The Detroit times., 1915-12-13
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME.
The Queer Case of Buster Bear.
sY THORNTON w. BURGESS.


UopyriEht. 1915, ~ ,. q. Lioyi.b
Buster Bear. you'll Gud, 10y dear.
Is very, very. very queer
Anyway he has some queer ways.
That Is what Peter Rabbit thinks.
and Peter ought TO know. Bu; a. 10
Thar Il is quite probable that Buster
thirkg some Of Peters ways queer.
il y The way ~ he world 10 think
Other TO1zs Queer VINO no MOI DO just
as yol do. So Peter thinks some OF
Busters ways queer, and Buster
thinks some of Peters ways queer.
ana an quite sure that both think
yoar ways AMI nine very queer in
deed.
To Peters way Of thinking one of
Buster Bears Gueerest habits is that
os sleeping away most of the winter
| Since his talk With Prickly Pork
the Porcuplne Peter had begun &C
understand why Johnny Chuck and
some Of the others went 10 sleep a.
soon as cold weather came, 10 stay
asleep until Mistress Spring should
arrive. They had 10 sleep or siarye
fer there was none OF the food they
need, and wou,'nt be SO icrg as wiz
Ter lasted Tut somehow Peter
couldn't seem 10 make the reason fii
the case 20 Buster Bear Bus Ter
diin't seem TO want 10 90 to sleep
for the winter. lie had prowled
around until after the snog had
come TO stay, and then. ard no; until
them, he had stretched cut or his
bed of leaves under The shelyiEg
rock deep in The Green Forest, whore
he bad slept away the last winter.
and Peter knew tha' they would gee
no more OF him until spring.
Now, why should ne so To sleep
Tor weeks at "a time that way? Peter
puzzled and puzzled over IT >aa he
turned II over IN his mind Johnny
Chuck lives en- tender green things,
and in wirte- there are no tender
green ihinRs Old Mr.. Toad lives or
worms and bugs. and in winter there
are no worms and bugs Al least
there are none where OH Mr.. Toa
car get them. Put with Buster Gear
II was different Nhy 4AeHldn't =lte.
keep awake all winter just as Reddy
Fox and Old Nan Coyote do It
seemed 10 Peer very absurd that
such great Zig below as Buster
Bear, Of whom everybody else vas
| afraid and wHo. had such a great
warm fur coat. should hide away and
sleep Just because II Vas winter.
FINALLY he went back ~ Prickly
Porky 20 try 10 satisfy his curiosity.
| Buster Bear IS smart" said peter.
He is one of ihe smartest o. All me
people In the Green Forest. Every
body SAYS that And " he &. 20
smart why cant he catci enough n
eat In the wiuter just AS Reddy Fox
and Old Man Coyote do9 They don,
waste their time sleeping and they
don't atarve 10 death. They may
&C hungry some OF The time Mos'
OF Us do thai in bad weather Bu'
they catch enough 10 live or. Whl
doesn't Buster Bear?"
'Huh" grunted Prick'y Porky
"You don't knog much about Buste
: Bear. What do you think he lives on
anyway"
why. on any of as little poopl
be can catch replied Peter prompt
ly. Everybody knows that"
"Tben every body knows somethin
that everybody doesnt~snow at al
That is. the trouble with a lot q
peopIe--tbey think they know whei
they don't know. Now take tn
queer case % Buster Bear Ever.
one seems 10 think that because h
eats a mouse or a rabbit or SOM
other Of the little forest people sill!
enough not to keep out OF his reach
that he lives on them altogether. JUS
as Old Mar Coyote does. That
shows now little some folks know
about their neighbOrs. II Old Man
Coyote should catch YOU Peter,
which i hope he won't. you would
make bin good meal. But you
wouldn't be more than a mouthful