The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1916-07-08
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
Redtail the Hawk Is Tempted.
Copyright 1915. oy T. w. Burgsss.)
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Temptcr. tempter. go away!
I'll close my cars To you today.


You and know that this is alb
solutely the only thing TO do. Pete
Rabbit knows II. and ell the o;h"y
little people know II. The IRON. o"
with most OF us Is that VIC d. rt
do what We know we ought 10 Go
We listen TO the Temper when We
ought TO close our ears as tightly
a. 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 weakness for chicken. Yes,
sir, Redtail Is quite az fond OF
chicken as Reddy Is. He would
have chicken for dinner every day
II he could.
You know how often Reddy Is
tempted to try TO get one OF Farm
or Browns chickens. But Reddy'3
temptation Is nothing compared with
nc temptation which Redtail the
Hawk has to fight. You see II Red
iv keeps away from Farmer Browns
hcnyard he Is tempted only when
he allows himself 10 think about
chickens, or Is very. very hungry
and cannot find enough to I'LL his
stomach. And then, too, he does
most OF his hunting after dark when
the chickens are shut up.
But with Redtail the Hawk II Is
different. very different indeed. He
hunts In the day time and AZ ne
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 a day that
he does not 10 see chickens. lots OF
them, running about in the door
yards OF the farms over which he
fiies. 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
IA he catches Meadow Mice or one
os the children OF Mrs. Grouse IL
he has a chance. A chicken Is just
kind OF bird TO him and intended for
him to eat IL he is smart enough
TO catch one. Because the chickens
are in a henyard Is no reason at all
To him why he should not catch one.
He does not know that he Is steal
ing. II always seems very queer to
him that those two-legged creatures
called men make such a fuss when
he Is simply obeying a law OF nature
by trying to get a good meal. But
he has learned that II Is dangerous
10 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, II Is only once In
while that he does not say mo" 10
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 az 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 few days out OF
their shells. Redtail had not break
tasted yet and ne was hungry.
Those chickens we're very, very
tempting. He might have to hunt
for some time before he could catch
anything else. He swung around In
circles, his keen eyes studying all
beneath him. There was no danger
to be seen anywhere.
"It Ia safe enough" whispered the
Tempter
Still Redtaii hesitated. You can
get one OF those chickens and be
safely away before anybody knows
YOU are about" whispered the
Tempter.
Redtail circled lower and lower.
lust then the mother hen looked up
and saw him. Instantly she ruffied
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
Their than the rest. He started as