Mother West Wind's Children Page 4

  IV

  REDDY FOX DISOBEYS

  On the brow of the hill by the Lone Pine sat Reddy Fox. Every fewmoments he pointed his little black nose up at the round, yellow moonand barked. Way over across the broad White Meadows, which in summertime are green, you know, in the dooryard of Farmer Brown's house,Bowser the Hound sat and barked at the moon, too.

  "Yap-yap-yap," barked Reddy Fox, as loud as he could.

  "Bow-wow-wow," said Bowser the Hound in his deepest voice.

  Then both would listen and watch the million little stars twinkle andtwinkle in the frosty sky. Now just why Reddy Fox should bark at themoon he did not know. He just had to. Every night for a week he hadsat at the foot of the Lone Pine and barked and barked until his throatwas sore. Every night old Mother Fox had warned him that noisychildren would come to no good end, and every night Reddy had promisedthat he would bark no more. But every night when the first silverflood of witching light crept over the hill and cast strange shadowsfrom the naked branches of the trees, Reddy forgot all about hispromise. Deep down under his little red coat was a strange feelingwhich he could not explain. He simply _must_ bark, so up to the LonePine he would go and yap and yap and yap, until all the little meadowpeople who were not asleep knew just where Reddy Fox was.

  Bowser the Hound knew, too, and he made up his mind that Reddy Fox wasmaking fun of him. Now Bowser did not like to be made fun of any morethan little boys and girls do, and he made up his mind that if ever hecould break his chain, or that if ever Farmer Brown forgot to chain himup, he would teach Reddy Fox a lesson that Reddy would never forget.

  "Yap-yap-yap," barked Reddy Fox, and then listened to hear Bowser'sdeep voice reply. But this time there was no reply. Reddy listened,and listened, and then tried it again. Way off on a distant hill hecould hear Hooty the Owl. Close by him Jack Frost was busy snappingsticks. Down on the White Meadows he could see Jimmy Skunk prowlingabout. Once he heard a rooster crow sleepily in Farmer Brown'shen-house, but he thought of Bowser the Hound, and though his mouthwatered, he did not dare risk a closer acquaintance with the big dog.So he sat still and barked, and pretty soon he forgot all else but themoon and the sound of his own voice.

  Now Bowser the Hound had managed to slip his collar. "Aha," thoughtBowser, "now I'll teach Reddy Fox to make fun of me," and like a shadowhe slipped through the fence and across the White Meadows towards theLone Pine.

  Reddy Fox had just barked for the hundreth time when he heard a twigcrack just back of him. It had a different sound from the noisy crackof Jack Frost, and Reddy stopped a yap right in the middle and whirledabout to see what it might be. There was Bowser the Hound almost uponhim, his eyes flashing fire, his great, red jaws wide open, and everyhair on his back bristling with rage.

  Reddy Fox didn't wait to say "Good evening," or to see more. Oh, no!He turned a back somersault and away he sped over the hard, snowy crustas fast as his legs could carry him. Bowser baying at the moon heliked to hear, but Bowser baying at his heels was another matter, andReddy ran as he had never run before. Down across the White Meadows hesped, Bowser frightening all the echoes with the roar of his big voiceas he followed in full cry.

  How Reddy did wish that he had minded Mother Fox! How safe and snugand warm was his home under the roots of the old hickory tree, and howhe did wish that he was safely there! But it would never do to gothere now, for that would tell Bowser where he lived, and Bowser wouldtake Farmer Brown there, and that would be the end of Reddy Fox and ofMother Fox and of all the brother and sister foxes.

  So Reddy twisted and turned, and ran this way and ran that way, and thelonger he ran, the shorter his breath grew. It was coming in greatpants now. His bushy tail, of which he was so proud, had become veryheavy. How Reddy Fox did wish and wish that he had minded Mother Fox!He twisted and turned, and doubled this way and that way, and all thetime Bowser the Hound got closer and closer.

  Now way off on the hill behind the White Meadows Mother Fox had beenhunting for her supper. She had heard the "Yap-yap-yap" of Reddy Foxas he barked at the moon, and she had heard Bowser baying over in thebarnyard of Farmer Brown. Then she had heard the "yap" of Reddy Foxcut short in the middle and the roar of Bowser's big voice as hestarted to chase Reddy Fox. She knew that Reddy could run fast, butshe also knew that Bowser the Hound had a wonderful nose, and thatBowser would never give up. So Mother Fox pattered down the CrookedLittle Path onto the White Meadows, where she could see the chase.When she got near enough, she barked twice to tell Reddy that she wouldhelp him.

  Now Reddy Fox was so tired that he was almost in despair when he heardMother Fox bark. But he knew that Mother Fox was so wise, and she hadso often fooled Bowser the Hound, that if he could hold out just alittle longer she would help him. So for a few minutes he ran fasterthan ever and he gained a long way on Bowser the Hound. As he passed ashock of corn that had been left standing on the White Meadows, MotherFox stepped out from behind it. "Go home, Reddy Fox," said she,sharply, "go home and stay there until I come." Then she deliberatelysat down in front of the shock of corn to wait until Bowser the Houndshould come in sight.

  Now Bowser the Hound kept his eyes and nose on the track of Reddy Fox,looking up only once in a while to see where he was going, so he didnot see Reddy Fox slip behind the corn shock, and when he did look up,he saw only Mother Fox sitting there waiting for him.

  Now Bowser the Hound thinks slowly. When he saw old Mother Fox sittingthere, he did not stop to think that it was not Reddy Fox whom he hadbeen following, or he would have known better than to waste his timefollowing old Mother Fox. He would have just hunted around until hehad found where Reddy had gone to. But Bowser the Hound thinks slowly.When he saw old Mother Fox sitting there, he thought it was Reddy Foxand that now he had him.

  With a great roar of his big voice, he sprang forward. Mother Foxwaited until he was almost upon her, then springing to one side, shetrotted off a little way. At once Bowser the Hound started after her.She pretended to be very tired. Every time he rushed forward shemanaged to just slip out of his grasp.

  Little by little she led him across the White Meadows back towardsFarmer Brown's barnyard. Pretty soon old Mother Fox began to run asfast as she could, and that is very fast indeed. She left Bowser theHound a long, long way behind. When she came to a stone wall shejumped up on the stone wall and ran along it, just like a squirrel.Every once in a while she would make a long jump and then trot along alittle way again. She knew that stones do not carry the scent well,and that Bowser the Hound would have hard work to smell her on thestone wall. Way down at the end of the pasture an old apple treestretched a long limb out towards the stone wall. When she gotopposite to this she jumped onto this long limb and ran up into thetree. There in the crotch, close to the trunk, she sat and watched.

  Bowser the Hound, making a tremendous noise, followed her trail up tothe stone wall. Then he was puzzled. He sniffed this way, and hesniffed that way, but he could not tell where Mother Fox haddisappeared to. He looked up at old Mother Moon and bayed and bayed,but old Mother Moon did not help him a bit. Then he jumped over thestone wall and looked, and looked, and smelled, and smelled, but notrack of Mother Fox could he find. Then he ran up along the stone walla little way, and then down along the stone wall a little way, butstill he could not find a track of Mother Fox. The longer he hunted,the angrier he grew.

  Old Mother Fox, sitting in the apple tree, watched him and laughed andlaughed to herself. Then when she grew tired of watching him, she madea long jump out into the field and trotted off home to punish Reddy Foxfor his disobedience. When she got there she found Reddy Fox very muchashamed, very tired and very sorrowful, and since that time Reddy Foxhas never barked at the moon.