World in general and himself in
particular.

He grinned as only Old Man Coyote can grin. "I don't think any of us
will be bothered by that meddlesome Bowser very soon again," said he, as
he crept into his house for a nap. "If he had drowned in that river, I
shouldn't have cried over it. But even as it is, I don't think he will
get back here in a hurry. I must pass the word along."

So a day or so later, when Sammy Jay happened along, Old Man Coyote
asked him, in quite a matter-of-fact way, if he had seen anything of
Bowser the Hound for a day or two.

"Why do you ask?" said Sammy sharply.

Old Man Coyote grinned slyly. "For no reason at all, Sammy. For no
reason at all," he replied. "It just popped into my head that I hadn't
heard Bowser's voice for two or three days. It set me to wondering if he
is sick, or if anything has happened to him."

That was enough to start Sammy Jay straight for Farmer Brown's dooryard.
Of course Bowser wasn't to be seen. Sammy hung around and watched. Twice
he saw Farmer Brown's boy come to the door with a worried look on his
face and heard him whistle and call for Bowser. Then there wasn't the
slightest doubt in Sammy's mind that something had happened to Bowser.

"Old Man Coyote knows something about it, too," muttered Sammy, as he
turned his head on one side and scratched his pointed cap thoughtfully.
"He can't fool me. That old rascal knows where Bowser is, or what has
happened to him, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he had something
to do with it. I almost know he did from the way he grinned."

The day was not half over before all through the Green Forest and over
the Green Meadows had spread the report that Bowser the Hound was no
more.

CHAPTER X

HOW REDDY FOX INVESTIGATED

In-vest-i-gate if you would know
That something is or isn't so.

_Bowser the Hound._

To in-vest-i-gate something means to try to find out about it. Reddy Fox
had heard from so many different ones about the disappearance of Bowser
that he finally made up his mind that he would in-vest-i-gate and find
out for himself if it were true that Bowser was no longer at home in
Farmer Brown's dooryard. If it were true,--well, Reddy had certain plans
of his own in regard to Farmer Brown's henhouse.

Reddy had begun by doubting that story because it seemed to have come
first from Old Man Coyote. Reddy would doubt anything with which Old Man
Coyote was concerned. But Reddy had finally