The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-01
Bed Time Stories
The Greatest Thing in tile World.
(By Thornton W. Burgess.)

Wy = slSOu w. E5uE80SS.y
tGopyrisht. 1913: by J.. G. 1Aoyd.>.
about his clothes. Yes, sir. he spent
how he looked and wishing that he
had a handsomer coat. For the first
time in all his life he began to envy
Reddy Fox because Of the beautiful
red coat Of which Reddy is so proud.
1t seemed to Johnny that his own
coat was so plain and SO dull that no
one would look at il twice. Besides,
1t was torn now because of the great
tight Johnny had had with an old gray
Chuck Who came down from the Old
Pasture. Johnny smoot1cd It down
and brushed 1t. carefully and tried to
as he knew how.
why Old Mother Nature didn't give
me as handsome q coat as she did
Reddy Fox! And there are Jimmy
Skunk and Happy Jack the Gray
Squirrel and-and--why almost every
one has a handsomer coat than I
have"
Now, this wasn't at all like johnny
Chuck, First he had been discomfort
ed with his. house and had given II to
Jimmy Skunk. Now he was discon-
tented with his clothes. What was
coming over Johnny Chuck: He
.eo'i! "!uh l. n"o" n,n1Seil. at least
knew. hut right down deep in his
heart was a great desire-the desire
to have Polly Chuck admire him. Yes,
sir, that IL what 1t was! And it SEEM
ed to him that she would admire him
a great deal more if he Wore fine
clothes. You see. he hadn't learned
long time ago,. which is that
Fine clothes but catch tho nassfnr
Fine deeds win love from low. and
So Johnny Chuck wished and wish
ed that he had a handsome suit. but
as he didn't and no amount of wish
made the one he did have look as
good as he could and then went i'm
search of Polly Chuck.
Sometimes she would not notice him
at all. Sometimes he would find her
shyly popping at him from behind Il
clump OF grass. Then Johnny Chuck
would try to make himself look very
important and would strut about as
If he really did own the Green Mead
ows. Sometimes she would hide from
him, and when he found her she
would run away. Other times she
would he just as nice to him as she
could he. and they would have a jolly
SsAaS iAusit1l8 vi 6"SSI ClONeI ana QUIZ
er nice things to eat. Then johnny
Chuck's heart would swell until it
seemed to him that 1t would fairly
burst with happiness.
Instead of wanting to drive Polly
Chuck away from the Green Meadows.
as he had the old gray Chuck. Johnny
began to worry for fear that Polly
Chuck might not stay on the Green
Meadows. Whenever he thought of
that his heart would sing way, way
down and he would hurry to look for
there.
When he was beside her he felt very
big and strong. and brave and longed
for a chance to show her how brave
he. was: She was such a tinid little
thing herself that the least little thing
frightened her. and Johnny Chuck
was glad that this was so, for it gave
him a chance to protect her. When
he wasn't with her he spent his time
looking for new patches Of sweet clov-
err to lead her to. At first She wouldn't
go without a grea deal of coaxing.
but after a while he didn't have To
coax her at all. She seemed to de
light to be with,7him as much as he
did to be with her.
So Johnny Chuck grew happier and
happier. He was, happier than he
had ever been in all his life before.
You see. Johnny Chuck had found the
greatest thing in the world. DO you
know What it is: 1t is called love.