Courtesy Black Fox Magazine“Blackie instantly stopped”
RED BEN
the fox of Oak Ridge
by
Joseph Wharton Lippincott
Author of BUN—a wild rabbit
Illustrations by the author
THE PENN PUBLISHING
COMPANY PHILADELPHIA
1919
COPYRIGHT
1919 BY
THE PENN
PUBLISHING
COMPANY
RED BEN—THE FOX OF OAK RIDGE
To
a true lover of nature
—my father
INTRODUCTION
There is reason for the fox beingtermed the shrewdest of wild creatures.Unlike the deer and other vegetarianswhose dinners often grow under theirnoses, he rarely gets a meal without outwittingother animals. He lacks theclimbing ability of the opossum, thesharp claws of the lynx, the protectiveodor of the skunk, the diving powers ofthe otter—he is indeed just a little wilddog, a wonderfully bright, hardworkinglittle animal whose cunning alone canlead him from his enemies and keepaway the pangs of hunger.
He has been so persistently huntedby man that he is almost untameable;but as far as he dares to be, he is friendlyunder ordinary circumstances and fondof wandering around man’s dwellings.Chicken stealing is charged against him;but after all he holds the same positionin the animal world that the wise oldcrow does among the birds—his gooddeeds and his crimes nearly balance.In “Bun, a Wild Rabbit,” the fox appearedas one of many woods creaturesencountered by that doughty cottontail;but, to do him justice, a separatevolume was required.
Foxes are much more plentiful thangenerally supposed. It is almost safeto say that wherever there are woodsthere are foxes, yet so wonderfullyclever are they that few are seen.Whoever can distinguish their tracksfrom those of other animals is usuallynot disposed to tell of the discovery offox “sign.” The friend of the foxfears the fox’s enemy; the trapper fearsa competitor; and so the wily creatureweaves his trail endlessly about thecountry side, unwatched except by thevery few “who know.”
Imagination must play a part in makingthe story of a wild animal complete,especially that of such an intensely shyand crafty creature as a fox; but nothingis included here which does not fallwithin the actual powers of the swiftand wily red fox of today. Indeedthere are numbers of them very muchlike Red Ben. Parts of his story arewritten in the snows of many woodlandsbesides Oak Ridge, and adventuressuch as his are still happening inthe quiet of moonlit nights.
As fast as man thinks out newmethods of destruction, the fox findsfresh tricks through which to escape.And may he ever escape! For whenthe edge