Evening star., 1942-04-22
Bedtime Stories
Br THORNTON w. BURGESS.
Alas' Alzrkt Sac is the dsy
Wper hear lesx children ftSob4y


II is sad for father and mother
and IL is sad for the child, and this
is Just as true with the little people
who wear fur or feathers as with boys
and girls and their fathers and
mothers Ask Danny Meadow
Mouse He knows all about IT. He
saws that being father is the most
re-spon -sibIe Job in the world. but
Nanny Meadow Mouse says that this
is no such thing. because being a
mother Is the most responsible
JOB in the world But they both
agree that needless children who
disobey can make more vorry and
sadness than anybody ought TO have
70 go through with.
Now. Of their four children. Teeny.
Weeny. Midget and Mite, the last
was the smallest. He was also the
quickest and smartest He never
had TO be shown twice how to do
thing. He could outrun and out
dodge his brothers and sisters. He
was forever finding new hiding
places in which they never thought
TO look for him. He had even fooled
his father that way when the lat
ter was looking for him TO punish
him. AS for fooling his mother,
Many Meadow Mouse, he did that
continually. Yes, Mite was smart,
and he knew it, Yes sir. he knew
it. That was at the bottom of all
the trouble. He knew he was smart,
and he thought so much about 1t
that at last he came 10 believe
that he was a little smarter than
any one else-even smarter than
his father and mother.
Now, when children get to think
ing that they are smarter than
their fathers and mothers they are
preparing the way for all sorts of
trouble and often sadness for them
selves and for those who love them.
That was just the way it was with
Mite. He thought himself so smart
that it was not necessary for him TO
obey. He and his brother and
sisters had been charged over and
over again that they must never,
never so much as poke their noses
out from under the pile Of old corn
stalks the middle of which their
home was. They could play in and
under the pile of cornstalks as much
as they pleased, but they must never
climb up on top or run out from
lest some watchful,
hungry enemy should see them and
gobble them up for lunch.
Now, Mite didn't approve OF that
at all He was sure that he was
too smart to be caught.
He thought his father and mother
needleSSly timid and when they
were not about he said so.
There's nothing to be afraid Of"
said he. They just tell us there is
so as to scare us and keep US home.
I'm not afraid. and some day I'm
going out to see the Great World.
I'm getting tired of this old pile
Of cornstalks, and I want to see
what is going on outside"
OF course, his brothers and sisters
WCIC oA1OChCAS dlAO OOAA Ai1AAA
that he mustn't think of such things.
But little Mite was very headstrong.
One day while Danny and Nanny
were away looking for something
for dinner Mite disobeyed and dart
ed out into one of Danny's little
private paths that led away through
the tall grasses. He was out only
a minute and then darted back
again. No one told Danny or Nam
ny, and the very next time he got
a chance he tried it again. He
kept on doing it, each time going
just a little farther 1t was very
No harm ever came near
him, but there was always the
chance that Danny or Nanny would
catch him doing it. Several times
he got back just in the nick Of time.
At last he made up his mind to do
What do you think 1t
was? Why. he made up his mind to
run away and see the Great World!
Yes, sir, that is just what he made
up his mind to do, and 1t is just
what he did do very early one
Danny didn't discover it
until he had been gone as much as
a whole hour, which to a Meadow
Mouse is very great deal of time.