Old Granny Fox | Page 3

River. Old Granny Fox told
Reddy to sit still while she crept up behind some bushes where she
could peek out over the Big River. He grinned as he watched her. He
was still grinning when she tiptoed back. He expected to see her face
long with disappointment. Instead she looked very much pleased.
"Quacker is there," said she, "and I think he will make us a very good
dinner. Creep up behind those bushes and see for yourself, then come
back here and tell me what you think we'd better do to get him."
So Reddy stole up behind the bushes, and this time it was Granny who
grinned as she watched. As he crept along, Reddy wondered if it could
be that for once Quacker had come ashore. Granny seemed so sure they
could catch him that this must be the case. But when he peeped through
the hushes, there was Quacker way out in the middle of the open water
just where he had been the day before.

CHAPTER III
: Reddy Is Sure Granny Has Lost Her Senses
Perhaps 'tis just as well that we Can't see ourselves as others see. - Old
Granny Fox.

"Just as I thought," muttered Reddy Fox as he peeped through the
bushes on the bank of the Big River and saw Quacker swimming about
in the water where it ran too swiftly to freeze. "We've got just as much
chance of catching him as I have of jumping over the moon. That's
what I'll tell Granny."
He crept back carefully so as not to be seen by Quacker, and when he
had reached the place where Granny was waiting for him, his face wore
a very impudent look.
"Well," said Granny Fox, "what shall we do to catch him?"
"Learn to swim like a fish and fly like a bird," replied Reddy in such a
saucy tone that Granny had hard work to keep from boxing his ears.
"You mean that you think he can't be caught?" said she quietly.
"I don't think anything about it; I know he can't!" snapped Reddy. "Not
by us, anyway," he added.
"I suppose you wouldn't even try?" retorted Granny.
"I'm old enough to know when I'm wasting my time," replied Reddy
with a toss of his head.
"In other words you think I'm a silly old Fox who has lost her senses,"
said Granny sharply.
"No-o. I didn't say that," protested Reddy, looking very uncomfortable.
"But you think it," declared Granny. "Now look here, Mr. Smarty, you
do just as I tell you. You creep back there where you can watch
Quacker and all that happens, and mind that you keep out of his sight.
Now go."
Reddy went. There was noth-ing else to do. He didn't dare disobey.
Granny watched until Reddy had readied his hiding-place. Then what
do you think she did? Why, she walked right out on the little beach just
below Reddy and in plain sight of Quacker! Yes, Sir, that is what she
did!
Then began such a queer performance that it is no wonder that Reddy
was sure Granny had lost her senses. She rolled over and over. She
chased her tail round and round until it made Reddy dizzy to watch her.
She jumped up in the air. She raced back and forth. She played with a
bit of stick. And all the time she didn't pay the least attention to
Quacker the Duck.
Reddy stared and stared. Whatever had come over Granny? She was
crazy. Yes, Sir, that must be the matter. It must be that she had gone

without food so long that she had gone crazy. Poor Granny! She was in
her second childhood. Reddy could remember how he had done such
things when he was very young, just by way of showing how fine he
felt. But for a grown-up Fox to do such things was undignified, to say
the least. You know Reddy thinks a great deal of dignity. It was worse
than undignified; it was positively disgraceful. He did hope that none of
his neighbors would happen along and see Granny cutting up so. He
never would hear the end of it if they did.
Over and over rolled Granny, and around and around she chased her
tail. The snow flew up in a cloud. And all the time she made no sound.
Reddy was just trying to decide whether to go off and leave her until
she had regained her common sense, or to go out and try to stop her,
when he happened to look out in the open water where Quacker was.
Quacker was sitting up as straight as he could. In fact, he had his wings
raised to help him sit up on his tail, the better