Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-12-09

of sleeping away most of the winter.
Since his talk with Prickly Porky the
Porcupine Peter had begun to under
stand 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
wouldn't be so long as winter lasted.
But somehow Peter couldn't seem to
make the reason fit the case to Buster
Bear. Buster didn't seem 10 want to
go to sleep for the winter. He had
prowled around until after the snow
had come to stay, and then, and not
until then, 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 that they would see no more of
Linn until spring.
Now. why should he go to sleep for
weeks at a time that way? Peter puz-
zled and puzzled over 1t as he turned
it over in his mind. Johnny Chuck
lives on tender green things. and in
winter there are no tender green
things. Old Mr.. Toad lives on worms
and bugs. and in winter there are no
none where Old Mr.. Toad can get them.
But with Buster Bear it was different.
Why shouldn't he keep awake all win
ter just as Reddy Fox and Old Man
Coyote do? 1t seemed to Peter very
absurd that such great big fellow as
Buster Bear. of whom everybody else
was afraid and who had such a great
warm fur coat, should hide away and
sleep just because 1t was winter.
Finally he went back to Prickly Perky
to try to satisfy his curiosity.
Buster Bear is smart" said Peter
| He is one of the smartesc of all the
people in tie Green Forest. Every
body says hat And if he is so smart
! tol~ ~
the winter just as Reddy Fox and Ole
Man Coyote do? They don't waste their
time sleeping, and they don't starve te
| death. They may go hungry some OF
the time. Most of US do that in bad
weather But they catch enough to live
on Why doesn't Buster Bear?"
Huh" grunted Prickly Porky. You
don't know much about Buster Bear
What do yoI think he lives on. any.
why. on any Of us little people he
can CATCH" replied Peter, promptly
Everybody knows that"
Then everybody knows something
that everybody doesn't know at all
That is the trouble with lot of peo-
ple-they think they know when they
don't know. Now take the queer case
Of Bus er Bear. Every one seems tt
think that because he eats mouse OIL
forest people silly enough not to keeI
out of his reach, that he lives on them
altogether. just as Old Man Coyote
does. That shows how little some
folks know about their neighbors. Il
Old Man Coyote should catch you
Peter, which l hope he won't, you would
| make him good meal. But you
wouldn't be more than a mouthful for
Buster Bear. Two or three fat mice
would do Reddy Fox for a whole day
but they wouldn't more than tickle
Buster Bears stomach. Buster eats
meat when II happens to fall in his
way, but what he lives on mostly are
roots and berries and nuts and bugs
and fish and frogs, and he has to have
a lot of them. Where. pray tell, would
he find them at this time Of the year
He is just like Johnny Chuck and Bob
by Coon and the other sleepers-he {
starve If he didn sleep"
Thank you. Prickly Porky," said
Peter, politely. I've learned a lot
Yet even now / cannot help feeling
that it is very queer that such big
strong fellow as Buster Bear should
sleep all winter. anyway, l hope he
has pleasant dreams"