The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-01
oRGESS BED-
 TIME STORIES
JERRY MUsKRAT ALSO HAS
by THORNTON ". BURGESS
THE FEEIING

THE FEELING
 Nho needs my warnings neyer will
 rOush unpreparedness suffer i'll.
 -Old Mother Nature.
 Feter Rabbit reached the Smiling fooi without mtshap and looked eag. erly for Jerry Muskrat. Jerry wasn' { to pc seen. Peter looked over at Jerry's house. near where the Laugh Ing Brook entered the Smiling Pool. was 1t his imagination, or was Jerrys house bigger than 1t had peen the last time he had seen 1t? . feter couldn't be sure. It was some tlne since he had visited the Smiling Fool, and then he hadn't taken any special notice of Jerrys house.
 But now he looked at 1t very hard, and the more he looked the more the feling grew that 1t was bigger than 1t had been. Certainly Jerry had been at work on it. But that might not mean anything more than that Jerry was getting 1t ready for win ter. He did this every fall. Still he couldn't get rid of the feeling that 1t was bigger than 1t ever had been before.
 Presently he saw something nov 7 out from among the rushes, on tne further side of the Smiling Pool At first 1t looked as if some fallen rushes were floating out of their own accord. Then he made out a little brown head in the middle of them. Peter knew instantly that it was Jerry Muskrat bringing more rushes for the house.
 Hello, Jerry!" called Peter.
 Jerry didn't reply. He couldn't. You see, his mouth was full of those rushes. He knew better than to try to talk with his mouth full. When he reached his house he climbed out . of the water and dragged the rushes up on the roof. Then, without say ing word, he carefully worked them in place where he wanted them.f When he had fixed them to suit himself he sat down to rest.
 Hello, Peter" said he, his eyes twinkling. What is new in the Great World?'
 Nothing much that I know of," replied Peter. Isn't your house big ger than itwas?"
 T hope so." replied Jerry. eff it isn't have wasted a lot of time and worked hard for nothing. It will be bigger still before I am through with it. This roof ought to be twice as thick as it is"
 "why?, asked Peter.
 Because we are going to have long, hard, cold winter" replied Jerry, "and the thicker this roof is the warmer by bedroom will be-"
 "Poh!" exclaimed Peter. "Probably you arc doing a lot of hard work for nothing. Winter Is long way off yet, so how can you know what kind if winter it Is going to be?"
 T know" replied Jerry. 'It Is go- nj In he pd hard o nd rnld nd I am going to be prepared for it.''
 That is what Johnny Chuck said, but l don't believe he knows, and I don't believe you know a thing about it."
 John Chuck is right" declared Jerry Muskrat. What has he been doing to get ready for it?"
 He has dug his house deeper than ever before. and he has stuffed him self until he is so fat that it Is a wonder to me that he doesn't burst" replied Peter. "It Is so. But you haven't told me how you know the winter Is going to be long, hard and cold. Who told you so?"
 Nobody" replied Jerry. That is, nobody, unless Old Mother Nature whispered it in my ear while l was asleep. But know. It Is just a 1GtAlA6y OaL el4A NAAo ooAAS nay " You mark my words. Peter Rabbit, we are going to have one of the worst winters ever. But don't care, Ill be ready for it.''
 With this. Jerry dived into the water and started for more rushes. Copyright, 1921, by T. W. Burgess.)
 The next story: Peter Tries Paddy the Beaver"