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Sins of Silvertip the Fox - John Breck · Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Chapter one of the Sins of Silvertip the Fox. This
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: John Breck How Nibble rescued the red Cow. Never before
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: in the early early spring had there been so much
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: excitement down at Doctor Muskrat's pond. Of course, springs the
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: season for visitors. They were always on the lookout for
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: old friends winging up from the south. The beautiful duck
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: and his mate, who'd warned Nibble Rabbit about the terrible storm,
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: stopped in to wish everyone a happy summer. Then they
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: laughingly beaked their way northward through a flurry of late snow.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: Bad weather couldn't scare them now. They kept a lookout
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: for old enemies too, as Wisewood spoke, always must. But
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: there was one visitor who puzzled them. Was he an
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: enemy or was he a friend? Doctor Muskrat himself couldn't say,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: or rather he wouldn't, But that wasn't what started all
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: the discussion. The visitor was Tommy Peel and his old
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: dog Watch said he owned the woods and fields. Now
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: did that mean he owned the woodsfolk who lived in them?
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: That's what everyone wanted to know, for the woodsfolk were wild.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: Could a wild beast ever belong to any one? Doctor
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Musgaret had ever heard of such a thing. I certainly
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: wouldn't mind, chirped Chewy the chickadee. I get a full
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: crop most every time I see him. I guess you'd
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: mind if he locked you up like he did. Nibble,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: remarked Jack j that's what it means to belong to him. No,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: it doesn't, contradicted Nibble. He really knew more about the
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: little boy than any one else. He hadn't liked being
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: locked up, but he did like Tommy. Watch says. I
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: belonged to him just the same out of my cage
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: as I did in it, and he feeds me just
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: the same too. Humm, sniffed doctor Muskret. He was wondering
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: if it was that way with traps, because you remember
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Tommy caught him in one and then let him go again.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: And Tommy fed him too, you know, said Nibble. All
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: the beasts up at the barn, say, And then for
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: the first time he heard the swishing in the bulrushes
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: behind him. Oh, he squealed, and he jumped for the
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: stary eyes of the cross red cow came peering through them,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: went doctor Muskrat through his bole in the ice flutter
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: went the scary wings of Chewy the chickadee. And even
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: Jake the blue jay, who isn't afraid of many things,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: went off with a startled squawk, while Nibble Rabbit dashed
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: through a tunnel. He knew in the quail's thicket, but
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: you know, Nibble, first he scared, and then he's curious.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: As soon as he was safely hidden, he stopped to listen.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Stupid beast, he said to himself. Why couldn't she have
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: waited until we got done talking? Oo, lowed the red
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: cow in a troubled voice. Nibble came creeping back again.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: Pretty soon. He sat up and strach his neck to
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: get a good look at her. What are you doing here?
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: He demanded? Is anything the matter? Yes, owned the red cow,
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: swinging her head restlessly from side to side and looking
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: terribly troubled. I don't know just what it is, but
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: I'm all afraid. Isn't there any place where wolves don't come?
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Or man no man comes here, said Nipple, scepting only
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Tommy Peel, and he's just a little one. Then, because
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: the red cow looked so unhappy, he burst out cheerfully,
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  Speaker 1: come on, I'll show you where you can hide, even
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  Speaker 1: from him. But she looked at him very doubtfully with
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  Speaker 1: her near sighted eyes. No, no, she hesitated. You haven't
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  Speaker 1: forgotten that I tried to kill you when you hung
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: that flapping thing on my horn. She meant the door
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: of his cage that she jerked off to get at
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  Speaker 1: the carrot Tommy Peale had given Nibble for breakfast, but
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: she insisted on thinking that he had fastened the door
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: to her. She was a very stupid thing. That's all right,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: he explained, You let me out of the cage, so
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: we're all fair and square. By this time, she was
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  Speaker 1: so puzzled she couldn't remember anything, but she could tell
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: that Nibble wasn't angry, So she followed him, and he
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: showed her a fine dry spot on the top of
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: a little hillock, all shut in by clustering thorns. For
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: Nibble wouldn't trust anything but the pickery things for even
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: a cow to hide in. There, she stayed, and there
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: she slept very comfortably. Even the cold wind that came
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: up with the sunset couldn't reach her. And Nibble duck
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: down a little way into the mud and ate the
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: top off a mallow root and a couple of plantings
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: for his supper. And then he had to lick himself
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: very dry and clean before he popped into his own
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: comfortable hole. He slept late next morning because he stayed
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: away puzzling over that red cow's doings the night before.
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: But as soon as he had washed his face, he
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: set out to find her, for he'd thought of a
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: lot more questions to ask. And there she was, crouched
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: down close in her hiding place, with her eyes bigger
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: and scarier than ever sh She snorted through her wide,
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: windy nostrils. There was a man, but he didn't see
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: me at all. And of chapter one Chapter two of
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: The Sins of Silver Tip the Fox. This is a
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: liprivox recording. All lipprivox recordings are in the public domain.
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit lippyvox dot org.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: The Sins of Silver Tip the Fox by John Breck
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: Why Tommy most lost his temper? Nonsense, said Nibble Rabbit,
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: there wasn't any man. They don't come here. You must
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: have had a bad dream. No I didn't, she insisted.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: I was wide awake, and I saw him as plain
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: as plain. Nibble sniffed the air, but the wind had
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: blown all the scent away, so he didn't believe her.
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: When he turned to her again, she was trying to
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: eat the twigs that she could reach with her long tongue. Hey,
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: don't you know better than and that, he demanded. You'll
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: get pickers in your mouth, and what's much worse, you'll
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: feel awfully queer and sick inside of you. Doctor Muskrat
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: says you should only eat that tree for medicine. Nibble
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: felt very wise and grown up beside this foolish cow.
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: She wasn't really wild, and she wasn't really tame, poor beast,
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: No wonder she was scary. She didn't know enough to
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: be either thing properly. Come along, he ordered, I'll take
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: it down for a drink, and then you can eat
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: the willows. If you're like the partridge, you can nip
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: the tips off a cottonwood that your long neck will
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  Speaker 1: reach up to. So the red cow hove herself up
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  Speaker 1: to her feet, tail first, as is the custom of cows,
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: and followed him obediently, and he showed her the way
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  Speaker 1: to the warm spring that was doctor Muskrat's front door.
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: It was a good thing he was polite and let
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: her drink first, for as soon as she began dragging
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: her clumsy toes in the muck to spread them far
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: enough apart so she could get her nose into the water,
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: clang went the cold, steely jaws of another trap. She
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: jumped back, snorting and waving her tassied tail while she
• 11:47
  Speaker 1: cocked her eyes to try and see it. But Nibble
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: wasn't paying any attention to her. He was thumping and
• 11:57
  Speaker 1: bumping as hard as ever he could with his soft
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: furry feet, and calling doctor Muskrat, Doctor Muskrat, Doctor muskrat,
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  Speaker 1: eh said the old doctor, as his nose came up
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  Speaker 1: out of the water, and the cow snorted at him
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  Speaker 1: harder than ever. What's all this? He sniffed at her, inquiringly, Oh,
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  Speaker 1: doctor Muskrat, Nibble almost cried, Look, it's more joys ah.
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  Speaker 1: The old beast examined them wisely and shook his head.
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  Speaker 1: What did I tell you? You can't thrust even tommy peel,
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  Speaker 1: He was just pretending to make friends with us, so
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  Speaker 1: we'd forget to be afraid and he could catch us again.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: I guess you're right, murmured Nibble, But he felt very
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: badly about it, for he really liked Tommy. Just then
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  Speaker 1: the red cow spoke up. She didn't understand doctor Muskrat,
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  Speaker 1: but she caught Tommy's name, and although she didn't like
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  Speaker 1: Tommy herself, even a stupid cow knows enough to be honest.
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: I told you I saw that man, she said to Nibble. Well,
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: it surely wasn't Tommy. It wasn't e f snapped Doctor Muskrat.
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: We'll just see about that. He dove again. He came up,
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  Speaker 1: looking very puzzled. Tommy's jaws are still biting the mud
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  Speaker 1: just where he threw them, he reported. We'll watch what
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  Speaker 1: he does when he finds. It was Saturday, So as
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: soon as Tommy had finished his chores up at the barn,
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  Speaker 1: he whistled to his old dog watch and came tramping
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  Speaker 1: down the fields with his tall rubber boots. He had
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  Speaker 1: a cap full of meal and an ear of corn
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  Speaker 1: in his pocket. Yes, and he had a nice lump
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  Speaker 1: of fat for Chewy. The chicka tee and a string
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  Speaker 1: to tie it to a branch with. But Nibble didn't
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: come running to meet him. He was crouching back in
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  Speaker 1: the reeds with doctor Muskrat, and the red cow had
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  Speaker 1: blumbered off to her own hiding place in the thicket
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  Speaker 1: that Nibble had showed for her. Come Bunny. Bunny called
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  Speaker 1: Tommy in his nice voice that fairly made Nibble's feet
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  Speaker 1: itch to run to him. He crept up softly near
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  Speaker 1: the warm spring so as not to scare his muskrat.
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  Speaker 1: Then he saw the footprints, the big ones of the
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  Speaker 1: red cow and the little ones of Nibble Rabbit, and
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  Speaker 1: the paws of doctor Muskrat, with his toe gone for
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: now it was healed so he could step on it.
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: And there was the trap sticking right straight up where
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: the cow's clumsy foot had jerked it. And wasn't he angry?
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  Speaker 1: Just wasn't he? He was the crossest little boy in
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  Speaker 1: all the woods and fields and the houses too, because
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  Speaker 1: someone was trying to catch his very own wild things
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  Speaker 1: that he was trying to make friends with. The trap
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: was chained to a bulrush stalk, and he yanked it
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  Speaker 1: right off stalk, and all he was so angry and
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: then he did something that showed he was really learning
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  Speaker 1: to think quite like a wild thing. It was just
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  Speaker 1: what wise old doctor Muskrat would have done if he
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: hadn't been so troubled deep down inside that he forgot
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  Speaker 1: about everything but Tommy. He trailed the footsteps of that
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  Speaker 1: other man and found two other traps right in his
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  Speaker 1: own woods. Clang clang. He had given each of those
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  Speaker 1: cold steel jaws a stick to bite on. Then he
• 16:54
  Speaker 1: rooted up their chains and tied them all together. Crash
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  Speaker 1: they went plump down into the mud beside his own
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  Speaker 1: ya ya hooray bark. Watch. He thought that anything Tommy
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: did was perfect, and he wagged his big wavy tail
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: so very hard that at last his tail wagged him
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: and he waltzed around and around, and the nibble came
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: bouncing up with his ears in the air, and Doctor
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: Muskrat waddled after him. But Doctor Muskrat stopped at the
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: very edge of the reeds, because you know, he and
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: Watch hadn't made friends. Still, he looked very kindly at Tommy,
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: and he came out in a great hurry to get
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: his meal when Tommy moved away, but Watch nearly scared
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: him when he turned round to ask Nibble, do you
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: know where I'll find that red cow? And of Chapter two,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: Chapter three of The Sins of Silvertip the Fox. This
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot org. The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: John Breck the Red Cow's secret. Nibble Rabbit was so
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: surprised at Watch's question that he stopped eating. And he
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: was eating the delicious meal that Tommy had brought. So
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: it was a big surprise for that was just the
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: question he didn't know how to answer. He'd hid in
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: the red cow himself. She was trusting him. How could
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: he show where she was when she was specially hiding
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: from Tommy? I know, said Nibble at last, But it
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: isn't fair to tell. Why do you want her? Why
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  Speaker 1: I want her because we keep our cows in the barn,
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  Speaker 1: not in the wet woods, like you silly wild things.
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: Botch answered, smiling, It doesn't matter anyway. Do you think
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  Speaker 1: I can't go sniffing around and find her for myself
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: if you won't tell? And he ran out a sly
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: pink tongue. Well, she's all wild and scary, specially of men,
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: pleaded Nibble. You remember how she chased Tommy before. You'd
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: better take him to the barn first and come back
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: after her alone. Nibble still had an idea that Watch
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: hurted Tommy Peel the way he did the cows. That's
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: perfectly true, Bunny, said Watch, and he went bounding off
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: ahead of his boy, urging him to hurry, as though
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: he had something particularly interesting to show him. And he had,
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: but he didn't know it. As soon as they had
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: finished the meal Tommy had brought them, Doctor Muskrat went
• 20:56
  Speaker 1: off to sleep on his sun warmed stone, spread out
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: flat with his paws hanging over the edges, and Nibble
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: went lippity lippity up his tunnel in the thicket to
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: tell the red cow Watch was asking for her. He
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: heard the strangest noises as he came along, but they
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: weren't sad and scary. She was talking to someone in
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: a new voice, very soft and gentle, very loving and happy.
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: Who's there, Nibble called Red Cow? Can I come come
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: quick quick? She lowed, isn't it lovely? That's why I
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: was afraid? I came here to hide so that no
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: one could take it away from me. Then she added
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: in her new voice, it wasn't meant for nibble at all.
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: Lies still wee thing. Nibble poked his head through the
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: pickery things and peeked at her, and he saw what
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: she was talking about. It was the cunningest little red calf,
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: with a white spot in the middle of its forehead.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: It had bright black eyes wide open, and it perked
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: a pair of wide, round ears at Nibble. Then it
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: tried to get up on its spinly legs, but they
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: were pretty shaky. Does it seem all right? Asked the
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: red cow. It was her first calf, and she wasn't
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: quite sure what to do with it. It seems very queer,
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: said Nibble. Honestly, of course it did to him, because
• 23:03
  Speaker 1: baby rabbits are blind and haven't any fur. Can't I
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: call doctor Muskrat. He was wondering too, whether he oughtn't
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: to call Watch and Tommy. Yes, go call the doctor,
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: said the red cow. You just ought to have seen
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: doctor Muskrat wake up when he heard Nibble squeal for
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: him so excitedly. I'm coming, I'm coming, he called in
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: his high thin voice, and he flopped along through Nibble's
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: tunnel as fast as ever he could, for his webby
• 23:46
  Speaker 1: paws aren't met for running. What is it? He asked?
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: And then he saw the little calf and it sniffed
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: its turned up nose at him with the cunning pink
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: tongue tip showing. He walked all around it, inspecting it
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: very carefully. It seemed strange to him too, because baby
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: muskrats are born as blind and helpless as baby rabbits.
