Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-19
BURGESS
BEDTIME
STORIES
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS
Mrs. Grouse Is in Tight Place

Mrs. Grouse Is i'm a Tight Place
When you are in place that's tight
It is no time to yield to fright.
Mrs. Grouse.
Paddy the Beaver and Mrs. Paddy
had had their troubles and moments
of danger during the late fall as
they worked to get their supply of
food for the winter. But their
troubles were nothing compared
with the troubles of some Of the
little people Of the Green Forest.
You see, with the coming of the fall
had come the shooting season, when
hunters with terrible guns were
abroad everywhere. Paddy and
Mrs. Paddy had nothing to fear
from these, for the law protected
them at all times.
1t was not so with many of the
other little people. For a few weeks
the law gave them no protection and
they had to depend wholly on their
own smartness and quickHess. Mrs.
Grouse was one of these.
Now, Farmer Browns Boy had
posted signs forbidding anyone to
hunt on his fathers land. Unfor-
tunately there are some hunters
who have no sense of honor and
| these hunters will not hesitate to
| hunt on land protected by such
| signs if they think they can do it
| without being caught. 1t WAS two
| such hunters who discovered that
| Farmer Brown and Farmer. Browns
| boy were to be away from home all
| of one day. At once these hunters
| planned to hunt on Farmer Browns
land. They planned to hunt Cor
Mr.. and Mrs. Grouse and the menl-
bers of their family.
| Now, it happened that Mrs.
Grouse was by herself that morning.
/ She had eaten a good breakfast and
had found a little open place m the
of this open place she squatted
down for a sun bath. She felt quite
| safe there from Reddy Fox, for she
knew he could not approach with
out being seen. She knew the ter
rible hunting season had begun: for
she had heard guns banging in the
| distance. But she knew that no
| hunting was allowed on Farmer
Browns land, and that was where
| she was. SO she did not fear hunt
ers with terrible guns.
She had been enjoying her sun
bath for some time when she heard
the rustic of dry leaves among the
trees and bushes below her. She was
uncertain whether to fly or TO re-
main where she was. She remained.
You see, long ago she had learned
that it often is the worst thing pos
sible to try to fly from danger until
you know what and where the dan
ger is. So she tiattened herself
closer to the ground and remained
right where she was. Imagine, II you
can, how she felt when a moment
or two later hunter with II terrible
gun walked out from among The
| bushes into the little open place.
She knew he was a hunter because
she could see that terrible gun, and
| she knew all about terrible guns.
| Her heart almost stopped beating.
| There she was, right in the middle
| of that little open place, and there.
only a few feet away, stood That
| hunter with his terrible gun.
He had not seen her. Mrs. Grouse
| knew that. He DIDN'T suspect that
she was there. But he might see her
| any instant, and if he did she would
have no chance at all. There were
no trees or bushes for her to dart
behind when she took to her wings.
That hunter would have perfectly
| clear shot and could hardly miss
her. 1t was tight place. Yes, sir,
it was a tight place. Mrs. Grouse
couldn't remember ever having been
| in a tighter place.