Mother West Wind's Children Read online

  VI

  REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER

  Johnny Chuck waddled down the Lone Little Path across the GreenMeadows. Johnny Chuck was very fat and rolly-poly. His yellow browncoat fitted him so snugly that it seemed as if it must burst. JohnnyChuck was feeling very happy--very happy indeed, for you see JohnnyChuck long ago found the best thing in the world, which is contentment.

  Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun, looking down from the sky, smiled and smiledto see Johnny Chuck waddling down the Lone Little Path, for he lovedthe merry-hearted little fellow, as do all the little meadowpeople--all but Reddy Fox, for Reddy Fox has not forgotten the surpriseJohnny Chuck once gave him and how he called him a "'fraid cat."

  Once in a while Johnny Chuck stopped to brush his coat carefully, forhe is very particular about his appearance, is Johnny Chuck. By and byhe came to the old butternut tree down by the Smiling Pool. He couldsee it a long time before he reached it, and up in the top of it hecould see Blacky the Crow flapping his wings and cawing at the top ofhis voice.

  "There must be something going on," said Johnny Chuck to himself, andbegan to waddle faster. He looked so very queer when he tried to hurrythat jolly round, red Mr. Sun smiled more than ever.

  When he was almost to the old butter-nut tree Johnny Chuck sat up verystraight so that his head came just above the tall meadow grassesbeside the Lone Little Path. He could see the Merry Little Breezesdancing and racing under the old butternut tree and having such a goodtime! And he could see the long ears of Peter Rabbit standing upstraight above the tall meadow grasses. One of the Merry LittleBreezes spied Johnny Chuck.

  "Hurry up, Johnny Chuck!" he shouted, and Johnny Chuck hurried.

  When he reached the old butternut tree he was all out of breath. Hewas puffing and blowing and he was so warm that he wished just for aminute, a single little minute, that he could swim like Billy Mink andJerry Muskrat and Little Joe Otter, so that he could jump into theSmiling Pool and cool off.

  "Hello, Johnny Chuck!" shouted Peter Rabbit.

  "Hello yourself, and see how you like it!" replied Johnny Chuck.

  "Hello myself!" said Peter Rabbit.

  And then because it was so very foolish everybody laughed. It is agood thing to feel foolishly happy on a beautiful sunshiny day,especially down on the Green Meadows.

  Jimmy Skunk was there. He was feeling very, very good indeed, wasJimmy Skunk, for he had found some very fine beetles for his breakfast.

  Little Joe Otter was there, and Billy Mink and Jerry Muskrat and HappyJack Squirrel, and of course Reddy Fox was there. Oh my, yes, ofcourse Reddy Fox was there! Reddy Fox never misses a chance to showoff. He was wearing his very newest red coat and his whitestwaistcoat. He had brushed his tail till it looked very handsome, andevery few minutes he would turn and admire it. Reddy Fox thoughthimself a very fine gentleman. He admired himself and he wanted everyone else to admire him.

  "Let's do stunts," said Peter Rabbit. "I can jump farther than anybodyhere!"

  Then Peter Rabbit jumped a tremendously long jump. Then everybodyjumped, everybody but Reddy Fox. Even Johnny Chuck jumped, and becausehe was so rolly-poly he tumbled over and over and everybody laughed andJohnny Chuck laughed loudest of all.

  And because his hind legs are long and meant for jumping Peter Rabbithad jumped farther than any one else.

  "I can climb to the top of the old butternut tree quicker than anybodyelse," cried Happy Jack Squirrel, and away he started with Bobby Coonand Billy Mink after him, for though Billy Mink is a famous swimmer andcan run swiftly, he can also climb when he has to. But Happy JackSquirrel was at the top of the old butternut tree almost before theothers had started.

  The Merry Little Breezes clapped their hands and everybody shouted forHappy Jack Squirrel, everybody but Reddy Fox.

  "I can swim faster than anybody here," shouted Little Joe Otter.

  In a flash three little brown coats splashed into the Smiling Pool sosuddenly that they almost upset Great-Grandfather Frog watching fromhis big green lily pad. They belonged to Little Joe Otter, Billy Minkand Jerry Muskrat. Across the Smiling Pool and back again they racedand Little Joe Otter was first out on the bank.

  "Hurrah for Little Joe Otter!" shouted Blacky the Crow.

  And everybody shouted "Hurrah!" Everybody but Reddy Fox.

  "What can you do, Jimmy Skunk?" asked Peter Rabbit, dancing up anddown, he was so excited.

  Jimmy Skunk yawned lazily.

  "I can throw a wonderful perfume farther than anybody here," said JimmySkunk.

  "We know it! We know it!" shouted the Merry Little Breezes aseverybody tumbled heels over head away from Jimmy Skunk, even ReddyFox. "But please don't!"

