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

It would have been bad enough to
be a prisoner under the snow crust,
as Mrs. Grouse was, without being
hungry. But Mrs. Grouse was
hungry. She was dreadfully hungry.
You see, she had not had much to
eat the day before or the day before
that and when she had walked that
morning it was with a stomach quite
empty, and Mrs. Grouse knew that
If she couldn't get something to eat
she would soon starve to death, for
the little people who wear feathers
cannot go as long without food as
some Of the little people who wear
fur.
When Mrs. Grouse found that she
couldn't break through the crust she
burroWed down through the soft
snow to the ground once more in the
hope that she might find few
berries there or seeds or nuts or
something good to eat, but there was
nothing, just nothing at all. OF
course, Mrs. Grouse couldn't hunt
much because it was too hard work
to get through the snow. So pretty
soon she gave it up and once more
beat against that hard, cruel crust.
Then she tried to make a hole
through it by pecking at it with her
stout bill. But 1t was of no use. And
all the time she grew hungrier and
hungrier. And she was so tired!
So dreadfully tired! She would rest
a while and then she would peck.
Then she would rest again. But each
time she bravely tried to peck her
way through that dreadful crust
she was weaker than before, and she
knew it.
Now Granny and Reddy Fox were
hungry also that morning. The
night before had been a bad night
for hunting and they hadn't found
a scrap to eat. Now they were
trotting through the Green Forest.
They were cross, for it always makes
them cross to be hungry. just as it
does great many people. Suddenly
Granny Fox stopped short and
cooked up her sharp little ears.
What was that? Tap, tap. tap.
Softly Granny tiptoed forward, with
Reddy right at her heels. Tap. tap,
tap. Granny knew instantly what 1t
meant, and her yellow eyes cleaned.
Mrs. Grouse was there, caught under
the crust. Granny sprang with all
her weight right on the spot from
which the tapping came. She ex-
pected to break right through and
seize Mrs. Grouse. But that was
the time that Old Granny Fox was
fooled. She didn't break through.
No, sir, she didn't break through.
not even when Reddy jumped with
her. The crust was too hard. OF
course, the tapping had stopped
There wasn't sound to tell that any
one was under that crust. But this
didn't fool old Granny Fox. She
knew perfectly well that Mrs. Grouse
was there and was keeping still
And so she was. Mrs. Grouse had
heard Granny and Reddy Fox and
she knew just what they were trying
to do. She didn't know whether to
hope that they wouldn't be able to
break through the crust or hope that
they would. Perhaps II she was
all ready to fly she might get away
II they broke through.
But they didn't break through
and they couldn't dig through
although they tried very hard
Finally they gave up in disgust ano
trotted away, still hungry and more
cross than they were in the frs,
place. OF course, it was most pro.
voking to be so close to a gooe
dinner and not be able to get it.
But poor Mrs. Grouse was NJ
better of then before. She was 81
tired and frightened and hungry
and weak that it began to seem tt
her as If there wasn't the least bi
of hope in the world. But there was
There is always hope, even wher
there doesn't seem to be. 1t was 81
now. Mrs. Grouse was in terrible
trouble, but she was going to gel
out of it, even If she didn't know
how. Yes, sir, help was coming Il
her when she least expected 1t.