a minute later Reddy Fox returned, BillyMink's duck had also disappeared.

  Reddy Fox could hardly believe his eyes. He didn't smile now. He wastoo angry and too frightened. Yes, Reddy Fox was frightened. Hewalked in a big circle round and round the place where the plumpchicken and the duck had been, and the more he walked, the moresuspicious he became. He wrinkled and wrinkled his little black nosein an effort to smell the intruder, but not a whiff could he get. Allwas as still and peaceful as could be. Little Joe Otter's trout layshining in the moonlight. The big head of cabbage lay just where PeterRabbit and Jumper the Hare had left it. Reddy Fox rubbed his eyes tomake sure that he was not dreaming and that the plump chicken and theduck were not there too.

  Just then Bowser the Hound, over at Farmer Brown's, bayed at the moon.Reddy Fox always is nervous and by this time he was so fidgety that hecouldn't stand still. When Bowser the Hound bayed at the moon ReddyFox jumped a foot off the ground and whirled about in the direction ofFarmer Brown's house. Then he remembered that Bowser the Hound isalways chained up at night, so that he had nothing to fear from him.

  After listening and looking a moment Reddy Fox decided that all wassafe. "Well," said he to himself, "I'll have that fat trout anyway,"and turned to get it.

  But the fat trout he had seen a minute before shining in the moonlighthad also disappeared. Reddy Fox looked and looked until his eyesnearly popped out of his head. Then he did what all cowards do--ranhome as fast as his legs could carry him.

  Now of course Billy Mink didn't find Bobby Coon, and when he came backup the Lone Little Path he was very tired, very hungry and very cross.And of course Jimmy Skunk failed to find the nest of Mrs. Grouse, andLittle Joe Otter could find no trace of the shining big sucker amongthe rushes beside the Smiling Pool. They also were very tired, veryhungry and very cross.

  When the three returned to the Lone Pine and found nothing there butthe big head of cabbage, which none of them liked, the empty egg shellsof old Gray Goose and Jerry Muskrat's clams, they straightway fell toaccusing each other of having stolen the duck and the fat trout and theeggs and began to quarrel dreadfully.

  Pretty soon up came Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare, who had failed tofind the tender young carrots. And up came Jerry Muskrat, who hadfound no luscious sweet apples.

  "Where is Reddy Fox?" asked Peter Rabbit.

  Sure enough, where was Reddy Fox? Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter andJimmy Skunk stopped quarreling and looked at each other.

  "Reddy Fox is the thief!" they cried all together.

  Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare and Jerry Muskrat agreed that ReddyFox must be the thief, and had sent them all away on false errands thathe might have the feast all to himself.

  So because there was nothing else to do, Billy Mink and Little JoeOtter, tired and hungry and angry, started for their homes beside theLaughing Brook. And Jimmy Skunk, also tired and hungry and angry,started off up the Crooked Little Path to look for some beetles.

  But Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare sat down to enjoy the big head ofcabbage, while close beside them sat Jerry Muskrat smacking his lipsover his clams, they tasted so good. Mother Moon looked down andsmiled and smiled, for she knew that each had a clear conscience, forthey had done no harm to anyone.

  And up in the thick top of the great pine Hooty the Owl noddedsleepily, for his stomach was very full of chicken and duck and trout,although he had not been invited to the party.

  And this is why Reddy Fox has no true friends on the Green Meadows.