The Detroit times., 1916-07-07
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
Redtail the Hawk Is Tempted.
Copyright. 1915 oy T. W. Burgess.)
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Tempter. tempter. go away!
I'll close my ears 10 you today.

IL tlUse my ears w YOU NbHhNs
You and I know that this 81 alb
solutely the only thing TO do. Pete
Rabbit knows Il. and all The oth"r
little people know Il. The trOIl.'
with most OF us Ii that We do No
do what we know We ought 20 70
We listen TO the Temptei when VIC
ought TO close our ears as tightly
as we can. II was Just that way
with Redtail the Hawk. You know
Redtail is very much like Reddy Fox
In his tastes. He lives on much the
same kind OF food. And like Reddy
he has a weakness for chicken. Yes,
sir. Redtail is quite as fond OF
chicken az Reddy U.s. He would
have chicken for dinner every day
II he could.
You know how often Reddy Is
tempted 10 try 10 get one OF Farm
er Browns chickens. But Reddy'3
temptation Is nothing compared with
the temptation which Redtail the
Hawk has to fight. You see II Red
dy keeps away from Farmer Browns
henyard he Is tempted only when
he allows himself 10 think about
chickens, or Is very, very hungry
and cannot fnd enough TO all his
stomach. And then. too, he does
most OF his hunting after dark when
the chickens are shut up.
But with Redtail the Hawk IL Is
different. very different indeed. He
hunts in the day time and AZ he
swings in great circles high UP In
the blue. blue sky, his wonderful
eyes see all that is going on below.
And so there Is hardly day that
he does not to see chickens. Toto OF
them. running about in the door
yards OF the farms over which he
nies. or course you understand
what that means II means that
the Tempter is whispering to him
all the time.
Now Redtail, like Reddy Fox. can
see no reason why he should not
catch a chicken when he can, Just
as he catches Meadow Mice or one
OF the children OF Mrs. Grouse X
he has chance. A chicken Is just
kind OF bird TO him and intended Tor
him to eat II he Ia smart enough
TO catch one. Because the chickens
are in a henyard is no reason at all
10 him why he should not catch one.
He does not know that he is steal
ing. Il always seems very queer to
him that those two-legged creatures
called men make such fuss when
he is simply obeying law OF nature
by trying to get good meal. But
he has learned that II Is dangerous
TO 70 near a henyard when any OF
the two-legged creatures are about.
and he knows all about terrible
guns. SO, though every day he
looks down and sees the chickens
running about. 1t Is only once In \
while that he does not say mo" to
the Tempter. and then only when
he has watched long enough TO feel
sure that he will run no risk.
For a long time Redtail had re-
sisted the Tempter. Then very
early one morning as he sailed over
a farmyard he saw an old hen with
a dozen little white chickens right
beneath him. They were very tiny
chickens only a few days out OF
their shells. RedtsN had not break
tasted yet and ne was hungry.
Those chickeny were very. very
tempting. He might have to hunt
for some tim before he could catch
anything eps. He swung around In
circles. h, keen eyes studying all
beneath i'm. There was no danger
to be = zen anywhere.
at safe enough" whispered the
Tep ter.
An Redtail hesitated. You can
ri one OF those chickens and be
,afely away before anybody knows
you are about" whispered the
Tempter.
Redtail circled lower and lower.
Just then the mother hen looked up
and saw him. Instantly she ruffed
up all her feathers and called TO her
babies to hurry to her. How they
did scamper to get under her shell
tering wings! But there was one
little fellow who had wandered far.
p>r than the rest. He started as