Evening star., 1942-04-20
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON BURGESS

OF course q when Farmer Brown s
/ Boy lifted of the upper half OF the
{ pile Of old corn stalks in the middle
Of which Danny and Nanny Meadow
! Mouse had built their home he had
1 10 idea that any one was living
there. 1t is question II Danny
and Nanny we're any more surprised
than he was OF course, they ran
ran as fast as ever they could. They
did il to save their lives. At least.
that Is what they thought You
see. it was all so sudden that they
were Just terribly frightened, and
when people are terribly frightened
they rIIn away from the thing that
has frightened them. AT least, that
is what most people do, and it is
what Danny and Nanny did now.
With frightened squeaks they ran
along the secret little galleries Dan
ny had made for Just such a need.
And then quite suddenly Nanny
stopped. She had thought Of the
four babies left in that dear little
house. She had remembered Teeny,
weeny, Midget and Mite left TO the
mercy of Farmer Browns Boy. She
couldn't run another step.
"Hurryl" squeaked Danny. scamp
ering on ahead. But Nanny didn't.
Instead she began to go back. Danny
looked back over his shoulder and
saw her. What are" he began,
and then he. too. remembered the
helpless babies and feeling Of great
shame swept over him at the thought
Of how he was running away and
leaving those babies with no one to
even try to protect them. He turned
back and hurried to catch up with
Nanny. Together they peeped out
TO see what Farmer Browns Boy
was doing.
He was stopping over looking at
the little house they had been so
proud of when they had built 1t.
"Hal" said he, I'm afraid you will
have to build a new house some
where else, Danny Meadow Mouse,
for have got to clean up around
here and take away all the old corn
stalks. I wonder what the inside
Of your house is like"
With that he picked up the house
in his great hands and began to tear
IL open to see what 1t was like in
side. Poor Danny and Nanny
Meadow MouseI 1t was more than
they could stand. Danny shut his
eyes so as not to see what was going
to happen, but Nanny, because her
mother love was so great, actually
ran out in plain sight. She didn't
dare go quite to her babies, but she
went just as near as she did dare TO.
When Farmer Browns Boy had
torn open the roof of the little
house so that he could see inside he
gave a long whistle of surprise. Then
very gently he lifted out Teeny and
Weeny and Midget and Mite and
held them in the hollow OF one hand
while he looked at them closely. OF
course they were too little to be
much afraid, but they didn't like
the bright light, for you know that
ever since they were born they had
been in the dark and now the light
hurt their eyes. SO they snuggled
together and they tried to get their
heads under each other.
Just then Farmer Browns Boy
happened to look down straight into
the terribly anxious eyes of Nanny.
Slowly smile lighted up his freckled
face. Don't you worry, Mrs. Mea-
dow Mouse" said he. Il wouldn't
hurt your babies for the world. I
guess I've spoiled your house and
I'm sorry. 1 wouldn't have done 1t
If I thought there might be babies
there"
Very gently he put the four babies
back in their bed of grass and as
well as he could, which, of course
was not very well, he pulled the
broken roof together over them.
Then he put the house back where
he had found 1t and stepped back a
few steps. Nanny looked at him
very hard. Then suddenly she
darted forward and into her house.
you brave little mother" said
Farmer Browns Boy softly, and be-
gan to put back the corn stalks he
had taken from the pile. When at
last the little house was once more
in the middle of the pile he started
on. I'll wait until you have that
family off your hands before clean
I'D here" said he softly as he saw
Nanny's bright eyes anxiously peep
ing at him.