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[Illustration: "AS I LIVE," HE MUTTERED, "THAT IS BOWSER THE HOUND!"
_Page 29._]
BOWSER THE HOUND
BY
THORNTON W. BURGESS
_With Illustrations by_
_HARRISON CADY_
This book, while produced under wartime conditions, in full compliance
with government regulations for the conservation of paper and other
essential materials, is COMPLETE AND UNABRIDGED
GROSSET & DUNLAP
Publishers
New York
_Printed by arrangement with Little, Brown, and Company_
_Copyright, 1920,_
BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.
_All rights reserved_
=Dedication=
TO THE CHILD'S LOVING PLAYMATE,
LOYAL PROTECTOR
AND STAUNCH ALLY
--THE DOG,
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I OLD MAN COYOTE LEADS BOWSER AWAY 1
II OLD MAN COYOTE PLAYS A TRICK 6
III WHAT HAPPENED TO BOWSER 10
IV POOR BOWSER 15
V BOWSER SPENDS A BAD NIGHT 20
VI THE SURPRISE OF BLACKY THE CROW 25
VII BLACKY THE CROW TAKES PITY ON BOWSER 30
VIII HOW BLACKY THE CROW HELPED BOWSER 34
IX OLD MAN COYOTE GIVES OUT DARK HINTS 39
X HOW REDDY FOX INVESTIGATED 44
XI A LITTLE UNPLEASANTNESS 49
XII THE CLEVERNESS OF OLD MAN COYOTE 54
XIII THE MISCHIEVOUS LITTLE NIGHT BREEZE 59
XIV THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING INSIDE AND OUTSIDE 64
XV REDDY'S FORLORN CHANCE 69
XVI WHY REDDY WENT WITHOUT A CHICKEN DINNER 74
XVII FARMER BROWN'S BOY DROPS A PAN OF CORN 79
XVIII MUTUAL RELIEF 84
XIX WHERE WAS BOWSER THE HOUND? 89
XX WHERE BOWSER WAS 93
XXI BOWSER BECOMES A PRISONER 98
XXII FARMER BROWN'S BOY LOOKS IN VAIN 103
XXIII BOWSER'S GREAT VOICE 107
XXIV BLACKY TRIES TO GET HELP 112
XXV BLACKY CALLS ON REDDY FOX 117
XXVI RED WITS AND BLACK WITS 122
XXVII THE ARTFULNESS OF BLACKY 127
XXVIII REDDY FOX DREAMS OF CHICKENS 131
XXIX REDDY TRIES TO AROUSE BLACKY'S PITY 136
XXX BLACKY THE CROW IS ALL PITY 141
XXXI BLACKY IS MUCH PLEASED WITH HIMSELF 146
XXXII BLACKY WAITS FOR REDDY 151
XXXIII REDDY WATCHES THE FAT HENS 156
XXXIV PATIENCE AND IMPATIENCE 161
XXXV THINGS HAPPEN ALL AT ONCE 166
XXXVI REDDY HIDES THE FAT HEN 171
XXXVII FARMER BROWN'S BOY HAS A GLAD SURPRISE 176
XXXVIII REDDY GOES BACK FOR HIS FAT HEN 181
XXXIX A VANISHED DINNER 186
XL WHERE WAS REDDY'S DINNER? 191
XLI WHAT BLACKY THE CROW SAW 196
XLII ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL 201
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
"As I live," he muttered, "that is Bowser the Hound!" _Frontispiece_
Over at the gate of Farmer Brown's henyard he could
see a dark form 53
Somewhere not very far ahead of him was a house 96
On broad wings it sailed over to that hollow stump 199
CHAPTER I
OLD MAN COYOTE LEADS BOWSER AWAY
Though great or small the matter prove
Be faithful in whate'er you do.
'Tis thus and only thus you may
To others and yourself be true.
_Bowser the Hound._
Old Man Coyote is full of tricks. People with such clever wits as his
usually are full of tricks. On the other hand Bowser the Hound isn't
tricky at all. He just goes straight ahead with the thing he has to do
and does it in the most earnest way. Not being tricky himself, he
sometimes forgets to watch out for tricks in others.
One day he found the fresh trail of Old Man Coyote and made up his mind
that he would run down Old Man Coyote if he had to run his legs off to
do it. He always makes up his mind like that whenever he starts out to
hunt. You know there is nothing in the world Bowser enjoys quite so much
as to hunt some one who will give him a long, hard run. Any time he will
go without eating for the pleasure of chasing Reddy or Granny Fox, or
Old Man Coyote.
Now Old Man Coyote was annoyed. He was and he wasn't afraid of Bowser
the Hound. That is to say he was afraid to fight Bowser, but he wasn't
afraid to be hunted by Bowser, because he was so sure that he was smart
enough to get away from Bowser. If Bowser had appeared at almost any
other time Old Man Coyote wouldn't have been so annoyed. But to have
Bowser appear just then made him angry clear through. You see he had
just started out to get his dinner.
"What business has that good-for-nothing dog over here anyway, I'd like
to know," he muttered, as he ran swiftly through the Green Forest. "What
right has he to meddle in other folks' business? I'll just teach that
fellow a lesson; that's what I'll do! I'll teach him that he can't
interfere with me not be sorry for it."
So Old Man Coyote ran and ran and ran, and never once did he try to
break his trail. In fact, he took pains to leave a trail that Bowser
could follow easily. After him Bowser ran and ran and ran, and all the
time his great voice rang out joyously. This was the kind of a hunt he
loved. Out of the Green Forest into the Old Pasture, Old Man Coyote led
Bowser the Hound. Across the Old Pasture and out on the other side they
raced. Farther and farther away from home Old Man Coyote led Bowser the
Hound. Instead of circling back as usual, he kept on. Bowser kept on
after him. By and by he was in strange country, country he had never
visited before. He didn't notice this. He didn't notice anything but the
splendid trail Old Man Coyote was making. He didn't even realize that he
was getting tired. Always in his nose was the tantalizing scent of Old
Man Coyote. Bowser was sure that this time he would catch this fellow
who had fooled him so often before.