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: Is there anything the matter with it? Asked the red
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: cow anxiously. I think not, he said, sensibly, excepting that
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: it's pretty cold and shivery. You must lick it hard
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: and get its blood de circulating. So she licked and lifted,
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: and her tongue was very strong and very gentle, because
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: that's one of the things all cow's tongues are made for.
• 24:57
  Speaker 1: And the baby calf grew lively and livelier, and pretty
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: soon it got up on its spin lay legs, waving
• 25:08
  Speaker 1: its little tail that was still too new to have
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: a tassel on it. Now, What'll I do, asked the
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: red cow, Eat it, advised doctor Muskrat. So she did,
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: though it took quite a little coaxing to show the
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: silly baby how to find what he wanted. But the
• 25:32
  Speaker 1: milk was trickling from the corners of his little mouth
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: in about three minutes. And then wasn't he happy? Let
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: me say, madam, began doctor Muskrat, in his most professional tone.
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: That is the most remarkable youngster I have ever attended.
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: You see, he was only used to bunnies and must
• 26:00
  Speaker 1: scrats and field mice. But the red cow heaved a
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: great sigh of pride when she heard that, and just
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: wasn't she the happiest cow in the world. Nevertheless, went
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: on the doctor, this is no place for it. You
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: should have a nice quiet hole for it. There's nothing
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: in the woods big enough for you. I believe the
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: barn is where you ought to be, but they'll take
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: it away from me, owned the red cow, getting all
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: scary again. Not if you trust Tommy put a nibble
• 26:46
  Speaker 1: rabbit eagerly, madam. If you'll take an old muskrat's advice,
• 26:53
  Speaker 1: said the doctor, you will place your confidence in Tommy peel.
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: He used those long words because they sounded wise and important,
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: and the red cow was really impressed. All right, she agreed,
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: and on the word Nibble Rabbit darted out across the
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: broad field and down the pasture where he could see
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: Watch and Tommy peel and of chapter three.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: Chapter four of The Sins of silver Tip the Fox.
• 27:41
  Speaker 2: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Heather ENnie. The Sins
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: of Silvertip the Fox by John Breck. Why Louis Thompson
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: didn't enjoy his visit? Watch, come back, Nibble squealed breathlessly
• 28:04
  Speaker 2: when he caught up with Tommy and the old dog
• 28:06
  Speaker 2: in the end of the pasture. Come back and bring
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: Tommy too. I can tell you the red cow's secret.
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: She has a little new baby calf, and she says
• 28:17
  Speaker 2: she'll trust it to Tommy Peel a yah. Barke's Watch
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: very pleased and proud because the other animals were beginning
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: to love his Tommy, and he turned right around to
• 28:30
  Speaker 2: follow Nibble. But of course Tommy hadn't heard a word.
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: They said. They talked too low for one thing, and
• 28:37
  Speaker 2: they used all sorts of sign languages too for another.
• 28:41
  Speaker 2: He thought Watch was chasing Nibble, so he shouted and
• 28:44
  Speaker 2: scolded and called him a bad old dog, but Watch
• 28:48
  Speaker 2: only wagged his tail and kept right on. Meantime, something
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: had been happening back at the pond. The strange man
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: who set all those strange traps had come to look
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: at them, and the red cow heard him. But she
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: wasn't scary anymore because she had her new calf, and
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: she meant to take care of him, and she didn't
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: mean to let anyone else in the world. But Tommy
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: Peel lay a hand on him. He had a nice
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: meal of warm milk inside of him, and he'd gone
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: to sleep. Besides, doctor Muskrat was still there to look
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: after him. So out of the thicket she bounced, and
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: after the man ew. She roared, just like the first
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: cows did when they told Mother Nature they'd punish the
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: wicked wolves for themselves if she gave them their teeth again.
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: But you remember, Mother Nature couldn't do that, so she
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: gave them horns longer and sharper than the teeth of
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: any wolf. The red cow's horns certainly were, so that
• 29:49
  Speaker 2: strange Man climbed up the nearest tree to get away
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: from them. Get out, she snorted, Go away, from here,
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: But of course he couldn't because she was walking around
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: and around the trunk of that big tree, roaring at
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: him and sending the mud over her shoulders with her
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: big horny toes. Only she never thought of that because
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: she was rather stupid. Then Watch came bouncing up, and
• 30:14
  Speaker 2: he barked and snapped very fiercely, but Tommy just laughed. Oh,
• 30:19
  Speaker 2: Louis Thompson, he jeered, you will set your traps in
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: my woods. Will you see what you get now? For
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: this was the greedy boy who had sold him the
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: trap that wouldn't work. You'll see what you get if
• 30:33
  Speaker 2: that crazy cow takes after you, yelled, Louie. Tommy was
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: just a little bit afraid, for the cow was watching
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: him with that scary look in her eyes. But he
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: wasn't going to let Louie Thompson know it, so he
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: stood perfectly still and called her. Come, Bossie, go boss,
• 30:52
  Speaker 2: go along. Red cow barked, watch I know, squealed, nibble.
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: I can see Jake Jay's present sticking right out of
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: Tommy's pocket. Ask him for that ear of corn?
• 31:05
  Speaker 1: Now.
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: The red cow was really very hungry. She reached out
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: her sniffing nose Tommy didn't move, so she picked the
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: corn right out of his pocket with her long curling tongue,
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: And then he laid such a gentle hand on her
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: that she knew she wouldn't be afraid of him ever again.
• 31:23
  Speaker 2: So here was Tommy Peel stroking the red Cow's neck
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: while she ate the corn he had meant to give
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: Jake Jay. Here too was Nibble Rabbit enjoying the haws
• 31:33
  Speaker 2: off a wild rose bush the red cow had trampled down,
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: while Old Doctor Muskrat watched the red cow's sleepy new
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: baby and pricked his ears to hear all that was
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: going on. Even Watch the dog was happy. He was
• 31:48
  Speaker 2: lying at the foot of the tree, with his nose
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: on his paws as though he expected to stay there
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: all day, and wagging his tail. But Louis Thompson, perched
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: on one of its branches in the coal old Wind,
• 32:00
  Speaker 2: was very unhappy. Whenever he moved, Watch would raise the
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: hair all along his back and growl, and the red
• 32:08
  Speaker 2: cow would roll her scary eyes at him. Ain't Tommy,
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: he called, drive off those brutes and let me come down. No,
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: I won't, said Tommy. This is two times you've cheated me.
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: You cheated me with that old trap, and now you
• 32:23
  Speaker 2: tried to come over here into my very own woods
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: and catch my very own beasts. That's stealin'. I'm going
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: to let them watch you while I go up to
• 32:32
  Speaker 2: the house and get my father to come for you.
• 32:34
  Speaker 2: Of course, not one of the woods folk knew what
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: he meant, but they knew he was very angry. Oh please,
• 32:41
  Speaker 2: please don't do that, begged Louis. I'll promise never to
• 32:45
  Speaker 2: set foot in your woods again, honest, cross my heart,
• 32:48
  Speaker 2: and hope to die. I will please let me go.
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: This time, Nibbles sat straight up and listened hard, for
• 32:56
  Speaker 2: Louis sounded just like chatter Squirrel the night of the
• 32:59
  Speaker 2: terrible storm when he was so terribly afraid my whiskers.
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: But isn't Tommy wonderful? He breathed, to watch you and
• 33:09
  Speaker 2: the red cow can scare that man when you can
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: reach him. But Tommy scares him without doing anything. And
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: he came up close to Tommy's tall rubber boots and
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: cocked his head on one side, trying to see how
• 33:22
  Speaker 2: Tommy did it. I know you'll promise, Tommy was saying,
• 33:27
  Speaker 2: And you'll keep it too, or else I'll know about it.
• 33:30
  Speaker 2: He just meant he and Watch would find Louie's footprints.
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: But Louis saw that rabbit sitting by Tommy and looking
• 33:37
  Speaker 2: exactly as though he were talking to him. And if
• 33:40
  Speaker 2: you want your traps, Tommy went on, you'll have to
• 33:43
  Speaker 2: get that muskrat to find 'em. He just meant he'd
• 33:46
  Speaker 2: thrown them into the pond. But Louis Thompson didn't know
• 33:50
  Speaker 2: what to think of that. He guessed perhaps he'd better
• 33:53
  Speaker 2: leave Tommy Peel and his wild things very much alone.
• 33:57
  Speaker 2: End of chapter four.
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: Chapter five of The Sins of Silvertip the Fox. This
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 34:17
  Speaker 1: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 34:24
  Speaker 1: LibriVox dot Ork. The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by
• 34:30
  Speaker 1: John Breck. Nibble tells one secret and hears another. Now,
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: when Tommy Peel followed Watch back to the woods, it
• 34:43
  Speaker 1: was because he thought the old dog was chasing Nibble rabbit.
• 34:49
  Speaker 1: Then he made up his mind. Nibble had warned Watch
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: about that bad Louis Thompson. He never dreamed Nibble had
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: whispered for the secret that belonged to the red cow,
• 35:04
  Speaker 1: so as soon as he had made Louie promise to
• 35:08
  Speaker 1: behave he whistled to Watch and began to lead the
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: red cow away so Louie could climb down well right
• 35:18
  Speaker 1: then the red cow remembered that secret she had to
• 35:23
  Speaker 1: show him, so she insisted on bleeding him. She fairly
• 35:30
  Speaker 1: galloped around the end of the thicket, with Tommy running
• 35:34
  Speaker 1: after her in his tall rubber boots, and Watch bounding
• 35:38
  Speaker 1: after him. But Nible took a short cut through his
• 35:42
  Speaker 1: tunnel and he met Doctor Muskrat coming to meet him.
• 35:48
  Speaker 1: Climp clump, climp clump. When a sound outside, what's that,
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: asked Doctor Muskrat. Nibel peered along the ground and he
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: could see Louis Thompson's boots moving very fast. It's that man,
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: he exclaimed. He's running like silver Tip the fox did.
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: When the red cow took after him, fine chuckled Doctor Muskrat.
• 36:16
  Speaker 1: He'll never bring his wicked jaws back here again, and
• 36:20
  Speaker 1: we can thank Tommy Peel for that. Then there was
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: another sound. What's that, asked Nibble, and Doctor Muskrat laughed
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: for it was Tommy Peele, squealing with surprise because he'd
• 36:38
  Speaker 1: found the secret that belonged to the red cow a calf, Oh,
• 36:46
  Speaker 1: the cute little thing. So Nibble and Doctor Muskrat both
• 36:53
  Speaker 1: crept back down the tunnel to watch what was going on.
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: The calf raised his head and looked at Tommy. Then
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: he got up on his shaky legs and sniffed at him,
• 37:08
  Speaker 1: because Tommy was a strange beast with a strange smell,
• 37:13
  Speaker 1: and even a baby knows enough to be careful about
• 37:17
  Speaker 1: strange things. But when he touched his little turned up
• 37:22
  Speaker 1: nose to the hand Tommy held out to him, he
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: smelled his mother. You know, Tommy had been stroking her.
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: So the foolish little rascal put out his little pink
• 37:36
  Speaker 1: tongue trying to lick Tommy's fingers. And wasn't his mother pleased?
• 37:44
  Speaker 1: Because they were friends. The very first thing watch led
• 37:50
  Speaker 1: the way, and Tommy walked beside the red cow and
• 37:55
  Speaker 1: helped to steer her robbly legged calf all the way
• 37:59
  Speaker 1: up to the barn. And the baby kept trying to
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: kick up his silly little heels the way Nibble used
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: to when he felt playful, and he just would run
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: splash into all the puddles and bunt and wriggle when
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: they caught him. The red cow kept getting prouder and
• 38:20
  Speaker 1: prouder every step, but even she was glad when they
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: got safely home with him. Nibble went with them as
• 38:30
  Speaker 1: far as the pasture. Doctor Muskrat was enjoying a nice
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: sweet flag root, the first one he dug that spring,
• 38:42
  Speaker 1: when Nibble came loping back again. And he was the
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: messiest rabbit you ever heard of, and so crossing disgusted
• 38:53
  Speaker 1: that bad baby, he complained, beginning to clean the mud
• 38:57
  Speaker 1: spots off his white shirt front. He wouldn't do anything
• 39:02
  Speaker 1: I told him to. And then the first time I
• 39:07
  Speaker 1: wasn't looking, he danced in a puddle and splashed it
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: all over me. From whiskers too. He craned his neck
• 39:16
  Speaker 1: about to look to tail he all but drowned me.
• 39:21
  Speaker 1: You don't have to tell me that, said Doctor Muskrat,
• 39:24
  Speaker 1: and his fat sides were shaking with laughter. I've eyes
• 39:29
  Speaker 1: the sea with yours, wet as ever you were when
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: I fished you out of that pond there, For you
• 39:35
  Speaker 1: remember how Nibble tumbled right into the water. He was
• 39:39
  Speaker 1: so frightened the first time he ever saw the kind
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: old muskrat and then Nibble went on indignantly. The ampudent
• 39:49
  Speaker 1: little scamp sniffed his little turned up nose at me
• 39:53
  Speaker 1: because I was fluttering. You can't expect a calf to
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: be born with manners, can you, soothed Doctor Muskrat, specially
• 40:04
  Speaker 1: if it belongs to the red Cow. But as I
• 40:08
  Speaker 1: told her, that's the most remarkable youngst. He flattened his ears,
• 40:13
  Speaker 1: ready to die for a shadow came swooping down, and
• 40:17
  Speaker 1: he was expecting the marsh hawk back any day, but
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: it was only Jake, the jay fellow. He piped, who
• 40:26
  Speaker 1: was she? And what did you tell her? And he
• 40:29
  Speaker 1: pounced on an acorn that was half buried in the ground.
• 40:34
  Speaker 1: The red Cow answered, doctor Muskard has a little new calf.
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: Who's the most remarkable youngster I've ever seen. And he
• 40:43
  Speaker 1: was going to tell Jake all about it, only didn't
• 40:49
  Speaker 1: Nibble Rabbit just interrupt and tell it all himself, just didn't.
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: He He was that puffed up because he was the
• 40:59
  Speaker 1: first one to see it that he couldn't wait. He
• 41:03
  Speaker 1: described how bright its little eyes were and how it
• 41:08
  Speaker 1: wriggled its tail like chatter squirrel does when he's in
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: a temper. And everything there was to tell about that
• 41:16
  Speaker 1: red pew's red baby with the white star in his
• 41:19
  Speaker 1: forehead and the turned up nose, and all the time
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: Nibble was forgetting to clean his fur. And the mudspots
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: showed worse than ever as the wind dried them, but
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: Nibble was too busy talking about that very same bad
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: little beast who had splashed them on him. Jake was
• 41:47
  Speaker 1: paining and tucking in his feathers every once in a while.
