Evening star., 1942-03-12
Bedtime Stories
Nv THORNTON w RIrRGFSS


Where the old brush pile had
been in the Green Forest sat Buster
Bear, laughing so that he had to
hold his sides. Up in a tall pine
tree close by sat Hooty the Owl.
He had been laughing, but he had
stopped now. Disappointment had
taken the place of laughter. 1t had
been very funny to see Old Man
Coyote and Reddy and Granny Fox
ducking and dodging and twisting
and turning as they tried to get out
OF the way of flying sticks as Buster
Bear tore the old brush pile to
pieces. 1t had been all the funnier,
because Hooty knew that while
they were watching out for flying
sticks they couldn't be watching
out for Peter Rabbit, who everybody
or nearly everybody, supposed was
hiding under the pile of brush, and
so he would be almost sure to catch
Peter when he should run out.
But now the last bit of brush had
been scattered and there was no
Peter Rabbit, and Hooty was too
much disgusted and disappointed
to laugh any more. Of course, Old
Man Coyote and Reddy and Granny
Fox didn't see anything to laugh
at. Indeed, they were too angry
to laugh at anything. Then, too.
the joke was on them, and you know
how 1t is always very hard to laugh
at joke on yourself. They had
watched all day to catch Peter
Rabbit when he should come out
from under that pile of brush. They
knew Peter was there because Reddy
had chased him there and the
others had seen him do it. So,
when just after dark Buster Bear
had come along and offerd to tear
the old brush pile apart, they hadn't
had the least doubt that one of
them would catch Peter.
They hadn't seen the twinkle in
Busters eyes as he had kept urging
them to come closer, so that there
would be no chance for Peter to
escape Then he had made the
sticks fly so fast that they couldn't
get out of the way of them. Now
they we're sore and lame and
scratched, and. worse, still, they
knew now that Peter Rabbit had
somehow been too smart for them,
for when Buster had scattered the
last bit of brush there had been no
sign of Peter.
From the way Buster was laugh
ing, they knew now that he had
known all the time that Peter wasn't
there, and that he kept urging them
to come closer just so that they
would be sure to be hit by those
flying sticks when he tore the old
brush pile to pieces. He had simply
played a joke on them. If angry
looks could have done it, they would
killed Buster Bear right on the spot.
They were afraid of him in the
first place, and had not welcomed
him to the Green Forest. Now they
didn't dare do anything but snarl
at him and tell him what they
thought of him and how some day
they would get even with him, all
of which made Buster laugh all the
more. You see, big and strong as
he is, he really is one of the best
natured fellows in the world. He
dearly loves a joke, and he will
laugh just as hard at a joke on
himself as one on some one else,
whic is the right way to do. So the
more they threatened the harder he
laughed.
Hooty the Owl looked down at
Buster solemnly and suspiciously.
Did you know all the time that
Peter Rabbit wasn't there?" he
asked.
"Of course. I did" replied Buster,
when he could get his breath. DO
you suppose a great big fellow like
me would have been mean enough to
spoil the hiding place of poor little
fellow like Peter Rabbit without
giving him any chance to escape?
On my way up here I met Peter
scampering for the dear Old Briar
Patch as fast as he could 60. Prob
ably he's down there now laughing
in his sleeve to think how he fooled
you all who are supposed to be so
smart, particularly Old Man Coyote
and Reddy and Granny Fox.
And this is just where Peter was
and what he was doing.