Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-12-17
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

oIN 1sNSocs
There is a saying among the lit
tie people of the Green Meadows
and 1t is something like this:
You must your eyes wide open keep
To catch Old Granny Fox asleep.
OF course, this means that Granny
Fox is so smart and clever and so
always on the watch that you must
be very smart indeed to fool her
or get ahead OF her. Reddy Fox
is smart, but not so smart as Granny
Fox. You see, he hasn't lived as
long, and so there is much that
Granny Fox has learned but which
Reddy Fox knows little about as yet.
But even the smartest people
are caught mapping sometimes. Yes,
sir, they will be careless sometimes.
1t was that way with Granny Fox.
She had become so accustomed to
thinking that she was smarter than
any one else, unless it was Old Man
Coyote, that she actually made her
self believe that no one was smart
enough to ever surprise her. Now
you know when people get to think
ing that they are the very smart
est in all the world they are quite
like Peter Rabbit when he made
ready to jump out on the smooth
ice of Paddy the Beavers pond in
stead of stepping on it very care
fully; they are getting ready for
a fall. That was just the way
with Old Granny Fox.
You see. Granny had lived near
Farmer Browns so long and had
been hunted so much by Farmer
Browns boy and Bowser the Hound
that she had got the idea into
her head that no matter what she
did they would not be able to catch
her, and so at last she grew care
less. Now, on the edge of the Green
Forest was a warm, sunny knoll,
which, you know, is a sort of a little
hill. 1t overlooked the Green Mead
oWs and was quite the most pleas
ant and comfortable place for a nap
that ever was. Old Granny Fox
took sun-naps there very often. 1t
was her favorite resting place. When
Bowser the Hound had found her
tracks and had chased her until
she was tired of running she would
play sharp trick to make Bowser
lose her tracks, and then she would
hurry straight to this sunny knoll
to rest and grin TO herself at her
own smartness.
Now it happens that she did this
one day in winter when there was
fresh snow on the road, and, of
course, everywhere she put a foot
down she left a print in the snow.
And where she stopped and curled
up in the sun she left the print of
her body. They were very plain
to see. were those prints, and Farmer
Browns boy saw them. Yes, sir,
Farmer Browns boy saw them. He
just happened to be passing
through that part Of the Green
Forest late that afternoon and saw
Granny's footprints. Just for fun
he followed them, and 80 came to
the sunny knoll. Granny had left
some time before, but right away
Browns boy saw the print
Of her body where she had taken
her nap, and he knew what it
meant. He grinned to himself.
Granny would have felt uncomfort-
able if she could have seen that
grin.
So" said he, this is where you
rest, old Mrs. Fox, after running
Bowser almost off his feet! I think
well give you . surprise one Of
these days"
% The next day Farmer Browns
boy sent Bowser the Hound to hunt
for Old Granny Fox. and it was
not long before Bowser's great deep
voice told all the world that he
had found her tracks. Farmer
Browns boy grinned Just as he had
the day before. Then he took his
terrible gun and hid under some
pine boughs right near the sunny
knoll. He waited patiently a long,
long time. Then out of the Green
Forest came Granny Fox, and she
was grinning, for once more she
had fooled Bowser the Hound, and
now she could take a nap in peace.
Still grinning she turned around
two or three times to make herself
comfortable, and then curled up
to enjoy a nap. And just little
way off behind the pine boughs sat
Farmer Browns boy grinning as he
patted his terrible gun. At last
he had caught Old Granny Fox