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: He didn't have his new spring coat yet, so he
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: was very particular over his old one. Presently, he noticed
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: Nibble by the worm in the acorn rabbit. What's happened
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: to you? He wanted to know. Do you think Nibble
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: would tell on that red cow's bad baby? Not at all,
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: he just said, Oh, I wasn't looking. You don't know
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: what the walking is this spring. Then he got very
• 42:26
  Speaker 1: busy with his mud spots, and Chake flew okay hmm,
• 42:31
  Speaker 1: giggled the doctor. What do you really think of the
• 42:35
  Speaker 1: red cow's calf? What you told me about it? Or
• 42:38
  Speaker 1: what you told Jake? I mean, said Nibble shamefacedly, that
• 42:44
  Speaker 1: I'm going up to see it tomorrow morning, and off
• 42:49
  Speaker 1: he hopped to his bed. He woke up early, before
• 42:54
  Speaker 1: the darkest night had begun to melt into the gray
• 42:58
  Speaker 1: of dawn. He yawned sleepily and rolled over my But
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: that hole of his was warm and comfortable. Suddenly he
• 43:08
  Speaker 1: jumped up and began to scrub his face with his paws.
• 43:13
  Speaker 1: In about three minutes, he was down by the pond
• 43:17
  Speaker 1: thumping for doctor Muskrat. And weren't the doctor's eyes all sleepy?
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: When he poked his head out of the water, off
• 43:27
  Speaker 1: he shivered. What do you want at this hour of
• 43:30
  Speaker 1: the night. Spare me with an icicle? But this pond
• 43:34
  Speaker 1: is cold. If one of the woodspoke is found a
• 43:38
  Speaker 1: frozen to death, the saying is that he's been speared
• 43:43
  Speaker 1: by an icicle. Come along, said Nibble, I'm going up
• 43:48
  Speaker 1: to the barn to see the red cow and her
• 43:50
  Speaker 1: bad baby. What do you take me for, snorted the
• 43:54
  Speaker 1: old doctor. Don't you forget that silver tip? The fox
• 43:58
  Speaker 1: is living there, Gimblet the woodpecker said, So, I can't
• 44:03
  Speaker 1: run like you can, and there isn't any water for
• 44:06
  Speaker 1: me to dive into. I forgot, apologized Nibble. Well you'd
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: just be careful, warned the wise old beast, and you
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: come straight back and tell me all about him. So
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: off went Nibble, creeping about among the puddles. He dove
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: into the brush pile for a minute because he heard
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: two birds talking, but they were only little downy mister
• 44:33
  Speaker 1: and missus screech owl, smaller than Bobby Robin. I'd tell
• 44:38
  Speaker 1: you it's too early for nesting, one was saying, not
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: if silver tip keeps on leaving all that nice food
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: for us in the fence corner, insisted the other. He
• 44:50
  Speaker 1: scarcely eats half of what he catches, and chickens are
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: the best eating in the world. For our owlants, we
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have to do any hunting, so said Nibble to himself.
• 45:03
  Speaker 1: Gamblet was right, silver tips catching Tommy Peel's chickens. He
• 45:10
  Speaker 1: sniffed carefully about the haystack, and sure enough there was
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: a nice nest that smelled of silver tip. It's almost
• 45:20
  Speaker 1: the same smell as the seeds of the crane's bill,
• 45:24
  Speaker 1: as the woodsfolk call wild geranium. It was empty, so
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: Nibble cocked the near at the chicken coop. Sure enough,
• 45:33
  Speaker 1: there was a tiny rustling in the straw. As he
• 45:37
  Speaker 1: sat there listening, he heard the scared shout of a polet, squawk, squawk,
• 45:44
  Speaker 1: and that was all silver Tip had throttled her bounce down.
• 45:51
  Speaker 1: He came from the perch and slam out. He slipped
• 45:56
  Speaker 1: through the little back door. His snifpy nose had learned how,
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: but Nibble didn't dare call watch for fear Silvertip would
• 46:06
  Speaker 1: hear him. And of chapter five.
• 46:17
  Speaker 2: Chapter six of The Sins of Silvertip the Fox. This
• 46:21
  Speaker 2: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 46:24
  Speaker 2: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 46:28
  Speaker 2: LibriVox dot org. Read by Heather ENnie The Sins of
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: Silvertip the Fox by John Breck, A game of tag
• 46:36
  Speaker 2: in Tommy's barn. You know about Nibble rabbit. First he's scared,
• 46:41
  Speaker 2: and then he's curious. He was scared when he heard
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: Silvertip catch the pullet, and he was still more scared
• 46:49
  Speaker 2: when Silvertip trotted past in the mist, splashing softly in
• 46:53
  Speaker 2: the puddles, with the poor chicken hanging from his jaws.
• 46:57
  Speaker 2: But when Silvertips suddenly stopped and niffed Nibble's own footprints
• 47:02
  Speaker 2: by the haystack, he was the scaredest little rabbit in
• 47:05
  Speaker 2: all the fields and woods, and the barnyard too, just
• 47:09
  Speaker 2: the same. He could see Silvertips say to himself, it's
• 47:13
  Speaker 2: too wet to follow that trail. I'll keep an eye
• 47:16
  Speaker 2: out for bunnies around here as well as birds, And
• 47:19
  Speaker 2: Nibble said to his own self, Bunny, that fox will
• 47:23
  Speaker 2: have to do sound looking. Then Silvertip picked up the
• 47:27
  Speaker 2: chicken and trotted on. Of course, Nibble took a long
• 47:31
  Speaker 2: breath when he had gone. That gave him time to
• 47:34
  Speaker 2: grow curious. I wonder which fence corner those greedy little
• 47:38
  Speaker 2: screech owls said he hid his food in.
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: He thought watch.
• 47:42
  Speaker 2: Would like to know, So he peeked around the end
• 47:45
  Speaker 2: of the stack and listened. Silvertip was away out of
• 47:48
  Speaker 2: sight in the mist, but his feet went splashing off
• 47:51
  Speaker 2: to the very corner of the broad field where he
• 47:54
  Speaker 2: used to sleep under some elderberry bushes. Yes, and sometimes
• 47:58
  Speaker 2: he'd catch the birds who came there for berries. Oh,
• 48:01
  Speaker 2: that silver tip was certainly clever. Now Nibble thought it's
• 48:06
  Speaker 2: safe for me to hunt for the red cow. She
• 48:10
  Speaker 2: wasn't in the milking barn, but he could hear her
• 48:12
  Speaker 2: baby not far away, calling his mother to get up
• 48:16
  Speaker 2: and give him his breakfast. And the more he listened
• 48:19
  Speaker 2: to that naughty little calf, the more he wanted to
• 48:22
  Speaker 2: see it again. So he crept down the line of
• 48:25
  Speaker 2: scary switchy tails, past the very last one. Then he
• 48:29
  Speaker 2: came to a narrow lane, all sprinkled with dried clover leaves.
• 48:33
  Speaker 2: Pretty soon he had to squeeze under a door into
• 48:37
  Speaker 2: another part of the barn. It was much brighter than
• 48:40
  Speaker 2: the milking barn because there was a hole in the wall.
• 48:43
  Speaker 2: At the far end. There were three box stalls, and
• 48:46
  Speaker 2: he could hear the little calf in the last one.
• 48:49
  Speaker 2: He hopped up on a bale of straw and ran
• 48:52
  Speaker 2: along the top of the partition until he could look
• 48:54
  Speaker 2: in and see him there. That naughty little beast had
• 48:58
  Speaker 2: got tired of calling his mother and bunting her, so
• 49:01
  Speaker 2: now he was trying to kick her, and Nibble thought
• 49:04
  Speaker 2: he was cunninger than ever. Of course, the red cow
• 49:07
  Speaker 2: was pleased to see him and full of talk, but
• 49:10
  Speaker 2: Nibble was getting curious again. After a while, he said,
• 49:14
  Speaker 2: Red Cow, I can see the trees moving outside, but
• 49:18
  Speaker 2: there isn't any wind in here.
• 49:20
  Speaker 1: Why is that?
• 49:21
  Speaker 2: Why? I never thought about it? Said the red cow.
• 49:25
  Speaker 2: You remember she was always a little bit stupid. I'm
• 49:28
  Speaker 2: going to find out, said Nibble. He hopped carefully along
• 49:32
  Speaker 2: the partition to the window, and if ever a rabbit
• 49:35
  Speaker 2: looked foolish, it was Nibble. When he snubbed his twitchy
• 49:39
  Speaker 2: nose against it, he was puzzled. None of the woodsfolk
• 49:42
  Speaker 2: could imagine such a thing as window glass. What is it?
• 49:47
  Speaker 2: Asked the red cow, wagging her big ears, Ice guessed Nibble. No,
• 49:53
  Speaker 2: it's not either. He was trying to taste it with
• 49:56
  Speaker 2: his licky little tongue that he uses to wash his
• 49:59
  Speaker 2: shirt front. It doesn't taste like the drops that freeze
• 50:03
  Speaker 2: into my fur, and it isn't wet, but it's cold
• 50:07
  Speaker 2: and right then he learned some more about it, For
• 50:10
  Speaker 2: you know, Silvertip had seen the bunny's footprints. Chickens are
• 50:14
  Speaker 2: all right, thought the bad fox to himself as he
• 50:17
  Speaker 2: trotted along. But I'd a great deal rather have a
• 50:20
  Speaker 2: nice tasty mouthful of rabbit. So he hid the pullet
• 50:25
  Speaker 2: and came galloping back to find Nibble. It wasn't long
• 50:29
  Speaker 2: before he saw the bunny's trail going into the door
• 50:31
  Speaker 2: of the milking barn, and he could smell plainly on
• 50:35
  Speaker 2: the dry wood floor, exactly where Nibble had gone. So
• 50:38
  Speaker 2: Silvertip went sniffing quietly down the long aisle behind the
• 50:43
  Speaker 2: rows of cows. But they smelled him. Hell wach wolves
• 50:48
  Speaker 2: wolves hell. They bawled, and they all tried to kick him.
• 50:53
  Speaker 2: Now Silvertip was afraid to run out past their heels,
• 50:57
  Speaker 2: so he had to follow Nibble's trail under the door
• 51:00
  Speaker 2: into the barn where the box stalls were, And there
• 51:04
  Speaker 2: he saw Nibble perched on top of the partition, sniffing
• 51:08
  Speaker 2: at the window with his back turned up. Jumped Silvertip
• 51:11
  Speaker 2: onto the straw bail down, jumped Nibble into the stall
• 51:15
  Speaker 2: beside the red cow. Er whimpered Silvertip excitedly and jumped
• 51:20
  Speaker 2: after him. You never heard such a commotion, for the
• 51:24
  Speaker 2: red cow began to roar and aim her horns at
• 51:27
  Speaker 2: the fox, and Silvertip had to do some lively dodging.
• 51:30
  Speaker 2: He'd just managed to scramble back on the partition when
• 51:34
  Speaker 2: Watch came squeezing under the door. There wasn't another place
• 51:38
  Speaker 2: for the fox to turn, so he ran straight for
• 51:41
  Speaker 2: the window. Wow, he whimpered as he hit it, but
• 51:44
  Speaker 2: it was too late to stop crash. He went right
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: through it and landed plump on the floor of a
• 51:50
  Speaker 2: wagon that stood beneath it. Then he went galloping off
• 51:53
  Speaker 2: to the woods as fast as he could go, holding
• 51:56
  Speaker 2: up first one foot and then the other, for he
• 51:58
  Speaker 2: couldn't make up his mind where he was hurt the most,
• 52:02
  Speaker 2: and his nose felt as if a bee had lit
• 52:04
  Speaker 2: on it, and his eyes were so bunched up he
• 52:07
  Speaker 2: could hardly see where he was going, and he had
• 52:10
  Speaker 2: a new slit in the ear. Missus Hooter had nipped.
• 52:13
  Speaker 2: He was pretty badly damaged, and he was grinding his
• 52:17
  Speaker 2: teeth and blaming poor Nibble Rabbit for every bit of it.
• 52:21
  Speaker 2: For no one who thinks himself as clever as Silvertip
• 52:25
  Speaker 2: can get into trouble without finding some way to think
• 52:28
  Speaker 2: somebody else made him do it, barked watch excitedly, And then,
• 52:33
  Speaker 2: of course Nibble knew he was perfectly safe, and he
• 52:36
  Speaker 2: wanted to come out from under the red cow's manger
• 52:39
  Speaker 2: where he had hidden, to see what was happening. But
• 52:42
  Speaker 2: the naughty little calf was so excited he was dancing
• 52:45
  Speaker 2: around and bunting at everything in sight. His mother had
• 52:49
  Speaker 2: to give him some more breakfast before he'd stand still
• 52:53
  Speaker 2: a single minute. By that time, Silvertip was way off
• 52:57
  Speaker 2: down the pasture, and Watch had squeezed under the door again.
• 53:00
  Speaker 2: He was bound to catch that fox, but he knew
• 53:03
  Speaker 2: more than to go jumping through windows after him. So
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: Nibble just hopped up on the manger and from there
• 53:10
  Speaker 2: onto the high partition and stretched out his inquisitive nose
• 53:14
  Speaker 2: where the glass had been. There wasn't much left for
• 53:17
  Speaker 2: him to snub it against, I can tell you. And
• 53:19
  Speaker 2: the wind blew through it so hard that it laid
• 53:22
  Speaker 2: his ears flat back. What is it? Demanded the red cow.
• 53:27
  Speaker 2: She was learning to be curious too, and that's the
• 53:30
  Speaker 2: first step to being wise and sensible. It's awfully hard,
• 53:34
  Speaker 2: Nibble answered, I can bite ice, but I can't bite this.
• 53:39
  Speaker 2: Just then, who should open the door but Tommy peel
• 53:42
  Speaker 2: with the red cow's breakfast Right away he saw the
• 53:46
  Speaker 2: glass was broken, but he wasn't angry at all. He
• 53:49
  Speaker 2: just said, did you do that? But he picked up
• 53:52
  Speaker 2: every bit that had fallen inside so folks wouldn't cut
• 53:55
  Speaker 2: their feet on it, And then he went around to
• 53:58
  Speaker 2: pick up what was outside too, and he found some
• 54:01
  Speaker 2: blood and a big tuft of Silvertip's hair on the
• 54:04
  Speaker 2: wagon box. Phew, he whistled, Bunny. This fur isn't any
• 54:08
  Speaker 2: of yours, nor that footprint either. You just wait until
• 54:13
  Speaker 2: school is out and watch, and I'll see about this.
