The Detroit times., 1915-12-16
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME.

az THORNTON w. BURGESS.

UCopyriGht. 1915. by ,. q. LIoyd.b
Hardly had Peter Rabbit left
Whitefoot the Woodmouse when he
discovered some new tracks In the
snow, and right away he was all
curiosity
Now whose can these be, won
der7" thought he.
They we're quite different from the
tiny tracks os Whitefoot. In the
first place they were ever so much
larger. Then, too. they were quite
far apart in little groups OF four.
Two little round ones and two quite
long ones.
"Of course" said Peter to himself.
the little ones are the prints OF
front feet. and The long ones are the
prints of hind feet They are just
n little like my own prints. only not
so big. I guess I'll follow them and
see where they lead to-
so Peter started OF lipperty.lipper.
ty.lip. for these tracks were very
easy to follow. He had followed
them quite q distance without dis
covering anybody when he happened
TO look back at his own tracks. Then
he stopped abruptly and sat up.
First he looked at his own tracks
and then he looked at the other
tracks. end a very foolish look crept
over his face. He had noticed what
he had quite forgotten. and this was
that In hopping he puts his hind
feet down In front of his fore feet
so that any one who didn't know
that would think from his tracks
that he was going In just the OPP
posite direction from what he was.
lIc looked little closer at the
tracks he had been following and
nov he could see the marks OF toe
mats. Whoever had made those
tracks did just as he did. put the
hind feet down IN front OF the forc
feet. and here he had been follow.
ing them in the wrong direction. No
wonder he didn't catch up with any
one. My, how foolish Peter did
feel. He looked this way and that
way To make sure that no one had
seen what he had been doing. and
then he turned about and started
back the way he had come as fast
as he could go.
When no reached the place where
he had first begun to follow the
tracks ho kept right on. Presently
ne came TO n place where someone
had dug down through the snow.
Right beside the little hole was an
empty nutshell Peter stopped and
right away he lost all interest.
"PoohV" he exclaimed. "I'm not 60
Ing TO waste my time following those
tracks any farther. They were made
by Happy Jack Squirrel. and he's at
home in bed now. Funny didn't
think of him before. Next time 7
see mis- tracks I'll know them, so
perhaps my time hasn't been wholly
wasted"
With This Peter once more went
looking for tracks. and he didn't
have far 10 look This time they
were big round tracks In q single
row. Peter took one good look al
them and that was enough.
"Reddy Fox!" he exclaimed under
his breath. This is no place for me
III he is about. There In one good
thing, and that is they head away
from where have been. hope he
won't take II into his head to come
over this way"
Making the longest jumps he knew
how, Peter hurried on tn another
part Of the Green Forest. and there
presently he forgot all about Reddy
Fox In his interest In another set OF
tracks These we're In /. double row.
and II was very plain To Peter that
whoever made them was in no great
hurry. He followed them. and pres
emily came TO an old stump with .