The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-13
BURGESS BED-
 TIME STORIES
By THORNTON W. BURGESS
FARMER BROWNS BOY MISSES
 THINGS

FARMER BROWNS BOY MISSES This much to me Is very cIearI
 Things of themselves don't disappear.
 Farmer Browns Boy.
 Farmer Browns Boy was up early in the sugar house over in the Green Forest He had slept in it all night and he was up almost at break of day Of course, the first thing he did was to prepare his breakfast
 II thought I left two or three slices of bread last night" said he, talking aloud to himself. "Yes, sir, I was sure that I cut more bread than WIG wanted for supper and I thought l would toast that for breakfast this morning. But there isn't a slice here. There's the half loaf that was left, but there isn't a sign of a slice, and l know that there were either two or three slices. They must have gone to join that apple I missed yester- day morning. It Is queer, mighty queer, how things can walk off like that. whitefoot the Wood Mouse isn't big enough to have carried off those things. l wonder if 1t can be that Happy Jack Squirrel has been pay ing me q vlsit?"
 s He began a careful search for a hole whereby Happy Jack might have entered. Then he remembered that Happy Jack goes to bed at night. So If anybody had been there eit could not have been Happy Jack Squirrel. He made coffee, fried some eggs, made some nice brown toast and then sat down to eat his breakfast. He reached for a spoon for his coffee and such surprised look as came over his facel That spoon wasn't where he had thought 1t was. In fact, no spoon was to be seen anywhere, and there had been four of them the night beforei
 Farmer Browns Boy began to have a funny feeling. He knew that he had put those four spoons on a shelf the night before. Now they were gone. The door had been locke when he awoke and there was no window big enough for any one to have climbed in or out.
 This is too much for me-" mutt tered Farmer Browns Boy between bites as he ate his breakfast. Tt is spookN. Yes. sir, it is spooky. Rats Mice or Squirrels might have taken the bread or even the apple, but they certainly wouldn't take spoons. I know put those spoons on that shelf last night. l know I did. Somebody has been in here in the night and that is all there is about It. There must be somebody who has a key They unlocked the door in the night and then locked 1t again when they went out"
 This satisfied Farmer Browns Boy until suddenly he remembered that he had bolted that door the night be- fore. Of course, no one could have opened that door from the outside. This quite upset Farmer Browns Boy he ha guess who could by any chance have taken those four spoons.
 When Farmer Brown arrived he seemed quite as much puzzled. Very carefully they went around the old sugar house on the outside, but mo- where could they find any signs of visitor in the night.
 Have you looked around to see If anything else is missng?" asked Farmer Brown. "Nes." replied Farmer Browns Boy. Those spoons ahd the bread seem to be all that were taken. l suppose we can't waste any more time now, for 1t is high time we were collecting the sap. l wonder where put my mittens?"
 Here is one" said Farmer Brown, picking it up from an old box, but don't see the other" He. looked in the box, behind it and all around 1t, put tnt ocCOlu inltltu was llOl there. Then they hunted all about inside the house. No mitten~ was to be found
 Tt looks as if you will have to go with one bare hand today, son." said Farmer Brown. Perhaps you dropped the other one when you were bring ing in wood last night"
 Farmer Browns Boy shook his head. T didn't have my mittens then," said he. T think it must have gone to join those spoons, the bread and the apple. It's a mystery. That is what it is-a mystery. I don't know what to make of 1t at all" (Copyright 1922 by T. w Burgess)