Evening star., 1942-02-06
Bedtime Stories
By THORNTON w. BURGESS.


When Sammy Jay came flying out
of the Green Forest screaming at
the top of his lungs and SO excited
that he couldn't talk straight, every
body said that he had gone crazy.
You see, he was too excited to tell
what the trouble was. At last his
cousin, Blacky the Grow, managed to
get him calmed down so that he
could tell him all about it. When
he had heard the story which
Sammy had to tell of the stranger
he had seen deep in the Green For
est, he looked very much as the other
little people did when they heard
Sammy screaming foolishly.
You see, it was very hard for
Blacky to really believe that Sammy
had seen what he said he had. Not
that he thought Sammy was telling
a wrong story! Oh, my. no! Sammy
was too much in earnest. What
Blacky thought was that Sammy had
been mistaken in what he had seen,
or imagined that he had seen a lot
more than he really had. You see,
Blacky had lived a long time in the
Green Forest and he never had seen
or heard of such stranger as
Sammy told about.
He asked Sammy just where he
had seen the stranger and Sammy
told him that it was deep in the
Green Forest, beyond the pond built
by Paddy the Beaver. Now, Blacky
believes that the only way to make
sure of things is to see them and
not be content with the word OF
some one else. So he suddenly made
up his mind that he would visit the
place where Sammy Jay had seen
the stranger. He invited Sammy to
20 along with him, but Sammy re-
fused. 1t was very plain to see that
Sammy was afraid Of the stranger.
Blacky chuckled to himself as he
flew over the pond of Paddy the
Beaver and so deep into the Green
Forest.
THE idea" said Blacky, "of there
being a stranger as big as Farmer
Browns Boy and wearing a black
fur coat! Nobody like that ever had
lived in the Green Forest. I guess
I'd know if they had. Sammy must
have eaten something and had a very
bad dream, or else there is some
thing the matter with his eyes"
He was talking to himself in this
way as he flew along, all the time
keeping a sharp watch for the
stranger, when, without any warning,
the stranger himself stepped out
from behind a tree almost under
Blacky. It startled Blacky so that
he let out a frightened Cav! Caw!"
and nearly turned a somersault in
the air. He caught himself just in
time and flew to the top OF the
nearest pine tree. where he could
look down and see all that was
going on.
Everything was just as Sammy Jay
had said. The stranger did wear a
black fur coat. he was as big as
Farmer Browns boy and he did have
great feet and the biggest claws
Blacky had ever seen. Blacky felt
lust as if he ought to peck himself
to make sure that he was awake. OF
course, he knew he was, but he just
couldn't make it seem so.
Now, Blacky sometimes gets as eX-
cited as Sammy Jay, and this was
one of the times. He started back
for the Green Meadows as fast as
he could fly and all the way he was
cawing at the top of his lungs.
Sammy Jay heard him long before
he saw him and Sammy grinned.
HE found HIM" thought Sammy.
Now he knows that I told the truth.
My, but he sounds just as crazy
as ever I did" -,...
And then as Blacky came in sight
Sammy once more grew excited, too,
and began to scream questions at
the top of his lungs. until it was
hard to say who was screaming
toudest, Sammy or his big cousin.
BIacky the crow.