Evening star., 1940-08-19
STAR, WASHINGTON D. c., MONDAY,
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Peter Rabbit was dodging this way
and dodging that way while behind
him ran Bowser the Hound, making
a tremendous noise with his great
voice. OF course all the little mea-
dow and forest people heard Bow
ser, and they knew just what it
meant. They knew that Peter Rab-
bit was doing just as he had said he
would do, and was leading Bowser
the Hound to the hiding place of
Reddy Fox. Nov we shall have
some peace in the Green Forest" I"
said Johnny Chuck as he sat on his
doorstep and listened to Bowser's
great voice "I do hope that no
harm will come to Peter Rabbit. 1t
would make me dreadfully nervous
TO know that Bowser was following
my tracks like that. I suppose that
Peter Rabbit is so used to being
chased that he really doesn't mind"
he added.
To tell the truth, Peter wasn't so
very much worried over Bowser the
Hound. He had fooled Bowser so
often that he had no fear that he
would not be able to fool him again.
Then there was the old briar patch
into which he could run if Bowser
got too near. Bowser never, never
could catch him there. What wor-
ried Peter was the dreadful duty
which had been given him to do by
the other little people of the Green
Meadows and the Green Forest. He
was to lead Bowser the Hound to
the hiding place of Reddy Fox, so
that Bowser would tell his master
and then his master would stop
hunting and putting the lives Of all
little meadow and forest people in
danger.
But Peter Rabbit couldn't bear to
think of being the one to give up
Reddy Fox, so instead of going right
straight away to the hiding place Of
Reddy Fox, Peter played hide and
seek with Bowser among the bushes
on the edge of the Green Forest,
trying to think of some way to save
Reddy Fox. He was thinking so
hard that he did not look sharply
where he was going. Suddenly a
sharp pain in his left hind foot
made Peter squeal right out. He
had stepped on the ugly barb of a
piece of wire fence hidden in the
long grass.
My, how his foot did hurt! Peter
sat down and looked at it. 1t was
bleeding, and he felt as if he just
couldn't step on it. But there was
Bovser the Hound! Peter started
of on three legs for the old briar
patch. 1t Is slow work running on
three legs. Bowser the Hound was
gaining at every step. Peter Won
dered If he ever, ever would reach
the dear old briar patch. 1t seemed
to him as If Bowser's deep Bow
wow" was right at his heels. Peter
gave two more frightened jumps,
and there right in front of him was
one of his own little secret paths
into the old briar patch!
Bowser the Hound didn't like
briars. He stuck his head into the
DTlar patcn ana then he pulled it
out again and roared angrily. Two
or three times Bowser tried it. and
each time sly old bramble, a
friend of Peter Rabbit. reached out
and scratched one of Bowser's long
ears. Each time Bowser yelped.
Finally he gave up in disgust, and
OH he went muttering to himself
in a deep voice.
Peter Rabbit, nursing his sore
foot In the heart of the old briar
patch, heard Bowser go away and
chuckled. Then he thought of some
thing that made him almost forget
the pain in his foot. He wouldn't t
be able to show Bowser the Hound
where Reddy Fox was hiding !!
Right down in his heart Peter was
glad-he was glad that he had hurt
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