“Nothing much, only if that hen-yard gate should _happen_ to be left open, and if Farmer Brown’s boy should _happen_ to forget to close that little hole that the hens go through, and if we _happened_ to be around at just that time—” “Too many ifs to get a dinner with,” interrupted Reddy. “Perhaps,” replied Granny mildly, “but I’ve noticed that it is the one who has an eye open for all the little ifs in life that fares the best. Now I’ve kept an eye on that henyard, and I’ve noticed that very often Farmer Brown’s boy _doesn’t_ close the henyard gate at night. I suppose he thinks that if the henhouse door is locked, the gate doesn’t matter. Any one who is careless about one thing, is likely to be careless about another. Sometime he may forget to close that hole. I told you that we would try for one of those hens to-morrow morning, but the more I think about it, the more I think it will be wiser to visit that henhouse a few nights before we run the risk of trying to catch a hen in broad daylight. In fact, I am pretty sure I can make Farmer Brown’s boy forget to close that gate.” “How?” demanded Reddy eagerly. Granny grinned. “I’ll try it first and tell you afterwards,” said she. “I believe Farmer Brown’s boy closes the henhouse up just before jolly, round, red Mr. Sun goes to bed behind the Purple Hills, doesn’t he?” Reddy nodded. Many times from a safe hiding-place he had hungrily watched Farmer Brown’s boy shut the biddies up. It was always just before the Black Shadows began to creep out from their hiding-places. “I thought so,” said Granny. The truth is, she _knew_ so. There was nothing about that henhouse and what went on there that Granny didn’t know quite as well as Reddy. “You stay right here this afternoon until I return. I’ll see what I can do.” “Let me go along,” begged Reddy. “No,” replied Granny in such a decided tone that Reddy knew it would be of no use to tease. “Sometimes two can do what one cannot do alone, and sometimes one can do what two might spoil. Now we may as well take a nap until it is time for Mr. Sun to go to bed. Just you leave it to your old Granny to take care of the first of those ifs. For the other one we’ll have to trust to luck, but you know we are lucky sometimes.” With this Granny curled up for a nap, and having nothing better to do, Reddy followed her example. CHAPTER XXIII Farmer Brown’s Boy Forgets To Close The Gate How easy ’tis to just forget Until, alas, it is too late. The most methodical of folks Sometimes forget to shut the gate. —_Old Granny Fox_. Farmer Brown’s Boy is not usually the forgetful kind. He is pretty good about not forgetting. But Farmer Brown’s boy isn’t perfect by any means. He _does_ forget sometimes, and he _is_ careless sometimes. He would be a funny kind of boy otherwise. But take it day in and day out, he is pretty thoughtful and careful.