Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-06
uIIILE@0RlEs
6rbEDTIriE
By THORNTON W. BURGESS.
Copyright. 1918. BY T. W. BurSess.)
Jerry Has Other Things to
Think About.

Reddy Fox went off to the Old Pas
ture to put on his thinking cap. Jerry
Muskrat just stopped thinking about
that house Reddy talked of building
1t couldn't be built without mud, sLd
how were they to get mud where no
mud was? They couldn't, so that was
all there was about it. 1t had been
great fun to plan that house for
Reddy Fox. 1t had interested him
greatly, and he would dearly have
loved to have helped buili it.. But it
couldn't be done, and besides lie hal
other things to think of.
live had rest enough" thought
Jerry the very night he decided tina.
ReAdy's house could be no more than
| a dream. ut is time for me to ps-
gin to think about getting some food
laid away for winter. If Reddy Fox
ever has a house like mine he will
have TO build it without any help
| from me. I've wasted all the time on il
1 am going to. 1t is queer how inter
| ested in houses Reddy has become. /
| never knew him to be before. And.
| now I think of it, he has been Won
| plcdSdHl. ne SCI SdH W.
| nice when lie wants to be. He hasn't
| once tried to catch me. I don't believe
that such a thought had even entered
| his head
| Wouldn't Reddy have smiled if he
| could have known what Jerry was
thinking? You know and I know tina /
the catching of Jerry was all he was
| thinking about, and his talk of a
| house was merely to get Jerry So in
terested that he would come ashore.
The next night Reddy visited the
Smiling Pool just as usual. He couldn't
| keep away. He hadn't thought of any
| way to get mud to build the house
but he hoped to be able to persuade
Jerry that they might start the house
| and trust to luck to get the mud when
| it was needed.
But when he reached the Smiling
Pool no Jerry was visible Reddy
waited and waited and waited At last
| Jerry appeared, but it was plain to
see that he was in a hurry. He merely
nodded to Reddy Fox and then dived
staring at the little circles on the
surface of the water made as Jerry
dived. Jerry seems to have something
on his mind. wonder whaDhe is up
| to now? He might at least have
stopped long enough to pass the time
of day. / must find out what he Is
about"
SO Reddy waited and waited and
| waited some more. He managed to
hide his Impotence. and when at last
Jerry climbed out on the Big Rock for
| a rest Reddy was just the same pleas
ant fellow he had been the night be-
| fore.
We'll. Jerry" he exclaimed. Il
thought you had deserted me. I've
been waiting ever SO long. ] thought
perhaps you may have thought OF
some way of building that house with
out mud"
I'm sorry. but there isn't any other
way replied Jerry. IF there was |
wouldn't be able to help you any. I've
got too much TO do to mind anybody
i business but my own. If you want .
house you'll have to get some one else
to help build it or else build 1t all
| yourself"
But what. may I ask, are you so
| suddenly busy about" asked ReddN.
and tried hard to keep the eagerneSs
from his voice. -,
I'm Laying up food for the winter.
replied Jerry briefly. Until that is
done / can't think of anything else.
With this he dived from the Big
Rock.