Evening star., 1942-01-26
Bedtime Stories
Nv THORNTON w. BURGESS.

Bobby Coon, curled up in his
warm house in the hollow chestnut
tree in the Green Forest, opened
his eyes and yawned. Bobby had
been asleep long time, very long
time. In fact, he had slept most of
the winter. Once or twice he had
walked and crawled out to stretch
his legs on warm days, but there
had been very few warm days, and
so Bobby had been content to sleep
and sleep and sleep.
Now, AS he lay there yawning and
looking up at sunbeam which had
crept in at his open door, he won-
dered if it was worth while to crawl
out to have a look about. Il sup
pose it's just another warm day
in the middle OF winter, and If
crawl out I'll just be uncomfortable
and shivery,' he thought. Il might
as we'll stay right where I am and
keep comfortable
You see, Bobby Coon had slept so
much that he didn't have any idea
how time had been flying. So now
he just closed his eyes again and
tried to go to sleep. But somehow
he couldn't get to sleep. That sun
beam seemed to be trying to tell
him that it was time to be up and
out. Go away" said Bobby Grossly,
and rolled over so as not to see that
warm, bright, merry little sunbeam
But then something else began to
tell him that 1t was time to get up.
1t was bis stomach. Yes, sir, his
stomach began to tell him that it
was time TO get up, and he just had
to listen. Shutting his eyes and roll
ing over wouldn't keep his stomach
still. No. indeed! The truth is.
there isn't anything that will keep
an empty stomach still.
Now. when Bobby Coon had be-
gun his long sleep he had been very.
very fat. All through the fall, when
there was plenty of food and to
spare, Bobby had stuffed and stuff
ed himself until he was so fat that
he could hardly run at all He
didn't know why he had stuffed so
except that everything tasted so
good. but If he had taken the trou-
BILE to ask Old Mother Nature about
1t she would have told him that
she had given him that great ap-
petite so that he would get fat and
that while he slept through the
cold. cold weather that fat would
keep him warm and would take the
place OF food, because while he was
asleep, OF course, he couldn't eat.
And that is just the way it all
happened
But now that fat had been used
up, just exactly how. nobody knows,
for that is one of Old Mother
Natures secrets. But it had. and
this Is Why Bobbys stomach would
give him no peace. OF course. this
was Old Mother Natures way of
telling Bobby that it was time to
get up, that she had taken care
OF him all winter. and now he had
to get out and take care of himself.
But Booby didn't know this. All
he knew was that he was dread
fully hungry and at the same time
he hated TO think of going out into
the cold to hunt for food and he
just knew would be hard to find.
So, he twisted and turned and
rolled over uneasily, trying to for
get that inviting little sunbeam
and to think that he wasn't dread
fully hungry. He muttered and
grumbled to himself and was as
uncomfortable as could be. And
then quite suddenly he stopped
muttering and grumbling and lay
perfectly still, with both little ears
cooked wide open. He had heard
something. At least he thought
he had. and he wanted to make
sure. So he lay and listened and
listened. and after little while he
heard it again-the Softest, sweet
est whistle.
"Winsome Bluebird!" cried Bobby
Coon. 1T is time to get up after
all. for Mistress Spring is almost
here!'
He kicked off his bedclothes of
leaves and scrambled up to his
doorway. A dozen warm. merry
little sunbeams shone straight in
his face and made him blink so that
at first he could hardly see at all
Hello. old lazybones! It's time
YOU were up. Don't you know that
Mistress Spring is almost here?"
Bobby looked down. There at
the foot of the big chestnut tree
sat Peter Rabbit grinning up at
him. And while he looked he heard
again that soft, sweet whistle. And
then Booby knew for sure that the
long cold winter was over and that
Peter Rabbit was right-it was time,
high time, to get up.