Evening star., 1942-01-10
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

BY THDRNTON w. BUkGESS.
1t had oeen many days since any
of the little people of the Green
Forest hid seen or heard anything
of Mrs. Grouse and all but two or
three hae made up their minds that
Sammy Jay was right and that
Farmer browns boy really had killed
her and eaten her for his dinner.
Tommy tit the Chicakee didn't be-
lieve it. Chatterer the Red Squir-
rel remembered how he had been
kept a prisoner and treated ever SO
kindly b, Farmer Browns boy and
ne didn't quite believe it. Anyway,
he had hoped that it wasn't SO.
Peter RABBIT tried not to believe it.
But as tne day followed another,
Peters dtubts grew until at last he
felt that le almost had to believe 1t.
Now, a. this time Jack Frost had
stayed ir the Green Forest and on
the Greer Meadows and kept the icy
crust he nad made over the snow
as hard rs ever, which, of course,
made it dreadfully hard for the
little peo,le who live there and must
eat to ge, enough food They were
hungry most of the time and had to
spend every minute that they were
awake ir hunting for food. Only
those who sleep most OF the winter
didn't mi1d. But at last Jack Frost
grew tirec and went away. Just as
soon as h. left jolly, bright Mr.. Sun
saw this ind he set to work to melt
that hari, icy crust until there
wasn't a bit Of it left. Then it
showed fyain, a soft, light fluffy
snow tina; fell in the night.
The next morning Peter Rabbit
was hoping through the Green
Forest, -lipperty-lip, when
suddenly he saw something that
made hir give a gasp and sit up
very straight. Then he looked and
rubbed hs eyes to make sure that
he was ieeing right, and looked
again. What was it that he saw?
Why it vas tracks. queer looking
tracks that led straight under
great thic1 branch Of hemlock tree.
and the. looked, they certainly
looked, ve'y much like the snowshoe
tracks of Mrs. Grouse.
Peter felt as if he must be
dreaming He stared and stared
and starei.
What, the matter with you, Peter
Rabbit? Didn't you ever see my
snow tracks befOre?" asked q voice
from und.r the hemlock tree. And
then Mrs Grouse walked out right
in front o Peter.
Peters zig eyes opened wider than
ever. "O1!" he cried. Isis it
really ane truly you, Mrs. Grouse?"
he cried.
"Of course it is me! Who else
should it ,e? Is there anybody else
who look like me in the Green
Forest?" ;Sked Mrs Grouse.
MO- replied Peter, slowly, as
if even y.t he wasn't quite sure,
only Sammy Jay said that you had
been kille1 and eaten by Farmer
Browns by and-and-"
And y3u believed it," snapped
Mrs. Gro,Se. Il should think that
by this tine you would have learned
never to believe what Sammy Jay
says. Yol ought to know that he's
the greatest mischief-maker in the
Green Forest. Do I look as If I had
been killec and eaten?" Mrs. Grouse
ruffled up her feathers and strutted
back and orth in front of Peter.
Peter laughed joyously. mot bit!
Not the lest little bit!" he declared.
But whe,e have you been all this
time? Dc tell me all about it! This
is the gla:dest surprise I have had
for a long time"
Then mrs. Grouse told Peter all
about how Farmer Browns boy had
taken her home when he found her
so weak nat she couldn't fly, and
had fed f.r and made her as COM
Portable a he knew how in the hen
house all the time that the hard,
icy crust lad lasted in the Green
Forest. AMI then how he had taken
her out ind let her go and had
laughed to see her whirr away into
the Green Forest.
Peter listened with his big eyes
opened their widest and his long
ears stan<ing straight up. Then
Tommy it and Chatterer were
right. and Farmer Browns boy isn't
half bad! he cried.
He isrt bad at ALL" declared
Mrs. GroUie.