and stretched and stretched and yawned, and
then he sat up to look over the Green Meadows. Then he became wide
awake, very wide awake indeed! Way down on the Green Meadows he caught
a glimpse of something red jumping about in the long meadow grass.

"That must be Reddy Fox," thought Johnny Chuck. "Yes, it surely is
Reddy Fox. Now I wonder what mischief he is up to."

Then he saw all the Merry Little Breezes racing towards Reddy Fox as
fast as they could go. And there was Sammy Jay screaming at the top of
his voice, and his cousin, Blacky the Crow. Happy Jack Squirrel was
dancing up and down excitedly on the branch of an old elm close by.

Johnny Chuck waited to see no more, but started down the Lone Little
Path to find out what it all was about. Half way down the Lone Little
Path he met Peter Rabbit running as hard as he could. His long ears
were laid flat back, his big eyes seemed to pop right out of his head,
and he was running as Johnny Chuck had never seen him run before.

"What are you running so for, Peter Rabbit?" asked Johnny Chuck.

"To get Bowser the Hound," shouted Peter Rabbit over his shoulder, as
he tried to run faster.

"Now what can be the matter?" said Johnny Chuck to himself, "to send
Peter Rabbit after Bowser the Hound?" He knew that, like all the other
little meadow people, there was nothing of which Peter Rabbit was so
afraid as Farmer Brown's great dog, Bowser the Hound.

Johnny Chuck hurried down the Lone Little Path as fast as his short
legs could take his fat, rolly-poly self.

Presently he came out onto the Green Meadows, and there he saw a sight
that set every nerve in his round little body a-tingle with rage.

Reddy Fox had found Peter Rabbit's baby brother and was doing his best
to frighten him to death.

"I'm going to eat you now," shouted Reddy Fox, and then he sprang on
Peter Rabbit's baby brother and gave him a cuff that sent him heels
over head sprawling in the grass.

"Coward! Coward, Reddy Fox!" shrieked Sammy Jay.

"Shame! Shame!" shouted the Merry Little Breezes.

"You're nothing but a great big bully!" yelled Blacky the Crow.

But no one did anything to help Peter Rabbit's baby brother, for Reddy
Fox is so much bigger than any of the rest of them, except Bobby Coon,
that all the little meadow people are afraid of him.

But Reddy Fox just laughed at them, and nipped the long ears of Peter
Rabbit's little brother so hard that he cried with the pain.

Now