Out of Context

120 books and counting

The Adventures of Prickly Porky
Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess

Reddy looked at him sharply, but there wasn’t a trace of a smile on Unc’ Billy’s face, and Reddy couldn’t tell whether Unc’ Billy was making fun of him or not. So, there being nothing else to do, he went on. He reached the foot of the hill without seeing or hearing a thing out of the usual. The Green Forest seemed just as it always had seemed. Redeye the Vireo was pouring out his little song of gladness, quite as if everything was just as it should be. Reddy’s courage began to come back. Nothing had happened, and nothing was going to happen. Of course not! It was all some of Peter Rabbit’s foolishness. Some day he would catch Peter Rabbit and put an end to such silly tales.

“Ah! What was that?” Reddy’s sharp ears had caught a sound up near the top of the hill. He stopped short and looked up. For just a little wee minute Reddy couldn’t believe that his eyes saw right. Coming down the hill straight towards him was the strangest thing he had ever seen. he couldn’t see any legs. He couldn’t see any head. He couldn’t see any tail. It was round like a ball, but it was the strangest looking ball that ever was. it was covered with old leaves. Reddy wouldn’t have believed that it was alive but for the noises it was making. For just a wee minute he stared, and then, what do you think he did? Why, he gave a frightened yelp, put his tail between his legs, and ran just as fast as he could make his legs go. Yes, Sir, that’s just what Reddy Fox did.