  And Jimmy Skunk didn't.

  Then they all came back, Reddy Fox carefully brushing his handsome redcoat which had become sadly mussed, he had fled in such a hurry.

  Now for the first time in his life Johnny Chuck began to feel just awee, wee bit discontented. What was there he could do better than anyone else? He couldn't jump and he couldn't climb and he couldn't swim.He couldn't even run fast, because he was so fat and round androlly-poly. He quite forgot that he was so sunny-hearted andgood-natured that everybody loved him, everybody but Reddy Fox.

  Just then Reddy Fox began to boast, for Reddy Fox is a great boaster."Pooh!" said Reddy Fox, "pooh! Anybody could jump if their legs weremade for jumping. And what's the good of climbing trees anyway? Now Ican run faster than anybody here--faster than anybody in the wholeworld!" said Reddy Fox, puffing himself out.

  "Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "You can't beat Spotty theTurtle."

  Then everyone shouted and rolled over and over in the grass, they wereso tickled, for every one remembered how Spotty the Turtle had once wona race from Reddy Fox.

  For a minute Reddy Fox looked very foolish. Then he lost his temper,which is a very unwise thing to do, for it is hard to find again. Heswelled himself out until every hair stood on end and he looked twiceas big as he did before. He strutted up and down and glared at each inturn.

  "And I'm not afraid of any living thing on the Green Meadows!" boastedReddy Fox.

  "Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "Do I see Bowser the Hound?"

  Every hair on Reddy Fox suddenly fell back into place. He whirledabout nervously and anxiously looked over the Green Meadows. Theneverybody shouted again and rolled over and over in the grass and heldon to their sides, for you see Bowser the Hound wasn't there at all.

  But everybody took good care to keep away from Reddy Fox, everybody butJohnny Chuck. He just sat still and chuckled and chuckled till his fatsides shook.

  "What are you laughing at?" demanded Reddy Fox.

  "I was just thinking," said Johnny Chuck, "that though you can run sofast, you can't even catch me."

  Reddy Fox just glared at him for a minute, he was so mad. Then hesprang straight at Johnny Chuck.

  "I'll show you!" he snarled.

  Now Johnny Chuck had been sitting close beside a hole that GrandfatherChuck had dug a long time before and which was empty. In a flashJohnny Chuck disappeared head first in the hole. Now the hole was toosmall for Reddy Fox to enter, but he was so angry that he straightwaybegan to dig it larger. My, how the sand did fly! It poured outbehind Reddy Fox in a stream of shining yellow.

  Johnny Chuck ran down the long tunnel underground until he reached theend. Then when he heard Reddy Fox digging and knew that he was reallycoming, Johnny Chuck began to dig, too, only instead of digging down hedug up towards the sunshine and the blue sky.

  My, how his short legs did fly and his stout little claws dug into thesoft earth! His little forepaws flew so fast that if you had beenthere you could hardly have seen them at all. And with his strong hindlegs he kicked the sand right back into the face of Reddy Fox.

  All the little meadow people gathered around the hole where JohnnyChuck and Reddy Fox had disappeared. They were very anxious, veryanxious indeed. Would Reddy Fox catch Johnny Chuck? And what wo
uld hedo to him? Was all their fun to end in something terrible tosunny-hearted, merry Johnny Chuck, whom everybody loved?

  All of a sudden, pop! right out of the solid earth among the daisiesand buttercups, just like a jack-in-the-box, came Johnny Chuck! Helooked very warm and a little tired, but he was still chuckling as hescampered across to another hole of Grandfather Chuck's.

  By and by something else crawled out of the hole Johnny Chuck had made.Could it be Reddy Fox? Where were his white waistcoat and beautifulred coat? And was that thing dragging behind him his splendid tail?

  He crept out of the hole and then just lay down and panted for breath.He was almost too tired to move. Then he began to spit sand out of hismouth and blow it out of his nose and try to wipe it out of his eyes.The long hair of his fine coat was filled full of sand and no one wouldever have guessed that this was Reddy Fox.

  "Haw! haw! haw!" shouted Blacky the Crow.

  Then everybody shouted "Haw! haw! haw!" and began to roll in the grassand hold on to their sides once more; everybody but Reddy Fox. When hecould get his breath he didn't look this way or that way, but justsneaked off to his home under the big hickory.

  Then everybody shouted "Haw! haw! haw!"]

  And when Old Mother West Wind came with her big bag to take the MerryLittle Breezes to their home behind the Purple Hills, Johnny Chuckwaddled back up the Lone Little Path chuckling to himself, for thatlittle feeling of discontent was all gone. He had found that after allhe could do something better than anybody else on the Green Meadows,for in his heart he knew that none could dig so fast as he.