Reddy looked about him hurriedly and anxiously . There was n't a sign of anybody about , or that anybody had been there . Reddy 's anger began to give place to wonder and then to something very like fear . How could anybody have taken that fat hen and left no trace ? And how could a fat hen with a broken neck disappear of its own accord ? It gave Reddy a creepy feeling . CHAPTER XL WHERE WAS REDDY 'S DINNER ? Often it is better to look for a new trail than to waste time hunting for an old one . Bowser the Hound . Reddy Fox is used to all sorts of queer happenings . Yes , Sir , he is used to all sorts of queer happenings , and as a rule Reddy is seldom puzzled for long . You see he is such a clever fellow himself that any one clever enough to fool him for long must be very clever indeed . This time , however , all the cleverness of his sharp wits did him no good . The fat hen he had hidden in a hollow stump had disappeared without leaving trace . Reddy 's first thought was that probably the farmer from whom he had stolen the fat hen had found it and taken it away . At once he began to use that wonderful nose of his searching for the scent of that farmer . Very carefully he sniffed all about the top of that old stump and inside the hollow . There was n't the faintest scent of anybody there . Then he jumped down , and with his nose to the ground , ran all around the stump , sniffing , sniffing , sniffing . The only thing he discovered was the scent of Bowser the Hound , and he knew that Bowser had not taken that fat hen , because , as you remember , Bowser had kept right on chasing him .
XXXXX began to feel afraid of that old stump .
Bowser Fox Reddy Sir first left neck right stump wits