Always in the daytime he
took the greatest care to see that the henyard gate was fastened, for no
one knew better than he how bold Granny and Reddy Fox can be when they
are very hungry, and in winter they are very apt to be very hungry most
of the time. So he didn't intend to give them a chance to slip into that
henyard while the biddies were out, or to give the biddies a chance to
stray outside where they might be still more easily caught.

But at night he sometimes left that gate open, as Granny Fox had found
out. You see, he thought it didn't matter because the hens were locked
in their warm house and so were safe, anyway.

It was just at dusk of the afternoon of the day when Granny and Reddy
Fox had talked over a plan to get one of those fat hens that Farmer
Brown's boy collected the eggs and saw to it that the biddies had gone
to roost for the night. He had just started to close the little sliding
door across the hole through which the hens went in and out in the
daytime when Bowser the Hound began to make a great racket, as if
terribly excited about something.

Farmer Brown's boy gave the little sliding door a hasty push, picked up
his basket of eggs, locked the henhouse door and hurried out through the
gate without stopping to close it. You see, he was in a hurry to find
out what Bowser was making such a fuss about. Bowser was yelping and
whining and tugging at his chain, and it was plain to see that he was
terribly eager to be set free.

"What is it, Bowser, old boy? Did you see something?" asked Farmer
Brown's boy as he patted Bowser on the head. "I can't let you go, you
know, because you probably would go off hunting all night and come home
in the morning all tired out and with sore feet. Whatever it was, I
guess you've scared it out of a year's growth, old fellow, so we'll let
it go at that."

Bowser still tugged at his chain and whined, but after a little he
quieted down. His master looked around behind the barn to see if he
could see what had so stirred up Bowser, but nothing was to be seen,
and he returned, patted Bowser once more, and went into the house, never
once giving that open henyard gate another thought.

Half an hour later old Granny Fox joined Reddy Fox, who was waiting on
the doorstep of their home. "It is all right, Reddy; that gate is open,"
said she.

"How did you do it, Granny?" asked Reddy eagerly.

"Easily enough," replied Granny. "I let Bowser get a glimpse of me just
as his m