Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-11-23
Little Bedtime Stories
WHY PETER RABBIT STOPPED
WORKING AND THEN BEGAN
AGAIN
tBy Thornton w. Burgess

tBy Thornton W. Burgess
Copyright, 1914. by ]. c.. Lloyd.l
Never be discouraged: never lose your
nerve.
Make whatever happens some good
purpose eerTc.
Peter Rabbit did. and he IL the las,
pne in the world you would have cx-
i'ecfod 20. 1t surprised his friends
50 that from that day on the had Il
great deal more respect for him than
eyer before You know. it sometimes
takes unexpected difficulties TO bring
out me best in some people II was
50 WITH Peter. You sec. it was this
wa,: Peter had been driven into the
heart of the old hramblc-tangle by
Reddy Fox. and A sad time ne had
had getting there. indeed. he had
had such q sad time getting that that
ne had made up his mind that he
would CIT his way out and had set to
work d, once cutting a little path to
the endge Of the old brambie-tangle.
He had worked and worked and work.
ed until ne was almost TO the edge,
and right then he had seen something
h a had made him stop short. 1t
was the red a of Reddv Fox. Reddy
was lying fiat IN the grass there, wait
ing FOR him TO come Out. That is the
reason that Peter Stopped working.
Now, Peter wasn't particularly
frightened wien nc saw Reddy. He
knew perfectly we'll that Reddy had
had al! hat he wanted Of the old
b~ranbie-tangle and wouldn't venture
to crawl in again. All that he. Peter.
had TO do Vas 10 stay where he was
and be patient. He made A face in
the direction of Reddy and then turn
ed about in the little path he had
made and went back TO the middle Of
the old bramble-tansle. He would
make himscl. comfortable there and
wait until Reddy grew tired and went
away.
It's a good path. said Peter. talk
ing To himself as he looked along the
little path through the vines and
oramble. Its d pity 1 didn't have it
finished before. and then ] wouldn't
have torn my clothes getting away
from, that bothersome Reddv. My
goodness: If ] go home looking like
this Mrs. Peter will make such a fuss
mat ] wont dare to 20 away again."
He began TO smooth out as best he
could the ragged place in his coat
where the thorns and briers had torn
it. and as he worked his thoughts
were very busy. What a splendid
place the old bramble-tangle would
be if only it had paths all through it.
1t would be a regular castle. He had
known 1t for d long time. never
had he realized it as he did now. The
path he had cut almost out to the
edge. and which he could finish in a
few minutes when Reddy Fox was
out of the way. was a good beginning,
but it was only q beginning. There
should be q path this way, and a path
that a and a path the other way,
and Il lot more paths. all Joined to-
q y - 20 tras sc N-xr -4--,- a. C.l-
dow the Weasel should follow him
into the Oh bramble-tangle he would
have a chance to dodge and perhaps
fool him.
Snip snap. snip snap. snip snap. Al
most without knowing it Peter had be-
gun work again. He was staring a
new path. Why no? He couldn't
leave the bran1ble-' ,ngle with Reddy
Fox watching, and he might as we'll
waiting. OF course hat was he thing
to do. 1t was the YER best kind Of
wisdom. but 1t was the last thing in
the world h a was to be expected Of
happy sgo-luchE. careless Peter Rab-
bit. He wa actually learning to work,
really to work. No wonder that inc
Billy Postum and Bobby Coon. watch
ing from a tree on the edge Of the
Green Forest, churkled.
"Brer Rabbit done learn his lesson
remarked INC Billy. Now that he's
started he's gwine to keep right on
until he's made that bramble.tailgle
as safe a place as the or Brier
Patch"
And Peter did. Day after day he
came hack to the old bramble-tangle
when the a was clear and cut new
paths until the old .bramble-tanele
was almost as safe a place as the
lear Old Brler Patch. lust as Inc
Billy had said. And his is how it
was that Peter Rabbit learned to
work.
Alas, as soon as his job was finished
he became as lazy and happ--go-lucky
as ever. 1t was habit, you know.
Next Story-Peter Rabbit Thinks
This is a Funny World.