Section 3:
Reddy Invites Peter Rabbit to Take a Walk
Peter Rabbit Gets an Early Breakfast
And, Reddy Fox Gets a Scare
Chapter 7: Reddy Invites Peter Rabbit to Take a Walk
OLD GRANNY FOX was not feeling well.
For three days she had been unable to go out hunting, and for three days Reddy Fox had
tried to find something to tempt Granny's appetite.
He had brought in a tender young chicken from Farmer Brown's hen yard, and he had stolen
a plump trout from Billy Mink's storehouse, but Granny had just turned up her nose.
"What I need," said Granny Fox, "is a tender young rabbit."
Now, Reddy Fox is very fond of Granny Fox, and when she said that she needed a tender
young rabbit, Reddy made up his mind that he would get it for her, though how he was
going to do it he didn't know.
Dozens of times he had tried to catch Peter Rabbit, and every time Peter's long legs had
taken him to a place of safety.
"I'll just have to fool Peter Rabbit," said Reddy Fox, as he sat on his door-steps and
looked over the Green Meadows.
Reddy Fox is very sly.
He is so sly that it is hard work to be sure when he is honest and when he is playing a
trick.
As he sat on his doorsteps, looking across the Green Meadows, he saw the Merry Little
Breezes coming his way.
Reddy smiled to himself.
When they got near enough, he shouted to them.
"Will you do something for me?" he asked.
"Of course we will," shouted the Merry Little Breezes, who are always delighted to do something
for others.
"I wish you would find Peter Rabbit and tell him that I have found a new bed of tender
young carrots in Farmer Brown's garden, and invite him to go there with me tomorrow morning
at sun-up," said Reddy Fox.
Away raced the Merry Little Breezes to find Peter Rabbit and give him the invitation of
Reddy Fox.
Pretty soon back they came to tell Reddy that Peter Rabbit would be delighted to meet Reddy
on the edge of the Old Briar-patch at sun-up the next morning, and go with him to get some
tender young carrots.
Reddy smiled to himself, for now he was sure that he would get Peter Rabbit for Granny's
breakfast.
Early the next morning, just before sun-up, Reddy Fox started down the Lone Little Path
and hurried across the Green Meadows to the Old Briar patch.
Reddy was dressed in his very best suit of clothes, and very smart and handsome he looked.
When he reached the Old Briar-patch he could see nothing of Peter Rabbit.
He waited and waited and waited, but still, Peter Rabbit did not come.
Finally, he gave it up and decided that he would go over and have a look at the young
carrots in Farmer Brown's garden.
When he got there, what do you think he saw?
Why all around that bed of tender young carrots were footprints, and the footprints were Peter
Rabbit's!
Reddy Fox ground his teeth and snarled wickedly, for he knew then that instead of fooling Peter
Rabbit, Peter Rabbit had fooled him.
Just then up came one of the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind.
"Good morning, Reddy Fox," said the Merry Little Breeze.
"Good morning," replied Reddy Fox, and if you could have seen him and heard him, you
would never have suspected how ill-tempered he was feeling.
"Peter Rabbit asked me to come and tell you that he is very sorry that he could not meet
you at the Briar-patch this morning, but that he grew so hungry thinking of those tender
young carrots that he just had to come and get some before sun-up, and he is very much
obliged to you for telling him about them.
He says they are the finest young carrots that he has ever tasted," said the Merry Little
Breeze.
The heart of Reddy Fox was filled with rage, but he did not let the Merry Little Breeze
know it.
He just smiled and sent the Merry Little Breeze back to Peter Rabbit to tell him how glad
he was that Peter enjoyed the carrots, and to invite Peter to meet him the next morning
on the edge of the Old Briar-patch at sun-up, to go with him to a patch of sweet clover
which he had just found near the old hickory-tree.
The Merry Little Breeze danced off with the message.
Pretty soon he was back to say that Peter Rabbit would be delighted to go to the sweet
clover patch the next morning.
Reddy grinned as he trudged off home.
"I'll just be at the clover patch an hour before sun-up tomorrow morning, and then we'll
see!" he said to himself.
Chapter 8: Peter Rabbit Gets an Early Breakfast
PETER RABBIT crept out of his snug little bed in the middle of the Old Briar-patch two
hours before sun-up and hurried over to the big hickory tree.
Sure enough, close by, he found a beautiful bed of sweet clover, just as Reddy Fox had
said was there.
Peter chuckled to himself as he ate and ate and ate until his little round stomach was
so full that he could hardly hop.
When he had eaten all that he could, he hurried back to the Old Briar patch to finish his
morning nap, and all the time he kept chuckling to himself.
You see, Peter was suspicious of Reddy Fox, and so he had gone over to the sweet clover
bed alone two hours before sun-up.
