Evening star., 1940-09-14
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS.

by IHOkNION w. BUkGESS.
Bobby Coon had oversight. Usually
Bobby is astir shortly after jolly,
round, red Mr.. Sun has gone to bed
behind the Purple Hills. But Bobby
Is very irregular in his habits. He
is very fond of travelling about in
the night, Is Bobby Coon, and when
he does that he sleeps the greater
part Of the day But once in a
while he takes a notion to travel
about by daylight, and when he does
that, why of course he has to sleep
part of the night. Bobby Coon is a
very lucky chap, very lucky indeed.
for he can see in the dark, and yet
he has no such trouble In seeing in
the broad daylight as does Hooty
the Owl.
This night of which I am telling
you Bobby Coon had oversight be-
cause he had not gone to bed until
the middle Of the day. He had
been prowling about and getting
into mischief all of the night before
and had not started for home until
jolly, round Mr.. Sun was smiling
down from right overhead BY this
time Bobby Coon had sticks in his
eyes. He was so sleepy that it
seemed to him that he never, never
could get home. He was stumbling
along through the Green Forest
when he came to hollow log. What
do you think he did? Why, he
crawled in there and in minutes
was fast asleep. just as comfortable
as II he had been in his own hollow
tree.
There Bobby slept all the rest of
the day and until long after Mr..
Sun had pulled on his rosy nightcap.
Perhaps he would have slept there
all night if he hadn't been walked
up. 1t was the cry of Thief! thief!
thief" that walked him. 1t seemed
to come from right over his head
Sammy Jay ought to be ashamed
of himself, waking honest people
like this!" muttered Bobby Coon as
he yaWned and stretched. At first
he couldn't think where he was
Then he remembered. He was just
getting ready to crawl out of the
hollow log when he heard something
which made him stop and try to sit
up so suddenly that he bumped his
head What he heard was the voice
of Unc' Billy Possum, and he knew
by the sound that Unc' Billy was
sitting on the very log in which
he himself was hiding.
This is the greatest joke that
ever was!" said Unc' Billy. Pretty
soon nobody on the Green Meadows
or in the Green Forest will speak
to anybody else excepting me. Yo'
cert'nly have got all yo' oil tricks
with yo'"
Yes" replied voice which BOBBY
Coon had never heard before. but
which he knew right away must
belong to some one who had come
from way down South. where Unc'
Billy Possum and Or Mistah Buz-
zard had come from. Yes" said
the voice, "Ah done got all nah oil
tricks and some more. But it's easy.
Unc' Billy; it's easy to fool yo' new
friends because All reckon they
never have been fooled this away
before Doan yo' think it is most
time to stop? An doan want to
show myself in daylight. Besides,
if Ah'm found out nobody amt
gwine to have anything to do with
me-"
Don't yo' worry Nobodv's gwine
to find you out. Well keep it up lust
as day or two longer Yo' cert'nlv
am powerful good at initiating other
peoples voices. All wonder that OF
Mistah Buzzard hasn't got his eve
on yo' before now" said Unc' Billy
PoSSum.
Bobby Coon had become wide
awake as he listened. He tried hard
to get peep at the stranger with
Unc' Billy, but all he could see was
a long tail of feathers Bobby waited
until Unc' Billy and his friend had
left Then he crawled out of the
hollow log and he was chuckling
to himself.
I'll Just have a little talk with
OF Mistah Buzzard," said Bobby to
himself.