The Adventures of Reddy Fox : Chapters 10-13

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Episode Transcript

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Section three 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 Leeder. The Adventures of
Reddy Fox by Thornton W. Burgess, Chapter ten, Poor Reddy Fox,

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Peter Rabbit, and Johnny Chuck stoleup the hill toward the home of Reddy
Fox. As they drew near,they crept from one bunch of grass to
another, and from bush to bush, stopping behind each to look and listen.
They were not taking any chances.Johnny Chuck was not much afraid of
Reddy Fox, for he had whippedhim once, but he was afraid of

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old Granny Fox. Peter Rabbit wasafraid of both. The nearer he got
to the home of Reddy Fox,the more anxious and nervous he grew.
You see, Reddy Fox had playedso many tricks to try and catch Peter
that Peter was not quite sure thatthis was not another trick. So we
kept a sharp watch in every direction, ready to run at the least sign

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of danger. When they had tiptoedand crawled to a point where they could
see the doorstep of the fox home. Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck laid down
in a clump of bushes and watched. Pretty soon they saw old Granny Fox
come out. She sniffed the wind, and then she started off at a
quick run down the lone little path. Johnny Chuck gave a sigh of relief,

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for he wasn't afraid of Ready,and now we felt safe. But
Peter Rabbit was just as watchful asever. I've got to see Ready for
myself before I'll go a step nearer, he whispered. Just then, Johnny
Chuck put a hand on his lipsand pointed with the other hand. There
was Reddy Fox crawling out of hisdoorway into the sun. Peter Rabbit leaned

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forward to see better. Was ReadyFox really so badly hurt or was he
only pretending? Reddy Fox crawled painfullyout onto his doorstep. He tried to
stand and walk, but he couldn'tbecause he was too stiff and sore,
so he just crawled. He didn'tknow that anyone was watching him, and

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with every movement he made a face. That was because it hurts, so
Peter Rabbit, watching from the clumpof bushes. Knew then that Reddy was
not pretending. He knew that hehad nothing, not the least little thing
to fear from Reddy Fox. SoPeter gave a whoop of joy and sprang

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out into view. Reddy looked upand tried to grin, but made a
face of pain instead. You seeit hurt so to move. Now,
I suppose you were tickled to death. This seeming like this, he growled
to Peter Rabbit. Now Peter hadevery reason to be glad, for Reddy

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Fox had tried his best to catchPeter Rabbit to give to old Granny Fox
for her dinner, and time andagain Peter had just barely escaped. So
at first Peter Rabbit had whooped withjoy. But as he saw how very
helpless Ready really was, and howmuch pain he felt, suddenly Peter Rabbit's
big soft eyes filled with tears ofpity. He forgot all about the threats

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of Reddy Fox and how Ready hadtried to trick him. He forgot all
about how mean Ready had been.Poor Ready Fox, said Peter Rabbit,
Poor Ready Fox. End of chapterten, Chapter eleven, Granny Fox returns
up over the hill, trotted OldGranny Fox. She was on her way

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home with a tender young chicken forReddy Fox poor Ready. Of course,
it was his own fault, forhe had been showing off, and he
had been careless, or he neverwould have gone so near to the old
tree trunk behind which Farmer Brown's boywas high. But old Granny Fox didn't
know this. She never makes suchmistakes herself, Oh my no. So

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now, as she came up overthe hill to a place where she could
see her home, she laid thechicken down, and then she crept behind
a little bush and looked all overthe green meadows to see if the way
was clear. She knew that Bowserthe hound was chained up. She had
seen Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown's boyhoeing in the cornfield, so she had

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nothing to fear from them. Lookingover to her doorstep, she saw Reddy
Fox lying in the sun. Andthen she saw something else, something that
made her eyes flash and her teethcome together with a snap. It was
Peter Rabbit, sitting up very straight, not ten feet from Reddy Fox.
So uch, that young scamp ofa Peter rabbit, whom Ready was going

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to catch for me. When Iwas sick and couldn't. Well, I'll
just show ready Fox how easily itcan be done, and he shall have
tender young rabbit with his chicken,said Grannie Fox to herself. So first
she studied and studied every clump ofgrass and every bush behind which she could
creep. She saw that she couldget almost to where Peter Rabbit was sitting,

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and never once show herself to him. Then she looked this way and
looked that way, to make surethat no one was watching her. No
one did she see on the greenmeadows who was looking her way. Then
Grannie Fox began to crawl from oneclump of grass to another, and from
bush to bush. Sometimes she wriggledalong flat on her stomach. Little by

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little she was drawing nearer and nearerto Peter Rabbit. Now, with all
her smartness, Grannie Fox had forgottenone thing, Yes, sir, she
had forgotten one thing. Never oncehad she thought to look up in the
sky. And there was old misterBuzzard, sailing round and round and looking

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down and seeing all that was goingon below. Old mister Buzzard is sharp.
He knew just what old Granny Foxwas planning. To do, knew
it as well as if he hadread her thoughts. His eyes twinkled.
I suddenly can't allow little bray rabbitto be hurt. I suddenly can't,

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muttered old mister Buzzard, and chuckled. Then he slanted his broad wings downward,
and without her sound, slid downout of the sky till he was
right behind Grannie Fox. Do yoalways crawl home, Granny Fox asked old
mister Buzzard. Granny Fox was sostartled for she hadn't heard a sound that

