The Adventures of Reddy Fox : Chapters 23-26

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Episode Transcript

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Section six of the Adventures of ReddyFox. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the publicdomain. For more information or to volunteer,
please visit LibriVox dot org. Recordingby John Leader and Eery Lalwan doing
them Merry Little Breezes The Adventures ofReddy Fox by Thornton W. Burgess,

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Chapter twenty three, Granny Fox hasa terrible scare. Old Granny Fox felt
her heart sink way down to hertoes, for she felt sure old mister
Buzzard had seen Farmer Brown's boy athis gun over near the house where Reddy
Fox was nursing his wounds, orhe wouldn't have advised her to hurry home.

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She was already very tired and hotfrom the long run to lead Bowser
the hound away from the green meadows. She had thought to walk home along
shady paths and cool off, Butnow she must run faster than ever,
for she must know if Farmer Brown'sboy had found her house. It's lucky
I told Ruddy Fox to go insideand not come out till I returned.

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It's very lucky I did that,thought Grannie Fox as she ran presently she
heard voices singing. They seemed tobe in the tree tops over her head.
Happily eee dance and play although weonce any day, happily eee run
in race and win her loseless smilingface, Grannie Fox knew the voices,

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and she looked up. Just asshe expected, she saw the merry little
breezes of old Mother west Wind playingamong the leaves. Just then one of
them looked down and saw her.Dere's old Granny Fox to see how hot
and tired she looks was so downingcore Off shouted the merry little breeze.

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In a flash, they were alldown out of the treetops and dancing around
old Granny Fox, cooling her off. Of course, Grannie Fox kept right
on running. She was too worried, not too But the merry little breezes
kept right beside her, and itwas not nearly as hard running now as
it had been. Have you seenFarmer Brown's boy patted Grannie Fox? Oh

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yes, we saw him just awhile ago over near your house, and
he Fox sleep pulled his head offjust to hear him. Scold shouted the
merry little breezes, and then theytickled and laughed as if they had had
a good time with Farmer Brown's boy. But Old Grannie Fox didn't laugh,

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Oh my no. Indeed, herheart went lower still, and she did
her best to run faster. Prettysoon she came out on the top of
the hill where she could look.And then it seemed as if her heart
came right up in her her mouthand stopped beating. Her eyes popped almost
out of her head. There wasFarmer Brown's boy standing right in front of

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the door of her home. Andwhile she was watching, what should Reddy
Fox do but stick his head outthe door. Old Granny Fox saw the
gun of Farmer Brown's boy pointed rightat ready, and she clapped both hands
over her eyes to shut out thedreadful sight. Then she waited for the
bang of the gun. It didn'tcome. Then Grannie peeped through her fingers.

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Farmer Brown's boy was still there,but Reddy Fox had disappeared inside the
house. Granny Fox sighed in relief. It had been a terrible scare,
the worst she could remember. Endof chapter twenty three. Chapter twenty four,
Granny and Reddy have to move.I don't want to move, wind

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Reddy Fox. I'm too sore towalk. Old Granny Fox gave him a
shove. You go along and doas I say, she snapped. If
you had minded me, we wouldn'thave to move. It's all your own
fault. The wonder is that youweren't killed when you poked your head out
right in front of Farmer Brown's boy. Now that he knows where we live,

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he will give us no peace.Move along lively. Now this is
the best home I have ever had, and now I've got to leave it.
Oh dear, oh dear. ReddyFox hobbled along up the long hall
and out the front door. Hewas walking on three legs, and at
every step he made a face,because you know, it hurts so to

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walk. The little stars looking downfrom the sky saw Reddy Fox limp out
the door of the house he hadlived in so long, and right behind
him came old Granny Fox. Granniesighed and wiped away a tear as she
said goodbye to her old home.Reddy Fox was thinking too much of his
own troubles to notice how badly GrannieFox was feeling. Every few steps he

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had to sit down and rest becauseit hurt him so to walk. I
don't see the use of moving tonight anyway, It would be a lot
easier and pleasanter when the sun isshining. This night ear makes me so
stiff that I'd know I never willget over it, grumbled Ready Fox.
Old Granny Fox listened to him fora while, and then she lost patience.

