Project Gutenberg's The Adventures of Reddy Fox, by Thornton W. Burgess

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Adventures of Reddy Fox

Author: Thornton W. Burgess

Posting Date: November 6, 2008 [EBook #1825]
Release Date: July, 1999

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX ***

Produced by Dianne Bean

THE ADVENTURES OF REDDY FOX

By Thornton W. Burgess

I. Granny Fox Gives Reddy a Scare

Reddy Fox lived with Granny Fox. You see, Reddy was one of a large
family, so large that Mother Fox had hard work to feed so many hungry
little mouths and so she had let Reddy go to live with old Granny Fox.
Granny Fox was the wisest, slyest, smartest fox in all the country
round, and now that Reddy had grown so big, she thought it about time
that he began to learn the things that every fox should know. So every
day she took him hunting with her and taught him all the things that she
had learned about hunting: about how to steal Farmer Brown's chickens
without awakening Bowser the Hound, and all about the thousand and one
ways of fooling a dog which she had learned.

This morning Granny Fox had taken Reddy across the Green Meadows, up
through the Green Forest, and over to the railroad track. Reddy had
never been there before and he didn't know just what to make of it.
Granny trotted ahead until they came to a long bridge. Then she stopped.

"Come here, Reddy, and look down," she commanded.

Reddy did as he was told, but a glance down made him giddy, so giddy
that he nearly fell. Granny Fox grinned.

"Come across," said she, and ran lightly across to the other side.

But Reddy Fox was afraid. Yes, Sir, he was afraid to take one step on
the long bridge. He was afraid that he would fall through into the water
or onto the cruel rocks below. Granny Fox ran back to where Reddy sat.

"For shame, Reddy Fox!" said she. "What are you afraid of? Just don't
look down and you will be safe enough. Now come along over with me."

But Reddy Fox hung back and begged to go home and whimpered. Suddenly
Granny Fox sprang to her feet, as if in great fright. "Bowser the Hound!
Come, Reddy, come!" she cried, and sta