• 54:16
  Speaker 2: He hadn't any time to do it, then, for he
• 54:19
  Speaker 2: had to stuff the red cow's manger full of hay
• 54:22
  Speaker 2: and hurry fast to get to the schoolhouse before the
• 54:25
  Speaker 2: bell rang. Hell some nibble, she loawed politely, and the
• 54:29
  Speaker 2: bunny didn't need a second invitation. His twitchy nose had
• 54:33
  Speaker 2: been wiggling pretty fast from the first minute he smelled
• 54:36
  Speaker 2: that delicious clover and of chapter.
• 54:40
  Speaker 3: Six Chapter seven of The Sins of Silvertip the Fox.
• 54:50
  Speaker 3: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 54:55
  Speaker 3: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 54:59
  Speaker 3: visit at LibriVox dot org. The Sins of silver Tip
• 55:04
  Speaker 3: the Fox by John Breck. The White Cow begins a story.
• 55:11
  Speaker 3: If the smell of that delicious hay in the red
• 55:13
  Speaker 3: cow's manger made nibbles nose go fast, the taste of
• 55:17
  Speaker 3: it made his hungry little jaws go still faster. And
• 55:21
  Speaker 3: the red cow was just about as busy as he
• 55:23
  Speaker 3: was her big teeth wouldn't move quite so quickly, but
• 55:27
  Speaker 3: she could take bigger bites to make up for lost time.
• 55:31
  Speaker 3: They were still eating when he heard a loud snort
• 55:33
  Speaker 3: just outside, so he jumped up on the window sill
• 55:36
  Speaker 3: again to be sure who it was. Hello, rabbit, came
• 55:41
  Speaker 3: the white cow's nice, fluty voice as she saw his
• 55:44
  Speaker 3: whiskers in the window. I told you you'd come back again. Oh,
• 55:48
  Speaker 3: the red cow's got such a cunning calf in here.
• 55:51
  Speaker 3: I just have to come, he laughed. She has, has
• 55:55
  Speaker 3: she moved? The white cow. I'd like to see it myself.
• 56:00
  Speaker 3: She was a motherly old beast, so she really did
• 56:02
  Speaker 3: love babies. Is it all right? That wolf who ran
• 56:06
  Speaker 3: through the milking bars has been around here? I can
• 56:09
  Speaker 3: smell him. Calves are what they always come for. That
• 56:14
  Speaker 3: was only silver tip the fox. He chuckled, he's gone still.
• 56:19
  Speaker 3: The white cow kept shaking her head and snorting. He's
• 56:23
  Speaker 3: no business here. He's a wolf. And it's plain against
• 56:27
  Speaker 3: the compact. What compact, please, madame Snowflake load the red cow?
• 56:33
  Speaker 3: Why the compact between cows and man? She answered, You know,
• 56:38
  Speaker 3: man used to hunt us. It must have been dreadful
• 56:42
  Speaker 3: for one man is wolf, then a whole pack of
• 56:44
  Speaker 3: wolves exactly what doctor Muskrat says, exclaimed Nibble. Well, it's true,
• 56:52
  Speaker 3: she asserted. Cows are all right so long as they
• 56:55
  Speaker 3: keep all together. But you can't have little new wobbly
• 56:58
  Speaker 3: babies in a herd because we're so nearsighted. Someone would
• 57:02
  Speaker 3: be sure to step on them. So the mothers used
• 57:05
  Speaker 3: to go off and hide them until they grew strong
• 57:07
  Speaker 3: enough not to let themselves get stepped on, and the
• 57:11
  Speaker 3: wolves and the men would watch out for them. No
• 57:14
  Speaker 3: matter how careful the cows were, someone would be sure
• 57:17
  Speaker 3: to find them long before they came. The mothers would
• 57:21
  Speaker 3: get all scary and unhappy just thinking about it. I
• 57:26
  Speaker 3: felt just that way, gasped the red cow, didn't I Nibble? Well,
• 57:32
  Speaker 3: after a long time, man made a compact with the cows.
• 57:36
  Speaker 3: He promised that if they'd live with him and give
• 57:38
  Speaker 3: him milk and plow his fields and let him take
• 57:41
  Speaker 3: the meat of certain ones, not the young heifers or
• 57:44
  Speaker 3: the mothers, he'd keep the wolves away from them. How
• 57:49
  Speaker 3: did that happen, asked Nibble excitedly, for he guessed it
• 57:53
  Speaker 3: was one of those tales of the first off beginning
• 57:55
  Speaker 3: of things, and sure enough the white cow began well.
• 58:00
  Speaker 3: As I said, both man and wolves hunted the cows
• 58:04
  Speaker 3: in the first off beginning. That was bad enough, but
• 58:08
  Speaker 3: when man made friends with the dogs who were really wolves,
• 58:12
  Speaker 3: it was worse. Yet they both knew all the tricks
• 58:15
  Speaker 3: between them. There was a river running through the plain
• 58:19
  Speaker 3: where the cows used to feed, and it had a
• 58:22
  Speaker 3: rocky island standing up in the middle of it. The
• 58:25
  Speaker 3: island was hollow as a cup and full of brush
• 58:27
  Speaker 3: and grass, and there was only one crack in the
• 58:30
  Speaker 3: rocks where a cow could just squeeze through to get
• 58:33
  Speaker 3: into it. It was a secret among the cows, who
• 58:37
  Speaker 3: only went there to raise their caves, and they were
• 58:40
  Speaker 3: careful to walk a long way in the water to
• 58:43
  Speaker 3: hide their trails before they crossed over to it, so
• 58:47
  Speaker 3: the wolves would never have found it. But a man did.
• 58:52
  Speaker 3: He was hunting cows, so were a pack of wolves,
• 58:56
  Speaker 3: and they saw he had only one dog, so they
• 58:59
  Speaker 3: decided to hunt him instead. They say, a man is
• 59:02
  Speaker 3: very good eating, so he ran for the island because
• 59:06
  Speaker 3: he knew if he could climb high up on the
• 59:08
  Speaker 3: tall rocks, they couldn't climb up after him. He had
• 59:11
  Speaker 3: to take his dog by the scruff of the neck
• 59:13
  Speaker 3: to help him. And of course, when he got up
• 59:16
  Speaker 3: high he could see everything, the two cows who were
• 59:19
  Speaker 3: grazing in the middle of the island, and the narrow
• 59:22
  Speaker 3: passage between the rocks, and the wolves running around and
• 59:25
  Speaker 3: around looking for a place where they could get in.
• 59:29
  Speaker 3: The cows couldn't see the wolves, but they could hear them.
• 59:32
  Speaker 3: So one of them, who was an old cow and
• 59:35
  Speaker 3: very wise, galloped over to the passage, and when the
• 59:38
  Speaker 3: wolves got there, she was stopping the way with her
• 59:41
  Speaker 3: sharp horns. I don't know how long she could have
• 59:44
  Speaker 3: stayed there, for there were a great many wolves and
• 59:47
  Speaker 3: only one cow. But the man was wiser yet he
• 59:51
  Speaker 3: saw a big, tippy boulder that he could roll down
• 59:54
  Speaker 3: to block the passage so nobody could possibly get in,
• 59:58
  Speaker 3: and he gave it a big sh smash. It went
• 1:00:02
  Speaker 3: down right in the middle of the wolves. It killed
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 3: the leader and another wolf, and the wrist got scared
• 1:00:09
  Speaker 3: and ran away. So did the cow, for the man's
• 1:00:13
  Speaker 3: dog started right after her, but the man called it back.
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 3: Come here, He called stop that, you foolish thing. The
• 1:00:22
  Speaker 3: wolves would have picked our bones if she hadn't helped us.
• 1:00:26
  Speaker 3: That's one cow you can never kill. The dog came
• 1:00:30
  Speaker 3: back with his tail between his legs, grumbling to himself.
• 1:00:34
  Speaker 3: This is very queer. It's the first time in all
• 1:00:38
  Speaker 3: my life I was told not to kill anything, And
• 1:00:41
  Speaker 3: of course the cow heard him and it set her thinking.
• 1:00:47
  Speaker 3: End of chapter seven, Chapter eight of The Sins of
• 1:00:57
  Speaker 3: Silver Tip the Fox. This is a libbrivox recording. All
• 1:01:01
  Speaker 3: LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
• 1:01:06
  Speaker 3: or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. The Sins
• 1:01:11
  Speaker 3: of Silver Tip the Fox by John Brick How the
• 1:01:15
  Speaker 3: man's wife made the compact with the cows. The white
• 1:01:21
  Speaker 3: cow stopped talking quite as though she had finished her story,
• 1:01:25
  Speaker 3: but Nibble Rabbit and the red cow, who were listening
• 1:01:28
  Speaker 3: with all their ears, both broke out. Please missus, snowflake,
• 1:01:32
  Speaker 3: you haven't said a word yet about the compact pickery thistles,
• 1:01:38
  Speaker 3: she exclaimed, So I haven't. I was just thinking about
• 1:01:42
  Speaker 3: it instead. Well, the man was in the middle of
• 1:01:45
  Speaker 3: that little hollow island with the high rocks all around it,
• 1:01:49
  Speaker 3: and so were the cows. The dog was growling because
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 3: he couldn't kill the cow, and the cow was wondering
• 1:01:55
  Speaker 3: why the man wouldn't let him. But most of all,
• 1:01:59
  Speaker 3: she was wondering how quickly she and her calf would
• 1:02:02
  Speaker 3: starve because that stone blocked up the passage. The man
• 1:02:06
  Speaker 3: was thinking that too, for the cow had saved his
• 1:02:09
  Speaker 3: life by keeping out the wolves that made him in
• 1:02:12
  Speaker 3: debt to her, and if a man was careless about
• 1:02:15
  Speaker 3: his debts, he was sure to be dreadfully unlucky. Either
• 1:02:19
  Speaker 3: he had to roll away that stone so the cow
• 1:02:22
  Speaker 3: could go over to the plains to graze, and he
• 1:02:25
  Speaker 3: knew he couldn't do that, or he had to bring
• 1:02:28
  Speaker 3: the grass to her right and early next morning he
• 1:02:31
  Speaker 3: went to bring the grass to feed that cow. He
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 3: found it was lots of trouble, especially since he didn't
• 1:02:37
  Speaker 3: have his wife there to help him, so he decided
• 1:02:40
  Speaker 3: to bring her. He told her how nice and safe
• 1:02:44
  Speaker 3: it was in the middle of that rocky island, until
• 1:02:47
  Speaker 3: she got quite delighted at the idea of living there.
• 1:02:50
  Speaker 3: So she packed their belongings on her back, slung their
• 1:02:53
  Speaker 3: baby in front of her, and started out. She waited
• 1:02:57
  Speaker 3: the stream all right, but she stopped at the big rock,
• 1:03:00
  Speaker 3: which blocked up the passage. I won't stay here at
• 1:03:03
  Speaker 3: all unless you take that out of there, she said,
• 1:03:07
  Speaker 3: it's too inconvenient. So of course he just had to.
• 1:03:11
  Speaker 3: And when it comes right down to having to, a
• 1:03:14
  Speaker 3: man can do almost anything. But he had a terrible time.
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 3: He heaved and clawed and shoved and rolled until his fingers
• 1:03:24
  Speaker 3: and arms were sore. Then he picked up a stick
• 1:03:28
  Speaker 3: because it was easier to handle, and he learned how
• 1:03:31
  Speaker 3: to pry that stone out of the passage. In walked
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 3: his wife and began to settle their new home. Outwalked
• 1:03:39
  Speaker 3: the cows, and over they went to the plane to
• 1:03:42
  Speaker 3: pick their own grass, but they left their calves hidden
• 1:03:45
  Speaker 3: on the island, so after they had finished feeding back
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 3: they came. Then the man took his stick and pried
• 1:03:52
  Speaker 3: the rock into the passage again for fear the wolves
• 1:03:55
  Speaker 3: would come back. And his wife stared at the cows,
• 1:03:58
  Speaker 3: and the cows stared at his wife, but still they
• 1:04:01
  Speaker 3: didn't make any compact nibble. Rabbit and the red cow
• 1:04:05
  Speaker 3: were both fairly stamping their feet with impatience because the
• 1:04:09
  Speaker 3: white cow wouldn't hurry right along with their story. But
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 3: she brought a big wad of cud all the way
• 1:04:15
  Speaker 3: up her long neck and stood there chewing out while
• 1:04:18
  Speaker 3: she thought things over. Finally she swallowed it and went on.
• 1:04:23
  Speaker 3: I told you the man learned to use the great
• 1:04:25
  Speaker 3: stone for a gate to the narrow passageway where the
• 1:04:28
  Speaker 3: cows squeezed through. But I didn't tell you how angry
• 1:04:31
  Speaker 3: the wolves were about that. They were simply raging night
• 1:04:36
  Speaker 3: after night. They gnashed their jaws and howled around those rocks,
• 1:04:41
  Speaker 3: but their claws wouldn't climb them, and the man's dog
• 1:04:44
  Speaker 3: would sit up on top and shout insults at them,
• 1:04:48
  Speaker 3: and the two cows would snuggle together in the brush
• 1:04:50
  Speaker 3: with their calves between them, and say, those wolves would
• 1:04:54
  Speaker 3: have eaten us long ago if the man hadn't been here.
• 1:04:59
  Speaker 3: They got very he used to the man and his family.
• 1:05:02
  Speaker 3: They didn't walk way round his fire anymore or make
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 3: eyes at his wife, and the calves got very friendly
• 1:05:09
  Speaker 3: with his baby, but his wife used to look hard
• 1:05:11
  Speaker 3: at them. It's all very well to take care of
• 1:05:15
  Speaker 3: the cow who saved your life, she'd say to the man.
