Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-17
LI1TILESI0RlEs
11rBE1DTInTE
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
A New Refuge.
A stomach filled makes all seem right
And things once dark become quite bright.

Peter Rabbit.
When the four little scamps who
belong to Johnny and Polly Chuck
drove Peter Rabbits lost little son
away from the patch of sweet clover,
which they claimed as their own, he
.. ran and ran until he could run no
longer. Then, finding a few leaves of
clover scattered through the grass, he
ate while he rested: After while
he felt better. He had recovered his
breath, he was rested, and he had filled
his stomach.
1t is surprising how a full stomach
changes things. 1t was just so with
Peters lost son. Now that he had
filled his stomach he felt almost brave.
These four selfish little Chucks didn't
seem nearly as big now as they had
when they had surprised him in their
patch Of sweet clover.
Il have a mind to go back and show
those fellows, whoever they are. that
I'm not afraid of them" he declared
boastfully. I'm not afraid Of them!'
Now he may really have believed
that he wasn't afraid of those little
Chucks, but when he got ready to move
on he didn't go in their direction. He
and fearless he was. No. sir. he didn't
do anything of the kind. He headed
as straight away from them as he
could go.
The Black Shadows were beginning
to creep out across the Green Meadows.
In fact, 1t was just about the hour
when he had stolen out of the dear
Old Briar-patch the evening before and
willfully started out into the Great
World. Then he had felt very big and
unafraid, quite equal to taking care of
himself and wholly scornful of the adj
vice Of his father and mother. Now
he felt very. very small, indeed. and
as altogether helpless as only one who
is really lost can feel.
There was nothing for him to do but
to keep on going. Sitting still wouldn't
get him anywhere. The dear Old
Briaf-patch couldn't come to him: he
must 60 to it. So he hoped on and
the dear Old Briar-patch, but all the
time going in just the opposite direc-
ton.
The Black Shadows crept clear across
the Green Meadows, and, somehow,
they made him feel wee bit more
comfortable. To be sure, he couldn't
see as far as before they came. but
neither could others, and this made him
feel that he was less likely to be dis
covered by an enemy.
It seemed to him that he must have
been travelling half the night when he
came 10 some DuSneS. kalS ne0fC leapeQ
with Joy. 1t must be that he had
reached the edge of the dear Old
Briar-patch! He hurried along, look
ing for one of the familiar private lit
tie paths which Peter Rabbit had cut
all through the dear Old Briar-patch
but not a single little path did he find
At last he understood that this was not
the dear Old Briar-patch after all, and
tears Of bitter disappointment sprang
to his eyes.
But, anyway. bushes promised bet
ter shelter than the open Green Mea-
dows, and so he crept In among them.
Pretty soon he came to a lot Of great
stones piled up as far as he could see
in two directions. 1t was an old stone
wall, but, Of course, he didn't know
this, for it was the first one he had
ever seen. He scrambled upon it, and
presently made a great discovery. It
was that between many Of those big
stones were spaces big enough for him
to slip through. He could even get
clear down to the ground under these
stones and move about there by squeez-
ing between them and crawling under
them.
And, suddenly, that lost little Rab-
bit felt that he had found the safest
place in all the Great World outside
the dear Old Briar-patch. He had
found a refuge.
Copyright. 1920 By T: W. rurssss.l