IX. Reddy Fox Gets a Scare
Peter Rabbit looked up at the silvery moon and laughed aloud. Then he kicked up his heels and laughed again as he started out across the Green Meadows towards Fanner Brown's garden. You see, Peter was suspicious, very suspicious indeed of Reddy Fox. So, as it was a beautiful night for a walk, he thought he would just run over to Farmer Brown's garden and see if he could find that bed of newly planted cabbage, about which Reddy Fox had told him.
So Peter hopped and skipped across the Green Meadows, singing as he went;
"Hold, ol' Miss Moon, hold up your light!
Show the way! show the way!
The little stars are shining bright;
Night folks all are out to play."
When Peter reached Farmer Brown's garden, he had no trouble in finding the new planting of cabbage. It was tender. It was good. My, how good it was! Peter started in to fill his little round stomach. He ate and ate and ate and ate! By and by, just when he thought he couldn't eat another mouthful, he happened to look over to a patch of moonlight. For just a second Peter's heart stopped beating. There was Reddy Fox coming straight over to the new cabbage bed!
Peter Rabbit didn't know what to do. Reddy Fox hadn't seen him yet, but he would in a minute or two, unless Peter could hide. He was too far from the dear Old Briar-patch to run there. Peter looked this way and looked that way. Ha! ha! There lay Fanner Brown's boy's old straw hat, just where he had left it when the supper horn blew. Peter crawled under it. It covered him completely.
Peter peeped out from under one edge. He saw Reddy Fox standing in the moonlight, looking at the bed of newly set cabbage. Reddy was smiling as if his thoughts were very pleasant. Peter shivered. He could just guess what Reddy was thinking—how he would gobble up Peter, when once he got him away from the safety of the Old Briar-patch.
The thought made Peter so indignant that he forgot that he was hiding, and he sat up on his hind legs. Of course, he lifted the straw hat with him. Then he remembered and sat down again in a hurry. Of course, the straw hat went down quite as quickly.
Presently Peter peeped out. Reddy Fox was staring and staring at the old straw hat, and he wasn't smiling now. He actually looked frightened. It gave Peter an idea. He made three long hops straight towards Reddy Fox, all the time keeping the old straw hat over him. Of course the hat went along with him, and, because it covered Peter all up, it looked for all the world as if the hat was alive.
Reddy Fox gave one more long look at the strange thing coming towards him through the cabbage bed, and then he started for home as fast as he could go, his tail between his legs.
Peter Rabbit just lay down right where he was and laughed and laughed and laughed. And it almost seemed as if the old straw hat laughed too.
X. Peter has Another Great Laugh
It was just sun-up as Reddy Fox started down the Lone Little Path to the Green Meadows. Reddy was late. He should be over at the Old Briar-patch by this time. He was afraid now that Peter Rabbit would not be there. When he came in sight of the Old Briar-patch, there sat Peter on the edge of it.
"Good morning, Peter Rabbit," said Reddy Fox, in his politest manner. "I am sorry to have kept you waiting; it is all because I had a terrible fright last night."
"Is that so? What was it?" asked Peter, ducking down behind a big bramble bush to hide his smile.
"Why, I went over to Farmer Brown's garden to see if that new planting of young cabbage was all right, and there I met a terrible monster. It frightened me so that I did not dare to come out this morning until jolly, round Mr. Sun had begun to climb up in the sky, and so I am a little late. Are you ready, Peter Rabbit, to go up to the new planting of young cabbage with me?" asked Reddy, in his pleasantest manner.
Now, what do you think Peter Rabbit did? Why, Peter just began to laugh. He laughed and laughed and shouted! He lay down on his back and kicked his heels for very joy! But all the time he took care to keep behind a big, friendly bramble bush.
Reddy Fox stared at Peter Rabbit. He just didn't know what to make of it. He began to think that Peter had gone crazy. He couldn't see a thing to laugh at, yet here was Peter laughing fit to kill himself. Finally Peter stopped and sat up.
"Did—did—the monster catch you, Reddy Fox?" he asked, wiping his eyes.
"No," replied Reddy, "it didn't catch me, because I could run faster than it could, but it chased me all the way home."
"In that case, I think I'll not go up to the cabbage bed this morning, for you know I cannot run as fast as you can, Reddy, and the monster might catch me," replied Peter, very gravely. "Besides," he added, "I have had my fill of tender young cabbage, and it was very nice indeed."
"What!" shouted Reddy Fox.
"Yes," continued Peter Rabbit, "I just couldn't wait till morning, so I went up there early last night. I'm much obliged to you for telling me of it, Reddy Fox; I am indeed."
For just a little minute an ugly look crept into Reddy's face, for now he knew that once more Peter Rabbit had fooled him. But he kept his temper and managed to smile, as he said:
"Oh, don't mention it, Peter Rabbit, don't mention it. But tell me, didn't you meet the monster?"
"No," replied Peter Rabbit. And then, do what he would, he couldn't keep sober another minute, but began to laugh just as he had before.
"What's the joke, Peter Rabbit? Tell me so that I can laugh too," begged Reddy Fox.
"Why," said Peter Rabbit, when he could get his breath, "the joke is that the monster that frightened you so was the old straw hat of Farmer Brown's boy, and I was underneath it. Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho!"
Then Reddy Fox knew just how badly Peter Rabbit had fooled him. With a snarl he sprang right over the bramble bush at Peter Rabbit, but Peter was watching and darted away along one of his own special little paths through the Old Briar-patch. Reddy tried to follow, but the brambles tore his clothes and scratched his face and stuck in his feet. Finally he had to give it up. Tom and bleeding and angry, he tinned back home, and as he left the Old Briar-patch, he could still hear Peter Rabbit laughing.
XI. Shadow the Weasel Gets Lost
All the Green Meadows had heard how Peter Rabbit had frightened Reddy Fox with an old straw hat, and everywhere that Reddy went some one was sure to shout after him:
"Reddy Fox is fine to see;
He's as brave as brave can be
'Til he meets an old straw hat,
Then he don't know where he's at!"
Then Reddy would lose his temper and chase his tormentors. Most of all, he wanted to catch Peter Rabbit. He lay in wait for Peter in fence corners and behind bushes and trees, but somehow Peter seemed always to know that Reddy was there.
In the Old Briar-patch Peter was safe. Reddy had tried to follow him there, but he had found that it was of no use at all. Peter's paths were so narrow, and the brambles tore Reddy's clothes and scratched him so, that he had to give it up.
Reddy was thinking of this one day as he sat on his door-step, scowling over at the Old Briar-patch, and then all of a sudden he thought of Shadow the Weasel. Shadow is so slim that he can go almost anywhere that any one else can, and he is