• 1:05:18
  Speaker 3: But how about that other one, Well, what about her,
• 1:05:22
  Speaker 3: he'd answer, She isn't any trouble. She ought to pay
• 1:05:26
  Speaker 3: for being taken care of, insisted his wife. It's all
• 1:05:30
  Speaker 3: very well for this year, but next year those calves
• 1:05:33
  Speaker 3: will be grown up and there will be new ones
• 1:05:36
  Speaker 3: and will be all cluttered up with cattle. She thought
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 3: and thought. At last, she caught up her biggest clamshell
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 3: and walked down into the thicket where the cows stood,
• 1:05:46
  Speaker 3: and the dog went with her. Old cow. She said,
• 1:05:50
  Speaker 3: you can live with us forever and ever, because you
• 1:05:53
  Speaker 3: stop the passageway with your horns when the wolves were
• 1:05:56
  Speaker 3: trying to get in to kill my husband. Young cow,
• 1:06:00
  Speaker 3: you will have to pay something if you're going to
• 1:06:02
  Speaker 3: live with us, And with that she tried to milk
• 1:06:05
  Speaker 3: the young cow into her clamshell. The young cow didn't
• 1:06:09
  Speaker 3: like it a little bit, but she was afraid of
• 1:06:11
  Speaker 3: the dog, and besides, the old cow argued, you have
• 1:06:15
  Speaker 3: milk to spare, and you'll never have any place as
• 1:06:18
  Speaker 3: safe as this. Let me talk to her. So the
• 1:06:22
  Speaker 3: young cow gave in and let herself be milked. But
• 1:06:26
  Speaker 3: the old one said to the woman, we'll stay with
• 1:06:29
  Speaker 3: you and give you milk so long as you see
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 3: we get food and water and protect us from the wolves.
• 1:06:35
  Speaker 3: But the minute you don't, we'll go off and be
• 1:06:37
  Speaker 3: wild again, and you'll be no better off than you
• 1:06:40
  Speaker 3: were before, agreed, said the woman. The dog will be
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 3: our witness. So that was the beginning of the compact.
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 3: The cow settled down to live with the man and
• 1:06:50
  Speaker 3: his family. But after the woman was gone, the wise
• 1:06:53
  Speaker 3: old cow said comfortably, it's spring now. She doesn't think
• 1:06:58
  Speaker 3: how much trouble it will be to feed us through
• 1:07:00
  Speaker 3: the winter. Wasn't that old cow clever, exclaimed nibble admiringly.
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 3: The white cow snorted, she was wise, But that woman
• 1:07:10
  Speaker 3: was wiser. She knew that if she waited long enough,
• 1:07:14
  Speaker 3: there would be cattle on that island who hadn't any milk,
• 1:07:17
  Speaker 3: so she and the man could bargain some more with them.
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 3: They had to carry loads and pull plows. They even
• 1:07:24
  Speaker 3: had to let the man kill certain ones. They didn't
• 1:07:27
  Speaker 3: like that a little bit, but the wise old cow argued,
• 1:07:30
  Speaker 3: it's better than being hunted by both wolves and men,
• 1:07:35
  Speaker 3: so they finally gave in. It really was a good
• 1:07:37
  Speaker 3: bargain for us, finished the white cow thoughtfully. But it
• 1:07:41
  Speaker 3: was a better one for the man. After he learned
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 3: to build barnes as safe as that island, he gave
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 3: up hunting. End of chapter eight read by Rich Brown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• 1:08:01
  Speaker 4: Chapter nine of the Sins of Silvertip the Fox. This
• 1:08:06
  Speaker 4: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 1:08:10
  Speaker 4: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 1:08:16
  Speaker 4: LibriVox dot org. The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by
• 1:08:21
  Speaker 4: John Breck, Chapter nine, How a bunny undertook to hunt
• 1:08:27
  Speaker 4: a fox. Madam Snowflake swished her tail thoughtfully for a moment,
• 1:08:32
  Speaker 4: then she went back to chewing her cut. As a
• 1:08:34
  Speaker 4: sign that her story was all done, my horns, exclaimed
• 1:08:39
  Speaker 4: the red cow. That's awfully interesting. Yes, drawled the story teller,
• 1:08:45
  Speaker 4: But can't you see how worrisome it is. If Tommy
• 1:08:48
  Speaker 4: Peel lets wolves go galloping through this barn, we'll have
• 1:08:52
  Speaker 4: to go wild again. It's in the compact, That's what
• 1:08:56
  Speaker 4: I've been trying to explain. No, the red cow owned.
• 1:09:00
  Speaker 4: I don't want to go wild. I won't go wild again.
• 1:09:04
  Speaker 4: I've been wild once, and I like being Tommy Peel's
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 4: tame cow. Ever, so much better. Nonsense, interrupted, nibble Rabbit,
• 1:09:13
  Speaker 4: sitting up very straight. It hasn't anything at all to
• 1:09:16
  Speaker 4: do with you. Cows silver tips, no more of a
• 1:09:20
  Speaker 4: wolf than watches. Besides, I'm the only one he was chasing.
• 1:09:25
  Speaker 4: He won't come back again unless I do, and I
• 1:09:28
  Speaker 4: won't come until there isn't any silver tip to chase me. Ooo,
• 1:09:33
  Speaker 4: tease the white cow? What can you do to Silvertip?
• 1:09:38
  Speaker 4: Wait and see, said Nibble, And off he said. But
• 1:09:42
  Speaker 4: as he ran, he said to himself, Silvertip's very big
• 1:09:46
  Speaker 4: and clever. Whatever can I do to him? For a
• 1:09:50
  Speaker 4: while he was just about the most thoughtful bunny that
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 4: ever flopped an ear. He'd made the white cow a great,
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 4: big promise when no grown up rabbit would ever have,
• 1:10:01
  Speaker 4: and he had to have help about it. He was
• 1:10:03
  Speaker 4: pretty glad, I can tell you. When he saw a
• 1:10:06
  Speaker 4: watch scouting about the pasture with his nose to the ground,
• 1:10:10
  Speaker 4: Have you found where Silvertip went to? Nibble asked, when
• 1:10:13
  Speaker 4: the big dog stopped to speak with him. No, said
• 1:10:17
  Speaker 4: Watch in a discouraged tone. There was a miss this morning,
• 1:10:20
  Speaker 4: and it's washed away all the scent. But what do
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 4: you want of Silvertip? I've got to help you catch him,
• 1:10:27
  Speaker 4: murmured Nibble, you exclaimed, Watch, you must be as crazy
• 1:10:33
  Speaker 4: as a chickadee. Has anything bitten you. You know dogs
• 1:10:37
  Speaker 4: are terribly afraid of being bitten. By a crazy beast
• 1:10:41
  Speaker 4: and makes them go mad too. No, but but I
• 1:10:45
  Speaker 4: promised the white cow that I wouldn't come back to
• 1:10:47
  Speaker 4: the barn while Silvertip was alive to chase into it
• 1:10:50
  Speaker 4: after me, and I won't stay away from the red
• 1:10:53
  Speaker 4: cow's baby for ever and ever. Something's got to happen
• 1:10:57
  Speaker 4: to Silvertip. I wouldn't won him chasing me if I
• 1:11:01
  Speaker 4: were you. Watch agreed, this sounded more sensible. But I
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 4: don't see what the white cow has to do with it,
• 1:11:08
  Speaker 4: She says. Silvertip is really a wolf, Nibble explained, And
• 1:11:12
  Speaker 4: if Tommy Peel lets wolves come right into his barn,
• 1:11:16
  Speaker 4: whether it's calves or rabbits they're hunting, the cows will
• 1:11:19
  Speaker 4: have to go wild again. That's in the compact between
• 1:11:22
  Speaker 4: cows and mad in the first off beginning, wer Watch
• 1:11:27
  Speaker 4: growled thoughtfully, So it is. But that's my trouble, and
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 4: the cows and Tommy's. It hasn't anything to do with you. Suddenly,
• 1:11:37
  Speaker 4: Nibble remembered something and quoted by dusk and by dawn,
• 1:11:41
  Speaker 4: you shall travel alone, and all troubles are yours, excepting
• 1:11:45
  Speaker 4: your own. That's my fortune. The stars told it to
• 1:11:50
  Speaker 4: doctor muskrat the day I left home. I understand, Watch
• 1:11:54
  Speaker 4: nodded wisely. Well, the trouble about all this is that
• 1:11:58
  Speaker 4: I can't explain it to Tommy, and we need him.
• 1:12:02
  Speaker 4: What can you do to Silvertip except give him a
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 4: stomach ache for eating too much rabbit?
• 1:12:07
  Speaker 1: Eh.
• 1:12:09
  Speaker 4: I can see where he is and what he does.
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 4: I know how he gets into the chicken coop, and
• 1:12:14
  Speaker 4: where he hid the pullet he stole this morning, and
• 1:12:17
  Speaker 4: the feathers from all the rest he's been stealing. How
• 1:12:21
  Speaker 4: when where barked Watch excitedly. We don't have to tell
• 1:12:26
  Speaker 4: that to Tommy. We can show it to him, quick, Nibble,
• 1:12:31
  Speaker 4: How did Silvertip get into the chicken coop? Tommy'll be
• 1:12:34
  Speaker 4: home from school any minute, So Nibble took him round
• 1:12:38
  Speaker 4: to the little back door. That fox is certainly clever,
• 1:12:41
  Speaker 4: sniffed Watch. He's not the hook right off. I've smelt
• 1:12:46
  Speaker 4: him around here dozens of times, but I never thought
• 1:12:48
  Speaker 4: of looking inside of the coop for him. Then he
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 4: lifted it with his nose, just as silver Tip had done,
• 1:12:55
  Speaker 4: but he was too big to crawl in. It was
• 1:12:58
  Speaker 4: Nibble who squeezed through and took a hop on to
• 1:13:00
  Speaker 4: the soft straw of the chicken coop floor. Then he
• 1:13:04
  Speaker 4: sat up to sniff around. The hens were scratching busily,
• 1:13:08
  Speaker 4: but the rooster was dozing off a full crop on
• 1:13:10
  Speaker 4: his perch. Nibble poked his nose into a box of feed,
• 1:13:14
  Speaker 4: and the bird next to him went cut cut. That
• 1:13:17
  Speaker 4: woke the rooster. He opened his eye and caught sight
• 1:13:21
  Speaker 4: of Nibble's whiskers. Er er, er, I'm Chanta clear, he crowed,
• 1:13:26
  Speaker 4: And you're the rascal who stole my beautiful young wife's
• 1:13:29
  Speaker 4: speckle feather this morning. You're the one who took striped wing,
• 1:13:34
  Speaker 4: the best setting hen ever a rooster owned, and dear
• 1:13:37
  Speaker 4: little Red waddled Minorca and all the rest who been
• 1:13:40
  Speaker 4: snatched from my perches. Your time has come, I'll show you.
• 1:13:46
  Speaker 4: And he flapped down and began to peck poor Nibble
• 1:13:48
  Speaker 4: and kick him with those long spurs. Roosters ware on
• 1:13:51
  Speaker 4: their legs. Wait a minute, Wait a minute, Nibble cried,
• 1:13:55
  Speaker 4: but the rooster wouldn't listen. Then a voice behind Nibble
• 1:13:59
  Speaker 4: called here here, and he darted under the perches and
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 4: squeezed into a dark nest beside a hen. There she
• 1:14:07
  Speaker 4: clucked that old bully never comes here. It isn't proper
• 1:14:11
  Speaker 4: for a rooster to come into the nesting corner. Poor
• 1:14:14
  Speaker 4: striped wing. She used to sit in here most of
• 1:14:18
  Speaker 4: the time because he was so cruel to her. And
• 1:14:21
  Speaker 4: he killed our son because Minorca was in love with him.
• 1:14:24
  Speaker 4: I wish the fox had taken him. Nibble peeked out
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 4: again and saw the roosters strutting around as though he'd
• 1:14:31
  Speaker 4: really done something grand, calling on the hens to admire him.
• 1:14:36
  Speaker 4: And now he could hear Watch shouting, come along, Tommy,
• 1:14:39
  Speaker 4: come quick. In a minute more, he was barking outside
• 1:14:43
  Speaker 4: the front door, and Tommy opened it. What's the matter,
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 4: asked Tommy. Out hopped nibble, rabbit. However did you get
• 1:14:51
  Speaker 4: in here? Gasped the little boy, And with that Nibble
• 1:14:55
  Speaker 4: slipped through the little back door as neat as you please.
• 1:14:59
  Speaker 4: Maybe tom didn't whistle, and maybe he wasn't still more
• 1:15:02
  Speaker 4: surprised when he saw the hook all gnawed, But maybe
• 1:15:06
  Speaker 4: he wasn't maddest of all when Nibble and Watch took
• 1:15:09
  Speaker 4: him across the field to Silvertip's fence corner, all full
• 1:15:12
  Speaker 4: of feathers, with poor dead speckled feather lying in the
• 1:15:15
  Speaker 4: middle of it the fox, Tommy, exclaimed, old chicken thief.
• 1:15:21
  Speaker 4: He ought to be hunted with a gun. That's all right,
• 1:15:24
  Speaker 4: watch wagged his tail. Now, Tommy, you'll find the gun
• 1:15:27
  Speaker 4: and a man to shoot it. But we'll have to
• 1:15:30
  Speaker 4: find silver tips so they can shoot him. I'll sleep
• 1:15:33
  Speaker 4: in the haystack and watch the barn, and you see
• 1:15:36
  Speaker 4: if he's hidden in the woods. So Nibble cocked his
• 1:15:40
  Speaker 4: own little puffy tail and laid back his ears and
• 1:15:42
  Speaker 4: scuttled through the cornfield. Because the first one he meant
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 4: to ask was doctor Muskrat. And it didn't take much
• 1:15:49
  Speaker 4: thumbing to wake the doctor my whiskers. But I'm glad
• 1:15:53
  Speaker 4: to see you, said the nice old beast. As soon
• 1:15:56
  Speaker 4: as he got his nose out of the water, I
• 1:15:59
  Speaker 4: was afraid that had really caught you. He came down
• 1:16:03
  Speaker 4: here for a drink early this morning. He was feeling
• 1:16:06
  Speaker 4: pretty sick, but he said he wasn't going to do
• 1:16:08
  Speaker 4: another thing until he pulled your long ears out by
• 1:16:11
  Speaker 4: their roots and made a meal of you. Well, he
• 1:16:15
  Speaker 4: doesn't want to find me any more than I want
• 1:16:17
  Speaker 4: to find him, said Nibble, And he told how Silvertip
• 1:16:21
  Speaker 4: had followed him into the barn and jumped smashed through
• 1:16:24
  Speaker 4: the window, and what trouble that made for the cows,
• 1:16:27
  Speaker 4: and the way he killed Tommy's chickens, and how angry
• 1:16:30
  Speaker 4: Tommy was about it shoot him. I wish they would.
