Evening star., 1933-02-22

REDDY.
worry even if their hiding place did
happen to be found?
Mrs. Reddy didn't share Reddy's feel
ings. She was uneasy. She suspected
that at least one hunter knew that they
were living under the old barn floor and,
while she felt as Reddy did-that there
was no way for him to get at them
there-she also had q feeling he was
likely to make trouble for them. She
didn't feel so secure as Reddy appeared
to- She said as much.
Forget it, my dear" replied Reddy.
What If 1t was that hunter whom we
heard moving about over our heads?
AS long as we do not go out until after
dark we are safe from him. He can
visit this old barn as often as he pleases
for all I care. You are too much in
clined to look for trouble, my dear"
who looks for trouble has chance
OF finding 1t. Isn't it better to find
trouble than to have trouble find you?"
retorted Mrs. Reddy.
Reddy had to admit that 1t was, but
still doubted that there was any trouble
to look for. Mrs. Reddy refused to
argue, but she didn't forget that hunter
and she couldn't get over the suspicion
that his visits to the old barn meant
bllClA ull4Coc bAACy WClC oAlihAe
enough to find out all about it and so
avoid 1t.
So, when after the coming Of the
Black Shadows that night, she started
forth to hunt for a dinner for Reddy as
well as herself, she didn't lightly jump
up through that hole in the floor as
both she and Reddy had been in the
sabit of doing. Those footsteps they
mad heard that afternoon had been
near that hole Instead Of leaping out
at once as had been their way, Mrs.
Reddy stood up and put her two fore
paws on the very edge Of the hole in
the floor Then with her nose she
shifted all about as far as she could
stretch.
only one thing could she find that
was not just as it should be, and she
wasn't quite sure that that really was
matter for suspicion. Just a few
inches back from the edge Of the hole
and right where she would have landed
had she jumped out as usual. was a
HANDFUL Of hay loosely scattered about
on the floor. Hay was scattered about
on the floor in similar manner in
various parts of the barn, and this ap-
peared no different from the rest.
But Mrs. Reddy couldn't remember
that previously there had been any hay
JuSL U0eTC. IL tlleIt lldO pceIl SIle HAUL
noticed it. It seemed to her that right
there the floor had been bare. So she
suspected trouble. She carefully drew
her legs up until she was balanced on
the very edge Of the hole, where she
knew it was safe. Then lightly she
sprang beyond that scattered hay.
Then she turned and carefully studied
it as well as she could in the dim moon
light flltering in through the doorway.
At one side lay short stick. Cau-
tiously she approached it. Attached to
it was a chain. Slipping foot under
this she followed 1t to a trap covered
with the loose hay which had made her
suspicious. She remembered how she
had seen Reddy turn trap over in a
henyard- With flip of her paw she
turned this trap over and when ii
landed 1t was sprung, the. wicked steel
jaws coming together with a vicious
snap that gave Mrs. Reddy startled
and most uncomfortable feeling. Dis
dainfully she kicked the hay and the
trap aside and started on her hunt fol
dinner.
tCopyrisht. 1933)