Evening star., 1941-12-18
Bedtime Stories

Old Granny Fox was dreaming.
Yes, sir. she was dreaming. There
she lay curled up on the little knoll
which, you know, is sort Of little
hin. fast asleep and dreaming. The
little knoll overlooked the Green
Meadows, and 1t was a favorite
mapping place for Granny Fox. You
see, jolly, round, bright Mr.. Sun
used to pour his warmest rays right
there SO that 1t was a very comfort
able place indeed. So when Granny
was tired she often would slip over
there for a little short nap and sun
bath.
This morning Granny was un-
usually tired. She had been out
all the night before, and then be-
fore she could reach home. Bowser
the Hound had found her tracks.
and, of course, she couldn't go
home because that would tell Bowser
right where she lived. So, she had
led Bowser far away across the
fields and through the woods, and
then after a while she played a
smart trick which mixed her tracks
up so that Bowser could no longer
follow them, and while he was sniff
ing and snuffing as he tried to find
out with his wonderful nose where
Granny Fox had gone, she trotted
back through the Green Forest to
the sunny knoll, and there she
curled up to rest. And right away
she fell asleep.
Now Granny Fox. like most Of
the other little people Of the Green
Meadows and the Green Forest,
sleeps with her ears wide open. Her
eyes may be closed. but her ears are
on guard, and at the least unusual
sound, open fly her eyes and she
is all ready to run. If 1t wasn't
for the way her sharp ears kept
guard she wouldn't dare to take
maps right in broad daylight. If
ever you want to catch a Fox
asleep you mustn't make the teen
lest. weeniest noise.
Now Old Granny Fox had no
sooner closed her eyes than she be-
gan to dream, and the dream was
a very bad one. Yes, indeed, 1t
was a very bad dream. 1t seemed
to Granny as II Bowser the Hound
was smarter than she ever had
known him to be before, and not
one of all the tricks she knew
fooled him at all. He kept getting
nearer and nearer and nearer. un-
til it seemed as II his great voice
sounded right at her very heels.
and she was so tired that it didn't
seem as If she could take another
step. Now all this was q dream,
you know. but dreams sometimes
seem very real, and this was the
way 1t was with Granny Fox. 1t
seemed to her that Bowser's great
Jaws were just going to close on
her to shake her to death.
"Oh! Obi" cried Granny and
walked herself up. Her eyes flew
open and she gave a great sigh
of relief to find that her terrible
fright was only bad dream and
that she was curled up right on
the familiar old sunny knoll. She
smiled to think what a fright she
had had, and then-well. then Old
Granny Fox didn't know whether
she was awake or still dreaming.
No, sir, for minute she didn't know
whether what she saw was real or
q part Of that dreadful dream. You
see, she was staring right straight
into the face OF Farmer Browns
boy and into the muzzle OF his
dreadful gun. For just a few sec
onds she didn't move. She couldn't
because she was too frightened to.
Then she knew that tt Nas real
and not%a dream at all. Farmer
Browns boy had been hiding be-
hind some pine boughs close by and
for once In her life she had been
caught mapping. Poor Old Granny
Fox! She hadn't the least hope
In tiie world. Farmer Browns boy
bad only tp$hre his. dreadful gun
and that wot1ld be the end Of her.