Evening star., 1921-12-22
lTnTbdESoRlEs (
Peter Rabbit Is Trapped.
BY THORToN w. BURGESS
Could we into the future look
>, As backward we can see,
how oft we otherwise would act
And different fhinoa tvopld ba


ANA dinerent things would be.
Peter Rabbit.
Back of Buster Bears bed in Bus
ter Bears cave sat Peter Rabbit with
eyes which seemed to be popping out
OF his head. his heart seeming as if
1t were right up his mouth and every
nair on his back standing on end
with fright Peter had heard a noise
just outside the entrance to that
cave and, of course, his first thought
was that Buster Bear might be re-
turning. He thought of Buster first
because he was in Buster Bears bed
| room, where, of course. he had no
right to be, and he had that most un-
comfortable Of all feelings guilty
| feeling.
Outside the cave It was light, for
Mistress Moon was shining her
brightest and Peter could see the en-
trance clearly. You see, he was look.
ing toward the light His first
thought was to take to his heels and
scamper out of that cave as fast as
his legs could take him. That is
what he wanted to do. NV, how he
wanted to do it! But he didn't dare
70. No. sir; he didn't dare to- To do
| ~ might be to run straight into the
ciaws or Buster Bear, for that noise
ne had heard was just outside the
entrance to that cave. Was ever a
Rabbit in a worse fix. He didn't dare
run and he didn't dare stay.
again he heard that noise, and this
time there was no doubt as to what
IT was No, sir; there wasn't a doubt
m the world! 1t was the noise made
oy some one shifting at something
ana Peter didn't need to be told what
vas being shifted at He knew. He
knew only too we'll. Some one was
sniffiing at his trail. Some one had
found the scent left by his feet.
Buster Bear" thought Peter "Oh,
and am in a trap! Why. oh. why. did
| ever come in here? If try to run
out he'll just reach out a big paw and
hat will be the end of Peter Rabbit.
wish 1 hadn't come over here.
wish hadn't thought of Buster Bear.
'tayed in the dear Old Briar r-patch.
Ha! 1t isn't Buster Bear at all!''
You see, all those thoughts went
through Peters funny head all in a
minute. way thoughts have of
ioing in moments of fright, and all
entrance to that cave. Now against
he moonlight beyond appeared a
read and it wasn't at all the head
'eter had expected. 1t was a round
n head than Buster Bears, not so
dig and with a pair of the fircest,
aungriest eyes that glared inside that
ave, and seemed to Peter to see him
It once; No, it wasn't Buster Bear;
it was Yowler the Bob Cat! Buster
Bear would have been bad enough,
tut Yoy Ter was worse.
Too frightened to do anything
'eter did nothing. This was the WIS.,
est thing he could do. He sat there
as still as IL frozen stiff. Yowler
peered in that cave with those fierce
yes that are made for seeing in the
dark, and though 1t seemed to Peter
that they saw him at once, they
didn't. You see, Peter was so much
the color of the leaves Of Buster
Bears bed, behind which he was
crouching. that Yowler didn't recog-
niZe him.
But Yowler's nose told him that
Peter was somewhere in there and
his stump of a tail twitched with
eagerness. But he hesitated to go in
that cave. That was Buster Bears
home and Yowler knew it Yowler
is a coward, and though he knew
Buster Bear was not at htpie, he hes
itated to enter that cave. Poor
peter! How he did hope that Yowler
would prove too cowardly to enter.
He was trapped. There was no mis-.
take about that.
Copyright. 1921. by T. W. Burgess.)