New Britain herald., 1927-05-31
Hooty the Owl Is Upset

The very night that Peter Rabbit
went over to see his cousin, Jump.
er the Hare, in the Green Forest
! Hooty the Owl took it into his head
to go UP to the Old Pasture. You
| know. Hooty has the feathers or
his wings so arranged that when he
! flies he makes no sound. It Is al
most as if he drifted through the
! air. So it is that Hooty gives nc
warning of his presence. This is
! rather necessary for Hooty. for
otherwise he would have difficulty
in catching the food he must have
in order to live.
Now Hooty had not been up to
the Old Pasture for some time. He
knew that Reddy Fox lived up
there and he knew that Old Man
Coyote lived up there. although they
lived some distance apart. That was
one reason he hadn't been up there
for so long. He used to say to him
self. Going UP to the Old Pasture
would be Just a waste of time. With
two such good hunters up there as
Reddy and Old Man Coyote. there
would be small chance for me to
get anything to eat
But this particular night Hooty
happened to be flying over that way
and so he kept right on. He took it
into his head that he would like
to have a look at Old Man Coyotes
home. So on those great. silent
wings he flew through the dusk
straight to where he knew Old Man
Coyote lived. Just as he got there
Old Man Coyote came out and sat
on his doorstep. Good evening. Old
Man Coyote" said Hooty. Il hope
that hunting is good"
Old Man Coyote looked up at
Hooty and grinned. ut won't be
after you have passed." said he,
which really was a compliment to
Hooty
1T isn't now" replied Hooty. II
really didn't expect it would be with
such master hunter as you living
here"
Old Man Coyote grlnned but said
nothing. Hooty kept on. He sailed
back and forth here and there over
the Old Pasture. but. rs he had ex-
pccted. he found nothing. Then he
turned and headed back for the
Green Forest. Old Man Coyote didn't
see him, but he saw Old Man Coy
ote. Old Man Coyote was still sit
ting on his doorstep. Hooty kept
straight on to the Green Forest.
He planned to hunt along the edge
Of it. He hoped he might find Peter
Rabbit there, or Whitefoot the
Wood Mouse. or perhaps Danny
Meadow Mouse.
Suddenly hootly missed a beat Of
his wings. Yes, sir. he Just held
them straight out and sailed along
and forgot to flap them so that he
almost fell out OF the air. His great.
round, staring eyes seemed bigger
than ever, and for once Hooty
quite lost his voice. You see. sitting
back to him Just outside the edge
OF the Green Forest. was some one
who certainly looked for all the
world like Old Man Coyote. It
couldn't be a dog. 1t wasn't Gray
Fox. IF Hooty could have rubbed his
eyes he certainly would have rubbed
them then For how could Old Man
Coyote be down there on the edge
Of the Green Forest when Hooty
had Just left him sitting on hi. own
doorstep up in the Old Pasture?
ITooty felt himself falling. so he
Tapped his wings. and made cir
cle so as to come back for another
look "How did You get down here
before me-" cried Hooty.
At the sound of his voice the
shadowy figure below him gave p
start and then vanished in the
Green Forest. Hooty was so upset
that he lost his appetite. He flew
straight to his favorite perch and
here he sat and wondered whether
Re was dreaming or awake. Never
ras there a more upset Owl than
vas Hooty. He was certain that he
,ad seen Old Man Coyote on his
doorstep in the Old Pasture and
Town on the edge Of the Green For
'st at practically the same time.
Md. OF course. such a thing az that
ust couldn't be.
Copyright. 1927. by T.W. Burgess>
The next story: odd Man Coyote
Himself Is pn7yleI :"