Evening star., 1942-04-24
Bedtime Stories
- THORNTON ~. UUR

- A1GsS AVSN ~. D9aA1600h
vish-r Win ra snin1e1-
n I we're only safe st home
RsSht there I'd always ssaf.
Little Mite. the smallest and
smartest Of the four babies Of
Danny and Nanny Meadow Mouse,
meant every word Of It. He had
thought that Danny was silly and
foolishly anxious because he had
insisted that II was not safe for any
of his children to show themselves
outside Of the pile Of old cornstalks
in the middle Of which was their
home. He had said, and really
thought, that he was smart enough
to take care Of himself, and to prove
IT he had run away to see the Great
World
-Of course, I can run back home
any time" he had said to himself,
but when at last the time came
when he wanted to run back home
he found that he couldn't. In fact,
he hadn't the least idea where his
home was. He was Iostl Yes, str,
he was lost, hopelessly lost. Nov,
after running until he couldn't run
another step and finding that the
path he had been following Just
ended In the middle Of q lot of tail
grass instead Of under the pile Of
old cornstalks, as he had hoped,
little Mite realized that he was
indeed out In the Great World and
that he might never. never, see his
dear home again Big tears rolled
down his nose. Somehow now he
didn't feel . bit smart-just very,
very small and helpless. How he did
wish he was at home.
But wishing wouldn't get him
there. The first thing for him to do
was TO find q safe hiding place.
He wiped away his tears and started
back along the little path that had
led him nowhere. He took the
first branch he came to and followed
that. It seemed rs II there would
be no end to the green walls Of grass
stems and overhead the green roof
made by the meeting of the grass
blades. OF course, he couldn't see
where he was going or what was
going on In the Great World. But
neither could any Of those who
might be looking for q tender
young Meadow Mouse see him. He
didn't think Of that. however, and
presently he decided that some
how he would have q look around.
A tall mullen stalk close by the
path gave him the chance. It
pushed its top way above the grassy
roof. Mite scrambled up. When he
pushed his head through the grass
roof the bright light Of jolly. round,
bright Mr.. Sun made him blink.
Hardly did he have time to get
used to the bright Light and really
begin to see something Of the Great
World when he discovered q tre-
mendous great creature close be-
side him. Mite hadn't believed that
the Great World was big enough to
AOlu Sucu 3 nu8e creature, and he
nearly lost his balance and fell from
sheer fright. Perhaps it would have
been better for him II he had, for
Just then q terrible thing struck
him and knocked him ever SO far.
He fell on his back In the tall grass
with all the breath knocked out Of
him and feeling very faint and dizzy.
He knew that whatever had hit him
had had something to do with that
terrible creature he had seen, but
that was all he knew.
oh, dearP he sobbed, "I wish I
was home! ! wish was homel"
And all the time Bossy the Gov,
who had found the bars down and
had wandered into the tab grass Of
the Green Meadows. drove away the
bothersome flies by switching her
tail back and forth. and didn't know
at al that she had Knocked all the
wind out Of a poor, wee. little, lost
Meadow Mouse.