returned, Billy
Mink's duck had also disappeared.
Reddy Fox could hardly believe his eyes. He didn't smile now. He was
too angry and too frightened. Yes, Reddy Fox was frightened. He
walked in a big circle round and round the place where the plump
chicken and the duck had been, and the more he walked, the more
suspicious he became. He wrinkled and wrinkled his little black nose
in an effort to smell the intruder, but not a whiff could he get. All
was as still and peaceful as could be. Little Joe Otter's trout lay
shining in the moonlight. The big head of cabbage lay just where Peter
Rabbit and Jumper the Hare had left it. Reddy Fox rubbed his eyes to
make sure that he was not dreaming and that the plump chicken and the
duck 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 he
couldn't stand still. When Bowser the Hound bayed at the moon Reddy
Fox jumped a foot off the ground and whirled about in the direction of
Farmer Brown's house. Then he remembered that Bowser the Hound is
always chained up at night, so that he had nothing to fear from him.
After listening and looking a moment Reddy Fox decided that all was
safe. "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 moonlight
had also disappeared. Reddy Fox looked and looked until his eyes
nearly popped out of his head. Then he did what all cowards do--ran
home as fast as his legs could carry him.
Now of course Billy Mink didn't find Bobby Coon, and when he came back
up 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, and
Little Joe Otter could find no trace of the shining big sucker among
the rushes beside the Smiling Pool. They also were very tired, very
hungry and very cross.
When the three returned to the Lone Pine and found nothing there but
the big head of cabbage, which none of them liked, the empty egg shells
of old Gray Goose and Jerry Muskrat's clams, they straightway fell to
accusing each other of having stolen the duck and the fat trout and the
eggs and began to quarrel dreadfully.
Pretty soon up came Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare, who had failed to
find the tender young carrots. And up came Jerry Muskrat, who had
found no luscious sweet
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