II

JOHNNIE GREEN GOES HUNTING


When Tommy Fox discovered old Mother Grouse crouched beneath the
evergreen tree he grew hungrier than ever. And he decided that he
would catch Mrs. Grouse and eat her on the spot.

Tommy had never caught a grouse. But his mother had brought home some
of old Mother Grouse's relations for him to eat; and Tommy knew of
nothing that tasted any better.

He thought that old Mother Grouse must be sleeping, she was so still.
And he did not mean to wake her if he could help it--at least, not
until he had caught her. So Tommy flattened himself out on his stomach
and began to creep towards her, very slowly and very carefully. He
didn't make the slightest noise. And soon he had stolen so close to
old Mother Grouse that he was just about to spring up and rush upon
her. Then all at once there was the most terrible noise. It was almost
as loud as thunder, and it seemed to Tommy that the ground was rising
right up in front of him. He was so startled that he fell over
backward. And his heart thumped and pounded against his ribs.

The next moment Tommy Fox felt very sheepish, for he realized that the
noise was nothing but the beating of old Mother Grouse's wings against
the air. And instead of the ground rising, it was old Mother Grouse
herself who had jumped up and sailed away. She hadn't been asleep. She