• 1:16:35
  Speaker 4: Doctor Muskrat agreed, he's the worst beast in all the
• 1:16:38
  Speaker 4: woods and fields. And we've plenty more to look out for.
• 1:16:42
  Speaker 4: Sly foot the mink, and the marsh hawker back and
• 1:16:45
  Speaker 4: grandpap snapping turtle is out again. But you'll have to
• 1:16:48
  Speaker 4: be mighty careful. You dig yourself a rude and stay
• 1:16:52
  Speaker 4: hidden while I see what the birds know about him.
• 1:16:55
  Speaker 4: So Doctor Muskrat asked every bird who came down to
• 1:16:59
  Speaker 4: drink if he keep an eye out for silvertip. That
• 1:17:02
  Speaker 4: was a great many, too, for whole clouds of them
• 1:17:05
  Speaker 4: were coming north on every south wind. But they were
• 1:17:08
  Speaker 4: all so busy about courting and nesting. It was three
• 1:17:11
  Speaker 4: days before Doctor Muskrat had any news. Late in the evening,
• 1:17:16
  Speaker 4: a whipperwill came dipping down like a great feathery moth
• 1:17:19
  Speaker 4: and called softly Doctor Muskrat. Then he perched on the
• 1:17:24
  Speaker 4: doctor's house and whispered. Silver tips living in the hollow
• 1:17:27
  Speaker 4: log that shadows my last year's nest. He's still too
• 1:17:31
  Speaker 4: sick to hunt anything but frogs and tadpoles and the
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 4: eggs of us poor ground birds. But the minute he
• 1:17:37
  Speaker 4: can gallop, he's going to get that rabbit. He lies there,
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 4: growling and swearing about him. Nibble couldn't hear what the
• 1:17:45
  Speaker 4: whipperwill said, and that was lucky, because he was lying
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 4: very still in the quail's thicket, with those screech owls
• 1:17:53
  Speaker 4: perched right above him. End of chapter.
• 1:17:57
  Speaker 2: Nine, Chapter ten of The Sins of Silver Tip the Fox.
• 1:18:07
  Speaker 2: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
• 1:18:11
  Speaker 2: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
• 1:18:15
  Speaker 2: visit LibriVox dot org. Read by Heather ENnie. The Sins
• 1:18:19
  Speaker 2: of Silver Tip the Fox by John Breck the wicked
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 2: plot of the bad little Owls. As soon as the
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 2: whipperwill had finished whispering the news about where Silver Tip
• 1:18:29
  Speaker 2: was hiding, he flew off so quietly that even the
• 1:18:32
  Speaker 2: doctor couldn't hear him. Then the wise old beast raised
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 2: his queer thin call, almost like a whistle, to tell
• 1:18:40
  Speaker 2: Nibble Rabbit he was wanted, and swam quite as quietly
• 1:18:43
  Speaker 2: to the place in the bulrushes by the pond where
• 1:18:46
  Speaker 2: they always met, but no nibble came. Nibble Rabbit was
• 1:18:50
  Speaker 2: still hiding in the quail's thicket, listening to mister and
• 1:18:54
  Speaker 2: Missus screech Owl, who were perched right above him. That
• 1:18:57
  Speaker 2: bird's telling him about silvertip, said one. If it had
• 1:19:02
  Speaker 2: been any other bird in the woods, he'd have spoken
• 1:19:04
  Speaker 2: so we could overhear him. I wish he had said
• 1:19:08
  Speaker 2: the other We picked that last hen so clean. We'll
• 1:19:11
  Speaker 2: have to hunt for ourselves if we can't find him.
• 1:19:14
  Speaker 2: I wonder what that muskrat wants of him. He's been
• 1:19:17
  Speaker 2: askin every bird who came down to drink for the
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 2: last three days. I heard Chake the jade talkin of
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 2: chee Wee the chickadee about it, just when I was
• 1:19:26
  Speaker 2: goin to sleep this mornin'. What did they say? Demanded
• 1:19:30
  Speaker 2: Missus screech Owl. The lady owl is always the more thoughtful.
• 1:19:34
  Speaker 2: They both live in trees. Silver tip never bothers them.
• 1:19:39
  Speaker 2: I didn't understand, said her mate. Jake was insistent that
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 2: they must all hunt hard for silver tip. He said
• 1:19:46
  Speaker 2: that it concerned every good friend of Tommy Peel's. You
• 1:19:50
  Speaker 2: pin feathered idiot, she exclaimed, Why didn't you tell me
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 2: that before? That explains why Tommy Peel and his dog
• 1:19:59
  Speaker 2: were snow thing about Silvertip's fence corner, and that rabbit
• 1:20:03
  Speaker 2: was with them. He's at the bottom of all this.
• 1:20:07
  Speaker 2: Something's wrong there. I never knew a wild rabbit to
• 1:20:11
  Speaker 2: be friends with a dog in all my life. If
• 1:20:14
  Speaker 2: he'll do that, he'll do anything. Silver Tip must be warned.
• 1:20:20
  Speaker 2: We can't let anything happen to him. Besides, think how
• 1:20:24
  Speaker 2: much he could do for us if he felt grateful grateful?
• 1:20:29
  Speaker 2: Not much. A fox is never grateful, but he'd know
• 1:20:33
  Speaker 2: we were useful, and that amounts to the same thing.
• 1:20:36
  Speaker 2: I wonder why that rabbit doesn't answer. Doctor Muskrat and
• 1:20:40
  Speaker 2: mister screech Owl flew cautiously over the doctor's house in
• 1:20:43
  Speaker 2: the middle of the pond. Back he came to where
• 1:20:46
  Speaker 2: his wife was still, thinking. He must have meant that
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 2: call for the whipper. Well, he said to his mate,
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 2: he's gone to bed. We must get some friend who
• 1:20:56
  Speaker 2: lives on the ground to keep watch for us too.
• 1:21:00
  Speaker 2: The lady Owl thoughtfully, Only Silvertip has no friends. He'll
• 1:21:04
  Speaker 2: eat anybody except an old foul fang. The rattlesnake, said,
• 1:21:09
  Speaker 2: mister screech Owl, we could buy foul faying service for
• 1:21:12
  Speaker 2: a mouse a day. I'll do just that, And you
• 1:21:15
  Speaker 2: go up to the house, not the barn, mind, and
• 1:21:18
  Speaker 2: see if you can get a word with that grandson Oofe,
• 1:21:21
  Speaker 2: the rat who lives there. Silver tips never hunted him
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 2: by the kitchen door. Now flutter and away they went.
• 1:21:28
  Speaker 2: But Nibble waited until he was perfectly sure they had
• 1:21:32
  Speaker 2: gone before he crept down to talk with Doctor Muskrat
• 1:21:35
  Speaker 2: in the bulrushes. And he was a pretty trembling little rabbit.
• 1:21:40
  Speaker 2: He hopped very carefully, gliding from shadow to shadow like
• 1:21:44
  Speaker 2: a field mouse, and the doctor never moved when Nibble
• 1:21:47
  Speaker 2: Rabbit slipped in beside him. He was listening to the
• 1:21:51
  Speaker 2: stars as they danced in the pool, just exactly the
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 2: way he had done the night they told him Nibble's fortune.
• 1:21:57
  Speaker 2: He was muttering, let him, who is both young and wise,
• 1:22:02
  Speaker 2: beware the killer with lidless eyes. Yes, that's all I
• 1:22:07
  Speaker 2: can make out of it, said the old doctor slowly.
• 1:22:10
  Speaker 2: Now what does that mean? I wonder? I know, gasped Nibble.
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 2: I know it's foul fang, the rattlesnake, the little owls
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 2: don't want us to catch that fox, Silvertip, because he
• 1:22:23
  Speaker 2: catches chickens and leaves their bones for the owls to pick.
• 1:22:27
  Speaker 2: They heard Chake the jay and Cheewe the chickaee talking
• 1:22:31
  Speaker 2: about it. So the heat owl has gone out to
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 2: hire foul Fang to help them. They're going to pay
• 1:22:38
  Speaker 2: him a mouse a day to do it, and his
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 2: wife has gone up to the house to bargain with
• 1:22:44
  Speaker 2: the grandson of Ufe, the rat who lives in the walls.
• 1:22:47
  Speaker 2: He used to keep watch on Tommy and warn them
• 1:22:50
  Speaker 2: what he means to do about Silvertip. But they don't
• 1:22:54
  Speaker 2: know where Silvertip is. That's one good thing, the doctor nodded.
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 2: And another is that silver Tip has no friends, nor
• 1:23:04
  Speaker 2: the owls either. They only work for him because of
• 1:23:08
  Speaker 2: what he gives them, and they have to hire their
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 2: own helpers. Now all the woods know how you help
• 1:23:15
  Speaker 2: anyone who's in trouble, and Tommy Peel has quite a
• 1:23:19
  Speaker 2: few friends. I can't see whether this warning is for
• 1:23:23
  Speaker 2: you or for Tommy. Temmy, of course, Watch the Dog
• 1:23:28
  Speaker 2: says he's the cleverest boy in all the world and
• 1:23:32
  Speaker 2: watches his dog, so he ought to know about him.
• 1:23:35
  Speaker 2: Said Nibble, promptly. Humm, laughed doctor Muskrat into his whiskers.
• 1:23:40
  Speaker 2: Well for a rabbit, you know a thing or till.
• 1:23:44
  Speaker 2: What cheers me up is this the stars never warn
• 1:23:48
  Speaker 2: about something that's surely going to happen. They warn so
• 1:23:52
  Speaker 2: you can be careful and escape your enemies. Now, I'll
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 2: set every bird who drinks here at the pool to
• 1:23:59
  Speaker 2: keep watching foul thing. And I'm going over to the
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 2: stump right now to send out word to all the
• 1:24:05
  Speaker 2: field mice. And I'll go back to the brush file,
• 1:24:09
  Speaker 2: said Nibble, and listen to the bad little owls when
• 1:24:13
  Speaker 2: they come to their hole in the morning. Offset the
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 2: rabbits lippity lippity, scudding under the brush and over the
• 1:24:20
  Speaker 2: shadows and through the grasses until he snuggled down in
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 2: a nice little pocket where only a mouse could have
• 1:24:27
  Speaker 2: found him. And about dawn he heard the screech owls.
• 1:24:31
  Speaker 2: It's all fixed, said the heat owl. I found foul fang,
• 1:24:35
  Speaker 2: and he knew where silver Tip was because he'd already
• 1:24:39
  Speaker 2: smelled him. Snakes say they smell anyone instead of seeing him.
• 1:24:43
  Speaker 2: And when I squawked the signal, he'll rattle, and silver
• 1:24:47
  Speaker 2: Tip will hear it and run. I didn't find silver
• 1:24:50
  Speaker 2: Tip because he stayed out hunting too long, fine, said
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 2: his wife. And Tommy's gun is all ready to start
• 1:24:58
  Speaker 2: in the morning.
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: And of chapter e eleven of The Sins of Silvertip
• 1:25:11
  Speaker 1: the Fox. This is a liprivox recording. All liprivox recordings
• 1:25:18
  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
• 1:25:24
  Speaker 1: please visit liprivox dot org. The Sins of Silvertip the
• 1:25:31
  Speaker 1: Fox by John Breck Why the Little Owl's Plans went wrong.
• 1:25:40
  Speaker 1: Tommy Peeal got up early, very early on Saturday morning
• 1:25:47
  Speaker 1: and took care of his cows, for this was the
• 1:25:51
  Speaker 1: day he was to hunt Silvertip the Fox with a gun.
• 1:25:57
  Speaker 1: His big cousin, Sandy Head, come with his hound trailer.
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 1: Sandy was to do the shooting and Watch took trailer
• 1:26:08
  Speaker 1: into a quiet corner and remarked, I don't want to
• 1:26:13
  Speaker 1: be unpleasant, but it's a fox, not a rabbit for
• 1:26:19
  Speaker 1: going to kill. And if you so much as yelp
• 1:26:23
  Speaker 1: and another thing, I'll tear the hide right off you.
• 1:26:28
  Speaker 1: And Taylor opened his big brown eyes and promised to
• 1:26:34
  Speaker 1: be very careful. All the woods and fields were ready too,
• 1:26:41
  Speaker 1: for the fox killed a great many things besides Tommy's chickens.
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 1: Everyone hoped Tommy would kill him, everyone but little mister
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: and missus Screech, Owl and foul Fang the rabbit snake,
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 1: who was hiding that very minute in the leaves in
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: front of the fox's log. Nibble wanted to warn Watch,
• 1:27:11
  Speaker 1: but when he saw Trailer sniffing along beside him, he
• 1:27:17
  Speaker 1: didn't dare so off he set toward the woods and
• 1:27:24
  Speaker 1: Watch and Trailer followed him. Pretty soon, Trailer said, I
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 1: thought you weren't chasing rabbits. 'm not, growled, Watch. He's
• 1:27:39
  Speaker 1: showing us where the fox is hidden. And maybe that
• 1:27:44
  Speaker 1: didn't set Trailer wondering. Just then, those bad little owls
• 1:27:52
  Speaker 1: stumbled past, bumping against the twigs, for they fly badly
• 1:27:59
  Speaker 1: in the daytime, but they never reached foul Fang or Shake.
• 1:28:05
  Speaker 1: The jay, who was another of Tommy's friends, was lying
• 1:28:11
  Speaker 1: in wait for them. He had his whole family to
• 1:28:18
  Speaker 1: help him and what they did to those bad little owls. Meantime,
• 1:28:25
  Speaker 1: Nibble was going slowly and carefully on the lookout for
• 1:28:31
  Speaker 1: foul Fang. Stop, shrieked Chewy the chickadee from a branch
• 1:28:37
  Speaker 1: above him. Foul fangs right in front of you. I
• 1:28:42
  Speaker 1: saw him move a minute ago, but I can't see
• 1:28:46
  Speaker 1: him until he moves again. Nibble frows in his tracks.
• 1:28:52
  Speaker 1: Foul Fang was ahead, that strange dog was behind him,
• 1:28:58
  Speaker 1: but he knew he must and let anyone pass him.
• 1:29:02
  Speaker 1: He waited until the dogs were very close. Then he
• 1:29:07
  Speaker 1: darted past them, right to Tommy's feet, calling foul Fang.
• 1:29:13
  Speaker 1: Foul Fang, wait, barked, watched the trailer. Something's wrong, and
• 1:29:21
  Speaker 1: he ran and caught Tommy by the coat to stop him,
• 1:29:26
  Speaker 1: and of course trailer and Tommy's cousin Sandy stopped too.
