Farmer Brown’s Boy Sets A Trap
The trouble is that troubles are,
More frequently than not,
Brought on by naught but carelessness;
By some one who forgot.
—_Old Granny Fox_.
Granny Fox had hoped that those two hens she and Reddy had stolen from
Farmer Brown’s henhouse would not be missed, but they were. They were
missed the very first thing the next morning when Farmer Brown’s boy
went to feed the biddies. He discovered right away that the little
sliding door which should have closed the opening through which the
hens went in and out of the house was open, and then he remembered that
he had left the henyard gate open the night before. Carefully Farmer
Brown’s boy examined the hole with the sliding door.
“Ha!” said he presently, and held up two red hairs which he had found
on the edge of the door. “Ha! I thought as much. I was careless last
night and didn’t fasten this door, and I left the gate open. Reddy Fox
has been here, and now I know what has become of those two hens. I
suppose it serves me right for my carelessness, and I suppose if the
truth were known, those hens were of more real good to him than they
ever could have been to me, because the poor fellow must be having
pretty hard work to get a living these hard winter days. Still, I can’t
have him stealing any more. That would never do at all. If I shut them
up every night and am not careless, he can’t get them. But accidents
will happen, and I might do just as I did last night—think I had locked
up when I hadn’t. I don’t like to set a trap for Reddy, but I must
teach the rascal a lesson. If I don’t, he will get so bold that those
chickens won’t be safe even in broad daylight.”
Now at just that very time over in their home, Granny and Reddy Fox
were talking over plans for the future, and shrewd old Granny was
pointing out to Reddy how necessary it was that they should keep away
from that henyard for some time. “We’ve had a good dinner, a splendid
dinner, and if we are smart enough we may be able to get more good
dinners where this one came from,” said she. “But we certainly won’t if
we are too greedy.”
“But I don’t believe Farmer Brown’s boy has missed those two chickens,
and I don’t see any reason at all why we shouldn’t go back there
to-night and get two more if he is stupid enough to leave that gate and
little door open,” whined Reddy.
“Maybe he hasn’t missed those two, but if we should take two more he
certainly would miss them, and he would guess what had become of them,
and that might get us into no end of trouble,” snapped Granny. “We are
not starving now, and the best thing for us to do is to keep away from
that henhouse until we can’t get anything to eat anywhere else, Now you
mind what I tell you, Reddy, and don’t you dare go near there.”
Reddy promised, and so it came about that Farmer Brown’s boy hunted up
a trap all for nothing so far as Reddy and Granny were concerned. Very
carefully he bound strips of cloth around the jaws of the trap, for he
couldn’t bear to think of those cruel jaws cutting into the leg of
Reddy, should he happen to get caught. You see, Farmer Brown’s boy
didn’t intend to kill Reddy if he should catch him, but to make him a
prisoner for a while and so keep him out of mischief. That night he hid
the trap very cunningly just inside the henhouse where any one creeping
through that little hole made for the hens to go in and out would be
sure to step in it. Then he purposely left the little sliding door open
part way as if it had been forgotten, and he also left the henyard gate
open just as he had done the night before.
“There now, Master Reddy,” said he, talking to himself, “I rather think
that you are going to get into trouble before morning.”
And doubtless Reddy would have done just that thing but for the wisdom
of sly old Granny.