Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-23
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON W. BURGESS.


It was great news! Peter Rabbit
could hardly sit still in spite Of his
sore foot. He looked up at the little
stars and winked back at them and
wondered If they knew, too. And
he wished and wished that jolly,
round. red Mr.. Sun would hurry up
and get out of bed. Peter was so
impatient that it seemed to him that
Mr.. Sun was lazy and dreadfully
slow in getting up that morning,
though really he wasn't at all. It
was just Peters impotence that
made it seem so.
Why was Peter Rabbit so i'm
patient? Why, you see Boomer the
Nighthawk had dropped out of the
sky late that evening and had STOP
ped to gossip with Peter Rabbit, who,
instead Of being nicely tucked away
In bed like Johnny Chuck and Happy
Jack Squirrel, was sitting on the edge
OF the Old Briar Patch nursing a
sore foot and wondering if it was
safe for him to go over to the sweet
Clover Patch for something to eat.
Boomer had told Peter some news
that made Peter forget that he was
hungry, and I tell you what, it takes
a great deal to make Peter Rabbit
forget his stomach! The news was
about old Granny Fox and Reddy
Fox, and as he listened Peter could
hardly sit still.
What was the news? Haven't Won
guessed? Why, Boomer the Night
hawk had just come from the far
away Old Pasture on the edge of
the mountain, and there he had
seen old Granny Fox and Reddy
Fox sneaking along in the blacklist
shadows SO that no one, would see
them. They were going very, very
slowly, because Reddy was so sore
and lame, where he had been shot
by Farmer Browns Boy, that it was
all he could do to walk at all. When
Peter Rabbit heard that he knew
than Granny Fox and Reddy Fox
had moved away from the Green
Meadows and Green Forest, and
that when Farmer Browns Bow
found that out he would no longer
hunt on the Green Meadows and in
the Green Forest with his dreadful
gun. frightened all the little meadow
and forest people so that they did
not dare put their heads outside of
their own doors. Now, Peter was
impatient to tell the news, and it
did seem as If Mr.. Sun never, never
would get up.
But he did. Just as he does every
morning: he pulled his nightcap oil.
kicked OH his rosy blankets, and be-
gan his daily climb up in the blue,
blue sky. He hadn't more than
started before Peter Rabbit was on
his way to Johnny Chuck's house
Usually when Peter Rabbit is in
hurry he goes very fast indeed
hpperty Ipperty lipperty lip, Just
like that. But this morning Peter
had to run on three legs, and it
seemed to him, as he ran down the
Lone Little Path, lipperty-lip lip,
lipperty-lip-lip. just like that, that
he never would reach Johnny
Chuck's house.
Johnny Chuck was just starting
out to look for his breakfast. but he
forgot all about 1t when Peter told
him the news.
"Hurrah!" shouted Johnny Chuck,
and tried to turn a somersault.
Then he and Peter hurried over to
tell Jimmy Skunk. and the three
FASTENED to tell Striped Chipmunk
and Danny Meadow Mouse, and then
hurried down to the Smiling Pool to
tell Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter
and Jerry Muskrat and Grandfather
Frog. As fast as they could they
spread the news over the Green
Meadows and through the Green
Forest, and just like Johnny Chuck,
everybody who heard it shouted
"Hurrah!"