gate should have been left unlocked," thought Old Man
Coyote. "It may have been an accident, and again it may have been done
purposely. There may not be any danger inside; then again there may. I'm
not going to push that gate open or step inside when there is some one
to do it for me. I'll just leave it for Reddy Fox to do."

CHAPTER XIII

THE MISCHIEVOUS LITTLE NIGHT BREEZE

A little act of mischief can
Upset the deepest, best laid plan.

_Bowser the Hound._

Reddy Fox was very pleased with himself as he thought how much smarter
he was than Old Man Coyote. He didn't waste any time in pushing open the
henyard gate. It didn't enter his head that there might be a trap
inside. He was so eager to find out if the little door where in daytime
the hens ran in and out of the henhouse was open, that he jumped inside
the henyard just as soon as the gate was pushed open wide enough for him
to enter.

Old Man Coyote, watching from his hiding place, saw Reddy push the gate
open and enter the henyard. "So far, so good," muttered Old Man Coyote
to himself. "There isn't any trap just inside that gate, so it will be
safe enough for me to follow Reddy in there. I think I'll wait a bit,
however, and see what luck he has in getting into the henhouse. If he
catches a chicken he won't stop to eat it there. He won't dare to. All I
need do is to wait right here around the corner, and if he brings a
chicken out, I'll simply tell him to drop it. Then I will have the
chicken and will have run no risk." You see Old Man Coyote is a very,
very clever old sinner.

So Old Man Coyote peeked through the wires and watched Reddy Fox, who
thought himself so much smarter, steal swiftly across to the henhouse
and try that little door. It was closed, but it wasn't fastened, as
Reddy could tell by poking at it.

"It is just a matter of time and patience," muttered Reddy to himself.
"If I keep at it long enough, I can work it open." You see Reddy had
done that very thing once before a great while ago.

So he set himself to work with such patience as he could, and all the
time Old Man Coyote watched and wondered what Reddy was doing. He
guessed that Reddy was having some trouble, but also he knew from
Reddy's actions that Reddy hoped to get inside that henhouse.

Now Reddy had left the henyard gate ajar. If he had pushed it wide open
things might have been different. But he didn't push it wide open. He
left it only halfway open.