Old Granny Fox | Page 8

Farmer Brown's boy and the muzzle of his
dreadful gun!
For just a few seconds she didn't move. She couldn't. She was too
frightened to move. Then she knew what she saw was real and not a
dream at all. There wasn't the least bit of doubt about it. That was
Farmer Brown's boy, and that was his dreadful gun! All in a flash she
knew that Farmer Brown's boy must have been hiding behind those
pine boughs.
Poor Old Granny Fox! For once in her life she had been caught napping.

She hadn't the least hope in the world. Farmer Brown's boy had only to
fire that dreadful gun, and that would be the end of her. She knew it.

CHAPTER VIII
: What Farmer Brown's Boy Did
In time of danger heed this rule: Think hard and fast, but pray keep cool.
- Old Granny Fox.
Poor Old Granny Fox! She had thought that she had been in tight
places before, but never, never had she been in such a tight place as this.
There stood Farmer Brown's boy looking along the barrel of his
dreadful gun straight at her, and only such a short distance, such a very
short distance away! It wasn't the least bit of use to run. Granny knew
that. That dreadful gun would go "bang!" and that would be the end of
her.
For a few seconds she stared at Farmer Brown's boy, too frightened to
move or even think. Then she began to wonder why that dreadful gun
didn't go off. What was Farmer Brown's boy waiting for? She got to her
feet. She was sure that the first step would be her last, yet she couldn't
stay there.
How could Fanner Brown's boy do such a dreadful thing? Somehow,
his freckled face didn't look cruel. He was even beginning to grin. That
must be because he had caught her napping and knew that this time she
couldn't possibly get away from him as she had so many times before.
"Oh!" sobbed Old Granny Fox under her breath.
And right at that very instant Farmer Brown's boy did something. What
do you think it was? No, he didn't shoot her. He didn't fire his dreadful
gun. What do you think he did do? Why, he threw a snowball at Old
Granny Fox and shouted "Boo!" That is what he did and all he did,
except to laugh as Granny gave a great leap and then made those black
legs of hers fly as never before.
Every instant Granny expected to hear that dreadful gun, and it seemed
as if her heart would burst with fright as she ran, thinking each jump
would be the last one. But the dreadful gun didn't bang, and after a little,
when she felt she was safe, she turned to look back over her shoulder.
Farmer Brown's boy was standing right where she had last seen him,
and he was laughing harder than ever. Yes, Sir, he was laughing, and

though Old Granny Fox didn't think so at the time, his laugh was good
to hear, for it was good-natured and merry and all that an honest laugh
should be.
"Go it, Granny! Go it!" shouted Farmer Brown's boy. "And the next
time you are tempted to steal my chickens, just remember that I caught
you napping and let you off when I might have shot you. Just
remember that and leave my chickens alone."
Now it happened that Tommy Tit the Chickadee had seen all that had
happened, and he fairly bubbled over with joy. "Dee, dee, dee,
Chickadee! It is just as I have always said -- Farmer Brown's boy isn't
bad. He'd be friends with every one if every one would let him," he
cried.
"Maybe, maybe," grumbled Sammy Jay, who also had seen all that had
happened. "But he's altogether too smart for me to trust. Oh, my! oh,
my! What news this will be to tell! Old Granny Fox will never hear the
end of it. If ever again she boasts of how smart she is, all we will have
to do will be to remind her of the time Farmer Brown's boy caught her
napping. Ho! ho! ho! I must hurry along and find my cousin, Blacky
the Crow. This will tickle him half to death."
As for Old Granny Fox, she feared Farmer Brown's boy more than ever,
not because of what he had done to her but because of what he had not
done. You see, nothing could make her believe that he wanted to be her
friend. She thought he had let her get away just to show her that he was
smarter than she. Instead of thankfulness, hate and fear filled Granny's
heart. You know --
People who