"A little Fox must use his ears
And know what makes each sound he hears.

"A little Fox must use his nose
And try the wind where'er he goes.

"A little Fox must use all three
To live to grow as old as me.

"Now tell me all about it, Reddy Fox. This is summer and men
don't hunt foxes now. I don't see how it happens that Farmer
Brown's boy was waiting for you with a gun.

So Reddy Fox told Granny Fox all about how he had run too near
the old tree trunk behind which Farmer Brown's boy had been
hiding, but Reddy didn't tell how he had been trying to show off,
or how in broad daylight he had stolen the pet chicken of Farmer
Brown's boy. You may be sure he was very careful not to mention
that.

And so old Granny Fox puckered up her brows and thought and
thought, trying to find some good reason why Farmer Brown's boy
should have been hunting in the summertime.

"Caw, caw, caw!" shouted Blacky the Crow.

The face of Granny Fox cleared. "Blacky the Crow has been
stealing, and Farmer Brown's boy was out after him when Reddy
came along," said Granny Fox, talking out loud to herself.