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 started across the bridge as fast as she could go.
reddy didn't stop to look or to think. his one idea was to get away from bowser the hound. “wait, granny! wait!” he cried, and started after her as fast as he could run. he was in the middle of the bridge before he remembered it at all. when he was at last safely across, it was to find old granny fox sitting down laughing at him. then for the first time reddy looked behind him to see where bowser the hound might be. he was nowhere to be seen. could he have fallen off the bridge?
“where is bowser the hound?” cried reddy.
“home in farmer brown's dooryard,” replied granny fox dryly. reddy stared at her for a minute. then he began to understand that granny fox had simply scared him into running across the bridge. reddy felt very cheap, very cheap indeed. “now we'll run back again,” said granny fox. and this time reddy did.
