Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-02-03
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS.


Sammy Jay was excited. Every
one who heard him knew that and
everybody who was anywhere near
heard him. They would have had to
be stone deaf not to have. Sammy
is just like some people-when he
gets Just q little excited he begins
to talk in a loud voice. The more
excited he gets the louder he talks.
BY and by, when he gets very much
excited, he screams. That is what
he was doing this beautiful spring
morning, screaming as no one ever
had heard him scream before. In
deed, he was so excited that his
tongue couldn't go fast enough and
tripped over his words and mixed
things up so that no one could make
out what ne was trying TO say.
He came flying out of the Green
Forest, flying as fast as he could
make his wings 60, and screaming at
the top of his lungs. He saw Jimmy
Skunk coming down the Lone Little
Path and flew to meet him.
Hes stranger and he's black!"
screamed Sammy.
who's a stranger and who's
black?" asked Jimmy.
And he's got great, big claws In
his mouth" continued Sammy.
Jimmy Skunk stopped short and
stared very hard at Sammy Jay.
Say that again." said he.
But just then Sammy caught sight
Of Peter Rabbit down by his dear Old
Briar Patch. "Oh, I must tell
Peter!" he screamed. Peter! Peter
Rabbit! He's here. He's bigger than
Farmer Browns Boy and he walks!"
And all the time he was screaming
this long before he was anywhere
near the Old Briar Patch.
Jimmy Skunk was still staring
after him and scratching his head in
puzzled kind of way, when along
came Unc' Billy Postum.
Unc' Billy grinned as he looked
over toward the Old Briar Patch.
"Mistah Jaybird's done gone
crazy" said he. Hes done gone
crazy in his haid. Whoever heard
of anybody with great big claws in
his mouth?"
Now, Peter could make no more
sense of what Sammy was saying
than could Jimmy Skunk and Unc'
Billy Postum.
who walks, Sammy Jay? Don't
most people walk? What's got into
you Sammy Jay?" demanded Peter
But Sammy couldn't keep still
long enough to answer questions,
and off he flew toward the Smiling
Pool in search of Billy Mink and
Jerry Muskrat and Grandfather
Frog, and as he flew ne still scream
ed in the same excited way, and
Peter heard something about "long
teeth" and "big feet" all Of which
was very perplexing, and. of course,
made Peter very, very curious. He
straightway started to hunt up
Jimmy Skunk to see If Jimmy knew
what it meant, and halfway down
the Lone Little Path he met Jimmy
With him was Unc' Billy Postum.
Peters eyes were very wide open
with wonder and the first thing he
said was: Whats the matter with
Sammy Jay?"
Jimmy Skunk grinned and Unc'
Billy shook his head sadly, though
If Peter had looked sharply he
would have seen a twinkle in Unc'
Billy's eyes.
Poor Sammy Jay" said Unc'
Billy in the mournfulest tones.
Poor Sammy Jay. He's foolish in
his haid, Peter. He's foolish in his
haid." es 7.-''
"Ohl" cried Peter. do you really
think 50, Unc' Billy? I thought he
was just terribly excited.
Unc' Billy winked at Jimmy Skunk
as he said: "Ah don't know, about
the excitement, Br'er Rabbit, but
when people talk about great big
claws in somebody's mouth, All
cert'nly think there is something the
matter. If you ask me, All think
Br'er Jay done gone crazy"
Poor Sammy Jay" said Peter 70
himself. as he hoped away to find
out what other people thought.
Poor Sammy jay! I guess Unc'
Billy must be right and he really is
crazy. He can't talk straight, so he
must be crazy" And all the rest of
that day Peter told every one he
met that Sammy Jay had gone
crazy.