The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-23

Peter Rabbit needed courage Yes. sir-ee, he needed courage There he was in the tiny cave that opened from one corner of the larger cave which was Buster Bears bedroom, and there was Buster Bear himself right in front of him doing his best to make himself comfortable and sleepily grumbling to himself.
 Now, as you know Peter naturally is timid. He Is very timid Just now he was as badly frightened as any Rabbit in all the Great World ever had been. In the first place he had just had the narrowest of narrow escapes from Yowler the Bob Cat Then, just as he had thought that his troubles were nearly at an end in had walked great Big Buster Bear and now he. Peter, was once more 4 prisoner. One fact gave Peter a wee bit of comfort, and this was that Buster Bear didn't know he was there
 So Peter crouched in his tiny cave, which was hardly big enough for him to turn around in, and wished his heart wouldn't thupp so hard, and wondered how long it would be be- fore Buster Bear would go to sleep and if when he did go to sleep he would sleep soundly. And he won dered, too, If he, Peter. would ever be able to gain courage enough to try to steal past Buster Bear
 Buster Bear was sleepy. He yawn d and yawned and yawned But some how he couldn't seem to go to sleep Sometimes he would doze off, but just as Peter would feel sure that at last he was asleep he would wake up change his position a bit and grum- ble to himself. Peter knew this by the sound of his breathing.
 Peter poked his head out of his hiding place and held his breath as ne listened to Buster Bears breath ing. Buster twitched a paw ant Peter lodged back so suddenly that he bumped his head hard against the top of the entrance. It was a long time before he dared peek out again But by and by he gained courage enough to poke his head out again Buster seemed to be really asleep Peter looked over to the entrance of the big cave. My, how far away it seemed! That was because Buster Bear was between It and Peter
 Little by little Peter crept out of his hiding place all the time try ing to hold his breath. Buster moved and Peter scrambled back. Twice more he tried it and was frightened back. But the third time he was bolder His courage was growing. This time when Buster twitched a paw in his sleep Peter didn't run, he simply sat perfectly still and wished his heart would stop humping so.
 Keeping close to the wall, Peter be- gan to creep around Buster Bear At the least little movement on the pat Of Buster he would dart back. But each time he got a little further. for all the time he was gaining courage It was growing because he kept try ing. The more he tried the faster his courage grew.
 At last he was quite around the foot of Busters bed and there was nothing between him and the en :. trance to that cave. It was all Peter could do to keep from darting out. Hpperty- y-lipperty-li Yes, sir, 1t was all Peter could do to keep from doing Just that thing. But he remembere that somewhere outside was Yowler the Bob Cat. To rush out without first carefully looking and listening might be to rush right into his cruui claws. So Peter just made himself steal slowly and carefully across that cave to the entrance and sit just in- side where he could see out. Then for some time he sat there looking and listening and all the time want ing to run.
 It was bright daylight now and Peter was glad of that. "Yowler doesn't like daylight" thought Peter. He is less likely to be watching than if 1t was night. l don't believe he Is about, but I must make sure."
 At last Peter felt as sure as he thought he was likely to be and like brown gray streak he darted from Buster Bears cave. He was free at lasti
 Copyright. 1921. by T. w. Burgess)
 The next story: Mrs. Peters Hap pY Christmas