Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-01-02

81 wun't,' said the mouse. "Ill sweep
them myself" said the little red hen. And
50 lll day long The cal sat before the fire,
licking her paws now aud then, and the
mouse curled his whskcrs and combed
his hair, like any other gentleman, while
the little red hen hustled about with her
dustor in her claws singing an odd sort of
song which sounded like
Cluck, cluck, cluck,
I'm g.ad I'm not duck
Wect weet, wect,
For then Ia have web feet;
CLASH, clack, clack,
And water on my back
Tnll, trill trn
And such vulgar bill
But now I've eight rec toes
and lovely RnIa--. "nsH
Ci--Ar OturEt cIucE,
I'm glad m not duck
and doing her work and that Of both her
companions also. To do them justice they
were very fond Of her; but they looked
upon her as a good, simple sort Of a Great
ure whom nature had intended for their
slave and who had every reason to be very
happy.
Oae morning old Mother Fox got out on
the wrong side of the bed and of course you
know, my young readers, this did not put
her into good temper; so she scoded her
son all caEtaSt-time, as they had only the
bones Of goose between them and her
teeth were not strong as they had been
when she was Young. At last, when O G
Of them broke Off short as she WAS craunch-
ing a nlcrfy-thoucht, Madam Fox got up
in rage, and finging an old sack at her
duiifll sons head, she told him ''to be of
at once, and If he did not bring home me
| thing good for dinner he knew what TO ex-
| pect;' at which threat young Fox groaned
inwnrdly, Tor his mamma kept post-sticl
in the corner Of her cottage and his bones
fclt little sore from the last chaslisemeni
! he had received. So lie threw the sacl,
over his back, and troted OF in the direc.
! tion Of the house in the valley, though rs
he did not heiF NOV. squeak or crow
he feared the "happy family were within
and had their door locked.
Now the good little red hen was jusj
mahirg tire trvu,. ana, vuauCtu3 iv,th uut
| of the upper window, she saw very curl.
Gus sOr; ofcreature coming up to the house
for the body and brush Of the fox were
| quite concealed by the sack and only the
| paws and nose Ofthe animal could be seen.
So the hcn hopped down stairs at great
rate and told the cat and the mouse that q
visitor was approaching.
"Who'll open the door?'
II WON'T said the cat, and II won, t.
said The mouse.
"Wcl, Iii open it myself" said the lit.
tie red hen.
\ rat-lat-tat was heard, and after comb.
| ing her head smooth with her claws and
tying on clean apron she opened the door
and thcriUX sprang in, the sack falling of
as he di so. The cat ran up the chimney
and The mouse squeezt d himself into lit
tie hole in the door, while the poor littlC
red hen got behind the door and tried tC
hide herself
moi living thing was to be seen. Bu
tho fox is a cunning animal, and he walk
ell across The door on tip-loe and peeped NJ
the chimney. \ tah appeared Just within
reach, and Mr.. Reynard crept back for hi
sack and holding the mouth wide oper
and seizing upon pussy's tail, in a momen
she was out of the chimney and into th
sack.
Foxy clapped his hands and though
what clever creature he was and the
looked about for the rest of the inhabitants
Alas ! it was plain their tails were doom
ed TO betray them, for, peepinG out OF th
hole in he floor was what looked like
piece Of stick but Reynard was too wis
not to know what it meant, and in a mC
ment he had the mouse in his paws. Sh
bit them as hard as she could, but he onl
p snapped his teeth at her and put her int
the sack with the cat. Then he locke
about for No. 8.
Poor little red hen. She might have e
capped, but gleam of sunshine came III
der the door and showed a shadow of Il
6 feathers moving just over the place whe
her heart beat SO fast, and Reynard pul
ed the door open and seized upon her an
popped her head foremost into his sack.
2 He had got all he wanted, so he ;hre
1 the sack across his shoulders and trottC
2 OFF in n state of extreme satisfaction wi
Il his mornings work.
$ Meantime the CAT, the mouse and the Ii
:, tie red hen had been talking over the
l. melancholy situ9tion.
n "What is 10 be done?"
@ "I don't know" said the eat, and
II don't know" said the mouse.
y "Well, let US think awhile said the !
II tie red hen.
T. So they thought, and they thought.
"Now who has plan of oscape?"
"I have not" said the cat, and ~ ha
10 not" said the mouse.
r. ~ have one myself" said the little r
g hen.
= Now the day was very hot and the fox
er gan to feel rather tired, aud as he was su
at his mother would not expect him home
Of early ho threw himself down upon a n
rs soft turf Of moss and proceeded 10 tie
c. the mouth OF the sack very carefully, th
j. laid II beside him and fell fast asleep.
3 When the little red hen heard him sn
ht ing she jumped up in great haste.
G. "Who has got a pair Of scissors ?"
s. 81 have not" said tho cat, and 81 ha
If not, said the mouse,
G. 81 have them myself" said the little
be hen.
d, Then she cut slit IN the sack with
n pair of scissors and told the mouse to Il
ic, out and fetch her q stone about his o
tn size. So he did as he was bid; aud Il
she mado the hole larger and sent cat