• 1:29:32
  Speaker 1: What's up, demanded Sandy. I don't know, said Tommy. But
• 1:29:38
  Speaker 1: there's my chickadee and here's my rabbit. Something's frightening them.
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 2: There there look.
• 1:29:46
  Speaker 1: Squeaked Chewy dancing about on his twig like a crazy bird.
• 1:29:52
  Speaker 1: Foul Fang raised his ugly head to sniff at them.
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: Then he wound into his striking coils began foul Fang's
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 1: rattle bang bang, went Sandy's gun. A snake. No wonder
• 1:30:14
  Speaker 1: they were frightened, exclaimed Sandy. Lucky that rabbit saw him.
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 1: Wow wow wow, bade trailer for silver tip bolted out
• 1:30:26
  Speaker 1: of his log and began to run. Bang bang went
• 1:30:31
  Speaker 1: the gun, and that did scare Nibble. It sent him
• 1:30:36
  Speaker 1: flying through the woods straight for Doctor Muskrat's pool. The
• 1:30:42
  Speaker 1: old doctor was out on his flat stone, but he
• 1:30:47
  Speaker 1: wasn't asleep. He was sitting straight up with his round
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 1: ears pricked and his whiskers stiffened, listening. Kaflick, cafflick. Came
• 1:30:59
  Speaker 1: a long, long bounces of nibble rabbit, chick a rag
• 1:31:06
  Speaker 1: out the joyful sound of Chewy. Just a little way
• 1:31:10
  Speaker 1: behind him came the far away squeak of a field mouse.
• 1:31:16
  Speaker 1: We ah echoed one nearer hand for a drummed a
• 1:31:21
  Speaker 1: partridge in A metal lark, who was drinking remarked, that's
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 1: a death beat, but he isn't muffling. It sounds as
• 1:31:30
  Speaker 1: though he were mighty glad about it. A flick thump,
• 1:31:35
  Speaker 1: nibble rabbit landed beside the doctor, I warned, Tommy was
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 1: all he had breath to gasp. But here came Chewy,
• 1:31:46
  Speaker 1: his wings wearing like a hummingbird's, his eyes popping like
• 1:31:52
  Speaker 1: a crawfishes, as though they had stalks to stand on.
• 1:31:57
  Speaker 1: He screeched, you want to see what called Jake, who
• 1:32:04
  Speaker 1: was hurrying by to find out what all the noise meant,
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: and he circled back to listen. Ow fang squeaked Jewey,
• 1:32:13
  Speaker 1: turning somersaults on a bulrush. He's in three pieces, and
• 1:32:19
  Speaker 1: his tail is cut off, and his wicked scales are
• 1:32:23
  Speaker 1: squirming in the sun. Yay, squawked Jake, dancing on his wings.
• 1:32:30
  Speaker 1: And those bad little owls are hiding in the brush pile. Almah,
• 1:32:35
  Speaker 1: muzzed up from climbing in after them. But my relatives
• 1:32:39
  Speaker 1: and I have picked them most as clean as the
• 1:32:42
  Speaker 1: mice picked nibbles with chuck. I'm going back to sheut
• 1:32:46
  Speaker 1: the news at them. Yay and off beef blew. What
• 1:32:52
  Speaker 1: did it? Gasped Nibble, you silly rabbit, chuckled Doctor Muskrat.
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 1: That fang was a gun. Oh, and Nibble sat up
• 1:33:04
  Speaker 1: to think. The partridge did say man could make more
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 1: noise than a summer storm. He certainly can, why, Nibble,
• 1:33:16
  Speaker 1: teased the Doctor Muskrat, his shiny little eyes twinkling. Didn't
• 1:33:21
  Speaker 1: you ever hear a gun? Every other creature in all
• 1:33:25
  Speaker 1: the woods and fields has been waiting for that noise
• 1:33:30
  Speaker 1: to celebrate the death of silver tipped the fox. That
• 1:33:35
  Speaker 1: was what Tommy Peal brought out here to kill him?
• 1:33:40
  Speaker 1: Did it? Demanded nibble rabbit. He knew that it pretty
• 1:33:45
  Speaker 1: nearly stunned one small and scary rabbit. He could tell about, not.
• 1:33:52
  Speaker 2: If it bit balfang in three pieces.
• 1:33:56
  Speaker 1: Answered the wise old doctor.
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 2: That two bites, one for each noise.
• 1:34:04
  Speaker 1: Silver Tip isn't bitten yet, shot was what he meant.
• 1:34:10
  Speaker 1: But the woods folk don't use that word. How do
• 1:34:15
  Speaker 1: you know he isn't bitten? Squealed Jewy the chickadee. He
• 1:34:21
  Speaker 1: was twirling and tumbling about the bulrushes because he was
• 1:34:26
  Speaker 1: too happy and excited to keep still. He jumped right
• 1:34:31
  Speaker 1: out under the nose of trailer that hound Tommy Pale
• 1:34:36
  Speaker 1: brought to help his own dog. Watch and the last
• 1:34:40
  Speaker 1: I saw he was just about two steps ahead of
• 1:34:45
  Speaker 1: trailer's jaws, sh warned Doctor Muskrat, and he cocked his ears.
• 1:34:53
  Speaker 1: Far far away, they could hear trailer calling where where?
• 1:35:00
  Speaker 1: And Watch answered, isn't this fox? And Tommy Peel's cousin
• 1:35:07
  Speaker 1: was shouting high out trailer, find him, you see, said
• 1:35:13
  Speaker 1: the doctor. Silver tips saved his skin this time, but
• 1:35:19
  Speaker 1: we'll find him again. He was right late in the afternoon,
• 1:35:27
  Speaker 1: Tommy came trudging along with his head down, too unhappy
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: to listen to the thank you. The meadow larks were singing,
• 1:35:39
  Speaker 1: and the one jewy brought from the partridge for every
• 1:35:44
  Speaker 1: creature that lived or nested on the ground was more
• 1:35:50
  Speaker 1: than grateful to be rid of pal fang. Tommy's big cousin, Sandy,
• 1:35:58
  Speaker 1: was carrying his gun, and his dog trailer was so
• 1:36:03
  Speaker 1: tired he could scarcely crawl. Watch was tired and sheepish. Besides,
• 1:36:11
  Speaker 1: he came down for a drink and whispered, see where
• 1:36:17
  Speaker 1: silvertip sleeps. We'll be out again tomorrow. I wonder how
• 1:36:24
  Speaker 1: he got away, said Nibble, stamping impatiently. He'd come from
• 1:36:30
  Speaker 1: eating a dandelion head in the quail's thicket to see
• 1:36:34
  Speaker 1: what Watch had to say. I can tell you. Came
• 1:36:40
  Speaker 1: the soft whisper of the Whipperwill, who had skimmed the
• 1:36:45
  Speaker 1: drink as he flew across the pond, leaving a wake
• 1:36:49
  Speaker 1: of tiny quiet ripples. There's still deep water in the ditches.
• 1:36:56
  Speaker 1: Silver Tips splashed along in it to hide his trail,
• 1:37:01
  Speaker 1: and then sneaked into the calvert where it runs under
• 1:37:05
  Speaker 1: the woods Road. The frogs said. He almost drowned, but
• 1:37:11
  Speaker 1: he shivered in there with only his nose out until
• 1:37:16
  Speaker 1: trailer circled past. Then he ran back in the ditch
• 1:37:21
  Speaker 1: on the other side and jumped over to a tree
• 1:37:24
  Speaker 1: that was broken off by the terrible storm. He climbed
• 1:37:29
  Speaker 1: up the limbs to the broken stump. It's a good
• 1:37:34
  Speaker 1: ten wing beats above the ground and curled up in
• 1:37:38
  Speaker 1: a wood duck's nest, and he ate every egg she'd
• 1:37:44
  Speaker 1: laid two. Now he's coming this way, my stars, Nipple
• 1:37:51
  Speaker 1: exclaimed the doctor.
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 2: You can't sleep here, worn watch and hide somewhere up
• 1:37:59
  Speaker 2: near the barn.
• 1:38:01
  Speaker 1: So off Nibble ran and of chapter eleven.
• 1:38:13
  Speaker 5: Chapter twelve of The Sins of Silvertip the Fox. This
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 5: is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
• 1:38:22
  Speaker 5: public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
• 1:38:26
  Speaker 5: LibriVox dot org. The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by
• 1:38:31
  Speaker 5: John Breck How long ears heard bad news the minute
• 1:38:40
  Speaker 5: the Whipperwill said that Silvertip the Fox was coming right
• 1:38:43
  Speaker 5: back into the very woods. Tommy Peel and his cousin
• 1:38:46
  Speaker 5: Sandy and the dogs had just driven him out of
• 1:38:49
  Speaker 5: They knew He did it for just one reason. He
• 1:38:52
  Speaker 5: was bound to catch nibble, so that was no place
• 1:38:56
  Speaker 5: for a sensible bunny. It was really pretty scary, but
• 1:39:00
  Speaker 5: you know, Nibble, he can't stay frightened because he's so
• 1:39:04
  Speaker 5: terribly curious. Before ever, he hunted himself a safe place
• 1:39:09
  Speaker 5: to sleep in, he had to sneak into the brush
• 1:39:12
  Speaker 5: pile and listen to the bad little owls. They were
• 1:39:15
  Speaker 5: just creeping out from beneath it, where they had hidden
• 1:39:18
  Speaker 5: away from Chake Jay and his family. Are you all right,
• 1:39:23
  Speaker 5: asked mister owl. I feel better since I slept, but
• 1:39:27
  Speaker 5: those jays gave us a terrible mauling. My poor wings,
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 5: mourned his wife. I am ashamed to be seen in them.
• 1:39:36
  Speaker 5: What's a lot worse. We'll have hardly a thing to
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 5: fly with until our fall feathers come in, he complained.
• 1:39:43
  Speaker 5: My wings aren't very bad, but I'll never be able
• 1:39:47
  Speaker 5: to steer until my tail grows. I'm going to watch
• 1:39:51
  Speaker 5: Chake's nest, scolded the lady owl, and let missus Hooter
• 1:39:54
  Speaker 5: drag his wife out by the claws as soon as
• 1:39:57
  Speaker 5: ever she gets back here. Her owlets are out already,
• 1:40:02
  Speaker 5: so it won't be long and I'll smash every one
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 5: of Chake's eggs with my very own beak. See if
• 1:40:09
  Speaker 5: I don't missus, Owl was still nearly crying over her
• 1:40:13
  Speaker 5: ruffled feathers. No, you won't snap her husband. The husband,
• 1:40:17
  Speaker 5: you know, is always the timid one of an owl family.
• 1:40:21
  Speaker 5: We'd have Tommy Peel shooting us next. What do you
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 5: think made Jake take after us? A he was helping Tommy.
• 1:40:29
  Speaker 5: That boy wouldn't have a chance of finding that clever
• 1:40:32
  Speaker 5: fox if half the woodsfolk weren't helping him. It's a
• 1:40:36
  Speaker 5: bad thing to have any man so friendly with them.
• 1:40:40
  Speaker 5: Of course it was for a bad bird like the owl,
• 1:40:43
  Speaker 5: or a bad beast like Silvertip. It certainly is.
• 1:40:46
  Speaker 1: She agreed.
• 1:40:47
  Speaker 5: Tommy would be hunting them all just as hard as
• 1:40:51
  Speaker 5: we do if it weren't for that rabbit. It's all
• 1:40:54
  Speaker 5: his fault. We've got to get rid of him. Let's
• 1:40:58
  Speaker 5: tell Silvertip about the flat stone where he thumps for
• 1:41:01
  Speaker 5: doctor Muskrat. Let's find his hole, said her husband. Every
• 1:41:06
  Speaker 5: mouse in the woods and fields knows about it. They
• 1:41:10
  Speaker 5: went there this spring for woodchuck, for to make a
• 1:41:13
  Speaker 5: charm against us owls. I'll show them if it can
• 1:41:16
  Speaker 5: keep me from catching one. Then we'll offer to let
• 1:41:19
  Speaker 5: him go if he tells us yes. She agreed, and
• 1:41:23
  Speaker 5: then we can eat him afterward so he won't run
• 1:41:26
  Speaker 5: and warn that rabbit. Thank you so much for all
• 1:41:30
  Speaker 5: this information, said Nibble to himself. If silver Tip stays
• 1:41:34
  Speaker 5: in the woods tonight, I can sleep very comfortably in
• 1:41:37
  Speaker 5: the haystack. Nibble slept in the haystack that night, but
• 1:41:41
  Speaker 5: he didn't sleep any too well because the news of
• 1:41:44
  Speaker 5: foul Fang's death had traveled way up to the barn
• 1:41:48
  Speaker 5: and the mice were celebrating. Besides, he had to sleep
• 1:41:52
  Speaker 5: with one ear up listening for Watch. He heard the
• 1:41:57
  Speaker 5: old dog padding past early in the morning before even
• 1:42:00
  Speaker 5: the birds were awake, and thumped to call him. In
• 1:42:04
  Speaker 5: another minute, Watch and Trailer the hound who was with
• 1:42:07
  Speaker 5: him were sniffing at the door of OPHI the rat's
• 1:42:10
  Speaker 5: old tunnel under the hay what's on your mind? The
• 1:42:13
  Speaker 5: big dog whinds softly. Trailer won't chase you. I know
• 1:42:18
  Speaker 5: he won't, Nibble chuckled. I'm not going to run for him.
• 1:42:21
  Speaker 5: I'm going to stay snuggled up in here until I
• 1:42:25
  Speaker 5: hear him busy after Silvertip there, said Watch proudly. Trailer.
• 1:42:30
  Speaker 5: I told you Nibble would find him, but I don't
• 1:42:33
  Speaker 5: see how we lost him. Trailer insisted. He simply disappeared
• 1:42:37
  Speaker 5: in the middle of a hot trail. I never lifted
• 1:42:40
  Speaker 5: my nose from it, the whipperwheel said. He took to
• 1:42:43
  Speaker 5: water and then climbed up into the wood duck's nest
• 1:42:47
  Speaker 5: in the top of that fallen tree, said Nibble, but
• 1:42:50
  Speaker 5: why didn't the gun catch him? That's what I want
• 1:42:53
  Speaker 5: to know. The gun's a stupid thing, Trailer explained. It
• 1:42:57
  Speaker 5: bangs twice and then it has to be fed again
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 5: before it will do anymore. He knew it was no
• 1:43:04
  Speaker 5: use to tell Nibble about putting fresh shells into a
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 5: double barreled shotgun, because even Watch, who was a very
• 1:43:11
  Speaker 5: wise dog, didn't understand. My man Sandy was so excited
• 1:43:17
  Speaker 5: over shooting the snake that he forgot to feed it.
