Evening star., 1942-04-21
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON W. BURGESS

When a. last Danny and Nanny
Meadow Mouse were sure that
Farmer Browns boys had gone away
they sat down and talked things
over. Nanny wanted TO move right
away. Why. that dreadful giant
may come back any minute and
carry our babies away" said she
Danny shook his head. NO"
said he. IF ne meant TO take them
away he would have done 1t when
he had them in his hands Besides,
didn't he put our house back and
then put back all the cornstalks7
II he had meant Us any harm he
wouldn't have done that. Do you
know, Nanny. I believe that this Is
the safest place anywhere for US"
Nanny couldn't make herself be
lieve so. but she didn't know Of any
place 10 move to. and so finally she
agreed that they would stay there
until the babies were big enough
TO travel. SO she at once began to
patch UP the roof where Farmer
Browns boy had broken 1t open and
presently 1t was quite as good as be-
fore But though nothing hap
pened and Farmer Browns boy kept
away, Nanny could never feel quite
easy. Danny did. however. He had
heard all about how Farmer Browns
boy had set Chatterer the Red
Squirrel free after catching him in
a trap and how he had taken care
Of Mrs Grouse when he found her
a prisoner under the Icy crust dur
ing the terribly cold weather OF the
winter. so now Danny made up his
mind that Farmer Browns boy was
really a friend and not an enemy
at all and he didn't worry about
him any more.
But he had other worries, did
Danny Meadow Mouse. You see,
those four babies, Teeny, Weeny,
Midget and Mite, grew very fast
and it didn't seem any time at all
before they were poking their
funny little blunt noses out of the
door of their little house the min
ute the backs OF their father and
mother were turned. This made
DoA4A4y dAAO hAAA4odop Ava
they were afraid that while they
were away after food the little
scamps might stray of and get lost.
Then, too, those precious little
scamps did lot of squeaking and
squealing as they played together
and this made their father and
mother SO anxious they didn't
know what to do. You see, they
were afraid some one with sharp
ears would happen along and hear.
But nothing they could say to
Teeny, Weeny, Midget and Mite,
and not even boxing their ears,
made bit Of difference. You see,
they were SO full of life and fun
that they just had to make noise.
1t wasn't, long before they were
playing all about in the old pile
of cornstalks. 1t was great fun.
There was no end Of places to play
hide-and-seek and you know that
is the favorite game with all little
mice. And the hvehest and smart
est of the four was lite Mite, he
Of the extra short tail. Now, just
as soon as little meadow and forest
people are big enough to begin to
play they have to 60 to school. I
mean by that that while they are
playing they have to be learning as
well. So as soon as their babies be-
gan to play outside of the house
Danny and Nanny began to teach
them things it was very necessary
that they should know. The first
of these game lessons was called
"Look-run-and-dodge."
Danny made them play this q
great deal. He told them that II
they wanted to grow up there was
no surer way of doing 80 than by
learning just how to play this game.
They would all hide near some tiny,
open place and then one of them
would try to cross it without being
caught by the others. The first
things to do was to look and listen
and try to find out just where the
others were hiding. The next thing
to do was to pick out a hiding place
on the other side of the little open
place. The last thing Of all was to
suddenly scamper across just as fast
as legs could go, not directly to the
chosen hiding place, but to one side
of 1t and then at the very last min
ute dodge into 1t. 1t was a very
exciting game. Danny used to pre-
tend that he was Reddy Fox or Old
Man Coyote and would 60 off to
give the others a chance to hide.
Then he would come tiptoeing back
and try to catch one Of them. So
they played and learned at the
same time until pretty soon they
began to want to go out in the Great
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