second try, "to hope to get one of those hens at night. If we are
going to get any at all, we will have to do it in broad daylight.
It can be done, for I have done it before, but I don't like the idea.
We are likely to be seen, and that means that Bowser the Hound will
be set to hunting us."

"Pooh!" exclaimed Reddy. "What of it? It's easy enough to fool him."

"You think so, do you?" snapped Granny. "I never yet saw a young Fox
who didn't think he knew all there is to know, and you're just like
the rest. When you've lived as long as I have you will have learned
not to be quite so sure of your own opinions. I grant you that when
there is no snow on the ground, any Fox with a reasonable amount of
Fox sense in his head can fool Bowser, but with snow everywhere it is
a very different matter. If Bowser once takes it into his head to
follow your trail these days, you will have to be smarter than I think
you are to fool him. The only way you will be able to get away from
him will be by going into a hole in the ground, and when you do that
you will have given away a secret that will mean we will never have any
peace at all. We will never know when Farmer Brown's boy will take it
into his head to smoke us out. I've seen it done. No, Sir, we are not
going to try for one of those hens in the daytime unless we are starving."

"I'm starving now," whined Reddy.

"No such thing!" Granny snapped. "I've been without food longer than
this many a time. Have you been over to the Big River lately?"

"No," replied Reddy. "What's the use? It's frozen over. There isn't
anything there."