Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox Play Tricks

It was night.

All the little stars were looking down, twinkling and twinkling. Mother Moon was doing her best to make the Green Meadows bright. All the little birds were fast asleep in their nests — all except Hooty the Owl, Boomer the Night Hawk, and noisy Mr. Whip-poor-will.

Old Mother West Wind's Merry Little Breezes had all gone to sleep too.

It was oh so still.

So still that Bobby Coon, coming down the Lone Little Path through the wood, started talking to himself.

"I don't see what people want to play all day and sleep all night for," said Bobby Coon. "Night's the best time to be about. Now Reddy Fox —"

"Be careful what you say about Reddy Fox," said a voice right behind him.

Bobby Coon spun around — FAST — because he had thought he was all alone.

There was Reddy Fox himself, trotting down the Lone Little Path through the wood.

"I thought you were home and fast asleep, Reddy Fox!" said Bobby Coon.

"You were wrong," said Reddy Fox. "I'm out for a walk in the moonlight."

So Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox walked together down the Lone Little Path to the Green Meadows. And there they met Jimmy Skunk, who had dreamed about a whole pile of beetles up on the hill and was just going to climb the Crooked Little Path to find out.

"Hello, Jimmy Skunk!" said Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox. "Come down to the Green Meadows with us!"

Jimmy Skunk said he would.

So they all went down to the Green Meadows together. Bobby Coon first. Reddy Fox next. And Jimmy Skunk last of all, because Jimmy Skunk never hurries.

Pretty soon they came to the house of Johnny Chuck.

"Listen," whispered Bobby Coon.

They all listened.

They could hear Johnny Chuck snoring away, down in his snug little bed.

Snnnnnnore. Snnnnnnore. Snnnnnnore.

"Let's give Johnny Chuck a surprise," said Reddy Fox, and his eyes got bright.

"What shall it be?" asked Bobby Coon.

"I know," said Reddy Fox. "Let's roll that big stone right over Johnny Chuck's doorway. Then he'll have to dig his way out in the morning!"

So Bobby Coon and Reddy Fox pulled and tugged and TUGGED and PULLED at the big stone until — THUNK — they rolled it right over Johnny Chuck's doorway.

Jimmy Skunk pretended not to see a thing.

"Now let's go down to the Laughing Brook and wake up old Grandfather Frog," said Bobby Coon. "We can hear him say 'Chug-a-rum!'"

"Come on!" cried Reddy Fox. "I'll get there first!"

Away raced Reddy Fox down the Lone Little Path. After him ran Bobby Coon, off to wake old Grandfather Frog from a nice comfortable sleep on his green lily pad.

But Jimmy Skunk didn't go.

He watched Reddy Fox and Bobby Coon until they were almost at the Laughing Brook. Then — he began to dig. Right at the side of that big stone. My, how he made the dirt fly! Pretty soon he had dug a hole just big enough to call through.

"Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny Woodchuck!" called Jimmy Skunk.

But Johnny Chuck just snored.

"Johnny Chuck, Chuck, CHUCK! Johnny WOODCHUCK!" called Jimmy Skunk, louder.

But Johnny Chuck just snored.

Jimmy Skunk took a biiiig breath and called one more time, as loud as he could.

"Who is it?" said a very sleepy voice from way down below.

"It's Jimmy Skunk! Put your coat on and come up here!"

"Go away, Jimmy Skunk. I want to sleep," grumbled Johnny Chuck.

"I've got a surprise for you, Johnny Chuck. You'd better come!"

Well. When Johnny Chuck heard the word surprise, he wanted to know what it was right away. So even though he was very, very sleepy, he put on his coat and climbed up to his door.

And there it was.

The big stone. Filling up his whole doorway.

Johnny Chuck's eyes went wide. He was very surprised indeed. And for a few minutes he was very mad, because he thought Jimmy Skunk had done it.

But Jimmy Skunk told him who had really rolled that big stone into his doorway.

"Now," said Jimmy Skunk, "you push from that side, and I'll pull from this side."

So Johnny Chuck pushed — UNGH — and Jimmy Skunk pulled — UNGH — and sure enough, they got that big stone out of the way.

Jimmy Skunk smiled a slow smile.

"Now," he said, "we'll roll this big stone all the way down the Lone Little Path — to the house of Reddy Fox."

Johnny Chuck grinned.

So Johnny Chuck and Jimmy Skunk tugged and pulled and rolled that big stone all the way down to the house of Reddy Fox. And sure enough — THUNK — it filled his doorway right up.

"Good night, Jimmy Skunk," said Johnny Chuck. And he trotted down the Lone Little Path toward home, chuckling to himself the whole way.

Jimmy Skunk walked slowly up the Lone Little Path to the wood, because Jimmy Skunk never hurries.

Pretty soon he came to the big hollow tree where Bobby Coon lives. And there he met Hooty the Owl.

"Hello, Jimmy Skunk. Where have you been?" asked Hooty the Owl.

"Just for a walk," said Jimmy Skunk. "Who lives in this big hollow tree?"

Now Jimmy Skunk knew perfectly well. But he pretended he didn't.

"Oh, this is Bobby Coon's house," said Hooty the Owl.

"Let's give Bobby Coon a surprise," said Jimmy Skunk.

"How?" asked Hooty the Owl.

"We'll fill his house full of sticks and leaves."

Hooty the Owl thought that was a very good joke. So Jimmy Skunk gathered all the old sticks and leaves he could find, armful after armful, and Hooty the Owl stuffed them into the old hollow tree — CRUNCH, CRUMPLE, STUFF — until he couldn't fit in a single one more.

"Good night," said Jimmy Skunk, and he started to climb the Crooked Little Path up the hill to his own snug little home.

"Good night," said Hooty the Owl, and he flew like a big soft shadow over to the Great Pine.

WHOOOOSH.

By and by, old Mother Moon went to bed. All the little stars were too sleepy to twinkle anymore.

And up the Lone Little Path came Reddy Fox and Bobby Coon.

They were very tired. They were very wet from playing in the Laughing Brook. They were ready to tumble into their snug little beds. And they were chuckling — chuckling about the trick they had played on Johnny Chuck, and the way they had woken up old Grandfather Frog, and all the other mischief they had done.

Then Reddy Fox got to his doorway.

And Bobby Coon got to his tree.

And round, red Mr. Sun peeped over the hill — and laughed and laughed and laughed.