Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-10-09
Little Bedtime Stories
THE CUNNING OF OLD MAN
COYOTE. =.
BY Thornton W. Burgess.

10y lNOEuUOu W. BURGESS
| copyright, 1914, by ]. G. Lloyd.)
In n thing Old Man Coyote is very
like Granny and Reddy Fox-he has
no real friends. There are plenty
who think him very smart and in a
way look up to him because Of his
cunning, but he hasn't any real
friends. People who live by their wits
seldom do have. If the truth be
known they do not want them. At
to want them. Perhaps he thinks
that friends might give away his Sc
crets If they found them out, and you
know friends have a way of finding
out things. II some friend had
known that Old Man Coyote>had dined
on n Of Farmer Browns ducks Old
Man Coyote wouldn't have rested a
either. did know of it. and he didn't
mean that any should. 1t is not his
way to 30 about Dragging of what he
has done. No, indeed! Old Man
Coyote is far too cunning for that.
The very next day after he had
dined OH that, duck he went up t the
duck. pond to see how things looked.
grass a fat duck sat down right in
front Of his nose and quacked loudly
in the foolish way ducks have. What
do you think Old Man Coyote did to
that foolish and needless duck? No,
You guessed wrong that time. He
didn't seize it and take it away for
another good dinner, although he
wanted 1t so much that the water
trickled from the corners of his
mouth. He didn't touch SO much as
q feather OF that foolish duck, and
that shows just how cunning he Is
If Farmer Browns boy misses an
other duck tonight he will be sure
that some n is stealing them. and
the there will be no end Of trouble.
If I don't steal another for q week
he will forget all about the one he
ducks every night. Then it VIII be
safe to take another" said he. #
So he waited a week and. SURE
enough. Farmer Browns boy had
stopped counting his ducks. Then
Old Man Coyote dined again royalty.
But the next one he took Farmer
Browns boy did miss, and when he
out that this was the third to disap-
pear. and right away he made up his.
mind that the thief must be caught
and punished. But who was the
thief? There was a question indeed.
He strongly suspected Reddy Fox. He
felt sure that it must be Reddy Fox.
But II 1t was, when did Reddy do 1t?
80 NoSnS "e4C SilOl w at hight anu
Farmer Browns boy was certain that
Reddy could not get at them then.
1t must be that he lay in wait for
them very early in the morning, when
they were let out to swim In the pond.
So every morning for a week Farmer
Browns boy hid where he could
watch the ducks after they were let
out; There he lay until the breakfast
bell called him in, and after break
fast he went out and counted the
ducks. None were missing. Yet some
time during the week one was taken.
The truth is. Old Man Coyote was
so cunning that he stole those ducks
right In broad daylight, in the very
middle Of the day. He knew that no
one would expect anything t o happen
to them then and so no one would be
on the watch. And no one was. And
as he always took the greatest care
that the other ducks should not be
frightened and that the one he caught
should not have a chance to quack or
make a sound. no one suspected him.
on, he was very sly and cunning, was
old Mar Coyote. and. as Farmer
Browns boy said. it seemed as il
ly he tried shutting the ducks up all
day as we'll as all night. and then 1t
wac h chickens that began to disap-
pear. Farmer Browns boy was in
despair. He couldn't watch them all
day because there was too much work
to be done.
Its that fox, It must be that fox!"
said he. Il guess I've got to go hunt
Ing after all. I had about made up
my mind h a I would put my gun
away and never get it out again. but
can't afford to lose all my ducks and
chickens"
Next story: Reddy Fox Has a Bad
Dream.