Evening star., 1942-02-14
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON W. BURGESS.

BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.
When the little people OF the
Green Forest become excited they
become very much excited. Yes,
sir, they become 80 excited that
everybody talks at once, just like
some other people. And now there
was great excitement in the Green
Forest. Indeed, Peter Rabbit couldn't t
remember q time when there had
been so much excitement, not even
the time when 1t was discovered
that Prickly Porky the Porcupine
had come down to the Green For
est to live. And 1t was all be-
cause of q big black stranger, big
Is Farmer Browns Boy ard black
as Blacky the Crow, and whose
name was Buster Bear.
Sammy Jay had been the first
to see him. Blacky the Crow had
been the next. Then Unc' Billy
Possum, Jimmy Skunk and Peter
Rabbit. As least so far as any one
knew they were the first to see
him. AS a matter Of fact, Paddy
the Beaver had seen him before
Sammy Jay did, but Paddy is one
who does not tell all he sees, as
does Sammy Jay, and so he had
said nothing.
But with Sammy Jay and Peter
Rabbit to spread the news it was
not long before everybody knew all
there was to know about it and
nothing else was talked about or
thought about. OF course the news
soon spread all over the Green
Meadows and to the Smiling Pool
and 1t made almost as much ex-
citement there as in the Green
Forest. OF course, Peter Rabbit
had told every one he met of how
he had seen Jimmy Skunk make
Buster Bear get out of his way
and of course almost everybody had
q great deal Of admiration for
Jimmy Skunk. The only one who
didn't was Prickly Porky.
"Pooh!" said Prickly Porky. That
was nothing. I could do the same
thing. I'm no more afraid of Bus
ter Bear than Jimmy Skunk is. The
fact is, I know Buster Bear very
well, for he comes from the Great
Woods from which I came. There
is nothing to be afraid of in Buster
Bear"
OF course, every one thought that
Prickly Porky was just boasting
and that he was jealous Of Jimmy
Skunk. Reddy Fox said as much.
"An right, Reddy! You 60 hunt
up Buster Bear and invite him to
come here and I'll show you
whether or not I am afraid of him."
Now, Reddy had boasted that he
WASN'T afraid of Buster Bear. You
know he Is . great boester and likes
to pretend that he isn't afraid of
anybody or anything. But, like
most boosters, he always has an
excuse ready when he is likely to
have to make good one OF his boasts.
1t was so this time. No sooner
had Prickly Porky proposed that he
hunt up Boster Bear than Reddy
remembered that he had q very I'm
portant errand to do way down on
the Green Meadows. He was sorry,
but 1t really had to be done. Per-
haps Jumper the Hare would 60 in
his place. Reddy grinned wickedly
when he said this, for everybody
knows that Jumper the Hare is very,
very timid. So just try to imagine
how surprised and excited every
body was when Jumper said:
Certainly I'll 60 and give the
invitation to Buster Bear. I'll be
delighted to-"
At first everybody but Prickly
Porky started at Jumper as If they
thought that he was joking and
they couldn't quite see the Joke.
Then as they began to realize that
he meant just what he said they
looked at each other again as if
they thought him crazy. But
Jumper appeared not to notice it
and started on the deepest part OF
the Green Forest to look for Buster
Bear. Reddy Fox started OF, too,
but he went in the direction Of the
Green Meadows. He didn't want to
60. but he had to because he had
said he had an important errand
there. As soon as he was out Of
sight he made & wide circle back
to the Green Forest and then he
tried to get ahead of Jumper the
Hare where he could hide and give
Jumper terrible fright. 1t wouldn't
do to let the other little people
think that Jumper the Hare
dared do something that he didn't
dare do.