New Britain herald., 1927-02-10

Peter Rabbit had turned around two or three times before lying down. Finally he sttled himself and prepared to spend the day sleeping down in the bedroom of Johnny Chuck's old house in the far corner of the Old Orchard. He was just dozing off when suddenly he pricked up his two long ears. It seemed to him that he heard a pebble click against another little pebble up in that long hall. Hastily he looked up that long hall. There should have been light coming down that hall That hall was dark. Peter knew what that meant. It meant that some body was in that long hall. Who it was he didn't know. but he didn't intend to stay there to find out. He remembered that that house had back door. He found the entrance to the back hall and he started up in such hurry that at first he didn't notice that that hall was all dark. That meant that the doorway was closed. When he understood this Peter became so frightened that he didn't know what to do. He was trapped! Yes, sir. he was trapped. He couldn't go back because some 1 body was coming down the front i hall What should he do?
 Now. sometimes when people are terribly frightened they do nothing at all Sometimes it seems as if that | is Old Mother Natures way of taking i care of them. Peter did nothing. He i didn't try to go back and he didn't ! try 10 go ahead. He knew what was the trouble with that back door IL . was closed with snow and ice. If it ! had been just soft snow he could have dug his way out easily. But Peter knew there was ice there and that he couldn't dig through. To try 10 do it would be to make noise, and to make noise would be to at tract the attention of whoever was coming down that long hall. So Peter just squatted in the upper part of that long hall and waited and did his best to hold his breath. i
 Peter heard a whining and a grunting. Jimmy Skunk" said l Peter to himself. Then he heard more whining and erunting. His | hoort gave another thump. That's ! Mrs. Jimmy" thought he. Then he 1 heard another voice, also grunting !. and whining. It wasn't the voice of Jimmy. If wasn't the voice of Mrs. ! Jimmy. Tt must be one Of the chil- dren,' thought Peter.
 Hardly had he thought this when he heard another whine. "Goodncss mel" thought Peter. "There must he two children. It must be that Jimmy Mrs. Jimmy and two children have come down to this house. My. my. i my. what dreadful fiv I'm in, I'm i, not afraid of Jimmy or any of his family outside, but I should hate 10 be caught by them inside. especially at this time Of year. My goodness. if that isn't another voice. That makes three of the children. Let's sec. how many did Jimmy and Mrs. Jimmy have this year? I believe 1t was six. Can 1t be that they have been liy- ing together all winter? I do believe they have and that they are all com ing in here to sleep now. If Mrs. Peter could see me now she would say 1t serves me just right. l suppose it does. I don't see how eight skunks are ever going 10 crowd into that one room. I do hope none will come poking up this back hall"
 None did. There was a great deal of grunting and whining and cGm- plaining Is those eight skunks pack ed themselves into that one bed room. How they all got in there Peter didn't understand, but they did get in there. Peter heard if all as he waited hoping thev would go 10 sleep and give hila a nance 10 try 10 dig his way out.
 I'm certainly,in dreadful fix"