never in all his life was reddy fox more uncomfortable in his mind. he knew that by this time everybody in the green forest, on the green meadows, around the smiling pool, and along the laughing brook, knew how he had put his tail between his legs and run with all his might at the first glimpse of the strange creature which had rolled down the hill of prickly porky. and he was right; everybody did know it, and everybody was laughing about it. unc' billy possum, jimmy skunk, prickly porky, and peter rabbit had seen him run, and you may be sure they told everybody they met about it, and news like that travels very fast.
it wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't boasted beforehand that if he met the strange creature he would wait for it and find out what it was. as it was, he had run just as peter rabbit had run when he saw it, and he had been just as much frightened as peter had. now, as he sneaked along trying to find something to eat, for he was hungry, he did his very best to keep out of sight. usually he is very proud of his handsome red coat, but now he wished that he could get rid of it. it is very hard to keep out of sight when you have bright colored clothes. presently sammy jay's sharp eyes spied him as he tried to crawl up on the young family of mrs. grouse. at once sammy flew over there screaming at the top of his lungs:
"reddy fox is very brave when there's no danger near;
but where there is, alas, alack! he runs away in fear."
reddy looked up at sammy and snarled. it was of no use at all now to try to surprise and catch any of the family of mrs. grouse, so he turned around and hurried away, trying to escape from sammy's sharp eyes. he had gone only a little way when a sharp voice called: "coward! coward! coward!" it was chatterer the red squirrel.
no sooner had he got out out of chatterer's sight than he heard another voice. it was saying over and over:
"dee, dee, dee! oh, me, me!
some folks can talk so very brave
and then such cowards be."
it was tommy tit the chickadee. reddy couldn't think of a thing to say in reply, and so he hurried on, trying to find a place where he would be left in peace. but nowhere that he could go was he free from those taunting voices. not even when he had crawled into his house was he free from them, for buzzing around his doorway was bumble bee and bumble was humming:
"bumble, grumble, rumble, hum!
reddy surely can run some."
late that afternoon old granny fox called him out, and it was clear to see that granny was very much put out about something. "what is this i hear everywhere i go about you being a coward?" she demanded sharply, as soon as he put his head out of the doorway.
reddy hung his head, and in a very shamefaced way he told her about the terrible fright he had had and all about the strange creature without legs, head, or tail that had rolled down the hill where prickly porky lives.
"serves you right for boasting!" snapped granny. "how many times have i told you that no good comes of boasting? probably somebody has played a trick on you. i've lived a good many years, and i never before heard of such a creature. if there were one, i'd have seen it before now. you go back into the house and stay there. you are a disgrace to the fox family. i am going to have a look about and find out what is going on. if this is some trick, they'll find that old granny fox isn't so easily fooled."
