“Reddy Fox!” he exclaimed.  “Now how under the sun did that rascal get in here?” Then, as he realized that Reddy had actually been inside the henhouse, anxiety for the biddies swept over him.  Hastily he turned, fully expecting to see either the bodies of two or three hens on the floor, or scattered feathers to show that Reddy had enjoyed a midnight feast.  There were no feathers, and so far as he could see, all the hens were standing or walking about.

At once Farmer Brown’s boy began to count them.  Of course, he knew exactly how many there should be.  When he got through counting, not one was missing.  Farmer Brown’s boy was puzzled.  He counted them again.  Then he counted them a third time.  He began to think there must be something wrong with his counting.  After the fourth count, however, he was forced to believe that not a single one was missing.

If Reddy Fox had been relieved when he discovered that henyard gate open, Farmer Brown’s boy was equally relieved when he found that not a single biddie had been taken.  When two people are relieved at the same time, it is called mutual relief.  But there was this difference between Reddy Fox and Farmer Brown’s boy:  Reddy knew all about what had happened, and Farmer Brown’s boy couldn’t even guess.  He went all around that henhouse, trying to find a way by which Reddy Fox had managed to get in.  Of course, he discovered that the little sliding door where the biddies go in and out of the henhouse was open.  He guessed that this was the way by which Reddy had entered.

But this didn’t explain matters at all.  He knew that the gate had been latched when he entered the henyard that morning.  How had Reddy managed to get into that henyard with that gate closed?  To this day, Farmer Brown’s boy is still wondering.

CHAPTER XIX

WHERE WAS BOWSER THE HOUND?

    A good Hound never barks on a cold trail.

    Bowser the Hound.

Where was Bowser the Hound?  That was the question which was puzzling all the little people who knew him.  Also it was puzzling Farmer Brown’s boy and Farmer Brown and Mrs. Brown.  I have said that it was puzzling all the little people who knew him.  This is not quite true, because there were two who could at least guess what had become of Bowser.  One was Old Man Coyote, who had, as you remember, led Bowser far away and got him lost.  The other was Blacky the Crow, who had discovered Bowser in his trouble and had helped him.

Old Man Coyote didn’t know exactly where Bowser was, and he wasn’t interested enough to think much about it.  He hoped that Bowser had been so badly lost that he never would return.  Blacky the Crow knew exactly where Bowser was, but he kept it to himself.  It pleases Blacky to have a secret which other people would give much to know.  Blacky is one of those people who can keep a secret.  He isn’t at all like Peter Rabbit.