Evening star., 1942-01-07
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS


Sammy Jay had spread a false re-
port all through the snow-covered
Green Forest and over the glisten-
ing Green Meadows. He had told
every one he met that Farmer
Browns boy had killed poor Mrs.
Grouse and taken her home for his
dinner. Now, it was true that he
had taken her home, but it wasn't
true that he had killed her. You
see, he had found her very weak
and helpless under the hard, icy
crust that Jack Frost had made
while she was asleep down under
the snow, and which she couldn't
break. Sammy Jay and Peter Raf-
bit had both seen her carried away
and both knew that she hadn't
been killed. But it made a bigger
story, a more dreadful story, to say
that she had been killed, and
Sammy Jay dearly loves to tell bad
news. Besides, he is always ready
to think evil of others.
IF he didn't kill her, then he will
kill her when he gets her home"
said Sammy to himself, land SO it's
all right to say that he has killed
her" So he flew about spreading
that dreadful false story and actu-
ally enjoyed telling the dreadful
news.
Of course, all of the friends Of
Mrs. Grouse felt terribly. Some
of them Peter Rabbit saw and he
told them Sammy jays story was
not true-that Mrs. Grouse had not
been killed. But he had to admit
that she had been carried away by
Farmer Browns boy, and to her
friends this seemed almost as bad,
for most of them were very much
afraid of Farmer Browns boy and
quite willing to believe the very
worst of him. So they all mourned
for poor Mrs. Grouse and said how
dreadful it was and how they hoped
that some day something dreadful
would happen to Farmer Browns
boy.
But Mrs. Grouse didn't know any
thing about this. At first she had
been terribly frightened when she
had been picked up and knew that
Farmer Browns boy held her a
prisoner. But after q while his
hands felt warm, for she was shiv-
ering with cold, and they seemed
very gentle. And then. she didn't
know why, she wasn't afraid any
more She just cuddled right down
and felt sure that nothing dreadful
was going to happen.
And nothing dreadful did happen
Oh, my, no! She was taken up to
Farmer Browns house and right
inside, where it was as warm as in
summer and where Farmer Browns
boys mother stroked her with such
gentle hands and said, You poor,
poor little bird" And then when
she was warm she was taken out
to the henhouse and put In a box
with plenty Of nice warm hay and
there she was left with all the corn
and oats and barley that she could
eat. This was what she needed
most, for you know it was because
she had had nothing to eat for so
long, while she was a prisoner under
that dreadful icy crust, that she
was too weak to fly when the crust
was broken.
So she ate and ate until she could
eat no more and then nestled down
in the soft, warm hay to sleep, for
she was tired. so very, very tired.
And as she closed her eyes it seemed
to her that she couldn't remember
when she had been so comfortable
certainly not for days and days.
And she could sleep without fear
of Reddy Fox or Hooty the Owl or
any other danger. To be sure she
was a prisoner. but somehow she
didn't mind. Not then, anyway.
And-and-well, Farmer Browns boy
wasn't dreadful at all: he was rather
nice.