Evening star., 1934-04-13

Old Mother Nature
TINE Black Shadows came creep
ing out from the Purple Hills
across the waters of the great
flood. They hid Mrs. Gerry
Mushrat from the view OF
Peter Rabbit and johnny Chuck. SIT
ting on the little raft on which tney
had 80 long been anoat. When they
last saw her she was still sitting on
floating log. halfway between where
their raft was caught and the shore.
When daylight came they looked Tor
her, but there was no sign Of her, nor
Of the log on which they had last
seen her. Had she reached shore?
They had no means Of knowing.
But in their own misery and hope
less plight they soon ceased TO think
Of her. It had rained in the night
and they had had no shelter. They
were wet, hungry and utterly miser-
able, too miserable to even be CRATE
full when jolly, round. bright Mr..
Sun climbed up in the blue, blue sky
and dried them of and warmed them.
It had been a long, long, dreadful
night, but now it seemed even worse,
for they could see that wide waste OF
water and the seeming hopelessness
of their situation.
The little raft had not moved. 1t
was still firmly held in the tops Of the
young trees in which it had been
caught. They could see the shore,
seemingly so near, yet, alas! so far
away. 1t made them feel even more
hopeless than when the darkness hid
1t from them. At the other end Of
the raft the three Skunks remained,
just where they had been from the
first. Now and then Danny or
Nanny Meadow Mouse or one of the
three other Mice would peek out from
the pile of trash in the middle of the
raft, but they never ventured out.
Peter wnuld look at the Skunks and
wonder II they were as hungry as he
was, and then shudder at the thought,
for If one of them should become very
hungry and take it into his head that
he would like a Rabbit dinner, why
we'll, Peter tried not to think any
further.
But those Skunks hardly stirred.
Perhaps it was because they were
fairly fat when they were caught by
the flood. Perhaps it was because of
this and the fact that all Winter
they had been in the habit OF sleep
ing, or at least remaining quiet, for
days at time when the weather was
bad. Perhaps it was because they
recognized the unwritten law Of Old
Mother Nature that in time of COM
mon danger all are equal. bound to-
gether in a sort Of brotherhood. Any
way, there were five Mice on that
raft, and those Skunks probably knew
it, yet made no attempt to catch
them. And Skunks are fond of a
Mouse dinner.
Jolly, round, bright Mr.. Sun
climbed up in the blue, blue sky.
crossed it and slowly dropped behind
the Purple Hills, and long, long day
had ended The shore was no nearer.
When, the day before the raft had
caught and held fast, it had been a
great relief to its odd crew of un-
willing voyagers. Now they we're wish
ing that it would move on.
If We were moving We might drift
in to shore" said Peter
And we might not" retorted
Johnny Chuck. We might be car
ried out into the Big River, and there
is no knowing what would happen
in that case"
what could happen worse than
being held prisoners and starved to
death?" demanded Peter.
Johnny shook his head mournfully.
II don't know" he confessed. "I guess
you may be right, Peter. II we were
moving We might drift near enough to
shore to reach it by swimming. 1t
would be something to hope for, any
way. But, held fast here, there Is
nothing to do, nothing at all, but
wait for the food to end, and good
ness knows when that will be-"
And nothing to eat" added Peter.
So the long day passed, and then a