The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-22
Little Stories For Bedtime
Lightfoot Tells Tow His Horns Grew
tBy THORNTON BURGESS,

LightfOot Tells Tow His Horns Grew NIT IS hard to believe what seems
 impossible. And yet what seems i'm
 possible to you may be a very com monplace matter to someone else. So it does not do to say that thing cannot be just because. you cannot understand how it can be. Peter Rabbit wanted to believe what Lightfoot the Deer had just told him. but somehow he couldn't believe it. You see Lightfoot had just told Peter that the splendid great horns which crowned Lightfoot's head were new and had grown that summer. Do you wonder that Peter found this hard to believe? If he had grown that sum- mer. Do you wonder that Peter found this hard to believe? If he had seen them growing it would have been an- other matter. But he hadn't seen Light foot since the very last of the winter and then Lightfoot had had just such handsome horns as he now wore, so he really couldn't be blamed for not be- ing able to believe that those had been lost and in their place new ones had grown in just the few months of spring and summer.
 So when Peter had asked him about
 
 had told Peter that he didn't like to tell things to people who wouldn't be- lieve them. And Peter didn't blame Lightfoot in the least. "I'm trying to believe it." he said quite humbly.
 Its all true," broke in another voice. Peter jumped and turned to find his cousin Jumper the Hare, sitting near. Unseen and unheard he had stolen up and had overheard what Peter and Lightfoot had said.
 "How do you know it is true?" snap ped Peter little grossly, for Jumper had startled him.
 Because saw Lightfoot's old horns after they had fallen off, and I often saw Lightfoot while his new horns were growing retorted Jumper.
 "All right! I'll believe anything that Lightfoot tells me if you say it is mired his cousin Jumper. Now tell me about those rags clinging to your horns, Lightfoot. Please do."
 Lightfoot couldn't resist that "please." Those rags are what is left of kind of covering which covered the horns while they were growing, as told you before," said he. Very soon after my horns dropped off, the new ones began to grow. They were not hard, not at all like they are now. They were soft and very tender, and the blood ran all through our bodies. They were covered with sort of skin with hairs on it like thin fur. The ends were not sharp pointed as they now are. but they were big and rounded like knobs They were not like horns at all, and they made my head hot and were very un- comfortable. That is why hid away. They grew very fast, so fast that ev- cry day I could see, by looking at my reflection in water that they were a little longer. It seemed to me some times as if all my strength went into those new horns. And I had to'be very careful not to hit them against any thing. In the first place it would have hurt, and in the second place it might have spoiled the shape of my horns"
 When they had grown to the length you now see they began to shrink and grow hard. The knobs on the ends shrank until they became pointed. As soon as they stopped growing the blood stopped flowing up in them. and as they became hard they were no longer ten der The skin which had covered them grew dry and split and I rubbed it off on trees and bushes. The little rags you see are what is left, but I will soon be rid of those. Then I shall be ready to fight if need be- and will fear no one save man and will fear him only when