Evening star., 1935-05-10
Bedtime Stories.
The Home Is Found.
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

EDDY FOX and Mrs. Reddy
had reason to be worried.
Yes, sir; they had reason to be
worried. Down a certain old
cow-path was walking the Boy
who was looking for their home.
They didn't know for sure that ne
was looking for their home, put
they suspected it. If he kept on as ne
was now doing he would surely find 1t.
He couldn't do otherwise. Silently,
worried and anxious, they followed
him. He didn't know this. Had he
known 1t he would have known that
beyond question he was on the right
track.
And then he came to that den in
the ledge. He saw 1t at once and the
instant he saw it he knew that he
had found what he was looking for.
He grinned. He was thinking how
often he had heard his grandfather
say, Perseverance brings success"
One of the first things to catch his
attention was the wing of hen. He
recognized it at a glance. 1t was
wing from one of the fat hens that
had been stolen from him.
"This is the place" he declared. 1T
Is lust as thought. Those hens were
taken for young Foxes and here Is
where the rascals live"
He looked around and found feath-
ers and bones that told him all that he
needed to know. There were young
Foxes in that den beyond the shadow
of a doubt.
"I wonder how many there are?" he
muttered. "I'll hide and wait while;
perhaps they will come out"
So he found good hiding place
where he could see the entrance to the
den and all around it and made him.
self comfortable for a long wait. He
wondered If Mother Fox was at home.
for he now felt sure that it was Father
Fox whom he had seen enter the old
den. And while he watched and
waited, he tried to think what to do.
When he had started out he had ex-
pected to find the den where it could
be dug open. He had seen at once
that there would and could be no dig
ging open this den. 1t was in rocky
ledge. There we're too many big
stones in the way. If he was to get
those young Foxes 1t would not be by
digging.
"They will have to be trapped,
smoked or drowned out" thought he.
IF this den were on our own farm
It would be a wholly different matter.
I know well enough that Farmer
Browns Boy won't stand for having
those Foxes killed if he knows it, so
whatever I do will have to do Sc
cretly. I don't like it, but don't see
any other way. I can't afford to raise
hens to feed Foxes. No. sir; I can't"
Meanwhile, all unknown to him, he
was being watched by two pairs OF
sharp eyes, the eyes of Reddy Fox and
Mrs Reddy They knew. of course.
that he knew this was their home. and
that they mad little Foxes in there. He
knew that he was hiding there in the
hope of seeing those youngsters. Mrs.
Re6idy knew that he wouldn't. though
he should stay until dark. She had
warned them not to show as much as
q nose outside until she should return,
and she knew that in this matter they
would obey.
She was right. The afternoon wore
on. 1t was getting late. The Boy had
q long way to go to reach home. Not
q little Fox had appeared. But this
didn't shake his confidence in having
found that home. There was too
much evidence scattered about to en-
tertain a shadow Of doubt that here
was the home of the one who had
stolen his fat hens and that there was
Q family here.
So he waited and watched. He had