• 1:43:21
  Speaker 5: He didn't hear me bark until Silvertip and I were
• 1:43:24
  Speaker 5: out of sight in the brush, and Silvertip was gone
• 1:43:28
  Speaker 5: before he found me again. That gun has to use
• 1:43:31
  Speaker 5: his eyes to see with and his legs to run with,
• 1:43:35
  Speaker 5: and no man's fast enough to chase a fox. That's
• 1:43:39
  Speaker 5: why Watch and I think we can get him just
• 1:43:42
  Speaker 5: as easily if we go out alone. Yes, and I
• 1:43:46
  Speaker 5: don't like taking Tommy Peel to meet strange snakes and
• 1:43:50
  Speaker 5: strange woods, said, watch. It worries me, so I can't
• 1:43:54
  Speaker 5: keep my mind on what I'm doing. Of course, Nibble agreed. Well,
• 1:43:59
  Speaker 5: last night I overheard the little screech owls in the
• 1:44:02
  Speaker 5: brush pile. My patty paws are good for more than
• 1:44:05
  Speaker 5: to scrub my ears with. I can tell you they're
• 1:44:08
  Speaker 5: so quiet. Even the owls didn't hear them. And they
• 1:44:11
  Speaker 5: said they were going to tell Silvertip to watch the
• 1:44:14
  Speaker 5: flatstone where I thump for doctor Muskrat or my hole.
• 1:44:19
  Speaker 5: He'll be one place or the other. And please tell
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 5: doctor Muskrat I'll go around to the far side of
• 1:44:26
  Speaker 5: the pool to meet him, all right, promised, Watch and
• 1:44:30
  Speaker 5: off went the dogs with their tails wagging. I'll tell
• 1:44:34
  Speaker 5: you what growd trailer. That rabbit is a great help
• 1:44:37
  Speaker 5: to hunt with. End of chapter twelve, Chapter thirteen of
• 1:44:50
  Speaker 5: The Sins of Silver Tip the Fox. This is a
• 1:44:54
  Speaker 5: LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 1:44:58
  Speaker 5: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot
• 1:45:03
  Speaker 5: Org The Sins of Silvertip the Fox by John Breck
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 5: How the great Hunt ended. Nibble Rabbit cuddled down comfortably
• 1:45:16
  Speaker 5: in the bottom of the haystack. Pretty soon he heard
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 5: trailer bark, Oh here, watch quick catch him. They didn't
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 5: get him that time, either, thought Nibble, as trailer's voice
• 1:45:28
  Speaker 5: settled down to the hunting call. But I guess Silvertip's
• 1:45:32
  Speaker 5: too busy to hurt me, and I must tell Doctor
• 1:45:35
  Speaker 5: Muskrat to keep away from that flat stone. So off
• 1:45:39
  Speaker 5: he went to the woods as fast as ever his
• 1:45:42
  Speaker 5: paddy feet would carry him. But he didn't go straight
• 1:45:46
  Speaker 5: to Dr Muskrat's pool. He ran around the lower end
• 1:45:49
  Speaker 5: of the prickly ash thicket where his hole was, and
• 1:45:52
  Speaker 5: jumped across the brook. Then he came up on the
• 1:45:56
  Speaker 5: far side of the pool and hid in a clump
• 1:45:58
  Speaker 5: of willows. Deep in the woods. He could hear trailer
• 1:46:02
  Speaker 5: still baying. Everything else was very still. He thumped softly,
• 1:46:09
  Speaker 5: Is that you Nibble? Came the startled voice of the
• 1:46:12
  Speaker 5: old doctor. Watch set me over here, and I fell asleep.
• 1:46:16
  Speaker 5: We sat up all night watching Silvertip whipperwill and I
• 1:46:21
  Speaker 5: he slept curled up on that rotten log just behind
• 1:46:24
  Speaker 5: your hole. Then the little owls did find a field mouse,
• 1:46:28
  Speaker 5: said Nibble. They said they'd make one show it to
• 1:46:31
  Speaker 5: them and then eat him, just so he couldn't tell me. Well,
• 1:46:36
  Speaker 5: that's just what they tried to do. And the doctor's
• 1:46:38
  Speaker 5: eyes twinkled. But he managed to wriggle away when he
• 1:46:42
  Speaker 5: got there and pop right into it. And he dug
• 1:46:46
  Speaker 5: along the big root that runs up into the mouse tunnels,
• 1:46:50
  Speaker 5: and was down here for me to put a moss
• 1:46:52
  Speaker 5: seed poultice on his claw wounds while they were still
• 1:46:55
  Speaker 5: watching your doorway. A doctor knows pretty much everything that
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 5: goes on, I can tell you. And Silvertip asked, Nibble, Oh,
• 1:47:05
  Speaker 5: that hound all but caught him. The doctor explained. He
• 1:47:08
  Speaker 5: came sneaking out when Watch called me, and he was
• 1:47:12
  Speaker 5: so busy trying to hear what one dog had to
• 1:47:15
  Speaker 5: say that he forgot all about the other. He squeaked
• 1:47:18
  Speaker 5: like a frightened mouse. How exciting. Nibble flicked his tufty
• 1:47:23
  Speaker 5: little tail at the thought of it. I had Watch
• 1:47:26
  Speaker 5: tell you not to go back to that flat stone,
• 1:47:28
  Speaker 5: because the little owls know about it. Those bad little
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 5: birds will do anything to help Silvertip, they bargained, with
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 5: foul fang the rattlesnake, and they bargained with the grandson
• 1:47:41
  Speaker 5: of Ofie the rat. They might bargain with slife with
• 1:47:45
  Speaker 5: the mink. To watch it. There's someone watching at this
• 1:47:48
  Speaker 5: very minute that the little owls didn't bargain with, answered
• 1:47:51
  Speaker 5: Doctor Muskrat. It's Grandpop, snapping turtle. He moves just a
• 1:47:57
  Speaker 5: little closer every day and then settles down in the
• 1:48:00
  Speaker 5: mud so exactly like a stone himself that even I
• 1:48:04
  Speaker 5: can hardly tell the difference. He's very polite, but we'll
• 1:48:08
  Speaker 5: keep a safe distance away from him. What's that for?
• 1:48:12
  Speaker 5: A shadow was floating over the old doctor's pool. Nibble
• 1:48:16
  Speaker 5: and Doctor Muskrat crouched very low among the willow stems
• 1:48:21
  Speaker 5: as it sailed silently above them. It was just daybreak,
• 1:48:25
  Speaker 5: when mice scuttled down to drink, and crayfish are stiff
• 1:48:28
  Speaker 5: with the knight's chill, the best hunting time of the
• 1:48:32
  Speaker 5: day for the marshawk. The woods were very still. They
• 1:48:36
  Speaker 5: couldn't hear even the distant barking of the dogs. Pretty soon,
• 1:48:41
  Speaker 5: Nibble put up his head. It's the whipper will he whispered,
• 1:48:45
  Speaker 5: flashing a signal to the bird. He's got news of Silvertip.
• 1:48:49
  Speaker 5: Do you suppose they've caught him? He was so excited
• 1:48:53
  Speaker 5: that he squirmed inside his furry skin. Will no in
• 1:48:57
  Speaker 5: a minute, said Doctor Muskrat as the whipper Will dropped
• 1:49:01
  Speaker 5: quietly to the ground, but he fluttered in surprise when
• 1:49:04
  Speaker 5: he saw the doctor great beetles. He exclaimed, I just
• 1:49:08
  Speaker 5: saw your nose poking out of the water by the
• 1:49:10
  Speaker 5: flat stone, not his, said Nibble. We can't go there
• 1:49:14
  Speaker 5: because the bad little owls who help Silvertip are watching it. Yes,
• 1:49:19
  Speaker 5: put in the doctor, and so is Grandpop snapping turtle,
• 1:49:22
  Speaker 5: who helps himself. Oh, said the whipper Will. I thought
• 1:49:27
  Speaker 5: it was you hiding from the little owls there in
• 1:49:30
  Speaker 5: the quail sticket, and Silvertip, asked Nibble. Silvertip's too clever
• 1:49:35
  Speaker 5: for those dogs. He's got away, said the whipper Will sadly.
• 1:49:38
  Speaker 5: I know just how you feel. It's awful to know
• 1:49:41
  Speaker 5: he's always after you. But you did me a good
• 1:49:45
  Speaker 5: turn when you found that rattlesnake and showed it to
• 1:49:47
  Speaker 5: Tommy Peel, and Tommy did me a good turn when
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 5: he shot it. I'll help you all I can. Only
• 1:49:54
  Speaker 5: when a fox is smart enough to run along the
• 1:49:57
  Speaker 5: top of a fence to hide its trail. What dog
• 1:49:59
  Speaker 5: will ever catch him? There's just one thing, sure, said
• 1:50:03
  Speaker 5: doctor Muskrat. He'll catch himself with his own cleverness one
• 1:50:07
  Speaker 5: of these days. Listen breathed a whipperweel. He's come back
• 1:50:12
  Speaker 5: to the brook on his own trail. Now he's walking
• 1:50:15
  Speaker 5: in the water to hide his footsteps while he crosses
• 1:50:19
  Speaker 5: to the quail's thicket to see if the little owls
• 1:50:21
  Speaker 5: have found nibble. Isn't that smart? Ksplash ksplish, kasplisch, kasplise
• 1:50:28
  Speaker 5: with the cautious feet of the fox. He was waiting
• 1:50:32
  Speaker 5: up the other side of the pond, nearer and nearer
• 1:50:35
  Speaker 5: to the flat stone. Kus splish, he was right beside it.
• 1:50:39
  Speaker 5: Cus splish, Yeah, he screamed. A trap er, whoa whoa lego, lego,
• 1:50:46
  Speaker 5: he snarled, biting the thing that gripped his leg. Then, slowly, surely,
• 1:50:51
  Speaker 5: they saw him dragged deeper and deeper into the pool. Oh, gasp, nibble.
• 1:50:58
  Speaker 5: How awful that was? Grandpop snapping turtle lip lip sang
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 5: the ripples against the shore. They broken rings around the
• 1:51:10
  Speaker 5: poor fox's nose as it disappeared. They traveled clear across
• 1:51:15
  Speaker 5: to the farthest shore, where Nibble Rabbit and Doctor Muskrat
• 1:51:19
  Speaker 5: were crouching in the willows, and they whispered, silver tips gone,
• 1:51:25
  Speaker 5: poor Silvertip, gasped Nibble. I wouldn't have minded a bit
• 1:51:29
  Speaker 5: if the dogs had caught him, but to be drowned. Ugh,
• 1:51:33
  Speaker 5: And he shivered. That's all in the way you look
• 1:51:36
  Speaker 5: at it, answered the doctor. You're used to the idea
• 1:51:39
  Speaker 5: of having something run you down and kill you, but
• 1:51:42
  Speaker 5: we muskrats are quite used to the idea of being
• 1:51:46
  Speaker 5: eaten by snapping turtles. If I'm not clever enough to
• 1:51:49
  Speaker 5: get away, it doesn't matter to me which gets me
• 1:51:52
  Speaker 5: in the end. But he's terribly dangerous, Nibble insisted, I
• 1:51:57
  Speaker 5: should think you'd be afraid to dive into the same
• 1:52:00
  Speaker 5: pond with him. We must catch him. We can get
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 5: Tommy to help us. There's no need of that, argued
• 1:52:06
  Speaker 5: the wise old beast. Calmly. I've grown up in this pond,
• 1:52:10
  Speaker 5: and grandpop snapping turtle has been paddling around in it
• 1:52:13
  Speaker 5: every summer since I was born. He has never troubled me,
• 1:52:17
  Speaker 5: because so far I'm smarter than he is. When I
• 1:52:20
  Speaker 5: get old and stupid, perhaps he will. But then why
• 1:52:24
  Speaker 5: should there be anything to catch us, persisted Nibble. Why
• 1:52:28
  Speaker 5: can't we make a compact with them like the cows
• 1:52:31
  Speaker 5: made with the dogs, Or why can't we make a
• 1:52:34
  Speaker 5: compact with man to help us kill them? Then it
• 1:52:37
  Speaker 5: would be like Mother Nature meant to have it in
• 1:52:40
  Speaker 5: the first off. Beginning you forget that they both were
• 1:52:43
  Speaker 5: Mother Nature's own children to start with. Even she can't
• 1:52:47
  Speaker 5: make a compact with the things that come from under
• 1:52:49
  Speaker 5: the earth, like grandpop, and those are the worst enemies
• 1:52:53
  Speaker 5: we have. Besides, I think even Mother Nature has changed
• 1:52:57
  Speaker 5: her mind about that first planned. Now she is growing
• 1:53:00
  Speaker 5: something she never thought of. What's that, asked Nibble, trying
• 1:53:04
  Speaker 5: hard to guess brains. We're learning to think you're safe
• 1:53:09
  Speaker 5: enough if you know all your enemy knows, and then
• 1:53:13
  Speaker 5: think for yourself. Besides, it's only when he's cleverer than
• 1:53:17
  Speaker 5: you are that he can catch you. If we had
• 1:53:20
  Speaker 5: no enemies, we'd still be as stupid as plants. No stupider,
• 1:53:25
  Speaker 5: because they had to learn to take care of themselves too,
• 1:53:30
  Speaker 5: I see, said Nibble slowly. Silver Tip was safe on
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 5: land because he was smarter than anyone else. He got
• 1:53:39
  Speaker 5: caught when he took to the water because Grandpop Snapping
• 1:53:43
  Speaker 5: Turtle knew more about that than he did. Exactly, agreed
• 1:53:49
  Speaker 5: Doctor Muskrat. It was perfectly fair. Look at man, he
• 1:53:54
  Speaker 5: had the most enemies and the least helpful mother nature.
• 1:53:59
  Speaker 5: Now no one can hurt him but himself. He still
• 1:54:02
  Speaker 5: has that much to learn, but he's wiser and safer
• 1:54:06
  Speaker 5: than anyone else in the world, and his enemies taught
• 1:54:10
  Speaker 5: him the end end of chapter thirteen, end of The
• 1:54:22
  Speaker 5: Sins of Silver, Tip the Fox by John Breck