The Tale of Turkey Proudfoot | Page 5

Turkey Proudfoot
kept a wary eye on the geese behind him, and stepped not quite so high
as he usually did, but further.
"Ho!" Master Meadow Mouse had piped to himself in his thin voice.
"Turkey Proudfoot is not the brave fellow I always thought him. He's
afraid of geese!"
From that moment Master Meadow Mouse forgot his fear of Turkey
Proudfoot. Nobody stands in awe of a coward. So the very next time
that Master Meadow Mouse saw Turkey Proudfoot strutting in the yard
he crept up behind Turkey Proudfoot and tried to walk exactly like him.
There were a good many farmyard fowls scratching about the yard at
the time, and wishing to appear at his best, Turkey Proudfoot spread his
tail, puffed out his chest, and strolled all around as if he--and and not
Farmer Green--owned the place.
Although Turkey Proudfoot seemed to see none of his neighbors,
nevertheless he was watching them carefully out of the corner of his
eye, to see whether they were noticing him.
They were. There was no doubt of that.
Not only were they looking at him; they were laughing at him as well.
Turkey Proudfoot's face couldn't grow red with rage. It was red already.

It was always red. Being very angry, he gobbled at the giggling hens, at
the rooster, even at old dog Spot, "Why are you laughing at me?"
"We aren't!" they cried. "You've no reason to be angry with us."
"'Tis well," said Turkey Proudfoot with a toplofty toss of his bald head.
"Since you're not laughing at me, you needn't laugh at all. I don't like
your sniggering."
"We can't help laughing," a few of the more daring ones told him. "It's
so funny!"
"What is?"
"He is!"
"Who is?"
"Master Meadow Mouse!"
"Master Meadow Mouse!" repeated Turkey Proudfoot in a bewildered
fashion.
He looked in front of him. He looked to the left. He looked to the right.
He couldn't see Master Meadow Mouse anywhere.
"Look behind you!" cried Henrietta Hen.
Turkey Proudfoot turned his head.
"I don't see any Master Meadow Mouse," he grumbled.
"How can you, when your tail's spread like that?" Henrietta Hen asked
him. "Close up your tail and then you'll see what we're laughing at."
But Turkey Proudfoot declined to do anything of the sort.
"It's just a trick," he squalled. "You're all jealous of me and my
beautiful tail. You don't want me to carry my tail this way."

Behind Turkey Proudfoot's tail Master Meadow Mouse did a very
naughty thing. He stuck out his tongue. And all the onlookers shrieked
with merriment.

VII
HALF WRONG
It was no wonder that Turkey Proudfoot was angry. Everybody in the
farmyard was laughing and looking his way--or so it seemed to him.
Since he couldn't see any joke, he decided to leave his silly neighbors
and go off into the fields where he could be alone. So he walked slowly
away, holding his head high and stepping in his most elegant manner.
To his great disgust peals of laughter followed him. And though he had
intended to march off without saying a word, this last outburst so filled
him with rage that he couldn't resist spinning about to glare and gobble
at his tormentors.
He turned so quickly that he surprised Master Meadow Mouse with one
of his tiny feet lifted high in the air. He surprised him so much that
Master Meadow Mouse stood stock still and didn't even bring his foot
down, but held it off the ground as if it had frozen stiff and couldn't be
moved.
At first there was a most joyful look on Master Meadow Mouse's face.
But it faded instantly into one of doubt and dismay. To tell the truth,
Master Meadow Mouse hadn't expected Turkey Proudfoot to turn
around and catch him right in his mimicking act.
"Ah, ha!" cried Turkey Proudfoot. "So it's you that they're laughing at,
eh?"
Master Meadow Mouse was so upset that he murmured faintly, "Yes,
it's me."

"Well, I don't blame them," said Turkey Proudfoot. "You certainly look
very queer. Why are you holding your foot off the ground like that?"
"I was in the midst of taking a step when you turned around and startled
me," Master Meadow Mouse explained. "And I don't know whether to
set my foot down ahead of me, or to put it behind me."
"Don't be alarmed!" Turkey Proudfoot said. "I never fight folks of your
size. You're too little for me to pay much attention to. I must say,
however, that you have a very odd way of walking."
By this time Master Meadow Mouse had recovered from his surprise
and wasn't afraid in the least. Now he laughed heartily.
"I was walking the way you walk," he cried.
"Oh, no!"