David Cory

“ It’s all right when you start out from your own house. You can always get back by just turning around. But now, goodness me! I might keep on for ever and never get home.”
“That’s right,” said Little Jack Rabbit. “You must have help. Wait until tomorrow and I’ll find a way.”
Pretty soon he went to the door and looked out. Danny Fox was nowhere to be seen. So Timmy Meadowmouse went out in the Old Bramble Patch and picked a red berry from a wild rose bush. Then he hurried back, for it was very cold and Billy Breeze was whirling a cloud of snow over the Sunny Meadow. ”

“ Longtooth Rat looked out of the barn. Maybe he had heard Danny Fox whispering to himself.
“There’s a loose board on the back of the Henhouse. Why don’t you pull it off?” And then that bad old rat grinned, for he didn’t care whether the poor chickens were eaten by that old fox. In fact, if they were, there’d be more corn for him. Wasn’t that selfish? Well, I just guess it was, but there are lots of selfish people in this old world, and that’s the reason every little boy and girl should learn to always save a piece of candy121 for mother. Then they’ll grow up to be good men and women. ”

“ Longtooth Rat scowled and grumbled some more, forgetting what a thief he was and how willing he had been to open the Henhouse door for Danny Fox.
Yes, sir! When people are willing to help others steal it is because they are stealing things for themselves. ”

“ Danny Fox laughed, but not very loud. He didn’t want the Farmer’s Boy to hear him. “Never fear, my dear. I’ve rolled a great big stone against the front door. Old Sic’em is all bark. At the same time, it’s not very pleasant to have enemies so close to the house. Where are Slyboots and Bushytail?”
“They are out playing. Do you think anything can happen to them?” answered Mrs. Fox anxiously.
“Not while the Farmer’s Boy is pounding on the front door,” replied Danny Fox.16 “They won’t come home while he’s around.” ”

“ And all the cheery little Chick-a-dees flew out of the low bushes and winged their way into the quiet places of the wood.
“Gracious me!” exclaimed Mrs. Rabbit, “how that dreadful gun shakes the house. I’m afraid the candlesticks will fall off the mantel,” and she lifted them down and put them in a safe place.
96
“Well, there’s one good thing about it all,” said Little Jack Rabbit to Bobby Tail as they hopped through the snow-covered corn field, “Old Danny Fox won’t be around again for some time.”
“It’s safer at home when the bad farmer’s boy
Is tramping around with his gun. ”

“ There is that dreadful fox again,” sighed the little bunny boy.
“You don’t mean it!” exclaimed the old watchdog, and he told the little rabbit all that I’ve just told you. And when he had finished, he went inside his little doghouse and brought out the tip of Danny Fox’s beautiful bushy tail.
Just then the Kind Farmer whistled from the woodpile, and away hopped the little rabbit to hide in the long meadow grass.
29
All of a sudden he met Timmy Meadowmouse near his little round house of woven grass, fastened on three stiff stalks.
“Helloa, Little Jack Rabbit. Are you hiding from somebody?” ”

“ The Big Farmer kept close watch and locked his chickens in the Henhouse every night. Besides, Danny Fox hadn’t forgotten60 about the steel trap. He was afraid to venture again in the Farm Yard—there might be another trap hidden somewhere.
One day he had a bright idea. There was a little log cabin in the Shady Forest. It had a nice door and three windows, a chimney of red brick, and a big fireplace. It was empty—nobody had lived in it for some time. He would give a popcorn party, and invite Little Jack Rabbit. ”

“ The Weathercock swings to and fro on the Big Red Barn and wishes it were Spring.
116
Busy Beaver swims about under the ice in the Forest Pond, coming back to his little house, whose front door is deep down where the water never freezes. In the upper room he has stored away twigs and things to eat till Mr. Merry Sun melts the ice and tells the flowers to bloom again.
All the birds have gone south except a few. ”

