Arizona republican., 1922-05-18
Little Stories For. Bedtime
TAoHNToN w RIPEEsS
LITTLE MITE RUNS AWAY
BY THORNTON w. EURGE'


Alas! Alack! Sad is the day
When needless children disobey.
1t is sad for father and mother and
1t is sad for the child, and this is
Just as true with the little people
who wear fur or feathers as with
boys and girls and their fathers and
mothers. Ask Danny Meadow Mouse
E1e knows all about it. He says that
being father is the most re- spon-
sible job in the world, but Nanny
Meadow Mouse says that this is no
such thing, because being a mother
is the most re-spon- sible job in the
world. But they both agree that
needless children who disobey can
make more worry and sadness than
anybody ought to have to go through
with.
Now. of their four children. Teeny.
Weeny. Midget, and Mite, the last
was the smallest. He was also the
quickest and smartest. He never had
to be shown twice how to do thing
He could outrun and outdodge his
brothers and sisters. He was forever
finding new hiding places in which
they never thought to look for him.
He had even fooled his father that
way when the latter was looking for
him to punish him. AS for fooling
his mother, Nanny Meadow Mouse,
he did that continually Yes. Mite
was smart, and he knew it. Yes, sir,
he knew 1t. That was at the bottom
of all the trouble. He knew he was
smart, and he thought so much about
it that at last he came to believe
that he was little smarter than
any one lese-even smarter than his
father and mother.
Now, when children get to think
ing that they are smarter than their
fathers and mothers they are pre-
pairing the way for all sorts of trouble
and often sadness for themselves
and for those who love them. That
was just the way it was with Mite.
He thought himself so smart that it
was not necessary for him to obey.
He and his brother and sisters had
been charged over and over again
that they must never. never so much
as poke their noses out from under
the pile of old cornstalks in the mid
die of which their home was. They
could play in and under the pile of
cornstalks as much as they pleased
but they must never climb. up
on top or run out from underneath
lest some watchfui. hungry enemy
should see them and gobble them up
for lunch
Now. Mite didn't approve OF that at
all. He was sure that he was alto
gether too smart to be caught. He
thought his father and mother need
lessly tinid. and when they were not
about he said so.
There's nothing to be afraid Of
said he They Just tell us there is
so as to scare Us and keep us home.
I'm not afraid, and some day I'm
going out to see the Great World. I'm
getting tired of this old pile OF corn
stalks. and I want to see what is
going on outside"
OF course, his brothers and sisters
were terribly shocked, and told him
that he mustn't think of such things.
But little Mite was very head strong.
One day while Danny and Nanny
were away looking for something for
dinner Mite disobeyed and darted out
into one of Danny's little private
paths that led away through the tall
grasses. He was out only a minute
and then darted back again. No one
told Danny or Nanny. and the very
next time he got chance he tried
it again He kept on doing it. each
time going just little farther. II
was very exciting No harm ever
came near him, but there was always
the chance that Danny or Nanny
would catch him doing it. Several
times he got back just in the nick
of time AT last he made up his
mind to do something. What do
you think it was? Why. he made
UP his mind to run away and
see the Great World Yes, sir,
that is just what he made up his
mind to do. and it is just what he
did do very early one morning. DAN
NY didn't discover it until he had
been gone as much as a whole hour,