The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-09
BURGESS BED-
 TIME STORIES
By THORNT0N W. BURGESS

PRICKLY PoRky HAS
 4 STRANGE RIDE One thing at time IS enough for my
 mind;
 It saves me annoyance and worry,
 find. -Prickly Perky.
 Salt PriclSly Porky the Porcupine forgot everything else. He forgot all his troubles. He even forgot to be obstinate. His mouth watered and there was almost sparkle in his dull little eyes as he followed that stick Farmer Browns Boy was dragging along just in front of his nose, That stick was salt. for it had been dipped in a pail of salt water. Prickly Porlty whined with eGEerness as he followed that stick. He even tried to run after it. He didn't care where it might take him to if only he could catch up with it and taste that de- licjous salt.
 Presently Farmer Browns Boy dropped the stick and Prickfs Porky. with 3, sigh of happiness. began to snaw off the bark and chew even the wood itself SO IS to get every bit of that salt. And while he was doing this Farmer Browns Boy got an empty barrel and in it put some hem lock twigs which had been dipped in that salt water. Thea he took the barrel over to where Prickly Perky was having such a good time and put it on it's side with the open end toward Prickly Porky.
 Watching his chance he snatched away the stick which Prickly Porky was chewing. prickly Porky grunted and whined fretfully. He didn't see where the stick went to and he be- gan to nose about for it. Then he smelled the salt in the barrel and without hesitating an instant walked right in and contentedly began to eat the salt twigs in that
 Farmer Browns Boy turned the barrel on end and there was Prickly Perky on the bottom of it. pris- oner, though he didn't know it. But he wouldn't have minded if he had known. Nothing mattered to him so long as he had that delicious salt
 Farmer Browns Boy got his sled. He put the barrel with I'rickly Porky on 1t on the sled and started for the Green Forest
 Take him away in. called Farmer Brown. "If you don't he may come poklng around here again for more salt, and we don't want that to hap pen"
 Farmer Browns Boy promised to T Green Forest, and away they went. very slowly and carefully. You see, Farmer Browns Boy didn't intend to take any chances of upsetting that barrel and spillng out prickly Perky
 Of course, Bowser the Hound went along, too. So did Sammy Jay Sammy wouldn't have missed it for anything. Sammy knows that when anything unusual is going on almost anything may happen. Tommy Tit the Chickadee also went along. and so did Chatterer the Red Squirrel He was very, very curious to know what Farmer Browns Boy was going to do with Prickly PorlSy.
 Peter Rabbit happened to be on the edge of the Green Forest when he saw Farmer Browns Boy drag ging the sled with the barrel on, and of course, right away his curiosity was aroused. So he, too, followed at a safe distance. You see, he didn't want to get too close to Bowser the Hound. Sammy Jay happened to look back and saw Peter. At once he flew over to him.
 'who do you think is in that bar rei?" asked Sammy.
 Peter shook his head. '1s some one in it?'" he asked, suspecting Sammy of a. joke.
 But by the way Sammy nodded and then hurried on ahead he knew that someone was In that barrel. and, of course, he was more curious than ever.
 And so Priekly Porky had al strange ride, the first ride in all his life. And the funny thing is he didn't know it. No. sir. he didn't know it. He was so busy with those salty twigs in the bottom of the barrel that he didn't even notice he was being carried somewhere. Copyright. 1912. by T. w. Burgess.)
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