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

tCoHyright, 1915. by J. G.. Lloyd.b
Buster Bear. you'll ind. my dear.
Is very. very. very queer.
Anyway he has some queer ways.
That Is what Peter Rabbit thinks,
and Peter ought 10 know. But as to
that IL is quite probable that Buster
thinks some of Peters ways queer
II is the way Of the world to think
other folks queer who do not do just
as You do. So Peter thinks some of
Busters ways queer. and Buster
thinks some of Peters ways queer.
and ! am quite sure that both think
your ways AMI mine very queer in
deed.
To Peters way Of thinking one OF
Buster Bears queerest habits is that
Of sleeping away most Of the winter.
Since his talk with Prickly Porky
the Porcupine Peter had begun to
understand why Johnny Chuck and
some Of the others went to sleep as
soon as cold weather came, to stay
asleep until Mistress Spring should
arrive. They had to sleep or starve,
for there was none of the food they
need. and wouien'; be- so Icng as win
ter lasted But somehow Peter
couldn't seem to make the reason AT
the case 20 Buster Bear. Buster
didn't seem to want 10 go to sleep
for the winter. He had prowled
aronnd until after the snow had
come to stay. and then, and not until
them, he had stretched out on his
bed of leaves under the shelving
rock deep In the Green Forest, where
he had slept away the last winter,
and Peter knew thar they would see
no more Of him until spring.
Now. why should he go TO sleep
for weeks at time that way? Peter
puzzled and puzzled over IL as he
turned il over in his mind. Johnny
Chuck lives on tender green things.
and in winte- there are no tender
green things. Old Mr.. Toad lives on
worms and bugs. and in winter there
are no worms and bugs. At least
there are none where Old Mr.. Toad
can get them. But with Buster Bear
II WAS different Why shouldn't he
keep awake all winter just az Reddy
Fox and Old Man Coyote do? IL
seemed TO Peer very absurd that
such great tig below az Buster
Bear. OF whom everybody else was
afraid and who had sucl. a great
warm fur coat, should hide away and
sleep Just because II was winter.
| Finally he went back To Prickly
Porky 10 try 10 satisfy his curiosity.
Buster Bear is smart" said Peter.
''He Is one OF the smartest OF all the
people in the Green Forest. Every
body says that And II he Ia 70
smart why can't he catch enough 10
eat In the winter just as Reddy Fox
and Old Man Coyote do? They don't
waste their time sleeping, and they
don't starve to death. They may
| &C hungry some OF the time. Nos,
OF us do that In bad weather. Bur
they catch enough TO live on. VII,
doesn't Buster Bear?"
Huh" grunted Prickly Porky
"You don't know much about Buste
: Bear. What do you think he lives on
anyway"
"why, on any OF us little peopl
he can catch.' replied Peter prompt
ly. Everybody knows thatl"
"Then everybody knows somethin
that everybody doesn't know at al
That is the trouble with a lot q
people-they think they know wheI
they don't know. Now take tn
queer case of Buster Bear. Ever,
one seems TO think that because h'
eats a mouse or rabbit or SOM
other Of the little forest people sill,
enough not to keep out of his reach
that he lives on them altogether. just
as Old Man Coyo's .eoes. ~
shows how lip' o.. lol..
about their ne, b rs. ff Old Man
/ Coyote should tGh you. Peter.
l vh1A ! fope hsr il. you would
! neks =. . ed zeal. But you
Wout10J ~ II A An n. nos1l fsil