Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-17

Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS

~ OAN W. OO4toGo6s
The million little stars looked
down and twink!ed and twinkled.
Beneath them lay the Green Mea-
dows and the Green Forest. They
didn't look green now because jolly,
round, red Mr.. Sun had pulled his
nightcap on and gone to his bed be-
hind the Purple Hills, and there
wasn't light enough for the grass
and the leaves to show their green
color.
Over the meadows and along the
edge of the forest sailed Boomer the
Nighthawk. Sometimes he was so
low that he almost touched the
meadow grass. Sometimes he flew
in circles way. way high in the sky.
Boomer the Nighthawk was happy.
He had slept all day for Boomer
likes best to sleep by day and fly by
night. The bright light of day hurts
his eyes. and he can see better in
the starlight than in the daylight.
Then at night there are lots and lots
of little insects flying about, and
very few hungry little people to
catch them.
So Boomer the Nighthawk was
happy, for there was plenty to eat.
Every few minutes he would open
his great big mouth and then close
it with snap, and every time he did
this there was one less insect to fly
about and get into mischief. Really
Boomer was helping Farmer Brown.
though he didn't know this. You see
some of these little insects lived on
the green things growing in Farmer
Browns garden, and would soon have
killed the little plants growing there
But Boomer the Nighthawk wasn't
thinking OF this. He was only
thinking how good his dinner (this
was really his dinner time, you
know tasted. and what splendid
fun it was to fly and fly, and not all
the time have tc be watching out
for danger.
BY and by he flew away, way up
ever so high in the sky. Then he
half closed his wings and coasted
down. down so fast that it seemed
as If he must surely hit the ground
But he didn't. Just before he
reached the ground he spread his
wings and went skimming over the
meadow grass instead. Then he did
II all over again. He came down SO
fast that the air rushed through the
long, stiff feathers Of his wings, and
made loud, booming sound, which
is the reason he is called Boomer
1t startled some of the little birds
out of their sleep in the bushes along
the edge of the Green Forest, and
this made Boomer chuckle. for he
| thought it great fun
Once when he came booming down
out of the sky he saw something that
made him stop his long slide half
way. 1t was something moving in
the blacklist shadows. Boomer
turned and few right over the black
shadows where he could look right
down into them. AS he looked he saw
two figures creeping slowly along
One OF them limped and seemed to
be having a dreadful time to get
along It's GRANNY and Reddy
Fox said Boomer to himself. They
we're so intent on tneil own affairs
that they hadn't noticed him at all.
He opened his mouth to shout to
them. Then he closed it again with
out making a sound III just wait
and see what mischief they are
planning now" he thought.
So from up in the sky Boomer the
Nighthawk watched Granny and
Reddy Fox cross the Green Meadows
and climb the hill toward the far
away old pasture. y wonder what
that means?" said Boomer the
Nighthawk to himself.