Evening star., 1942-03-03
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS


Granny Fox is not the only one
who has learned the ways of Blacky
the Grow. No, indeed Old Man
Coyote is quite as smart and sharp
as she. In fact, he is just wee mite
smarter and sharper, as Granny
found out shortly after he came to
the Green Meadows to live, though
she never would admit it and won't
now. Old Man Coyote knows just
as well as she does that when Blacky
gets excited and caws at the top of
his lungs there is usually something
going on worth looking into. So
whenever he hears Blacky he stops
to listen. and if Blacky seems very
much excited he takes the trouble
to find out what 1t is all about.
Now, at the time when Granny
Fox was trotting down the Lone
Little Path and first heard the ex-
cited cawing of Blacky the Crow
deep in the Green Forest, Old Man
Coyote had just stretched himself
out for a sun bath on the Green
Meadows, not far from the edge of
the Green Forest. Just as Granny
Fox had done, he pricked up his ears
at the first sound of Blacky's voice
and listened
when Blacky caws like that he
sees something quite unusual, and
when there is anything unusual
going on it pays to know all about it.
1t may be no business of mine, and I
may have long walk for nothing,
but then again 1 may find out some
thing worth knowing. Blacky is as
great a miSchief-maker as his cousin,
Sammy Jay, but he sees all that is
going on in the Green Meadows and
in the Green Forest, and though he
has made trouble for me more than
once he has gotten me out Of trouble
just as many times by giving me
warning. I'd lot rather take a nap
now, but I guess III have a look and
find out what has got into that black
scamp"
Old Man Coyote yawned, then he
stretched, yawned again. listened for
a few minutes, and finally trotted
of into the Green Forest in the
direction from which Blacky's voice
sounded. Now, just like Granny
Fox, Old Man Coyote always keeps
his eyes and ears wide open. And
he always uses his nose. He learned
when he was a very little fellow
that his nose can often tell him lot
more than either his eyes or his ears.
So as he trotted through the Green
Forest he was using eyes, ears and
nose, and it was his nose that gave
him the first news. He was trotting
along so softly that he didn't make
a sound when suddenly he stopped
and wrinkled up his nose to sniff.
Hal" said he to himself. "Old
Granny Fox has just been along
here. She had heard that fuss
Blacky is making and she is on her
way to see what It is all about. I
think Will hurry a little faster"
So Old Man Coyote hurried a
little faster, and though Granny
Fox didn't know 1t, he was right
behind her when she reached the
place where Blacky was making
sl.ch a fuss. He saw just what
Granny saw, Peter Rabbit lodging
this way and that way, with Reddy
Fox right at his heels, and, just like
Granny, he made up his mind right
away that he would take hand in
the game, for he is just as fond of
rabbit for dinner as is either Granny
or Reddy Fox He grinned to him
self, and 1t was an unpleasant grin,
for he knew that all he had to do
was to show himself to have the
chase of Peter all to himself. You
see, Reddy and Granny Fox are
afraid of him, and he didn't have
the least doubt that he could catch
Peter, now that he was so far away
from the deal Old Briar Patch. He
was just getting ready to spring out
when Peter stopped dodging and
started lipperty-hpperty-lip for a
big pile of brush. In a twinkling the
white patch on the seat of Peters
trousers disappeared under the big
pile of brush, and there stood Reddy
and Granny Fox staring at each
other and looking very, very foolish.
Old Man Coyote chuckled. He
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