he was
far enough away to run. How he did run! He was so fat and roly-poly that
he was all out of breath when he reached home, and so tired that he just
dropped down on his doorstep and panted.

"Serves me right for having so much curiosity," said Johnny Chuck to
himself.

Reddy Fox looked up as old Granny Fox came hurrying home. He was weak
and very, very hungry. But he felt sure that old Granny Fox would
bring him something nice for his breakfast, and as soon as he heard her
footsteps his mouth began to water.

"Did you bring me something nice, Granny?" asked Reddy Fox.

Now old Granny Fox had been so put out by the scare she had had and by
her failure to catch Peter Rabbit that she had forgotten all about the
chicken she had left up on the hill. When Reddy spoke, she remembered
it, and the thought of having to go way back after it didn't improve her
temper a bit.

"No!" she snapped. "I haven't!--You don't deserve any breakfast anyway.
If you had any gumption"--that's the word Granny Fox used, gumption--"if
you had any gumption at all, you wouldn't have gotten in trouble, and
could get your own breakfast."

Reddy Fox didn't know what gumption meant, but he did know that he was
very, very hungry, and do what he would, he couldn't keep back a couple
of big tears of disappointment. Granny Fox saw them.

"There, there, Reddy! Don't cry. I've got a fine fat chicken for you up
on the hill, and I'll run back and get it," said Granny Fox.

So off she started up the hill to the place where she had left the
chicken when she started to try to catch Peter Rabbit. When she got
there, there wasn't any chicken. No, Sir, there was no chicken at
all--just a few feathers. Granny Fox could hardly believe her own eyes.
She looked this way and she looked that way, but there was no chicken,
just a few feathers. Old Granny Fox flew into a greater rage than
before.

XIII. Granny Fox Calls Jimmy Skunk Names

Granny Fox couldn't believe her own eyes. No, Sir, she couldn't believe
her own eyes, and she rubbed them two or three times to make sure that
she was seeing right. That chicken certainly had disappeared, and left
no trace of where it had gone.

It was very queer. Old Granny Fox sat down to think who would dare steal
anything from her. Then she walked in a big circle with her nose to the
ground, sniffing and sniffing. What was she doing that for? Why, to
see if she could find the tracks of anyone who might have stolen