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Tale of Billy Woodchuck

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<h2>III</h2> <h2>MAGIC</h2> One of the first things Mrs. Woodchuck taught her children was to beware of dogs and foxes, minks and weasels, skunks and great horned owls. She often made them say the names of those enemies over and over again. For some time Billy Woodchuck was almost afraid to stir out of doors, for fear he might meet one of those creatures. But at last as he grew bigger he grew bolder, too. And he began to think that his mother was just a nervous old lady. Still, when he met a fox one day at the further end of the pasture Billy was somewhat frightened. But Mr. Fox seemed very[20] friendly. They talked together for a while. And then Mr. Fox said: “Do you like surprises? “I see you do like them,” Mr. Fox continued. “Well, you just crawl inside that old stump over there. There’s a hole in it, as you see. And in there you’ll find something to surprise you.” Mr. Fox stretched himself then. “I must go home now,” he said. “I was out late last night and I feel like taking a nap.” So off he trotted, with never a look behind him. He was hardly out of sight before Billy Woodchuck hurried to the old stump and crawled inside. But so far as he could see, it was quite empty. And he was just about to leave when all at once it grew dark. That was because Mr. Fox had come back and thrust his head through the hole. “Did you find it?” Mr. Fox asked him.[21] “No!” said Billy in a faint voice. “Well, well!” said Mr. Fox. “I must be mistaken.... Yes, I know I am. It was in another stump. Just step outside and I’ll show you which one.” The hole was too small for him to squeeze through. If it had been bigger he would not have bothered to ask Billy to come out. Mr. Fox pulled his head back and waited. But Billy Woodchuck did not appear. Soon Mr. Fox took another look inside the hollow stump. “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Aren’t you coming?” Then he had a surprise. For Billy Woodchuck was gone. Mr. Fox saw that the old stump was empty. He thought that Billy must have used magic, to leave that place and run away under his very eyes. For you may be sure[22] that Mr. Fox had kept a close watch on the hole all the time. And he told all his friends that Billy Woodchuck knew a way to make himself invisible—a word which means that nobody could see him. Later, when Billy heard what people were saying about him, he only looked wise and said nothing. But he had been sadly frightened when Mr. Fox peeped inside the old stump. And he had made up his mind at once that he would not come out and be caught. He knew better than that. For now he believed everything his mother had told him about foxes. As his bright eyes looked about his prison they soon spied a small hole which seemed to lead down into the ground. It was large enough for him to enter. And so he went right down out of sight. Billy found himself in a long tunnel,[23] which made him think of one that led to his own home. At the other end of it he came out into daylight again; and he knew then that it was an old woodchuck’s burrow, in which nobody lived any longer. And it was the back door that opened into the hollow stump. Billy Woodchuck hurried home. He thought that Mr. Fox would stay near the old stump for some time, waiting for him to come out. Although he had been so frightened, it was a good lesson for him. For he had learned that no matter how pleasant a fox might be, it was wise to have nothing to do with him. <hr /> [24] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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