Bowser the Hound | Page 9

and go inside first. There
may be traps in there, for all I know. When there's likely to be danger,
always let some one else find it out for you if you can." Old Man
Coyote grinned as he said this.
Reddy Fox sat down at a safe distance to watch what Old Man Coyote
would do. Inside, Reddy was fairly boiling with disappointment and
anger. He felt that he hated Old Man Coyote more than he hated
anybody else he knew of. He hated him, yet there wasn't a thing he
could do about it. He didn't dare fight Old Man Coyote. All he could do
was to sit there at a safe distance and watch.
The gate of the henyard was open two or three inches. For a long time
Old Man Coyote stood looking through that little opening. Once or
twice he thrust his nose out and sniffed cautiously around the gate, but
he took the greatest care not to touch it. Finally he turned and trotted
away towards the Green Forest.
Reddy sat right where he was, so surprised that he couldn't even think.
He waited a long time to see if Old Man Coyote would return, but Old
Man Coyote didn't return, and at last Reddy cautiously crept towards
that unlocked gate. "I do believe that fellow didn't know enough to
push that gate open," muttered Reddy to himself. "I always supposed
Old Man Coyote was smart, but if this is an example of his smartness
I'll match my wits against his any day."
All this time Old Man Coyote was not so far away as Reddy thought.
He had gone only fat enough to make sure that Reddy couldn't see him.
Then, creeping along in the blackest of the Black Shadows, he had

returned to a place where he could watch Reddy.
"It's queer that gate should have been left unlocked," thought Old Man
Coyote. "It may have been an accident, and again it may have been
done purposely. There may not be any danger inside; then again there
may. I'm not going to push that gate open or step inside when there is
some one to do it for me. I'll just leave it for Reddy Fox to do."
CHAPTER XIII
THE MISCHIEVOUS LITTLE NIGHT BREEZE
A little act of mischief can Upset the deepest, best laid plan.
_Bowser the Hound._
Reddy Fox was very pleased with himself as he thought how much
smarter he was than Old Man Coyote. He didn't waste any time in
pushing open the henyard gate. It didn't enter his head that there might
be a trap inside. He was so eager to find out if the little door where in
daytime the hens ran in and out of the henhouse was open, that he
jumped inside the henyard just as soon as the gate was pushed open
wide enough for him to enter.
Old Man Coyote, watching from his hiding place, saw Reddy push the
gate open and enter the henyard. "So far, so good," muttered Old Man
Coyote to himself. "There isn't any trap just inside that gate, so it will
be safe enough for me to follow Reddy in there. I think I'll wait a bit,
however, and see what luck he has in getting into the henhouse. If he
catches a chicken he won't stop to eat it there. He won't dare to. All I
need do is to wait right here around the corner, and if he brings a
chicken out, I'll simply tell him to drop it. Then I will have the chicken
and will have run no risk." You see Old Man Coyote is a very, very
clever old sinner.
So Old Man Coyote peeked through the wires and watched Reddy Fox,
who thought himself so much smarter, steal swiftly across to the
henhouse and try that little door. It was closed, but it wasn't fastened, as

Reddy could tell by poking at it.
"It is just a matter of time and patience," muttered Reddy to himself. "If
I keep at it long enough, I can work it open." You see Reddy had done
that very thing once before a great while ago.
So he set himself to work with such patience as he could, and all the
time Old Man Coyote watched and wondered what Reddy was doing.
He guessed that Reddy was having some trouble, but also he knew
from Reddy's actions that Reddy hoped to get inside that henhouse.
Now Reddy had left the henyard gate ajar. If he had pushed it wide
open things might have been different. But he didn't push it wide open.
He left it only halfway open. By and by there happened along a
mischievous little Night Breeze. There is nothing that a mischievous
little