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Yes, sir, Grannie Fox lostpatience. She boxed Ready Fox,
first on one ear and then onthe other. Reddy began to snivel.
Stop it, said Grannie Fox,sharply, do you want all the neighbors
to know that we have got tomove? They'll find it out soon enough.

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Now come along without any more fuss. If you don't, I'll just
go off and leave you to shiftfor yourself. Then how will you get
anything to eat? Reddy Fox wipedhis eyes on his coat sleeve and hobbled
along as best he could. GrannyFox would run a little way ahead to
see that the way was safe,and then come back for Reddy. Oh,

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poor Reddy. He did his bestnot to complain, but it was
such hard work, and somehow ReddyFox didn't believe that it was at all
necessary. He had been terribly frightenedwhen he had disobeyed Granny Fox that afternoon
and put his head out the door, only to look right into the freckled
face of Farmer Brown's boy. Hehad ducked back out of sight again,

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too quickly for Farmer Brown's boy toshoot. And now he couldn't see why
Old Granny Fox wanted to move thatvery night. She's getting old, she's
getting old and timid and fussy,muttered Reddy Fox as he hobbled along behind
her. It seemed too ready,as if they had walked miles and miles.

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He really thought that they had beenwalking nearly all night when old Grannie
Fox stopped in front of the worstlooking old fox house ready had ever seen.
Here we are, said she.What are we going to live in
that thing? Cried Reddy It isn'tfit for any respectable fox to put his

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nose into. It is where Iwas born, snapped old Grannie Fox.
If you want to keep out ofharm's way, don't go to putting on
airs. Now, who scorns thesimple things of life and tilts his nose
at all he sees is almost sureto feel the knife of want cut through

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his pleasant ease. Now, don'tlet me hear another word from you,
but get inside at once. ReddyFox didn't quite understand while Grannie Fox said,
but he knew when she was tobe obeyed, and so he crawled
gingerly through the broken down doorway.And of chapter twenty four. Chapter twenty

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five, Peter Rabbit makes a discovery. Hardly had Jolly round Red Mister Sun
thrown off his nightcap and come outfrom his home behind the Purple Hills for
his daily climb up in the blueblue sky. When Farmer Brown's Boy started
down the lone little path through thegreen forest, Peter Rabbit, who had

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been out all night and was justthen on his way home, saw him.
Peter stopped and sat up to rubhis eyes and look again. He
wasn't quite sure that he had seenaright the first time, but he had
there was Farmer Brown's Boy, sureenough, and at his heels trotted bows
of the hound. Peter Rabbit rubbedhis eyes once more and wrinkled up his

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eyebrows. Farmer Brown's Boy certainly hada gun over one shoulder and a spade
over the other. Where could hebe going down the lone little path with
a spade. Farmer Brown's garden certainlywas not in that direction. Peter watched
him out of sight, and thenhe hurried down to the Green Meadows to
tell Johnny Chuck what he had seenmy how Peter's long legs did fly.

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He was so excited that he hadforgotten how sleepy he had felt a few
minutes before. Half way down toJohnny Chuck's house, Peter Rabbit almost ran
plump into Bobby Coon and Jimmy Skunk, who had been quarreling and were calling
each other names. They stopped whenthey saw Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit runs
away from his shatter, So theysay, Peter, Peter, what a

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sight? Tell us why this suddenfright, shouted Bobby Coon. Peter Rabbit
stopped short. Indeed, he stoppedso short that he almost turned a somersault
say, he panted. I've justseen Farmer Brown's boy. You don't say
so, said Jimmy Skunk, pretendingto be very much surprised. You don't

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say so, Why now I thinkof it. I believe I've seen Farmer
Brown's boy a few times myself.Peter Rabbit made a good natured face at
Jimmy Skunk, and then he toldall about how he had seen Farmer Brown's
Boy with a gun and spade andbows the hound going down the lone little
path. You know that there isn'tany garden down that way, he concluded.

