“Quack! qua-a-a-a-ack!” The duck stopped rather suddenly, for the fox caught it by the neck and shut up its mouth for ever. In short, he killed it! Then, picking up the gray goose, which he had let fall, he galloped away again. But the cocks, and the hens, and the ducks, and the geese, and the pigs in the yard, continued to crow, and scream, and yellr and squeal so loudly that the noise at last awaked old Mrs. Slipper-slopper the farmer’s wife, who sat up in bed to listen.

“John! John!” she said, grasping her husband by the head and shaking it.

“Sno-o-o-o-re!” replied John.

“John! I say,” quoth the wife, giving his hair such a pull that he sprang up with a loud roar.

“Eh? what? where! oh, let go! dear me! what is it?” exclaimed John.

“What is it, indeed!” retorted the wife. “There are you, sleeping and snoring like a lazy fellow while there is mischief going on in the yard—listen.”

John turned his ear to the window and listened; but, being overcome with sleep, he only winked like an owl once or twice, and then, closing his eyes, fell back on the pillow.

At this moment all the little pigs gave a squeal that might have been heard two miles off.