Evening star., 1943-04-23
Bedtime Stories
BY THORNTON w. BURGESS.

Pray. always independent be.
And on your own feet firmly stand;
Your eyes your ears, your wits are yours
For Just one purpose-self command.
No one who depends on others
to see for him or hear for him or
act for him, and so does what others
may tell him to do without know
ing at all whether what he is do
ing may be best or not, has self
command. To have real command
Of self is to be truly independent.
Now Danny Meadow Mouse had
for so long regarded himself as the
head sof the family that he had
grown to think that Nanny Meadow
Mouse would be quite helpless with
out him, a mistake which a great
many heads of families make. He
thought that Nanny did everything
just as he said, and Nanny let him
think so, when, truth to tell, it was
more often that Danny did as
Nanny desired. You see, Nanny
is very clever little person, and
she long ago learned that have
her own way it was best to lead
Danny to think it was his way. So
she pretended to be very dependent
on Danny and made him think
her quite helpless without him,
when all the time she knew how
to use her eyes and her ears and
her nose and her wits quite as well
as Danny could use his. If Danny
had realized this, he would have
been saved q great deal of worry
when he and Nanny were separated
by Redtail the Hawk.
when Redtail had swooped at
them, Nanny had lodged under
some cornstalks, while Danny had
kept on to the bushes and grass
along the fence. so both had es-
capped But Redtail had sailed
around and around overhead for a
long time, and not until he finally
gave up and flew away did Nanny
dare hurry across to the fence row
where Danny had disappeared. BY
the time she got there, there was
no sign of Danny. Not knowing
what had become of her, for he
had not seen her dodge under
those cornstalks. he had hurried
on. thinking that she might be
ahead Of him.
When Nanny had called and
called in her funny little voice and
received no answer, she sat down
to think things over.
Probably he has gone on, think
Ing I am ahead of him." thought
she. after her first fright and worry.
IT he doesn't find me, as, of course,
he won't. he'll keep on to our old
home and wait for me. there. I'm
not going to worry about him any
more than can help. Danny is
quite able to take care Of himself,
I'll just follow right along, and If
he should turn back to look for me
I'll meet him."
So Nanny started on, and, be-
cause she knew that the journey
would be long, she didn't run her
legs OF as Danny in his ANXIETY
about her was doing to his short
legs. After a while, she peeped out
0AA WIG otAAC1 SAoC O1 Vic 1SIiCC TOW,
and right across lane was another
fence row. There were more bushes
and grass than along the fence
where she was. Nanny looked this
way and looked that way to make
sure that all was safe, then she
darted across the lane to the other
fence row and continued on her
way. So 1t happened that she went
right past the place where, in the
opposite fence row. Danny was tax
Ing a nap. And so, too, Of course,
Danny found no trace Of her, nor
she Of him. But while he worried
himself almost sick. she didn't let
herself worry very much. She felt
entirely able to take care of her.
self. and equally sure that Danny
could take care of himself. She
simply looked forward to finding
Danny In their old home and hur-
ried on.
Released by Associated Newspapers.)