The Detroit times., 1916-07-07
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
ny THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Tempter. tempter. go away,
I'll close my ears TO you today.

I'll close my ears 10 you today.
You and | know that this Is alb
solutely the only thing TO do. Pete
Rabbit knows Il. and all the Other
little people know It. The trout.
with most OF us is that we d. n.
do what we know We ought 10 90.
We listen to the TemPtef when we
ought 10 close our ears as tightly
AZ 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 as Reddy IL. He would
have chicken for dinner every day
III he could.
You know how often Reddy Is
tempted TO try 70 get one OF Farm
or Browns chickens. But Reddy'3
temptation r. nothing compared with
me temptation which Redtail the
Hawk has TO fight. You see II Red.
dy keeps away from Farmer Browns
henyard he Ia tempted only when
he allows himself TO think about
chickens, or Is very, very hungry
and cannot find enough to hll 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 as he
swings In great circles high up In
the blue, blue sky. his wonderful
eyes see all that Is going on below.
And 80 there Is hardly day that
ne does not To see chickens. lotc OF
them, running about in the door
Yards OF the farms over which he
flies. OF course you understand
what that means. IL 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 IL
he has a chance. A chicken Ia just a
kind OF bird to him and intended for
him TO eat IL he Is smart enough
10 catch one. because the chickens
are in a henyard is no reason at all
IN 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 fuss when
he is simply obeying law OF nature
by trying to get good meal. But
he has learned that IL ia dangerous
TO 20 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. IL Is only once In n
while that he does not say mo" TO
the Tempter. and then only when
ne has watched long enough to feel
sure that he will run no risk.
For a long time Redtaii had re.
sisted the Temper. 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 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
10 be seen anywhere.
ct IL safe enough" whispered the
Tempter.
Still Redtail 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.
Just then the mother hen looked up
and saw him. Instantly she ruffied
I'D all her feathers and called To her
babies to hurry to her. How they
did scamper to get under her shel
tering wings! But there was one
little fellow who had wandered far
thsr than the rest. He started a.