Evening star., 1940-08-27
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS.

Dy lnOhN lON w. bUhOESSs
Unc' Billy Possum was excited.
Any one would have known it just
to look at him. He hurried up the
Lonely Little Path through the
Green Forest without even saying
good-by to old Mrs. Possum or all
the little posSums, with whom he
had been having a great frolic.
They just stared after Unc' Billy,
and didn't know what to make Of
it, for such thing as Unc' Billy
forgetting to say good-by had never
happened before. Yes, indeed, Unc'
Billy certainly was excited.
Old Mrs. Possum sat in the door,
way of their home in the great hol-
low tree and watched Unc' Billy
out Of sight. Her sharp little eyes
seemed to grow sharper as she
watched. "Ah done sent that no.
account possum to hunt for some
thing fo' dinner, but pears to ME
he's plumb forgot 1t already" she
muttered. "Just look at him with
his head in the air like he thought
dinner fo' we-alls would drap right
down to him out o. the sky! If he's
aiming to find a birds nest with
eggs in 1t this time O. year he sho'ly
am plumb foolish in his haid. No,
sab! That onnery possum has clean
fo'gotten what All just done tole
him, and if we-alls am going to
have any dinner All cert'nly have
got to fax round right smart spry
mahself!"
Old Mrs. Possum chased the eight
little poSsums into the house and
warned them not to so much as
put their heads outside the door
while she was gone. Then she took
her market basket and started out
to hunt for their dinner, still NUT
tering as she went.
Old Mrs. Possum was quite right.
Unc' Billy had forgotten all about
that dinner. You see, he had some
thing else on his mind While he
had been playing with his children
he had thought that he heard a
voice way off in the distance, and
1t sounded very, very much like the
voice of an old friend from way
down south in "ol' Virginny." He
had listened and listened, but didn't
hear 1t again, and yet he was sure
he had heard it that once. The
very thought that that old friend
of his might be somewhere in the
Green Forest excited Unc' Billy SC
that it fairly made him homesick
He just had to go look for him.
So all the rest of that day Unc'
Billy walked and walked through the
Green Forest, peering up to the
treetops and looking into the bushes
until his neck ached. But nowhere
did he catch glimpse of his old
friend. The longer he looked the
more excited he grew.
Whats the matter with you?"
asked Jimmy Skunk, meeting Unc'
Billy on the Crooked Little Path
near the top of the hill.
Muffin, muffin. sab! Ah'm just
walking fo' NAH health" replied
Unc' Billy over his shoulder as he
hurried on. You see, he didn't like
to tell any one what he thought he
had heard for fear that it might not
be true and then they would laugh
at him.
Didn't suppose Unc' Billy ever
worried about hts health" muttered
Jimmy Skunk, as with a puzzled
look he watched Unc' Billy disap-
pear. t~
Just as jolly, round, red Mr.. Sun
dropped out of sight behind the
Purple Hills. -Unc' Billy gave it up
and turned toward home. His neck
ached from looking up in the tree
| tops, and his feet were sore from
walking. And just then Unc' Billy
for the first time thought of that
dinner that old Mrs Possum had
sent him to get. Unc' Billy sat
down and mopped his brow in dis
may.
"Ah 'spects Ahm in fo' it this
time, sho' enough!" he said.