Need never fear he'll bump his nose.

     —Old Granny Fox.

Now there is nothing like being shut in alone in the dark to make one think. A voice inside of Reddy began to whisper to him. “If you hadn't tried to be smart and show off you wouldn't have brought all this trouble on yourself and Old Granny Fox,” said the voice.

 

“I know it,” replied Reddy right out loud, forgetting that it was only a small voice inside of him.

 

“What do you know?” asked Prickly Porky. He was still keeping Reddy in and Granny out and he had overheard what Reddy said.

 

“It is none of your business!” snapped Reddy.

 

Reddy could hear Prickly Porky chuckle¹. Then Prickly Porky repeated as if to himself in a queer cracked voice the following:

 

 “Rudeness never, never pays,

  Nor is there gain in saucy² ways.

  It's always best to be polite

  And ne'er give way to ugly spite.

  If that's the way you feel inside

  You'd better all such feelings hide;

  For he must smile who hopes to win,

  And he who loses best will grin.”

 

Reddy pretended that he hadn't heard. Prickly Porky continued to chuckle for a while and finally Reddy fell asleep. When he awoke it was to find that Prickly Porky had left and old Granny Fox had brought him something to eat.

 

Just as soon as Reddy Fox was able to travel he and Granny had moved to the Old Pasture. The Old Pasture is very different from the Green Meadows or the Green Forest. Yes, indeed, it is very, very different. Reddy Fox thought so. And Reddy didn't like the change,—not a bit. All about were great rocks, and around and over them grew bushes and young trees and bull-briars with long ugly thorns, and blackberry and raspberry canes³ that seemed to have a million little hooked hands, reaching to catch in and tear his red coat and to scratch his face and hands. There were little open places where wild-eyed young cattle fed on the short grass. They had made many little paths all crisscross among the bushes, and when you tried to follow one of these paths you never could tell where you were coming out.

 

No, Reddy Fox did not like the Old Pasture at all. There was no long, soft green grass to lie down in. And it was lonesome up there. He missed the little people of the Green Meadows and the Green Forest. There was no one to

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