Arizona republican., 1922-06-10
Little Stories For Bedtime
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS
FARMER BROWNS BOY
CHANGES HIS MIND
BY THORNTON w.

Drummer the Woodpecker and
Mrs. Drummer actually flew to meet
Farmer Browns boy when they saw
him coming through the Old Orchard
with a stick in one hand and a stone
in the other. In spite of all that
Tommy Tit the Chickadee and Chat
terer the Red Squirrel had told them
about the kindness which Farmer
Browns boy had learned they still
distrusted him. But now with Mr..
Blacksnake actually looking in at
the door of their home and making
ready to swallow their five helpless
babies, they forgot their distrust.
They flew almost to him, then back
toward the tree. and all the time
crying in the most pitiful way
OF course, Farmer Browns Boy
couldn't understand what they said,
but he knew right away what they
meant They meant for him to hurry,
to please hurry and help them. So
he did hurry, and when he saw Mr..
Blacksnake he hurried still faster.
Mr.. Blacksnake saw him coming. He
drew back from the doorway OF
Drummer's home and hissed angrily.
He pretended to be very fierce, and
by so doing tried to frighten Farmer
Browns Boy as he had so often
frightened others. But Farmer
Browns Boy knows all about Mr..
Blacksnake and how he really is
great coward and only pretends to
be brave
"Hi. there," he yelled, and threw
the stone he held in his hand. 1t
didn't hit Mr.. Blacksnake, but it
struck very close to him. Right away
he forgot all about those young
Woodpeckers he had planned to eat
dr,tf
for but one thought and that was to
get away as quickly as possible. He
saw that Farmer Browns Boy wasn't
afraid of him, and he was afraid,
very much afraid. of Farmer Browns S
Boy. He turned and began to glide
swiftly down the tree.
Farmer Browns boy rushed for
ward, brandishing long stick.
kill him. Kill him!" shrieked
Chatterer.
xiii himl Kill him. shrieked
Sammy Jay
xiii him! Kill him. shrieked
Drummer and Mrs. Drummer and
all the other feathered folk of the
Old orchard.
Farmer Browns Boy fully in
tended to do it. As Mr.. Blacksnake
slipped from the tree Farmer Browns
Boy raised the long stick, meaning
to bring it down on Mr.. Blacksnakes
head and kill him. But he didn't
You see, at just that very minute he
| changed his mind. 1t had come over
him all of sudden that Mr. Black
snake had Just as much right to live
| as he had He was one of Old
Mother Natures big family, just as
much as was Drummer the Wood
| pecker. In trying to get a dinner
| of helpless young Woodpeckers he
was no worse than a lot of other
little people. and not so bad as hunt
| ers who with dreadful guns go out
| to kill birds and little animals. not
because they really need them to
eat, but for what they call sport.
/ He remembered, too, a lot of things
| he had found out about Mr.. Black
snake and some of his relatives
| that they really do a great deal of
| good, more good than harm.
! Il don't want to kill him." he
thought. What / want to do is to
I scare him so that he'll never want to
4 come back 10 Drummer's home again
I and Will think long time before he
VIII visit any other nests"
/ SO Farmer Browns Boy brought
3 the stick down close beside MIR.
! Blacksnake instead of on him, and
kept doing it as he chased him
through the Old Orchard half down
/ TO the Green Meadows, all the tirnc
I Yelling at him and altogether giving
him the worst scare he ever had
/ known.
That's whole lot better than