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Bobby Coon's face wore a sober look. Yes, sir, all the
fun was gone from Bobby Coon's face. What's the matter, asked Jimmy Skunk.
All I was just thinking that ReddyFox lives over in that direction,
and he is so stiff that hecannot run, replied Bobby Coon. Jimmy
Skunk hitched up his trousers and startedtoward the lone Little path. Come on,

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said he let's follow him and seewhat he is about. Bobby Coon
followed at once, but Peter Rabbitsaid he would hurry over and getch Johnny
Chuck and then join the others.All this time, Farmer Brown's Boy had
been hurrying down the lone Little Pathto the home Old Granny Fox and Reddy
Fox had moved out of the nightbefore. Of course, he didn't know

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that they had moved. He putdown his gun, and by the time
Jimmy Skunk and Bobby Coon and PeterRabbit and Johnny Chuck reached a place where
they could peep out and see whatwas going on. He had dug a
great hole, Oh, cried PeterRabbit. He's digging into the house of
Reddy Fox, and he'll catch poorReddy. End of Chapter twenty five,

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Chapter twenty six, Farmer Brown's Boyworks for nothing. The grass around the
doorstep of the house where Reddy Foxhad always lived was all wet with dew.
When Farmer Brown's Boy laid his gundown, took off his coat,
rolled up his shirt sleeves, andpicked up his spade. It was cool
and beautiful there on the edge ofthe green meadows, jolly round red.

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Mister Sun had just begun his longclimb up in the blue blue sky.
Mister Redwing was singing for joy overin the bulrushes on the edge of the
smiling pool. Yes, it wasvery beautiful, very beautiful. Indeed,
it didn't seem as if harm couldcome to anyone on such a beautiful morning.
But there was Farmer Brown's boy.He had crawled on his hands and

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knees without making a sound, toget near enough to the home of Reddy
Fox to shoot if Freddy was outside. But there was no sign of Reddy,
so Farmer Brown's boy had hopped up, and now he was whistling as
he began to dig. His freckledface looked good natured. It didn't seem
as if he could mean harm toanyone. But there lay the gun,

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and he was working as if hemeant to get to the very bottom of
Reddy Fox's home. Deeper and deepergrew the whole, and bigger and bigger
grew the pile of sand which hethrew out. He didn't know that anyone
was watching him except Bowser the Hound. He didn't see Johnny Chuck peeping from
behind a tall bunch of meadow grass, or Peter Rabbit peeping from behind a

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tree on the edge of the greenforest, or Bobby Coon looking from a
safe hiding place in the top ofthat same tree. He didn't see Jimmy
Skunk or unc Billy possum, orHappy Jack squirrel or Digger the Badger.
He didn't see one of them.But they saw him. They saw every
shovelful of sand that he threw,and their hearts went pitapat as they watched.

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For each one felt sure that somethingdreadful was going to happen to Reddy
Fox. Only old mister Buzzard knewbetter. From way up high in the
blue blue sky, he could lookdown and see many things. He could
see all the little meadow and forestpeople who were watching Farmer Brown's boy,
and the harder Farmer Brown's Boy worked, the more Old mister Buzzard chuckled to

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himself, what was he laughing at? He could see the sharp face of
old Granny Fox peeping out from behindan old fence corner, and she was
grinning. So Old mister Buzzard knewReddy Fox was safe. But the other
little people of the green forest inthe green meadows didn't know that Old Granny

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Fox and Reddy Fox had moved.And their faces grew longer and longer as
they watched Farmer Brown's Boy go deeperand deeper into the ground. Reddy Fox
has worried me almost to death,and would eat me if he could catch
me. But somehow things wouldn't bequite the same without him around. Oh,
dear, I don't want him killed, moaned Peter Rabbit. Perhaps he

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isn't home, said Jimmy Skunk.Of course he's home. He's so stiff
and saw he can hardly walk atall and has to stay home, replied
Johnny Chuck. Hello, what's thematter? Now? Everybody looked Farmer Brown's
boy had climbed out of the hole. He looked tired and cross. He

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rested for a few minutes, andas he rested he scowled. Then he
began to shovel the sand back intothe hole. He had reached the bottom
and found no one there. Hurrah, shouted Peter Rabbit and struck his heels
together as he jumped up in theair. And the others were just as
glad as Peter Rabbit. Johnny Chuckwas especially glad for you see, Farmer

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Brown's Boy had once found Johnny's snughome, and Johnny had had to move
as suddenly as did Granny and ReddyFox. Johnny knew just how ready must
feel, for he had had manynarrow escapes in his short life. You
can read all about them in thenext book, The Adventures of Johnny Chuck.
End of chapter twenty six, endend of section six and end of

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the Adventures of Reddy Fox by ThorntonW. Burgess. Recording by Irey Lalden
and John Leader