OLD MR. CROW IS PLEASED
:
The Tale Of Tommy Fox
There was a very good reason why Mrs. Fox did not come home that day
when the dog Spot chased Tommy Fox into his house. She had heard old
Spot barking in the field and she had hurried toward home as fast as
she could, to see what was the matter.
To her great dismay, when she leaped up on the stone-wall not far from
her house Mrs. Fox could see Spot scratching at her door. And she
guessed at once that he h
d driven Tommy inside.
The poor old lady hardly knew what to do. But she hid in the grass,
hoping that Spot would grow tired of his task and go home. But old dog
Spot kept up a great barking. He howled so loudly that they heard him
way off at the farm-house; and Mrs. Fox nearly wept when she saw
Farmer Green and his boy Johnnie come hurrying across the fields.
Pretty soon Johnnie Green returned to the farm-house; and when he came
back Mrs. Fox could see that he carried a steel trap. For a short time
Johnnie and his father busied themselves at her doorway. And then they
went away, calling old dog Spot after them.
After they had gone, Mrs. Fox stole sadly across the field to the home
she had liked so well. She knew that she could live there no longer in
peace and quiet. Yes--she would have to move. And now the first thing
to be done was to get Tommy safely out of the house.
Mrs. Fox reached her door-yard. And there she paused. There was no
trap to be seen, anywhere. But the path leading to her door was
sprinkled thick with fresh earth; and wise old Mrs. Fox knew that
hidden underneath it, somewhere, lay that cruel trap, with its jaws
wide open, waiting to catch her if she stepped between them.
She crept as close to her door as she dared, and called softly to
Tommy. I don't need to say that her son was delighted to hear his
mother's voice. He poked his nose out of the hole at once. And he
would have jumped out and fallen right into the trap if his mother had
not warned him.
"Don't come out!" she cried sharply, "There's a trap here, beneath
this dirt. Now, do just as I tell you, or you'll be caught!"
Tommy Fox was frightened. For once, at least, he believed, that his
mother knew more than he did. And he didn't dare move, except when she
ordered. He didn't dare put a foot down except where she told him to.
Tommy had taken several careful steps, and his mother had begun to
think that he was almost safely past the trap, when a very unfortunate
thing happened. Tommy was just about to set one of his front feet down
upon a spot that his mother had pointed out to him, when somebody
suddenly called, "Stop, thief!"
Tommy Fox was so startled that he gave a quick jump. _Snap!_ went the
trap. And though Tommy sprang up into the air, he was just too late.
The trap closed tightly across the tips of his toes. It was only one
foot that was caught; but that was enough. He could not get away--
no matter how hard he pulled.
It was old Mr. Crow who had called "Stop, thief!" He was laughing now.
His "Haw-haw! haw-haw!" could be heard plainly enough, as he flapped
away in great glee, to tell all the forest-people that Tommy Fox would
trouble them no more.