BOWSER the Hound lay in Fanner Brown's dooryard dozing¹ in the sun. Bowser was dreaming. Yes, Sir, Bowser was dreaming. Farmer Brown's boy, passing through the yard on his way to the cornfield, laughed.
 
“Sic him, Bowser! Sic him! That's the dog! Don't let him fool you this time,” said he.
 
You see, Bowser was talking in his sleep. He was whining² eagerly, and every once in a while breaking out into excited little yelps³, and so Farmer Brown's boy knew that he was dreaming that he was hunting, that he was on the trail of Reddy Fox or sly old Granny Fox. His eyes were shut, and he didn't; hear what Fanner Brown's boy said. The latter went off laughing, his hoe on his shoulder, for there was work for him down in the cornfield.
 
Bowser kept right on getting more and more excited. It was a splendid hunt he was having there in dreamland. Across the Green Meadows, along the edge of the Green Forest, and up through the Old Pasture he ran, all in his dream, you know, and just ahead of him ran old Granny Fox. Not once was he fooled by her tricks, and she tried every one she knew. For once he was too smart for her, and it made him tingle⁴ all over with delight, for he was sure that this time he would catch her.
 
And then something queer happened. Yes, Sir, it was something very queer indeed. He saw Granny Fox stop just a little way ahead of him. She sat down facing him and began to laugh at him. She laughed and laughed fit to kill herself. It made Bowser very angry. Oh, very angry indeed. No one likes to be laughed at, you know, and to be laughed at by Granny Fox of all people was more than Bowser could stand. He opened his mouth to give a great roar as he sprang at her and then—why,............