Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-05
Mrs. Grouse Learns Many
Things.

All the time that Peter RABBIT and her
friends were worrying about her Mrs.
Grouse was very warm and very comfort
able in the henhouse Of Farmer Browns boy.
That first night she had slept soundly,
for you know she had been very, very
tiIed. In the morning when she had
opened her eyes she couldn think at
first where she was. Then she remem-
bered how she had been picked UP by
Farmer Browns boy when she was too
weak to ~ and put in the box Of hay,
where she now was, and given all she
could eat
She peeped out Of the box timidiy and
looked around. It was a strange place,
a very strange place, to Mrs. Grouse.
You see. never before in all her life had
she ever slept under any roof excepting
the thick, low-hanging branches of a
hemlock tree. Always she had been
where she could spread her stout wings
and whirr up and away when she pleased.
But here she couldn't fly, because there
were walls on all sides and a roof and
no place to fly to. The very thought
made her heart sink and frightened her.
Along one side were rows Of boxes with
hay in them. In some of these were
birds who looked as If they might be
relatives of hers, only they were ever
ting on long sticks across one end were
more of these birds. Presently one of
these, the biggest one, stretched his long
neck out and made terrible noise. It
frightened Mrs. Grouse still more. You
see she never had heard a rooster crow
close at hand before.
Mrs. Grouse kept very still. None of
these strange birds lad noticed her and
she didn't want them to. Little by little
as she looked and listened she remem-
hn hod I'd
Postum tell about Farmer Browns hen
house. You know Unc' Billy knows all
about the inside Of that henhouse. Some
how the things she was looking at were
very like the things she had heard Unc'
Billy tell about.
"why!" she exclaimed, 'I believe this
is the very place.!
By and by she heard footsteps and she
knew them for the footsteps of Farmer
Browns boy. All her old fear Of him
returned and she crouched down in her
box all of a tremble. The door opened
just wide enough for Farmer Browns
boy to squeeze through. You see he was
afraid that If he opened it wide Mrs
Crouch. might get past him and and fly
away. So he squeezed through as mar
row a space as he could and shut the
door alter him. He smiled down at
Mrs. Crouch.
Grouchr' said he. and his voice
was low and very pleasant II
expect that you are anxious to
get back to the Green Forest. but I am
not going to let you-not yet, anyway.
You see that crust over the snow is
just as hard and icy as ever and I am
afraid that If I should let you go now
you would have hard work to find
enough to eat You might starve to death.
You You are dont tSas right
OF course. Mrs. Crouch didn't under
stand what he said or perhaps she would
have felt better. You see, she is very.
very timid. Then. again. she was fright
use her stout wings. She felt very help
less So she trembled more than ever
and made herself as small as possible in
the farthest corner of the oox. Farmer
Browns boy noticed It,
You haven't a thing to be afraid Of
Mrs. Crouch" said he. and If only Mrs
Crouch could have understood him per-
haps she would have felt better.
He got a piece OF wire netting and
some nice corn and barley for her and
went away. Mrs. Grouse felt worse than
ever. You see now she couldn't even
get out of her box She felt that she was
a prisoner. very much prisoner. and
time she couldn't even eat But BY and
by she grew SO hungry that she Just had
to eat. After that she felt better. A
full stomach always makes one feel bet
covered her and called all the other hens
They crowded around the box and made
unkind remarks about Mrs. Grouse They
asked her what business she had there
and made fun Of her. because she was
so much smaller than they. And then
Mrs. Grouse was very glad indeed of
that wire netting which little while
before had seemed 80 hateful. When
they finally left her alone she grew very
thoughtful. She had learned many
things-what the inside of Farmer
Browns henhouse was like. that Farmer
Browns boy could be very gentle, that
even hateful wire might prove a bless
ing, and much more.