“ Down from the gray skies they came on their white wings, covering up the shivering grasses in the Sunny Meadow and the trembling bushes by the wayside.
Bobbie Redvest as he hopped about picking up crumbs from the Kind Farmer’s doorstep, thought they looked like the white petals that blossomed in the orchard in the sweet springtime.
Professor Jim Crow looked out from his98 safe retreat in the Shady Forest to tell the little bunny brothers that the Old Clothes Man in the cornfield would soon be a snowman! ”

“ Cow. “You’d better go over and make a nest for yourselves now. Be sure you can hide so that not even the tip of your tail will show, for the Kind Farmer has very bright eyes.”
109
It didn’t take the Bunny Brothers long to make a nice hiding place in the big straw pile, and after eating a supper of corn, they hopped about the shed, hoping to find a stray carrot or turnip. But they didn’t find any, and as Billy Breeze was sifting the snow through the cracks and knotholes, they hopped back to cuddle up again to kind Mrs. Cow. ”

“ The Cruise of the Noah’s Ark
This is a good rainy day story. On just such a day Mr. Noah invites Marjorie to go for a trip in the Noah’s Ark. She gets aboard just in time and away it floats out into the big wide world. ”

“ At any rate, all of a sudden, the two little rabbits woke up with a start.
“Run, run!” cried Mrs. Cow. “Hide, hide! He’s coming!”
110
Little Jack Rabbit didn’t wait to rub his eyes, neither did Brother Bobby Tail, but away they hopped. And just in time, too; for no sooner had they hidden in the straw than in walked the Kind Farmer with a nice hot supper for Mrs. Cow. But you can well believe that these two little rabbits were up and on their way home the next morning long before the Kind Farmer had even opened his eyes.
111 SQUIRREL NUTCRACKER
Heigh ho, how the winds blow! ”

“ When it is hot and dusty.
This is no time to pull a nail
When Mr. North Wind blows a gale,” shouted a rusty nail as Danny Fox tugged away at the loose board of the Henhouse.
“S-s-s-sh!” whispered Danny Fox, “you’ll wake up Sic’em.”
But he need not have worried, for old Sic’em was dreadfully deaf. Besides, he was asleep on the mat in front of the kitchen stove, and how could he hear a rusty nail talk out in the farmyard, I should like to know.
123 All the same, Danny Fox stopped tugging at the board and looked around just as Mrs. Cow came to the door of the shed. ”

“ With your spoon to make no noise.
71 A LUCKY WIGGLE It isn’t very pleasant to be dragged by your tail over bumps and stones, especially by such a person as Danny Fox. Teddy Turtle didn’t know what Danny Fox meant to do with him. If he had he would have been frightened to death.
You see, Danny Fox was hungry. Yes, siree, he was as hungry as three bears. He couldn’t get a chicken because the Henhouse door was locked and bolted. He couldn’t catch Little Jack Rabbit, for the little bunny was too bright for him. So there was nothing for him to do but take Teddy Turtle home with him. Mrs. ”

“ Longtooth Rat sharply. “Gracious me, I’m surprised you’re such a coward.”
24 THE ALARM “You don’t mean to stand here and let Danny Fox steal Henny Penny and Cocky Doodle and maybe Ducky Waddles?” almost shouted Mrs. Longtooth Rat, as Danny Fox’s hind feet threw back the dirt from the tunnel he was digging under the Henhouse.
“Well, what can I do about it?” asked Mr. Longtooth Rat.
“What can you do?” answered his wife angrily. “You can run into the farmhouse and tell Old Sic’em.”
You see, the Kind Farmer was away, and his wife was all alone, so she kept Old Sic’em in the house at night. ”

“ Go wrong, and we get cross
To find that we must start anew,
And often at a loss.
36 FOOTPRINTS As soon as Mr. Longtooth Rat had finished his supper he went over to the Henhouse. You see, he was going to keep his promise to Danny Fox to gnaw off the wooden latch.
Mr. Longtooth Rat was not a very nice sort of a person, although he was going to do a favor for Danny Fox. The truth of the matter is that Mr. Longtooth Rat was very willing to have Danny Fox steal the chickens, for then more corn would be left for Mrs. Rat and himself. So you see he wasn’t really doing Danny Fox a favor at all. ”