rolly-poly. He quite forgot that he was so sunny-hearted and
good-natured that everybody loved him, everybody but Reddy Fox.

Just then Reddy Fox began to boast, for Reddy Fox is a great boaster.
"Pooh!" said Reddy Fox, "pooh! Anybody could jump if their legs were
made for jumping. And what's the good of climbing trees anyway? Now I
can run faster than anybody here--faster than anybody in the whole
world!" said Reddy Fox, puffing himself out.

"Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "You can't beat Spotty the
Turtle."

Then everyone shouted and rolled over and over in the grass, they were
so tickled, for every one remembered how Spotty the Turtle had once won
a race from Reddy Fox.

For a minute Reddy Fox looked very foolish. Then he lost his temper,
which is a very unwise thing to do, for it is hard to find again. He
swelled himself out until every hair stood on end and he looked twice
as big as he did before. He strutted up and down and glared at each in
turn.

"And I'm not afraid of any living thing on the Green Meadows!" boasted
Reddy Fox.

"Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "Do I see Bowser the Hound?"

Every hair on Reddy Fox suddenly fell back into place. He whirled
about nervously and anxiously looked over the Green Meadows. Then
everybody shouted again and rolled over and over in the grass and held
on to their sides, for you see Bowser the Hound wasn't there at all.

But everybody took good care to keep away from Reddy Fox, everybody but
Johnny Chuck. He just sat still and chuckled and chuckled till his fat
sides shook.

"What are you laughing at?" demanded Reddy Fox.

"I was just thinking," said Johnny Chuck, "that though you can run so
fast, you can't even catch me."

Reddy Fox just glared at him for a minute, he was so mad. Then he
sprang straight at Johnny Chuck.

"I'll show you!" he snarled.

Now Johnny Chuck had been sitting close beside a hole that Grandfather
Chuck had dug a long time before and which was empty. In a flash
Johnny Chuck disappeared head first in the hole. Now the hole was too
small for Reddy Fox to enter, but he was so angry that he straightway
began to dig it larger. My, how the sand did fly! It poured out
behind Reddy Fox in a stream of shining yellow.

Johnny Chuck ran down the long tunnel underground until he reached the
end. Then when he heard Reddy Fox digging and knew that he was really
coming, Johnny Chuck began to dig, too, only instead of digg