One morning when Mr. Sun was very, very bright and it was very, very
warm, down on the Green Meadows Reddy Fox came hopping and skipping down
the Lone Little Path that leads to the Laughing Brook. Hoppity, skip,
skippity hop! Reddy felt very much pleased with himself that sunny
morning. Pretty soon he saw Johnny Chuck sitting up very straight close
by the little house where he lives.
“Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny
Woodchuck!” called Reddy fox.
Johnny Chuck pretended not to hear. His mother had told him not to play
with Reddy Fox, for Reddy Fox was a bad boy.
“Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny Woodchuck!” called Reddy again.
This time Johnny turned and looked. He could see Reddy Fox turning
somersaults and chasing his tail and rolling over and over in the little
path.
“Come on!” said Reddy Fox. “Let's go fishing!”
“Can't,” said Johnny Chuck, because you know, his mother had told him
not to play with Reddy Fox.
“I'll show you how to catch a fish,” said Reddy Fox, and tried to jump
over his own shadow.
“Can't,” said good little Johnny Chuck again, and turned away so that he
couldn't see Reddy Fox chasing Butterflies and playing catch with Field
Mice children.
So Reddy Fox went down to the Laughing Brook all alone. The Brook was
laughing and singing on its way to join the Big River. The sky was blue
and the sun was bright. Reddy Fox jumped on the Big Rock in the middle
of the Laughing Brook and peeped over the other side. What do you think
he saw? Why, right down below in a Dear Little Pool were Mr. And Mrs.
Trout and all the little Trouts.
Reddy Fox wanted some of those little Trouts to take home for his
dinner, but he didn't know how to catch them. He lay flat down on the
Big Rock and reached way down into the Dear Little Pool, but all the
little Trouts laughed at Reddy Fox and not one came within reach. Then
Mr. Trout swam up so quickly that Reddy Fox didn't see him coming and
bit Reddy's little black paw hard.
“Ouch!” cried Reddy Fox, pulling his little black paw out of the water.
And all the little Trouts laughed at Reddy Fox.
Just then along came Billy Mink.
“Hello, Reddy Fox!” said Billy Mink. “What are you doing here?”
“I'm trying to catch a fish,” said Reddy Fox.
“Pooh! That's easy!” said Billy Mink. “I'll show you how.”
So Billy Mink lay down on the Big Rock side of Reddy Fox and peeped over
into the Dear Little Pool where all the little Trouts were laughing at
Reddy Fox and having such a good time. But Billy Mink took care, such
very great care, that Mr. Trout and Mrs. Trout should not see him
peeping over into the Dear Little Pool.
When Billy Mink saw all those little Trouts playing in the Dear Little
Pool he laughed. “You count three, Reddy Fox,” said he, “and I'll show
you how to catch a fish.”
“One!” said Reddy Fox, “Two! Three!”
Splash! Billy Mink had dived head first into the Dear Little Pool. He
spattered water way up onto Reddy Fox, and he frightened old Mr. Frog
so that he fell over backwards off the lily pad where he was taking a
morning nap right into the water. In a minute Billy Mink climbed out on
the other side of the Dear Little Pool and sure enough, he had caught
one of the little Trouts.
“Give it to me,” cried Reddy Fox.
“Catch one yourself,” said Billy Mink. “Old Grandpa Mink wants a fish
for his dinner, so I am going to take this home. You're afraid, Reddy
Fox! 'Fraid-cat! Fraid-cat!”
Billy Mink shook the water off of his little brown coat, picked up the
little Trout and ran off home.
Reddy Fox lay down again on the Big Rock and peeped into the Dear Little
Pool. Not a single Trout could he see. They were all hiding safely with
Mr. and Mrs. Trout. Reddy Fox watched and watched. The sun was warm, the
Laughing Brook was singing a lullaby and--what do you think? Why, Reddy
Fox went fast asleep on the edge of the great Big Rock.
By and by Reddy Fox began to dream. He dreamed that he had a nice little
brown coat that was waterproof, just like the little brown coat that
Billy Mink wore. Yes, and he dreamed that he had learned to swim and to
catch fish just as Billy Mink did. He dreamed that the Dear Little
Pool was full of little Trouts and that he was just going to catch one
when--splash! Reddy Fox had rolled right off of the Big Rock into the
Dear Little Pool.
The water went into the eyes of Reddy Fox, and it went up his nose
and he swallowed so much that he felt as if he never, never would want
another drink of water. And his beautiful red coat, which old Mother
Fox had told him to be very, very careful of because he couldn't have
another for a whole year, was oh so wet! And his pants were wet and his
beautiful bushy tail, of which he was so proud, was so full of water
that he couldn't hold it up, but had to drag it up the bank after him as
he crawled out of the Dear Little Pool.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed Mr. Kingfisher, sitting on a tree.
“Ho! Ho! Ho!” laughed old Mr. Frog, who had climbed back on his lily
pad.
“He! He! He!” laughed all the little Trouts and Mr. Trout and Mrs.
Trout, swimming round and round in the Dear Little Pool.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! Ho! He! He! He!” laughed Billy Mink, who had come
back to the Big Rock just in time to see Reddy Fox tumble in.
Reddy Fox didn't say a word, he was so ashamed. He just crept up the
Lone Little Path to his home, dragging his tail, all wet and muddy,
behind him, and dripping water all the way.
Johnny Chuck was still sitting by his door as his mother had told him
to. Reddy Fox tried to go past without being seen, but Johnny Chuck's
bright little eyes saw him.
“Where are your fish, Reddy Fox?” called Johnny Chuck.
“Why don't you turn somersaults, and jump over your shadow and chase
Butterflies and play with the little Field Mice, Reddy Fox?” called
Johnny Chuck.
But Reddy Fox just walked faster. When he got almost home he saw old
Mother Fox sitting in the doorway with a great big switch across her
lap, for Mother Fox had told Reddy Fox not to go near the Laughing
Brook.
And this is all I am going to tell you about how Reddy Fox went fishing.