Evening star., 1940-08-10
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS

Dy lnOnN W. oOnOESSs
Unc' Billy Possum had been right
when he had warned all the little
meadow and forest people that
hard times were ahead of them If
Farmer Browns Boy really meant
what he said when he started out
to try to get Reddy Fox for stealing
his pet chicken. And he had meant
it. There was no doubt about that.
Every spare minute that he could
get he took his gun, called Bowser
the Hound, and tramped over the
Green Meadows and through the
Green Forest hunting for Reddy
Fox.
1t was getting so that no one
dared stick his head outside his
own door without first looking this
way and looking that way to see If
Farmer Browns Boy was anywhere
in sight. Peter Rabbit was getting
SO nervous that he jumped if a
blade of grass rustled. Old Mrs.
Possum worried herself to skin and
bones whenever one of her eight
babies slipped out to play during the
day, and 1t was hard work to keep
an eye or all of them. Johnny
Chuck wouldn't 60 more than 10
feet from his own doorstep. He had
eaten all the nearby clover and
grass right down to the roots, and
was beginning to wonder how ever
he could get enough to eat. Danny
Meadow Mouse didn't mind so much
because he was so very small that
he didn't think that Farmer Browns
Boy would notice him. Still 1t made
him very uneasy and uncomfortable
to know that everybody felt there
was so much danger.
Just as If it isn't hard enough
to keep out of harms way anyhow!
It's getting so that a fellow needs
eyes all over him." grumbled Danny.
Jimmy Skunk, Bobby Coon, Billy
Mink, Little Joe Otter, and Jerry
Muskrat didn't mind so much
because they prefer to go out at
night anyway. Still it was very in
convenient not to be able to take
nice sun baths or 60 visiting in the
daytime when they felt like it,.
If Farmer Browns Boy just hadn't
carried that gun with him it would
have been different. To be sure
they knew that he was looking for
Reddy Fox and not for them, but
boys are such careless creatures and
guns have such a dreadful way of
going off! And right down in his
heart each one of the little meadow
and forest people had a great fear
that should he be seen, that dread
full gun would be pointed at him,
and Farmer Browns Boy would
shoot just for fun, and to see If he
could hit.
My, my, those were dark days!
Even the Merry Little Breezes of
Old Mother West Wind were un-
happy. There was no one to play
with. Grandfather Frog himself
was unhappy and so grouchy that
not a story could they tease from
him. AS for Reddy Fox, no one
would go near him or have anything
to do with him any more. At first
some had been sorry for him, but
now no one pitied him, for every
body knew that this dreadful state
OF affairs was all his fault. They
knew that if he hadn't tried to be
smart and show off by stealing the
pet chicken of Farmer Browns Boy
in broad daylight Farmer Browns
Boy never, never would have
thought of spending all his spare
time on the Green Meadows and
in the Green Forest with his gun.
They were even beginning to wish
that Farmer Browns Boy would
find Reddy Fox.
'"Chugarumw said Grandfather
Frog to his 1000 great-grandchil-
dren, the tadpoles, This is what
comes from trying to be smart!"
You can't make trouble for yourself
And not get other folks in, too,
For other folks are bound to pay
For all the wrong that you may do.