The Detroit times., 1917-06-05
LITTLE STORIES FOR BEDTIME
The Search for Chubby
Copyright. 1916. by 7. W BurEesN)
BIZ THORNTON W. BURGESS.


When Mrs. Reddy Fox started out
10 look for poor little lost Chubby,
the fattest Of her four children. u
didn't take her long TO find where
Chubby had been. Her keen nose.
always 10 The ground, would catch a
bit Of scent mere and bit OF scent
there Being such a very small Fox.
Chubby hadn't left lot OF scent a.
an older Fox would have done Be
sides II was some time since she
had been along. and scent like per
fume grows fainter and fainter IN
til there IS none
So n wasn't az all easy for her
mother 10 follow Chubby's wander.
ings But by keeping At it persist
emily Mrs Reddy followed the twists
and turns Chubby's wandering little
feet had made in the Old Pasture
and she knew just as well as if she
had been there 20 see everything
that Chubby had done She knew
that here Chubby had caught bee
tie and there she had tried TO catch
mouse. but had failed And so
at last Mrs Reddy came 10 The
place where Chubby had first dis
covered that she was lost
The poor child '"> murmured Mrs
Reddy she was frightened almost
20 death when she found out that
she didn't know the way home Here
Is where she began 10 run.aand ex.
pect she almost ran her legs on
And instead of being headed toward
home Ehe was headed right the 9th
er way"
Now and then Mrs Reddy would
lose the trail, for at times IL was so
very faint that even her keen nose
could find II Only by slow and caro-
sul work These delays made Mrs
Reddy very impatient for. YOU
know. she was dreadfully worried
Any mother would have been when.
ever che lost the trail she would
run in circles with her nose 20 the
ground until she found the trail
again.
SO at last Mrs Reddy came 10 the
bullbrier castle Of Old Jed Thumper,
The big gray Rabbit. who was the
father Of little Mrs. Peter Rabbit
old Jed Thumpcr was peeping out
thru the brambles and he chuck.
led as he saw Mss Rcddy and the
worried look on her face lie wasn't
sorry for her bit. No. sir, he
wasn't sorry for her n bit That
wasn't nice Of him. but don't know
as We should blame him You see.
Reddy and Old Granny Fox used 10
hunt him so much that H. had 10
keep his ears open and his Wits
working all tho time 10 keep a whole
skin Then had come Mrs. Reddy
TO make things harder still But Old
jed Thumper had begun 20 think
that he hadn't known what n was
10 he hunted until after the arrival
OF Reddy's and Mrs Reddys babies.
Since they arrived he had been hunt
ed so much by Reddy and Mrs. Red
dy that nc had grown so nervous
that he would try to jump away
from his own shadow when he hap
pened TO sec II over his shoulder.
So Old Jed Thumper chuckled as
he watched Mrs. Reddy pass his bull
brier castle with such worried
look He. had seen Chubby pass that
way long before and he had hoped
then that she would lose herself so
that she never would be found and
he hadn't changed his mind since.
Mrs Reddy saw him pceping at
her thru the brambles and she
had It on the tip Of her tongue 20
ask him If he had seen Chubby pass
that way. but she didn't
1T wouldn't do any good" thought
she. ut wouldn't do tho least bit
Of good lie wouldn't tell me II he
had seen her"
So she merely gave him look
and hurried on.
SO az last she came 90 tho place
where the Old Pasture and tho
Green Forest meet and she knew
then that Chubby was some
where in the Green Forest. This
made her more anxious than
ever, for there were more dan