Doctor Rabbit and Brushtail the Fox | Page 8

like Mrs. Brushtail's voice, or like Brushtail's
either.
Yes, sir, there was something very interesting going on in that thicket,

and Doctor Rabbit made up his mind he must see what it was, if
possible. He wondered where Brushtail was. Doctor Rabbit disliked to
go any nearer the thicket unless he knew where that sly old fox was.
"But," he said to himself, "likely enough Mr. Brushtail is in the thicket
with Mrs. Brushtail and is helping her eat that chicken. Anyway, it's
only a little distance to that tree with a hole in the base and a lot of
prickly vines around it. I'm going to run for it! The distance is so short
that Brushtail would not have time to get me even if he saw me. I'll get
to the tree, and if Brushtail should come after me I'll run into the hole at
the base of the tree. I'll find out about old Brushy before he knows it.
And the first thing they know they will be going out of these woods in
a hurry. But I must be very, very careful. I should say I must! I must
watch every second. My, how those animals in that thicket do growl! It
sounds almost as if they were quarreling."

BRUSHTAIL THE FOX FINDS SOME PIECES OF CHEESE
Doctor Rabbit was just ready to run to the tree with the prickly vines
around it when he crouched low and sat very still again. He heard
somebody coming through the woods. Pretty soon he saw that it was
Farmer Roe.
The farmer stopped when he got close to the briar patch and muttered
to himself, "Every spring I have to rid these woods of a fox or two. I
guess I'll just put out a little bait for them and see how that will work."
As soon as Doctor Rabbit heard Farmer Roe coming through the woods
he noticed that everything in the thicket grew very quiet. I should say it
did! There was not the least sound in there--not a single growl. And
there Farmer Roe stood within twenty feet of the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Brushtail without ever dreaming of it.
Farmer Roe had gloves on, and he held a number of pieces of cheese on
one hand. He put several of these pieces of cheese under the fallen tree.
Right near the thicket he placed some more cheese, partly under some

dead leaves. Then Farmer Roe went around placing the cheese here and
there where he thought the fox would be most likely to find it. After a
time he put the last piece of cheese under an old log.
Then he straightened up and said, "There, now! That ought to fix him,
or both of them, if there are two instead of one. I'm glad Yappy has
been trained not to eat anything he finds out in the woods," he added,
"for this bait would be the end of him, too! And that would never do."
And Farmer Roe walked back through the woods toward his house.
After a while the sound of his heavy footsteps died away.
Everything in the thicket was perfectly still. There was not a sound.
Doctor Rabbit waited and listened. Then he heard a movement inside
the thicket. Presently Mrs. Brushtail came out, sat down, and looked in
the direction Farmer Roe had taken. While she sat there Mr. Brushtail
came trotting up from somewhere out in the woods. Doctor Rabbit
heard the two talking very rapidly and excitedly, but they talked so low
he could not understand what they said. He wanted very much to know
what they said, but what interested him still more was that he again
heard those growls in the thicket. He wondered who it could be, since
neither Brushtail nor Mrs. Brushtail was in there now.
Well, after Mr. and Mrs. Brushtail had talked for a while, Brushtail
went right up to the old dead log where Farmer Roe had placed some of
the cheese. Doctor Rabbit was delighted, for he thought this would be
the end of Brushtail the Fox. And we can't blame Doctor Rabbit or
think him cruel, either, for hoping so. You see, Doctor Rabbit, being a
doctor, knew at once that Farmer Roe had poisoned that cheese. Yes,
sir, he had put poison in it for Mr. Fox. And if Mr. and Mrs. Brushtail
should eat just one of those pieces of cheese it would certainly cause
their death.
But Doctor Rabbit was certainly surprised at what happened. Brushtail
took the piece of cheese carefully in his mouth and carried it to a small
hole a little distance away. Then he hunted around until he found every
piece of poisoned cheese Farmer Roe had put out. And each