Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-28
lITT I y1!0plEs
@rDEDrInE
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Little Mrs. Peters Surprise.
No greater pleasure can be had
Than making other people glad.

| LitlIE MIS- tttI
Peter Rabbit felt as ii he. ought to
/! pinch himself to make sure, quite ALSO
lutely sure, that he was awake. Two
whole days and two whole nights Peter
| had been away from the dear old Briar
| Patch, and ne had expected what he
knew he richly dcserved-the sharpest
kind of scoiding from little Mrs. Peter.
whom he had left to worry all that time
! Instead of that Seeding he had received
| the gentleSt of welcomes
That was enough to upset Peter. He
! couidnt account for it at all But add
| ed to this was the fact that little Mrs
| Peter had been very mysterious. Yes,
| sir. she had been very mysterious. She
had warned him not to make the teen
| lest, weenest bit of noise. and then had
| tOld him to sit down and wait until she
| had. And with il all had been such an
air of mystery that Peter didn't know
what to make of it.
! Now Peter doesn't like mystery. He
! doesn't like it a bit. You see, anything
mysterious arouses his curiosity, and
when Peters curiosity is aroused ne
cannot be happy until it is satisfied.
| Peters curiosity was aroused now. Yes,
, indeed, it was very much aroused. What
could 1t be that little Mrs. Peter was GO
ing to show him?
! He sat still because he had been told
70. and he didn't dare DO anything else.
You see, he didn't want to DO anything
to provoke little Mrs. Peter, because he
/ knew if he did she would demand to know
where he had been and what he had
/ been doing those two whole days am.
nights he had left her alone in the dear
i Old Briar Patch, and he knew that his
excuses wouldn't satisfy her at all. So
/ Peter sat still and waited.
! Now, the fact is Peter didn't have to
wait long at all But he thought he did
! You see, with every second his curiosity
| became greater and that made the time
seem just so much longer. He thought
! Mrs. Peter never would return.
wonder what she has got to show
: me- he kept saying over and over to
himself. wonder what she has got to
show me. Isn't anything in the Old
Briar Patch | don't know about Won
der what it can be?''
After what to Peter seemed ages and
ages, but which really was no more than
a few minutes, little Mrs. Peter came
tiptoeing back, and again Peter noticed
that her eyes were shining with the
softest. loveliest light in the world. II
puzzled him. He couldn't account for il
unless it was her gladness over his safe
return. He wanted to think that was
the cause of it. but somehow he couldn',
quite believe it was.
Little Mrs. Peter was even more nlys-
FERROUS than before. She talked in 4
whisper. Follow me. Peter she wills
pered, land, whatever you do, don't make
Il DIT OF noise We got tIle most won
derful surprise for you that ever was
You'll Say so when you see it. Now ster
softly and don't speak"
Little Mrs. Peter led the way behind 2
thick old bramble bush Peter had to
almost crawl to get under the clutching
old brambles. 1t was in a part of the
dear Old Brian Patch he hadn't visited
for a long time. Neither he nor Mrs.
Peter had used it. and so they hadn t
kept their priva tie little paths open.
A 10 yxtn hoD Of h.n old !, Nv.
bush little Mrs. Peter stepped one side
and motioned for Peter to join her.
| There" she whispered in one of his
| long ears. There, Peter Rabbit! Were
! you ever so surprised in all your life?
And isn't it the very incest surprise that
| ever waS?'
| Peter looked where she was pointing.
! Then he gave funny little gasp and
| sat down weakly. He was surprised.
| There wasn't the least bit of do,b
! about that. In fact. there never was a
| more surprised rabbit in all the great
| world.
| Copyright, 1920 by T W Rurgess)