The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-11-11
= Little Stories for Bedtime
FARMER BROWNS BOY GROWS
CURIOUS.
by OIGN W. BURGESS.
Copyright. 1913. By J. g. Lloyd.)

Now. it happened that the very day
before Paddy the Beaver decided that
| his pond was big enough and SO al
lowed the water to run in. the Laugh
ing Brook once more, Farmer Browns
boy tool it into his head to go fishing
he vent whistling down across the
Green Meadows. Somehow when he
goes fishing he always feels like
whistling. Grandfather Frog heard
him coming dived into the little
hit Of water remaining In the Smiling
Pool and stirred up the mud at the
bottom SO that Farmer Browns hoy
shouldn't see him.
Nearer and nearer drew the whistle.
Suddenly. it. stopped right short off.
Farmer Browns boy had come in
sight of the Smiling Pool. or rather.
what used to be the Smiling Pool.
Now. there wasn't any Smiling Pool.
for the Very little pool left was too
small and sickly looking to smile.
There We're great hanks Of mud out
of which grew the bulrushes: The
toward the tiny pool of water re-
n1aining. Where the banks we're steep
and high the holes that Jerry Musk
rat and Billy Mink knew so we'll were
plain to see. v at one side stood
Jerry Muskrat's house wholly out of
water.
Somehow it seemed to Farmer
Crowns boy that he must he dream
ing. He never, had seer IN
very driest weather of the hottest
part of the summer. lie looked this
way and looked that way: The Green
| Meadows looked Just as usual. Thu
Green Forest looked Just as usual.
The Laughing B%rook--ha. What was
the matter with the Laughing Brook?
He couldn't hear it and. that. o
know. was very unusual. He dropped
his rod and ran over to the Laughing
Brook. There wasn't any brook! No,
sir, there wasn't any .brook-just
pools Of water with the tiniest OF
streams trickling between. Big stones
| over. which he had always g cn the
, water running in the prettiest OF lit
tie white falls we're bare and dry. In
the little pools frightened minnows
we're darting about.
Farmer Crowns boy scratched his
head in a puzzled way. II don't UNI
derstand it, said he. IT don't under
, stand 1t at all. Something must have
gone wrong With the springs that sup.
ply the water for the Laughing Brook.
They must haze failed. Yes. sir. that
1. Just what must nave happened.
But T.. rever heard of such \ thing
happening >ne1ore ana reallE ucA
see how it could happen" He star
ed up into the Green Forest just as il
he thought he could see those springs,
Of couree. he didn't think anything
Of the kind. He was Just turning it
all over in his mind. IT know what
I'll do! I'll so up TO those springs
this afternoon and find out what the
trouble is." he said out loud. They
are way over almost on the other side
OF the Green Forest. and the easiest
way to set there will lie to start from
home and cut cross the Old Pasture
up to the edge of the mountain behind
the Green Forest. If 7 try to follow
up the Laughing Brook nov it will
take too long because it winds and
twists so. Besides, it is too hard
work.
With that Farmer Browns boy
went back and picked up his rod.
Then he started for home across the
Green Meadows. and for once he
wasn't whistling. You see. he was
too busy thinking. In face. he was
So busy thinking that he didn't. see
Jimmy Skunk until he almost step
ped on him. and then he gave =
frightened jump and van. for without
a gun he was just as much afraid Of
Jimmy as, Jimmy was of him when he
did have q gun. Jimmy Just 'Srinned
and went on about his business. 1t