Evening star., 1937-07-09
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

AAHoNt> oA~ W.
OLD MAN COYOTE WAS . mess.
Yes. sir. he was = mess. Some
how that just expresses the condition
he WAS in. He had been knocked
down, cut and badly mauled by the
sharp-edged hoofs OF Mrs. LigE.ioot
the Deer. One leg he couIl not use
at all, and 1t would be some time be-
fore he could use it without limping
badly. And it happened because just
by chance he had approached the
thicket in which were hidden the
helpless babies OF Mrs. Lightfoot. He
hadn't known that they we're there.
He had had no idea that Mrs. Light
foot was In the neighborhood until,
without warning. she had leaped out
and knocked him sprawling. Even
after he managed to get out Of sight
and had sneaked away he had Won
dered what 1t meant.
Then IS he sat licking his wounds
the truth came to him in a fash. No
timid person like Mrs. Lightfoot would
suddenly become such reckless fight
ing fury unless she was a mother who
thought her babies were in danger.
He stopped licking his wounds and
licked his lips instead as he thought
what delicious eating those tender
young fawns would make The more
he thought about them the more de-
sirable they became He resumed the
licking OF his wounds and all the time
he was scheming and planning.
Il won't 90 home now" he decided.
1T is too far. BY the time got there
I would be almost too stiff to move.
I'll stay right here until dark. Then
I'll steal back there and be patient.
As long as their mother is near those
babies 1t will be useless for me to try
to find them. If she should catch me
At it she would just about finish me.
Yes, sir. in the condition I'm in she
would just about finish me She
won't leave them until she has TO-.
but she'll have to leave them to get
water. Sooner or later she'll have to
60 for a drink That will be my
chance to hunt for them"
So he remained where he was until
late In the afternoon. Then slowly
and painfully he made his way back
toward the old brush grown road on
which he had been attacked. He
came out to 1t at point 4 little way
below the place where he had been
attacked. He hadn't dared to come
ont to that placa nvoctlv Ia ma,
just in time to get 4 glimpse OF .
shadowy form moving quickly, but
silently, still farther down the road
He had glimpse of a white tail and
then that shadowy form, tail and all,
disappeared around = turn in the
road 1t was Mrs. Lightfoot and Old
Man Coyote knew that it was Mrs.
Lightfoot. She was mocving quickly,
wherefore Old Man Coyote guessed
that she was on her way to water and
that she had quite 4 distance to 70.
1t was his turn to hurry, and he
did as best he could, which wasn't
very fast, because he had only three
feet to travel on and also was stif1
from his wounds. He slipped into
the thicket from which Mrs. Light
foot had leaped out at him. Eagerly
and expectantly he searched it.
There was nothing there of Interest
to him. He crept into the next
thicket. It also was empty. His
search was thorough, but hurried. He
had a lively fear that Mrs. Lightfoot
would return and find him there. At
last he gave up. There would be no
dinner of tender young fawn that
night. He limped away, wondering
where Mrs. Lightfoot could have
hidden her babies. Despite his failure
to find them. he did not doubt that
there we're fawns somewhere about.
Otherwise Mrs. Lightfoot never would
have acted As she had
Now, Old Man Coyote WAS not the
only one who had done some shrewd
guessing when he had guessed the
cause OF Mrs. Lightfoot's attack on
him. Those fawns had been in the
very next thicket to the one from
which their mother had plunged out
dV olO Nla1l NOyOtC. H0 6OOtl 10 BIC
was certain that he had given her the
slip and escaped Mrs. Lightfoot began
to worry and in her turn to guess.
That fellow may not have known
Of my secret when jumped on him.
but it is my guess that he does. Or
thinks he does, by this time" thought
she ~ she looked to make sure the
fawns were safe. And it is another
guess of mine that he will return and
look for them around the place where
we met. It is 4 good thing the dar-
lings can follow me q bit. I'll move
them right away. I won't wait for
darkness. I'll move them while I
am sure that Old Man Coyote isn't
about"
50 while Old Man Coyote lay lick
ing his wounds Mrs. Lightfoot led the
twins. still little wabbly on their
slender legs, to another thicket far
ther up the old road. That was why
Old Man Coyotes search was in vain.
(copyrisht. 1877
Phones Aboard Train.
Recently the Southern Pacific Rail