The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-06-26
BURGESS BED-
 TIME STORY
AN AWFUL GAME OF HIDE-AND-
 SEEK
My neiKhb0r's joy may pEove to bS A very dreadful thing fer ne.
 -WhffefOof the Weed MeWse.
By THORNTON W. nuRGEss

8EEA
 My neiKhbor's joy may pEsvs ts As
 A very dreadful thing fer ne.
 -WhitefOot the Weed MeWse.
 Buster Bear likes Wood Mice. He likes them to eat. He will so to lot of trouble to catch Wood Mouse, although it will make no more than a little opening in a certain old stump in the Green Forest and smeiled the venturesome little son of whitefoot the Wood Mouse asleep in there Buster promptly made up his mind that he would have that little Mouse. Of course the only way to get 1t was to break open that old stump. That meant a lot of work.
 Buster teok hold of the old stump. He could tell by feeling that if wouldn't be very great job to pull it over. You know Buster Bear Is very strong and that stump was very old and weak. His first thought was to tear 1t open as it stood there. But this he couldn't manage and so he tugged and pushed and pulled until over went the stump. Whom 1t nit the ground it cracked and that gave Buster a chance to hook his great claws in and tear 1t wide open. Of
 course Buster expected that htde Wood Mouse to jump out and was watching for him. But the little Wood Is. he jumped the wrong way for Buster. He jumped straight under Buster. His second jump took him behind Buster. and by the time Bus ter got turned around the frightened little Mouse was just disappearing behind an old log.
 But Buster had seen him and with loud "Woofp' sprang forward with surprising Quickness for such . big fellow. He hooked his big claws into the log and pulled 1t over. Out darted the little Mouse and disap-
 pcared under a little pile of brush. scatter that pile of brush. He sent # flying this way and that way and again the little Mouse had to run for his life. This time he dived into little hole in the ground which he happened to sec just in time. It was the entrance to an old tunnel made long before by a Wood Mouse who lad once lived in that part of the Green Forest.
 As before, Buster saw where the little Mouse had disappeared. He
 growled. It was deep, uSly-sound- ing growl. Then with those useful big claws Buster began to make di-t fly as he tore open that little tunnel. It wasn't hard digging. for the
 ground was soft.
 Never in all the days of the Great World had there lived more fright ened Mouse. It would have been bad enough had this little Mouse known where he was and all the hiding places near. But he didn't. You know he had run away from home l. Awtx ~ttN Al VI a hiding place he had no idea whore to look for another. All he could do
 was to use his eyes and run for tho nearest place that offered chance l for him to get out of sight.
 The little Mouse found that that tunnel was not very long. At the 1 end of 1t was another little opening. Out of this the tiny little Mouse dartsd. He had to. To stay in that l tunnel would moan to be caught. Buster Bear looked up from his dig ging just in time to catch glimpse 1 of tho slim tail of that little Mouse l as he darted behind . tree, Like a l flash Buster was after him again. l It was a game of hide-and-seek. It was a terrible game for that little l Mouse. You see to him Buster Bear was a tremendous giant. His very I size made him frightfui to that little l Mouse. Then to be hunted by him and to hear the dreaful sounds he made was nothing less than awful. It Is q wonder that that little Mouse didn't die of fright, but he didn't. l He just kept right on playing that awful game of hide-and-seek, and hoping he would find g place where Buster Bear couldn't get at him. ! Copyright. 1922. by T. W. Burgess). The next sts<ys ssrhe End of the