jimmy skunk and reddy fox trotted along down the crooked little path to the green meadows. reddy was impatient and in a hurry. but jimmy skunk never hurries, and he didn't now. he just took his time, and reddy fox had to keep waiting for him. reddy was nervous and anxious. he kept turning his head this way and that way. he looked behind every little bush and clump of grass. he cocked his sharp ears at every little sound. he sniffed every little breeze. it was very plain that reddy fox was ill at ease.

“hurry up, jimmy skunk! hurry up!” he urged every few minutes, and he had hard work to make his voice sound pleasant.

but jimmy didn't hurry. indeed, it seemed as if jimmy were slower than usual. the more impatient reddy grew, the slower jimmy seemed to go. and every time reddy's back was turned, jimmy would grin, and his sharp little eyes twinkled with mischief. you see, he knew that despite all his boasting reddy fox afraid, and because he wasn't afraid himself, jimmy was getting a lot of fun out of watching reddy. once, when reddy had stopped to look over the green meadows, jimmy stole up behind him very softly and suddenly pulled reddy's tail. reddy sprang forward with a frightened yelp and started to run as only reddy can. then he heard jimmy skunk laughing and knew that jimmy had played a joke on him. he stopped short and whirled around.

“what are you laughing at, jimmy skunk?” he shouted angrily.

“oh, nothing, nothing at all,” replied jimmy, and his face was as sober as if he never had laughed and never could laugh. reddy opened his mouth to say something ugly, but suddenly remembered that if he quarrelled with jimmy skunk, then jimmy wouldn't go any farther with him. so he gulped down his anger as best he could and grinned sheepishly while he waited for jimmy to catch up with him.

so at last they came to the bunch of grass and bushes in which reddy had found the half-eaten chicken early that morning. there it lay just as reddy had left it. reddy stopped at a safe distance and pointed it out to jimmy skunk. jimmy looked at it thoughtfully.

“who do you suppose could have brought it away down here on the green meadows?” whispered reddy, as if afraid that some one might overhear him.

jimmy skunk scratched his head as if thinking very hard. “it might have been redtail the hawk,” said he at last.

“that's so. i didn't think of him,” replied reddy.

“but it looks to me as if it were left there in the night, and redtail never hunts at night because his eyes are for seeing in the daytime and not in the dark,” added jimmy skunk. “let's go closer, and perhaps we can tell who left it there.”

“of course. that's a good idea,” replied reddy, starting forward as if he were going to walk right up to the chicken. after a few steps he stopped as if he had a sudden thought. “i tell you what,” said he “one of us had better keep watch to see that no danger is near. i am taller than you and can see over the grass better than you can, so i'll keep watch while you see what you can find out.”

now jimmy skunk saw through reddy's plan right away, but jimmy wasn't afraid, because he isn't afraid of much of anything, so he agreed. while reddy kept watch, he carefully made his way to the half-eaten chicken hidden in the clump of grass and bushes. all the time he kept his eyes wide open for traps. but there were no traps there. he was gone a long time, and when at last he came out, his face was very sober.

“well, was it redtail the hawk?” asked reddy eagerly.

“no,” said jimmy. “no, it wasn't redtail the hawk or hooty the owl. it was some one with teeth very much like yours, reddy fox, only bigger, and with feet very much like yours, only these were bigger too. and the chicken wasn't one of farmer brown's at all; it was brought from somewhere farther away than farmer brown's, and that shows that it was some one smarter than you, reddy fox, because whoever it was knew that if they stole a chicken from farmer brown, his boy and bowser the hound, would come looking for it.”