Evening star., 1922-07-12
lITTILE&0R!E!s
I%rBEIDTInE
Old Mr.. Temptation Keeps
Busy.
BIT THORNTON w. BURGESS.

BIT THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Temptations always busy by night as well as
day.
And he who stops to listen will surely have to
psy. Peter Rabbit.
Slowly Peter Rabbit approached
Farmer Browns garden. The Black
had already crept out from
the Purple Hills behind which jolly.
round. red Mr.. Sun had smilingly gone
to bed. over on the edge of the Green
Forest Melody the Wood Thrush was
pouring out his evening song. Most
of the other birds had already gone to
bed. There were few exceptions.
Hooty the Owl was awake. of course.
Whip-poor-will had just awakened
and was calling over in the Green
Forest Boomer the Nighthawk was
hunting his dinner high in the air
above Farmer Browns garden.
Peter poked his head under the
fence and sazed longinsly into that
garden. 1t was too dark for him to
sec very we'll, but a wandering Little
Night Breeze brought to him delicious
smells. For q long time he sat there.
wishing he could see better. but de-
fence
You are q silly fellow" whispered
Old Mr.. Temptation. The idea of
coming as far as this and then going
about that garden than you do now.
You are not in the slightest danger.
Nobody but Old Mr.. Toad is in the
garden now. and there isn't reason
in the world why you shouldn't go
all through it."
III
will be all right to Just walk around
in there. I wonder where Old MIR.
Toad is? I wonder II he is over in
the lettuce bed? 1 believe I'll just
run over and find out"
So Peter crept under the fence and
started for the lettuce bed. On the
way he passed several long rows OF
young cabbages. "A leaf of one of
those would taste good" whispered
Old Mr.. Temptation
7 know It," replied Peter. but I'm
not going to take one"
Old Mr.. Temptation. You would
feel a lot better for it. 1t is long
time since you have had anything but
grass and sweet clover. One leaf
ever know it had been taken. Those
leaves are just right for eating now.
Never again will they be as tender
II know it," said Peter. ''1 don't
suppose one leaf would be missed.
And now you mention 1t. 1 am tired
of grass and clover"
There's a plant over there with so
many leaves that the loss Of one won't
matter in the least whispered Old
Mr.. Temptation. why should Farmer
Brown have all these cabbages and
YOU not have even q taste? Just try
one Of those leaves. 1t will make you
feel like q new Rabbit"
Peter hesitated. Then he slowly
hoped over to that particular plant.
1t was true that one leaf wouldn't
be missed. Peter stretched out his
wabbly little nose for n smell. He
didn't intend to take bite. All he
wanted was to smell Of that cabbage.
But somehow he stretched that wao-
bly, little nose further than he meant
to and 1t touched the edge OF leaf
Peter just had to nibble the edge OF
1t. Ny. how good 1t tasted. 1t SEEM
ed to Peter that never had he tasted
anything 50 delicious. He kept on
nibbling The more he nfbbled the
moro It seemed to him that he must
have the whole leaf.
Nlbble. nibble. nibble. That leaf
was half gone. Nibble, nibble. nibble.
That leaf was wholly gone. Still 1t
seemed to Peter that he hadn't had
more than a. bite. II that leaf
wouldn't be missed-and he was sure
II wohidn't-a leaf from another plant
wouldn't be missed. Peter hoped T.
the next plant and began to nibeH
Ofd Mr.. Temptation ehuekled.
Copyright, lezs, b. :. ". Barssss}