Little Jack Rabbit certainly was in a fix. Here he was up in the
chimney with Danny Fox waiting for him down below. If there had only
been a ladder inside that chimney he could have climbed up to the top.
But there wasn’t, so all he could do was to sit on the little ledge of
bricks that extended around the inside a few feet above the hearth.
At last Danny Fox said, “You might just as well come down. If you
don’t, I’ll build a fire and smoke you out.”
“Where will you get the wood?” asked the little rabbit.
“I don’t need any. I’ll burn up the popcorn box.”
This made the little rabbit dreadfully nervous. Yes, indeed.
“Are you coming down?” asked Danny Fox, with a growl.
“I don’t know,” answered the poor, anxious little rabbit. “Give me time
to think it over, won’t you?”
“If you take much longer,” answered Danny Fox with a cruel laugh, “I’ll
light a fire. That’ll make you think mighty quick, my pretty one.”
“I’m afraid I’ll slip,” said the little rabbit, trying to gain time.
“I’ll help you down,” answered Danny Fox, politely.
“You’ll burn your feet in the hot ashes,” said Little Jack Rabbit.
“I’ll sweep ’em out,” answered Danny Fox, picking up the hearth shovel
and broom.
“The bricks are still hot,” went on the little rabbit.
“No, they aren’t,” answered the old fox, stepping inside the fireplace,
“they’re only warm; they don’t burn my toes a bit.”
“Well, then,” sighed poor Little Jack Rabbit, “I may as well come down.”
“Come on,” said Danny Fox with a wicked grin.
“It’s pretty high up. Come and help me,” said the little rabbit.
Danny Fox walked into the fireplace and stood up on his hind legs.
His head came ’way up into the chimney and the soot blinded his eyes.
Before he knew what was going to happen, the little rabbit picked up a
loose brick and hit him a dreadful hard blow on the head. Down tumbled
the wicked old fox and down jumped the little rabbit and out of the Log
Cabin, straight away for the dear Old Bramble Patch.
It took Mrs. Rabbit nearly an hour to clean the soot from his little
fur jacket. But she didn’t grumble. No indeed! She was only too glad to
have her precious bunny boy safe home again.
“NOW I’VE GOT YOU!”
One day Teddy Turtle had a narrow escape from Danny Fox. He was slowly
crawling down the Cow Path in the Sunny Meadow when whom should he meet
but that old robber. Danny Fox seemed much surprised, but that was only
because he was trying to fool the little turtle. You see, Danny Fox
had been hiding all the time behind a bush and only came out just when
Teddy Turtle crawled by.
“Good morning,” said Danny Fox, with a grin.
“Good morning,” replied Teddy Turtle from inside his little shell
house, for as soon as he had seen Danny Fox he had pulled in his head
and tail for safe keeping.
“Where are you?” asked Danny Fox. “I don’t see you; I only see your
shell house.”
“Well, I’m looking out of the window,” answered Teddy Turtle. But he
didn’t put his head out very far, let me tell you.
Danny Fox stood very close, but he didn’t touch Mr. Teddy Turtle. Oh,
my, no! There wasn’t any use, for Teddy was safe inside his hard shell
house and Danny Fox knew he couldn’t pull him out.
Pretty soon the old robber fox said, “Let’s go down to the Old Duck
Pond.”
Now that was just where Teddy Turtle wanted to go, but he didn’t want
to go with Danny Fox. So he said instead, “I’ll stay here a while and
rest. I’m all tired out.”
Now this was just what Danny Fox didn’t want to do, for as long as
Teddy Turtle stood still he could keep his head and tail inside his
shell, but as soon as he began to walk he had to poke out his head to
see where he was going, and stick his tail out behind to steer himself.
“Oh, come along,” said Danny Fox, “you don’t want to stay here in the
path. Mrs. Cow may come along and step on you,” and the sly old fox
took a little bell out of his pocket and gave it a ting-a-ling. It
sounded just like the bell on Mrs. Cow’s collar.
Teddy Turtle poked out his head and tail and started to crawl away,
but, quick as a wink, Danny Fox grabbed him by the tail.
“Now I’ve got you! Now I’ve got you!” shouted that wicked old robber.
“Let me go! Let me go!” cried Teddy Turtle. But Danny Fox wouldn’t. He
held on as tight as he could. He wouldn’t have let go for anything, for
that was the only way he could pull Teddy Turtle along, and he wanted
to take him home for supper.
Turtle soup is very fine,
But, when you sit down to dine,
Don’t forget, dear girls and boys,
With your spoon to make no noise.