“Peter Rabbit runs away From his shadder, so they say. Peter, Peter, what a sight! Tell us why this sudden fright,” shouted Bobby Coon. Peter Rabbit stopped short. Indeed, he stopped so short that he almost turned a somersault. “Say,” he panted, “I've just seen Farmer Brown's boy.” “You don't say so!” said Jimmy Skunk, pretending to be very much surprised. “You don't say so! Why, now I think of it, I believe I've seen Farmer Brown's boy a few times myself.” Peter Rabbit made a good-natured face at Jimmy Skunk, and then he told all about how he had seen Farmer Brown's boy with gun and spade and Bowser the Hound going down the Lone Little Path. “You know there isn't any garden down that way,” he concluded. Bobby Coon's face wore a sober look. Yes, Sir, all the fun was gone from Bobby Coon's face. “What's the matter?” asked Jimmy Skunk. “I was just thinking that Reddy Fox lives over in that direction and he is so stiff that he cannot run,” replied Bobby Coon. Jimmy Skunk hitched up his trousers and started toward the Lone Little Path. “Come on!” said he. “Let's follow him and see what he is about.” Bobby Coon followed at once, but Peter Rabbit said he would hurry over and get Johnny Chuck and then join the others. All this time Farmer Brown's boy had been hurrying down the Lone Little Path to the home old Granny Fox and Reddy Fox had moved out of the night before. Of course, he didn't know that they had moved. He put down his gun, and by the time Jimmy Skunk and Bobby Coon and Peter Rabbit and Johnny Chuck reached a place where they could peep out and see what was going on, he had dug a great hole. “Oh!” cried Peter Rabbit, “he's digging into the house of Reddy Fox, and he'll catch poor Reddy!” XXVI. Farmer Brown's Boy Works for Nothing The grass around the doorstep of the house where Reddy Fox had always lived was all wet with dew when Farmer Brown's boy laid his gun down, took off his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and picked up his spade. It was cool and beautiful there on the edge of the Green Meadows. Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had just begun his long climb up in the blue, blue sky. Mr. Redwing was singing for joy over in the bulrushes on the edge of the Smiling Pool. Yes, it was very beautiful, very beautiful indeed. It didn't seem as if harm could come to anyone on such a beautiful morning. But there was Farmer Brown's boy. He had crawled on his hands and knees without making a sound to get near enough to the home of Reddy Fox to shoot if Reddy was outside. But there was no sign of Reddy, so Farmer Brown's boy had hopped up, and now he was whistling as he began to dig. His freckled face looked good-natured. It didn't seem as if he could mean harm to anyone. But there lay the gun, and he was working as if he meant to get to the very bottom of Reddy Fox's home!