Reddy Fox Goes Fishing

One morning the sun was very, very bright and very, very warm.

Down on the Green Meadows, Reddy Fox came hopping and skipping along the Lone Little Path — the one that leads to the Laughing Brook.

Hoppity, skip! Skippity, hop!

Reddy felt very pleased with himself that sunny morning.

Pretty soon he saw Johnny Chuck sitting up very straight, right by the little house where he lives.

"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, because Reddy Fox was a bad boy.

"Johnny Chuck, Chuck, Chuck! Johnny Woodchuck!" called Reddy again.

This time Johnny turned and looked. There was Reddy Fox turning somersaults and chasing his own tail and rolling over and over in the little path.

"Come on!" said Reddy Fox. "Let's go fishing!"

"Can't," said Johnny Chuck.

"I'll show you how to catch a fish!" said Reddy Fox, and he tried to jump over his own shadow.

"Can't," said good little Johnny Chuck again. He turned away so he couldn't see Reddy Fox chasing butterflies and playing with the little 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. The sun was bright. Reddy Fox jumped up onto the Big Rock in the middle of the Laughing Brook and peeped over the other side.

And 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, way down into the Dear Little Pool.

All the little Trouts laughed at him. Not one came within reach.

Then —

Mr. Trout swam up so fast that Reddy didn't even see him coming.

CHOMP!

Mr. Trout bit Reddy's little black paw. Hard.

"OUCH!" cried Reddy Fox, yanking his paw out of the water.

And all the little Trouts laughed and laughed.

Just then, along came Billy Mink.

"Hello, Reddy Fox! 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."

Billy Mink lay down on the Big Rock beside Reddy Fox and peeped over into the Dear Little Pool. But Billy Mink took care — such very great care — that Mr. Trout and Mrs. Trout did not see him peeking.

When Billy Mink saw all those little Trouts playing below, he grinned.

"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 dived headfirst into the Dear Little Pool! Water flew up and hit Reddy Fox right in the face. Old Mr. Frog got such a fright that he tumbled backwards off his lily pad — PLOP — right into the water.

In a minute, Billy Mink climbed out on the other side of the 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'm taking this home. You're afraid, Reddy Fox! Fraid-cat! Fraid-cat!"

Billy Mink shook the water off 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 watched. And watched.

The sun was warm. The Laughing Brook sang a lullaby, soft and slow.

And Reddy Fox… fell… fast… asleep… right on the edge of the great Big Rock.

He began to dream.

He dreamed he had a nice little brown coat that was waterproof, just like Billy Mink's. He dreamed he could swim and catch fish just like Billy Mink. He dreamed the Dear Little Pool was full of little Trouts, and he was just about to catch one, and he reached out, and he reached out, and —

SPLASH!

Reddy Fox rolled right off the Big Rock into the Dear Little Pool!

Water went into his eyes. Water went up his nose. He swallowed so much he felt like he would never, ever want another drink again.

His beautiful red coat — the one 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.

His pants were wet.

His beautiful bushy tail, the one he was so proud of, was so full of water he couldn't even hold it up. He had to drag it behind him as he crawled up the bank.

"HA! HA! HA!" laughed Mr. Kingfisher from a tree.

"HO! HO! HO!" laughed old Mr. Frog, back up 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 just crept up the Lone Little Path toward home, dragging his wet, muddy tail behind him, dripping water all the way.

Johnny Chuck was still sitting by his door, just where his mother had told him to be. Reddy Fox tried to sneak past without being seen.

But Johnny Chuck's bright little eyes spotted him.

"Where are your fish, Reddy Fox?" called Johnny Chuck.

"Why don't you turn somersaults and jump over your shadow and chase butterflies, Reddy Fox?"

But Reddy Fox just walked faster.

And when he got almost home, he saw old Mother Fox sitting in the doorway — with a great big switch across her lap.