Evening star., 1941-12-22
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS.

ny 1HoAS4> oAN W. DSAsoLS''
Reddy Fox is headstrong and like
most headstrong people is given to
thinking that his way is best. He is
smart, is Reddy Fox. Yes, indeed,
Reddy is very, very smart. He has
to be in order to live. But great
deal of what he knows he learned
from Old Granny Fox. She began
teaching him when he was so little
that he used to tumble over his own
feet. 1t was Granny who taught him
how to hunt and how to fool Bow
ser the Hound, and that it Is best
never to steal chickens near the
place where you live, but to go a
long way off for them. 1t was she
who taught him how to use his
sharp, little black nose to follow
the tracks of foolish or careless
young rabbits, and how to catch
meadow mice under the snow. In
fact there is very little that Reddy
knows that he didn't learn from
Granny Fox.
But as he grew bigger and bigger
until he was quite as big as Granny
herself he forgot this. and grew TO
have a good opinion of himself, and
to think that he knew all there was
to know. So sometimes when he
would do foolish or careless things
and Granny Fox would Scold him
and tell him that he was big enough
to know better he would sulk and
go off muttering to himself. But he
never quite dared to be disreSpect-
ful to Granny, and this. OF course,
was quite as 1t should be.
IF only I could catch Granny
doing something foolish or careless"
he would often say to himself. But
he never could, and he had begun
to think that he never would. But
now, at last, Granny Fox had been
careless. She had allowed Farmer
Browns boy to catch her mapping,
Sammy Jay and Tommy Tit the
Chickadee had seen it all and had
told him about it. How he did wish
that he had been there to see it
himself. Anyway, he knew all about
it, and the next time Granny tried
to punish him or said anything
sharp about his carelesSneSs he
would have something TO say back.
Yes, Reddy Fox was deliberately
planning to talk back. which IS al
ways disrespectful to ones elders. At
last the chance came. Reddy did
a thing that no wise fox ever will
do. He went two nights in success
sion to the same henhouse and the
second time he barely escaped be-
ing shot. Old Granny Fox found
out about it-how, Reddy didn't
know, but she did and she gave
Reddy such Scolding as even her
sharp tongue had seldom given him.
You're the stupidest fox I ever
heard Of" scolded Granny.
I'm no more stupid than you
are!" snapped Reddy.
What's that?' demanded Gran
ny. What's that you said?"
II said I'm no more stupid than
you are, and I hope I'm not so
stupid. know better than to take
a nap in broad daylight right un-
der the nose of Farmer Browns
boy" Reddy grinned in the most
lmpudent way as he said this.
Granny's eyes snapped. Then
things happened. Reddy was cuffed
this way and cuffed that way until
1t seemed to him as if the air was
full OF black paws. every one of
which landed on his head or face
with sting that made him whim-
per and put his tail between his
legs and finally to howl.
"There!" cried Granny, when she
had to stop because she was quite
| out of breath. Perhaps that will
| teach you to be respectful to your
elders! I was careless and stupid
and I'm perfectly willing to admit
1t because it taught me a lesson.
III never be caught that way again.
Wisdom is often gained through
mistakes, but never when one is
not willing to admit the mistake
No fox lives long who makes the
same mistake twice, and foxes who
are impudent to their elders come
to no good end. I've got a fat goose
hidden away for supper, but you'll
get none of it."
II wish I'd never heard of
Granny'S mistake" whined Reddy
to himself as he went supperless to
bed.
You ought to wish tn at you
hadn't been impudent' said small
voice down inside of him.