Evening star., 1917-09-27
LI1IILES10RIfs L1IILE
%rBEDTlME
by THORNTON W. BURGESS.
Copyright. 1917. by r. W. BurgessD
Big Tom Heads His Family.

At first Big Tom took no notice Of
his big family of twelve half grown
youngsters beyond strutting a little
and showing of for their benefit. They
stood in considerable awe of him. but
they still looked to their mother for
advice and example. But little by lit
tie they. found that Mrs. Gobber
looked to Big Tom as the leader.
Wherever he went she went. She was
as anxious to stay with him now as
she had been to keep out of his way
before. So the twelve young gobblers
began to initiate Big Tom and to look
to him for the knowledge of the ways
of the Green Forest which before they
had looked to their mother for. In
short Big Tom was the head of the
family and to have seen him YOU
would have supposed that he always
had been.
Now. as you know. Big Tom was very
wise and smart IT he hadn't been he
never could have lived to be so big and
wonderful. Right down in his heart
he was very. very proud of his big fam
lily. Living alone so long had quite
cured him of all jealousy. SO now he
watched over them with all the cum
ming that his long experience had given
him. When they went forth to feed it
was Big Tom who was constantly on
guard 1t was he who picked out the
place where they should roost at night.
who was the last to close his eyes and
the next morning the first to open
them. 1t was he who insisted that now
that they could fly little the young
sobhlcrs should always roost in a tree
at night and made it his particular
business to see to it that every one
of them WAS off the ground before he
himself few up.
Having lived on the ground alto
'scther up to the time that they began
10 fI h.N CtarS NJ nnt
take kindly to perching all night in
tree.
"Clinsing to a branch this way makes
my toes ache" complained one.
II don't any sense in it. de-
clared another. I'VE were safe enough
down on the ground when we We're lit
tie and helpless. and now that we are
big enough to know danger when we
see it. and to take care of ourselves.
we must spend each night in tree.
l don't like it.
Big Tom had overheard this. Very
red in the face and putting angrlly,
he marched over to the two foolish
little Sobblers and looked at them so
liercely that their hearts Went plt-a-
pat. pit-a-pat. with fright. and they
wished with all their might that they had
kept their tongues still
The next time | hear anybody say
ing such foolish things whoever it is
will so out to shift for himself in the
great world. said he. an2rilN. Nv hen
you We're little you slept on tht Sfouiid
and We're safe Why? Because your
mother gathered you under her wings
and protected YOU. That's why. Now
you are too big for that. very much
too big. and there are so many of you
that IF you should continue to sleep
on the ground it would be only mat
ter of time when Reddy Fox or Old
Man Coyote would find you. OR per-
ha ps it would be Billy Mink or Shadow
the Weasel In the daytime You are
safe enough on the ground. provided
YOU use the senses Old Mother Nature
has given you. and don't grow heed
less or careless. But it is wholly
different matter at night In tree you
are safe from all but Hooty the owl.
and you are safe from him if you
roost in the right kind of a place and
keep still. Now, as long as l am head
of this family there is to be no more
such talk as l have just heard. Do you
understand?'
Yes. sir, replied the two little Cob
blers, meekly.