The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-25
Bed Time Stories
Jimmy skunk Has a Mario.
Escape.
lBy Thornton w. Burgess,

(By Thornton w. Burgess.>
Copyright, 1913. by j. q. Lloyd.>
Whatever shall l do? Whatever
shall l do"" said Jimmy Skunk over
and over to himself as he backed into
this thing and backed into that thing
in Farmer Browns dooryard. oh,
dear. whatever shall do"
You see. Jimmy had put his head
into an empty can and now he couldn't
pull the dreadful can off. and when
he couldn't do tina, he tried to back
out of ii. because he couldn't think Of
ANYTHING else to do. OF course. he
took the can right along with him.
The fact is. Jimmy Skunk has become
so frightened h a he had lost his wits
altogether. Yes. sir: Jimmy Skunk
think. If he had thought a little he
would have known that backing
around as he was doing was the most
foolish thing he could do. 1t was
bound TO get him into worse trouble.
When fear comes in and wits go out
one seldom knows what ones about.
n SO it vas with Jimmy Skunk.
II any of his friends could have seen
him they would hardly have known
wha to make Of him. You see, Jimmy
Skunk is seldom afraid of anybody or
anything. He used to laugh at Peter
Rabbit for being SO easily frightened,
and once in a while Jimmy had boast
ed that he didn't know what fear was.
But he knew now: Yes. sir, Jimmy
had walked Bowser the Hound and
" was tugging at his chain and
making a terrible noise. Then Jimmy
had added to the noise by upsetting
some milk cans and a lot of fower-
pots and some other things. The
hens had been Weakened in the hem
house. and now they were making a
terrible fuss. Surely all this noise
would bring Farmer Browns hoy to
find Il what it meant. and then Jim
my didn't think any farther than that.
He Just ran backward faster than
ever.
"Oh. dear! II only 1 could get
under something!" moaned Jimmy.
Bow. WOW. WOW, WOW! Bow. WOW
WOW, wow!" roared Bowser the
Cut. cut. cut. cut. Help. Help"
shrieked the frightened hens.
Jimmy heard the back door of
Farmer Browns house open, and Their
he heard footsteps hurrying toward
the henhonse. 1t was Farmer Browns
boy. In n hand he held a gun and
in the other he carried a lantern.
Jimmy Skunk didn't know that. be-
account of the can over his head. But
II he couldn't see he could hear.
"A skunk" exclaimed Farmer
Browns boy. as he saw right away
the shells Of the eggs Jimmy skunk
had sucked early in the evening. "Hc
cannot be very far away; I'll loo},
around a bit"
All thic t;oa T.-. c,-- =,
kept still. but when ne heard those
dreadful footsteps drawing near he
couldn't keep still any longer. and he
began 70 bach more frantically than
ever. OF course, Farmer Browns boy
saw him right away. He put down his
lantern and lifted his gun to shoot.
rhea he y put his gun down again to
funny to see Jimmy Skunk trying to
back out Of something which was fast
to his wv head.
Browns boy. That's a new kind 81
a trap: don't waste a shot on YOU,
Mr.. Skunk, a a club will do
just as Well"
While Farmer Browns boy looked
for a club Jimmy backed around
against the back porch. Then Jimmy
remembered something. There was 4
hole under that porch. the very hole
into which Peter Rabbit had Owed the
9 yabefnre. Jimmy felt along until he
found 1t and then backed in. wow
I'll be safe" thought Jimmy, as nc
squeezed through. Alas. Jimmy had
forgotten the on his head! The
hole wasn't big enough for the can
to go through:
/ In the meantime Farmer Browns
10Y had found a club. He saw Jim
my disappearing under the porch and
pun Jimmy out. Jimmy Skun,,
braced himself under the porch and
pulled and outside Farmer Browns
boy held to the al and pulled. II
seemed to Jimmy as II his head would
pc pulled off. Then suddenly Jimmy
fell over fiat on his back under thr
porch and Farmer Browns boy fell
nat on his back outside. The car
had come off!