San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-12
Foxy Grandp'a's
Stories
The Work of a Little Russian
Army.

"a"
Bunny certainly looked detected. II
ever there was sad looking rabbit
it was Bunny. He didn't sit up
straight and his ears were Hopping.
and he lost that smart dcbOnair air
which his whiskerS always give him
when they bristle-likc gentleman
with a waxed mustachc. To tell the
truth, Bunnys whiskers hung down
like walruss. His eyes hadn't the
sign of a sparkle in them.
| couldn't see any reason for this,
because we were out on a farm, and
the farmer had told Bunny that he
could go as far as he liked in the
Vegetable garden-tO help himself to
all the young lettuce and radishcS
that he might fancy-and if anything
on earth should make u rabbit happy
it should be that kind of an invita-
ton. But Bunny was anything hut
Il happy little rabbit. So finally l
asked him what the trouble was.
Bunny | said, you have some
thing on your mind besides those long.
silky ears. Tell me about it. Per
haps l can help you
Bunny gulpcd. l could see he was
swallowing a big lump i'll his throat
and then said:
Foxy Grandpa. there's going to be
massacre around here
a massacre" | exclaimed in hOI-
ror.
Yes, sir; right out in that corn
field"
What under the sun are you talk
ing about, Bunny l asked.
III tell YOU" said Bunny, and
nc shook his head sadly.
Last night | overheard this farmer
talking to his foreman. He said thai
something had to be done about thy
field mice which were out in the cOrl-
field. and that he wanted his foreman
10 scatter poison all over the field
and cxtcrminatc them entirely.
Now, Foxy Grandpa, those poor
field mice have an awful life. Every
cat in the ncighborhOOd is after them,
and they are not only attacked from
the ground but they are always in
danger from air attack
What do you mean, air attack.
Bunny l asked.
Owls" Kissed Bunny.
Don't you know that owls are just
like flying cats and that one owl will
-obblc up 10 mice in an hour:'
Mercy" | said. Those Httf"
fellows are up against it and the sad
thing is that they do great deal OF
good even if they may cat little
grain or corn. Field mice did Il great
work in Russia once.
What was that asked Bunny
eagerly.
1t was some years ago near OdcS>"
IN Southern Russia where the great
wheat fields are.
suddenly one day rs if they had
fallen from the Sky. appeared hun.
irndS and thousands Of tiny field
nice. They Swarmod over the couu.
try ard people couldn't understand
where they had come from or why
hey had come.
but in some mysterious way those
iittlc mice had discovered that Their
was going to BE- plague of locuStS
which would have entirely destroyed
ihc crop-far worse than the mice
would have.
1T was found that there were mi
lions Of locust eggs hung in the littl"
sacks in which they arc laid on all
he grain and if they had Matched.
he spring crop would have been 1"
total loss and all of the farmers would
lave been very poor.
but the little mice got busy and
ate up all the eggs because locust cry
are one Of their favoritc dishes. Tn"
ones rhcv couldn't eat. they stored fur
he winter. So You see. they really
saved that whole part of the country
from % great catastrophe"
Foxy Grandpa" pleaded Bunny,
please tell the farmer that story"
1t worked. | told the Turner whar
happened in Russia and he said be
lad never heard Of such a thing but
vas glad To know it and that he'd
never poison another field mouse as
'..-.r as hr lived.
Copyright. 1895, International gsaul7s