Evening star., 1942-01-13
Bedtime Story
By THORNTON w. BURGESS.

by IdOhNION w. 0On1ESS.
1t is hard rot to be believed. Ask
Peter Rabbit. He knows. Yes,
indeed, he knows. 1t Is bad enough
not to be Ielieved when one is
telling the truth. but to tell the
truth and then have everybody tell
you that they don't believe you is
worse still. Anyway, Peter Rabbit
thinks 50. Tt make 1t worse, 1t was
great news that Peter had to tell.
and. of course, he might Just as well
have had no news at all.
It all came from Peters curiosity
to see the deeoest part of the Green
Forest when everything was COW
cred with snow. OF course, he had
to satisfy tha, curiosity. 1t wouldn't
have been Ike Peter not to nave
done so. So tf he went all by him.
self way into the deepest part Of
the Green Ftrest. close to the foot
of the Great Mountain, and there
he found it 70 still that he could
feel the stillless. Anyway. that's
what he said And 1t was so lone
some there tlat Peter would have
been afraid o. his own shadow had
he seen it. He had made up his
mind that nc one ever visited that
part of the Green Forest. at least
not in the vintertime, when sud-
denly he saV tracks. And such
tracks! 1t vas those tracks that
had made Ieter all his present
trouble. You see, no one would be-
lieve Peter when he told about
those tracks.
The first ore Peter saw after get
ting back to the dear Old Briar
Patch was Sammy Jay. and though
Peter doesn't like Sammy. he just
had to tell hin about those strange
tracks.
They were as big as the tracks
of Farmer Browns boy" said Peter,
his big eyes round with excitement.
Probably ne made them" said
Sammy Jay shortly.
But they were not his tracks,
only something like his-the ones he
makes in the mud around the SWIM
ming Pool when he goes swimming
in the summer, and you know as
we'll as I do that he never makes
that kind of tracks in the winter,
Sammy Jay cried Peter.
Sammy looked sharply at Peter
and began to laugh.
Besides" Peter hurried on,
whoever male those tracks had
claws, great. great big claws"
Sammy laughed harder than ever
and in the most provoking way.
do you eXpsct me to believe any
such story "a that, Peter Rabbit"
he demanded. You better not talk
to me about not telling the truth
when you tell such a story as that"
and off few Sammy, still laughing
to think that Peter should try to
make him believe such a foolish
story
Peter looked after him and
scratched hi, head thoughtfully.
Those track. did look something
like those of Farmer Browns Boy"
he muttered. They were rounder,
but they were big and they had toes
and-Well, peihaps they didn't look
very much lie them, but they did
look something like them. and I
said something. 1 believe I'll 60
tell Chatterer the Red Squirrel
about them
But Chattecer laughed at Peter
just as Sammy Jay had. you've
had bad cream, Peter. That's
what's the natter with you Who
ever heard of any one in the Green
Forest who made tracks like those.
Why. Bowser the Hound makes the
biggest track with claw marks. as
you ought to know by this time
You've had dream, Peter, and now
you better run away and forget it.
1t was the anne way with Tommy
Tit the Chickadee and Mrs. Grouse
and Billy Mink, and every one else
he told the Jtory to. Every one
laughed at hin and no one believed
him. Poor P-ter grew quite miser-
able, for he kEeW what dis eyes had
seen, and it V as dreadfully hard to
be laughed Al and have fun poked
at him just because he insisted that
he had seen those strange tracks