Peter Rabbit had hardly left the sweet clover bed when Reddy Fox arrived.
Reddy lay down in the long meadow grass and grinned to himself as he waited.
Slowly the minutes went by, until up from behind the Purple Hills came jolly, round,
red Mr. Sun—but no Peter Rabbit.
Reddy stopped grinning.
"Perhaps," said he to himself, "Peter is waiting for me on the edge of the Old Briar-patch
and wasn't going to try to fool me."
So Reddy hurried over to the Old Briar patch, and sure enough, there was Peter Rabbit sitting
on the edge of it.
When Peter saw him coming, he dodged in behind a big clump of friendly old brambles.
Reddy came up with his broadest smile.
"Good morning, Peter Rabbit," said Reddy.
"Shall we go over to that sweet clover bed?"
Peter put one hand over his mouth to hide a smile.
"Oh," said he, "I was so dreadfully hungry for sweet clover that I couldn't wait until
sun-up, and so I went over two hours ago.
I hope you will excuse me, Reddy Fox.
I certainly do appreciate your kindness in telling me of that new, sweet clover bed and
I hope I have not put you out."
"Certainly not," replied Reddy Fox, in his pleasantest manner, and you know Reddy Fox
can be very pleasant indeed when he wants to be.
"It is a very great pleasure to be able to give you pleasure.
There is nothing I so like to do as to give pleasure to others.
By the way, I have just heard that Farmer Brown has a new planting of young cabbage
in the corner of his garden.
Will you meet me here at sun-up tomorrow morning to go over there?"
"I will be delighted to, I will indeed!" replied Peter Rabbit, and all the time he smiled to
himself behind his hand.
Reddy Fox bade Peter Rabbit good-by in the pleasantest way you can imagine, yet all the
time, down in his heart, Reddy was so angry that he hardly knew what to do, for you see
he had got to go back to Granny Fox without the tender young rabbit which he had promised
her.
"This time I will be there two hours before sun-up, and then we will see, Peter Rabbit,
who is the smartest!" said Reddy Fox to himself.
Chapter 9: Reddy Fox Gets a Scare
PETER RABBIT looked up at the silvery moon and laughed aloud.
Then he kicked up his heels and laughed again as he started out across the Green Meadows
towards Fanner Brown's garden.
You see, Peter was suspicious, very suspicious indeed of Reddy Fox.
So, as it was a beautiful night for a walk, he thought he would just run over to Farmer
Brown's garden and see if he could find that bed of newly planted cabbage, about which
Reddy Fox had told him.
So Peter hopped and skipped across the Green Meadows, singing as he went;
"Hold, ol' Miss Moon, hold up your light!
Show the way! show the way!
The little stars are shining bright;
Night folks all are out to play."
When Peter reached Farmer Brown's garden, he had no trouble in finding the new planting
of cabbage.
It was tender.
It was good.
My, how good it was!
Peter started in to fill his little round stomach.
He ate and ate and ate and ate!
By and by, just when he thought he couldn't eat another mouthful, he happened to look
over to a patch of moonlight.
For just a second Peter's heart stopped beating.
There was Reddy Fox coming straight over to the new cabbage bed!
Peter Rabbit didn't know what to do.
Reddy Fox hadn't seen him yet, but he would in a minute or two unless Peter could hide.
He was too far from the dear Old Briar-patch to run there.
Peter looked this way and looked that way.
Ha! ha!
There lay Fanner Brown's boy's old straw hat, just where he had left it when the supper
horn blew.
Peter crawled under it.
It covered him completely.
Peter peeped out from under one edge.
He saw Reddy Fox standing in the moonlight, looking at the bed of newly set cabbage.
Reddy was smiling as if his thoughts were very pleasant.
Peter shivered.
He could just guess what Reddy was thinking—how he would gobble up Peter, when once he got
him away from the safety of the Old Briar-patch.
The thought made Peter so indignant that he forgot that he was hiding, and he sat up on
his hind legs.
Of course, he lifted the straw hat with him.
Then he remembered and sat down again in a hurry.
Of course, the straw hat went down quite as quickly.
Presently Peter peeped out.
Reddy Fox was staring and staring at the old straw hat, and he wasn't smiling now.
He actually looked frightened.
It gave Peter an idea.
He made three long hops straight towards Reddy Fox, all the time keeping the old straw hat
over him.
Of course, the hat went along with him, and, because it covered Peter all up, it looked
for all the world as if the hat was alive.
Reddy Fox gave one more long look at the strange thing coming towards him through the cabbage
bed, and then he started for home as fast as he could go, his tail between his legs.
Peter Rabbit just lay down right where he was and laughed and laughed and laughed.
And it almost seemed as if the old straw hat laughed too.
End of Section Three