New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-07-06
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS
sTis those who most warning need
Who are most likely not to heed.
old Mother Nature.

That saying is very true saying,
but 1t was not true of certain lit
tie family down on the Green
Meadows. I wish you could have
seen that certain little fatnily.
Johnny Chuck was the proud father
and Polly Chuck was the still proud
er mother. The rest Of the family
consisted of five bright-eyed, very
lively small Chucks, all of whom
promised to bring credit to father
and mother.
From the very start those little
Chucks had been brought up to
obey. obedience, instant obedi-
ence. Is absolutely the most import
ant thing for any child to learn and
II it isn't learned at the very begin
ming 1t is quite likely not to be
learned at ALL" says Polly Chuck.
t'It II the obedient who hive long
Ind the disobedient who disappear
early" says she.
So from the time they could poke
their little black noses out Of the
doorway Of their home these little
Chucks had been taught to mind
without ever waiting to ask ques-
tions. You certainly would have
laughed could you have seen five
pairs Of little black heels disappear
down that hole at the danger sig
nal from either Johnny or Polly
Chuck. Those little Chucks might
not have any idea what the danger
was. Usually they didn't have. But
they knew that they would find out
Afterwards. so they never stopped
to ask questions or to try to see the
danger for themselves.
"A Chuck in hole may come
out again, but a Chuck out of a
hole may never go In again." was
one OF Polly Chuck's wise sayings.
OF course that means that inside
was safety. So these little Chucks
were being brought up as little
Chucks should be-
Johnny Chuck didn't have a great
deal to do with the bringing up of
the family. He left all that to Polly
Chuck. About all Johnny did was to
Keep watch. but this was of course
most important. Johnny is now
wise old Chuck. He has lived
good many years on the Green Mea-
dows and In the Old Orchard, and
there is little that a Chuck should
know that Johnny Chuck doesn't
know So. while Johnny did not ap-
pear to take much interest in his
family. he really was keeping a very
watchful eye over them all the
time. Time and again it was his
wistle Of warning that sent the
babies scampering down to safety.
Those young Chucks grew very
fast. Polly declared that she could
see them grow. So the time was
fast approaching when they would
leave home to go out into the Great
World. Each day they ventured a
little farther away from the door,
step In quest OF sweet clover and
juicy grasses and a nip now and
then OF dandelion leaf. When they
were out this way Polly and 7lhn-
ny did very little eating. Both sat
up watching in order that no enemy
might SURPRISE lHclH UT lHelF chill
dren. 1t happened one of these
times that Johnny was some dis
lance away. He was sitting beside
the doorway of an old home of
theira Suddenly his bright eye lis
covered that the tall grass was
moving in a way that was different
from the way the Merry
Little Breezes moved it. Johnny, sat
very still and straight, his eyes
fixed on that place. Some one was
moving through the tall grass. He
caught . glimpse Of gray. That was
enough. It was the coat OF Old Man
Coyote. Johnny whistled sharply. In
etsatly Polly Chuck gave = low