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she jumped almost out of her skin. Of course, Peter Rabbit saw her
then and was off like a shot. Grannie Fox showed all her teeth.
I wish you would mind your ownbusiness, mister Buzzard, she snarled.
Suddenly, suddenly, I surely will, replied old mister Buzzard, and sailed
up into the blue blue sky.End of chapter eleven. Chapter twelve,

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The Lost Chicken. When Old GrannyFox had laid down the chicken, she
was bringing home the ready fox totry to catch Peter Rabbit. She had
meant to go right back and getit as soon as she had caught Peter.
Now she saw Peter going across thegreen meadows the Lipperty Liberty Lip as
fast as he could go. Shewas so angry that she hopped up and

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down. She tore up the grassand ground her long white teeth. She
glared up at old mister Buzzard,who had warned Peter Rabbit, but all
she could do was to scold,and that didn't do her much good.
For in a few minutes, oldmister Buzzard was so far up in the
blue blue sky that he couldn't heara word she was saying, my my,

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But old Granny Fox certainly was angry. If she hadn't been so angry,
he might have seen Johnny Chuck lyingas flat as he could make himself
behind a big clump of grass.Johnny Chuck was scared, Yes, indeed,
Johnny Chuck was dreadfully scared. Hehad fought Reddy Fox and whipped him,

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but he knew that Old Granny Foxwould be too much for him.
So it was with great belief thatJohnny Chuck saw her stop tearing up the
grass and trot over to see howReddy Fox was getting along. Then Johnny
Chuck crept along until he was farenough away to run how he did run.
He was so fat and roly polythat he was all out of breath

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when he reached home, and sotired that he just dropped down on his
doorstep and panted. It serves meright for having so much curiosity, said
Johnny Chuck to himself. Reddy Foxlooked 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 himsomething nice for his breakfast, And as

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soon as he heard her footsteps,his mouth began to water. Did you
bring me something nice, Granny askedReddy Fox. Now, Old Granny Fox
had been so put out by thescare she had had and by her failure
to catch Peter Rabbit, that shehad forgotten all about the chickens she had
left up on the hill. WhenReddy spoke, she remembered it, and

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the thought of having to go wayback 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, and that's the word Granny Fox,
she used, gumphen, if youhad any gumption at all, you wouldn't
have gotten into trouble and could getyour own breakfast. Reddy Fox didn't know

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what gumption meant, but he didn'tknow that he was very, very hungry,
and to do what he would hecouldn't keep back a couple of big
tears of disappointment. Granny Fox sawthem. Oh they're they're ready. Don't
cry. I've got a fine fetchedchicken for you up on the hill,
and I'll run back and get it, said Grannie Fox. So off she

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started up the hill to the placewhere 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, Therewas no chicken at all, just a
few feathers. Grannie Fox could hardlybelieve her own eyes. She looked this
way, and she looked that way, but there was no chicken, just

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a few feathers. Old Granny Foxflew into a greater rage than before,
and up chapter twelve, Chapter thirteen, Grannie Fox calls Jimmy Skunk names.
Grannie Fox couldn't believe her own eyes, no sir, She couldn't believe her
own eyes, and she rubbed themtwo or three times to make sure that

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she was seeing right. That chickencertainly had disappeared and left no trace of
where it had gone. It wasvery queer. Old Granny Fox sat down
to think. Who would dare stealanything from her? Then she walked in
a big circle with her nose tothe ground, sniffing and sniffing. What

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was she doing that for? Why? To see if she could find the
tracks of anyone who might have stolenher chicken? Aha, exclaimed Old Granny
Fox, starting to run along thetop of the hill, her nose to
the ground. Aha, I'll catchhim this time. In a few minutes.
She began to run more slowly,and every two or three steps she

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would look ahead. Suddenly, hereyes snapped and she began to creep,
almost flat on her stomach, justas she had crept for Peter Rabbit.
But it wasn't Peter Rabbit this time. It was who do you think,
Jimmy Skunk. Yes, sir,it was Jimmy Skunk. He was slowly
ambling along. For Jimmy Skunk neverhurries. Every big stick or stone he

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could move, he would pull overor look under for Jimmy Skunk was hunting
for beetles. Old Granny Fox watchedhim. He must have a tremendous appetite
to be hunting for beetles after eatingmy chicken, muttered she. Then she
jumped out in front of Jimmy Skunk, her eyes snapping, her teeth showing,
and the hair on her back standingon ends so as to make her

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look very fierce. But all thetime Old Granny Fox took the greatest care
not to get too near to JimmySkunk. Where's my chicken? Snarled Old
Granny Fox, and she looked very, very fierce. Jimmy Skunk looked up
as if very much surprised. Hello, Granny Fox, He exclaimed, have
you lost a chicken? You've stolenit? You're a thief, Jimmy Skunk

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snapped Granny Fox. Words can nevermake black weight. Before you speak,
be sure you're great, said JimmySkunk. I'm not a thief, you
are, cried Granny, working herselfinto a great rage, and not you
are. All the time, JimmySkunk was chuckling to himself, and the

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more he chuckled, the angrier grewOld Granny Fox. And all the time
Jimmy Skunk kept moving toward Old GrannyFox, and Granny Fox kept backing away.
For like all the other little meadowand forest people, she has very
great respect for Jimmy Skunk's little bagof scent. Now backing off that way,

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she couldn't see where she was going, and the first thing she knew
she had backed into a bramble bush, had tore her skirts and scratched her
legs. Ooch, cried Old GrannyFox. Ha laughed, Jimmy Skunk,
that's what you get for calling menames. End of chapter thirteen and end

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of section three. Recording by JohnLeader, Bloomington, Illinois,