Evening star., 1916-12-25
LI1IILESoRlEs L1I
&BEDTInE
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Copyright, 1915, by t. W. Burgess.)
Danny Is Sorry for Robber the
Rat.
The sorriest thing in the wide, wide world,

The sorriest thing in the wide, wide world.
= pitiful thing indeed, ,
Is one who is friendless just because
For friends he can see no need.
That Is the kind of a fellow Robber
the Rat is. He has no friends, not even
one. Worse still. he doesn't want any.
At least that is what he told Danny
Meadow Mouse when they CHANGED to
meet in Farmer Browns barn.
Did you ever know of anything SO
awful in all your life?" asked Danny
when he had told Nanny all about what
Robber had said.
Il never did" replied Nanny.
I'm sorry for him; 1 am. I'm sorry
for him." declared Danny. I'm sorry
for an" one who hasn't any friends"
Il wouldn't waste any time being
sorry for Robber the Rat" replied
Nanny in a very decided tone of voice.
He's all bad"
That's why I'm sorry for him." said
Danny. He thinks because he takes
what he wants when he wants it, no
matter to whom it belongs. he is hap
Ply. and he isn't happy at all. He does
knows everybody hates him and he
hates everybody and nobody can be
happy that way. can they?'
No" replied Nanny slowly. Moo.
L shouldn't think So"
of course. they can't" Danny spoke
most decidedly. Hate and happiness
don't go together. He boasted to me,
did Robber. that no one lives any bet
ter than he does. I suppose he meant
that no one had more or better things
to eat l guess, perhaps. that's so.
You see, he Just robs other folks of the
best of their things. But eating is
only part of living. Robbers home is
down In the dirtiest place under the
and dirty. He doesn't take any care
of himself. He says himself that he
is hunted all the time by these men
creatures. He doesn't come out in the
In the dark, dirty places. He has to
because he doesn't dare do anything
else. And because he lives by robbing
other people he is all the time suspi-
cfous of everybody. Why the poorest
honest person 1 know lives better than
he does.'
Isn't it dreadful?" said Nanny
1T is splendid thing to be smart"
continued Danny. 'if it is the right
kind of smartness. Robber is smart.
There is no doubt about that. But it
is the wrong kind of smartness. The
only real pleasure he gets is in feeling
that he is smarter than those he robs
that he is smart in wrong doing. Why,
l wouldn't live the way he has to for
all the riches in the Great World. No.
sir. ! wouldn't; And some day, he'll
come to bad end. You mark my
words Robber the Rat will come to a
bad end. People like him always do.
Farmer Brown and Farmer Browns
Boy have proved themselves friends of
many of the Little People, but they
are not friends of Robber. They hate
him"
How do you know they do?" asked
Nanny.
Because Robber boasts of it," re-
piled Danny. Besides. I saw Farmer
Browns Boy setting a trap right near
one of the holes in the floor that Rob
Der uses. If he was a friend of Rob
ber's he wouldn't do a think like that,
would he? You know he doesn't set
them for Jerry Muskrat any more. He
doesn't even set them for Old Man
one that ! know of. excepting Robber
the Rat He loves all the rest of US.
but he doesn't love Robber ! guess
he hates HobbeF. The rest of us live
as Old Mother Nature intended we
should. Robber lives almost wholly by
robbing man. You don't find Robber
in the Green Fields or in the Green
that you find him and it is because he
depends wholly on man for all he
has. ! guess Cousin Nibbler was right
when he said that Robber Is a dread
full fellow. l guess the less we have to
do with him the better
I'm sure / don't want anything to
do with him." retorted Nanny.
Nobody does, and that is what
seems to me SO dreadful" returned
Danny. Just think. not single
friend in all the Great World. I would
not be in his place for anything"