The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-27
BURGESS BED-
 TIME STORIES
By THORNTON W. BURGESS

Who needs a warning proves he's
 wise,
 And guards himself against surprise.
 Mrs. Lightfoot.
 In a favorite place in the Green Forest, where there was food enough to keep them from going very hun gry, Llghtfoot the Deer, Mrs. Light foot and the twin lawns were pre- pared to spend the winter. Until the coming of snow they had roamed all through the Green Forest up in the old Pasture and sometimes out on tEe Green Meadows. But now that the snow was deep enough to make it hard work to get about outside or well trodden paths they were making themselves as comfortable as possible in this favorite place.
 To begin with. Lightfoot led the way in the first snow from one good eating place to another, Mrs. Light foot just behind him and behind her the half grown twins. They took a few bites here and few bites there. never stopping long enough to ea much at any one place.
 T don't see why we can't stay ana get d good meal in one place." com plained one of the twins. T don't see any sense at all in moving along all the time."
 "Of course you don't" replied Mother Deer. That is because you have very little sense as yet The older you grow the more sense you will gain, I hope, and by the time you are old enough to start out in the Great World for yourself you will understand many things that VxIN f r4t. rHte. in one place and eat all we want right there, what would happenY'
 "Why--we-we-we would get our stomachs full without having to walk our legs off" replied the complaining young Deer.
 "Yes, and we would eat all the food in that one place. There would be none left for another time" retorted Mrs Lightfoot.
 What of it?" demanded the com blaming young Deer. T don't see that that would may any difference, We would go to another place where there was plenty"
 We could do that for a while, per haps." replied Mrs. Lightfoot, but not after the snow became deep. You do not yet know what deep snow means. There is only a little now
 
 Your father leads and I follow in his steps, and this makes 1t easier for you. Each day as we come along here we will tramp the snow down. More snow will fall and we will tramp Stat down. It may be that by and by the snow outside our paths will be so deep that 1t will be almost or quite to the tops of our backs. We couldn't get through 1t If we tried. When that time comes you will un- derstand why 1t is that now we take only bite here and bite there. It Is so that we may have enough feed ing places connected by well trodden paths. Your father knows what he is doing in keeping us moving so much.
 And right now I want to give you warning, both of you. The terrible hunting season Is over and there are but three enemies who can harm you, and even they cannot if you keep close to your father and myself in these paths we are making. Those enemies are Yowler the Bob Cat, Old Man Coyote and a possible stray Dog. Any one of these could pull down and kill a half-grown Deer such as you, if caught alone. So I warn you to keep close to your father and myself. And if one of those enemies should appear, on no account leave the paths We have trodden. In these paths you can make use of your legs, but should you get into the deep snow you would be helpless. Now-remember"
 "Yes'm, we will" replied the twin lawns.
 Copyright. 1921. by W. T. Burgess )
 The next story: "Old Man Coyote Watches the Deer.''