Evening star., 1934-02-02

4 RS. REDDY FOX was work.
MI ing hard for dinner, but II
wv she got it it would be a din
4 4 ner worth all it cost. She
was trying trick to toll
within leaping distance some Ducks
on the Big River. She was taking
advantage of their curiosity. There
are few of the little people who wear
fur or feather who are not subject
to curiosity. 1t gets them into all
sorts Of trouble, and all too often
costs some OF them their lives. Those
Ducks were no exception. Wary, al
ways on the watch for danger, they
still like most people were apt TO be
curious about some things they did
not understand. Mrs. Reddy knew
this, and she was taking advantage
Of it.
Mrs. Reddy was rolling and tum-
bling about on the ice, kicking her
legs in the air and doing other fancy
things, but taking care not to get on
her feet or keep still long enough for
those Ducks to make out what she
was. Never had they seen anything
just like this. And as it resembled no
known enemy they were very, very
curious. At first they were alarmed
and suspicious, but as the queer thing
seemed harmless, curiosity drove out
fear. Curiosity grew and grew. and
without really knowing it they moved
nearer and nearer to the ice and
finally out on it.
Now in her curious antics Mrs
Reddy was little by little working out
on the ice toward the Ducks. All the
time she was watching sharply.
The trick is working thought she,
triumphantly Those foolish Ducks
cannot make out what I am and their
curiosity is making them forget every
thing else. They have stopped. How
the silly things stare! Probably they
won't come any nearer, but if ] can
manage to roll little nearer to them
] viii have one as sure as my name is
Mrs. Reddy'
The Ducks stared and Mrs. Reddy
Wriggled and rolled and squirmed q
little nearer Then suddenly she
bounded to her feet, shot forward
and sprang at the nearest Duck Even
as she did so strange thing nap
pened. Yes, sir, very strange thing
happened. That Duck was snatched
away. Her jaws snapped together on
nothing
So intent on those Ducks had she
been, and so intent on her had the
Ducks been that Whitley the Snowy
Owl had approached on noiseless
wings and swooped down on that
Duck just as Mrs. Reddy leaped It
bad been clutched and lifted Just in
time to snatch it from Mrs. Reddy's
Jaws. OF course, all the other Ducks
had taken to their swift wings the
instant they had realized that two
nnemies were upon them
Now that Duck was heavy, and al
0ough Whitley had lifted it just
enough to take it from Mrs. Reddy,
he could not at once get under way to
Gerry it up before Mrs Reddy recov-
cred from her surprise. He tapped
bis great white wings to get under
way, moving forward and gradually
upward. He was heading toward the
opposite shore.
There is nothing slow about Mrs.
Reddy, either in her thinking or her
movements. Unexpected as had been
The snatching away of that Duck she
aamost instantly understood what had
happened. She as instantly saw that
tne great Owl was having difficulty
q getting up in the air with his bur-
den. Without pausing an instant she
paced after him and leaped upward
tt was q splendid leap, and her jaws
closed on q wing of that Duck. Down
came the Duck. Whitley and all.
Then for a couple of minutes or SO
tdere was grand mixup of white
and red coats, great wings Tapping
snd striking, black legs kicking. REQ
fur and white feathers flying. Mrs
Heddy had completely forgotten hel
advice to Reddy Fox to have nothing
to do with that great Owl. If Whitley
thought he could take her dinner from
right under her nose she would show
him that he was very much mistaken
(Copyright 1334)