Evening star., 1942-01-15
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

by IhOnN1ON w. 0UhOESSs
Jumper the Hare, who is Peter
Rabbits big cousin and had come
down from the Great Woods Of the
North to live in the Green Forest,
had seen very little of Peter lately
because he disliked to leave the
Green Forest, and ever since he had
seen those strange tracks deep in the
Green Forest Peter had kept close
to the dear Old Briar Patch. So
Jumper had not heard Peters story
which nobody believed and about
which everybody teased Peter when-
ever they saw him. One moonlight
! night Jumper took 1t into his head
to visit his cousin and find out why
he had been keeping so close to the
dear Old Briar Patch.
First making sure that the way
was clear, for Jumper is very. very
timid, he scampered across to the
Old Briar Patch as fast as his long
legs could take him and was quite
out of breath when he got there.
He found Peter sitting under a
bramble bush looking quite as mis-
cradle as he felt
Hello, Cousin Peter! Where have
you been keeping yourself lately?
I haven't seen you or your tracks in
the Green Forest for days and days.
Are you sick?" asked Jumper.
NO" replied Peter shortly. I'm
not sick, but guess will be if this
keeps UP much longer" Peter looked
very glum and unhappy.
IF what keeps up?" asked Jumper,
looking very much puzzled.
Having everybody make fun of
me every time show myself, and
nobody to believe what say" re-
piled Peter.
Jumper looked more puzzled than
ever. That is bad. Cousin Peter"
said he. Its bad enough to be
made fun of. I know all about that.
Everybody makes fun of me because
I have such long legs and because
am so timid. I've grown used to it
now, but still 1 don't enjoy being
laughed at. But it's a whole lot
worse not to have people believe
what you tell them. I had a whole
lot rather have people laugh at me
than to say the things they do about
Sammy Jay. No one believes him
even when he does tell the truth,
and that's perfectly dreadful"
Il know it," said Peter mourn
fully. That's the trouble with me
now. I've been telling the truth
and no one believes it. Now they
never will believe anything + say.
and they'll think of me just as they
do of Sammy Jay. and say the same
dreadful things about me-"
But what is it that they don't
believe? You haven't told me-"
insisted Jumper the Hare.
"I-I-don't want to tell YOU be-
cause probably you won't believe me
either" replied Peter. Now, this
wasn't quite true At least part
wasn't. He did want to tell. He
fairly ached to tell. But he was
afraid that Jumper wouldn't believe
his story. But after Jumper had
solemnly promised that he would
believe, no matter how hard it was
to, Peter told him all about his visit
to the deepest part of the Green
Forest and about the great big
strange tracks he had found there
IN the snow-tracks as big as
Farmer Browns boys, only different,
and showing the marks of great
claws
Jumper had pricked up his long
ears at the mention of those strange
tracks. and now he was sitting up
very straight and staring at Peter
with his eyes very wide open.
II Knew you wouldn't believe
.me,. 'NebUdy does" SAID Peter sadly.
But dol" cried Jumper. 1--WE
seen tracks just like Those lots and
lots of times way of in the Great
Woods where I came from. I was
just surprised that there should be
any down here in the Green Forest.
OF course, I believe you, Cousin
Peter. I think I will 60 see them
for myself. It's a long time since
I have seen any"
oh, I'm so glad!" cried Peter
happily. At last his wish had come
true-he had found some one to
believe him. He was so happy over
1t that he quite forgot to ask Jumper
who could have made the strange
tracks.