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Show I BURySS BEDTIHE STORIES THE HIDDEN BA Iv DOOR BY THORNTON W. BURGESS. Not for long is he about Who never plans but one way out. Johnny Chuck. Peter Rabhlt had lived so long in the dear Old Briar-patch, with no one els- there excepting the members mem-bers of his own family, that when he discovered Johnnv Chuck and Polly Chuck and the four little Chucks right In the middle of the dear ooj Briar-patch he was quite upset. Tes sir, he wa so He was quite upse'. II wasn't that he minded their being there. Ho didn't Ho was glad that thoy wer there He irae glad that they had escaped from Reddy Fox. SVhat upnet him was that ho couldn't understand how they could be there. He had seen them going down Int.. their home on the edge of tho dear Old Briar-patch and ho was sure that they hadn't come out of theW doorway before Reddy Fox got thei.;. and begnn to dig. Not once had Uei-dy Uei-dy stopped dlrrlnir. save, to eet hu j breath. There had been no chance I whatever for those Chucks to slip out of their home by means of their front 1 door. hen Peter asked Johnny Chue'c how they had escaped. Johnny grinned grin-ned good-naturedly "We simply ran ! out the back door." said ho. "Back doar!" exclaimed Peter I "Back door! I didn't know you hadi a hack door to this house." J "Did you ever happen to think that there are a great many things you don t know. Peter"" asked Johnny John-ny rhurk mildly. ' Of course! Of course! I don t pn-i.-nd to know everything." retorted Peter. "Where Is that back door?'' "That's telling."' replied Johnnv Chui k in the most provoking manner man-ner "A'nd why shouldn't you tell?" replied re-plied Peter I don't know of any one who has a better right to know than I. for Jf you really have a back door it must be in my dear Old Brlai-patch Brlai-patch " j "It Isn't your dear Old Briar-patch" Briar-patch" retorted Johnny Chuck "Yo 1 know cry well it Isn t yours. Just because you have lived here so Ions you seem to think you own it. but' you don't." There, there, there," replied Fetor soothingly "We quarroled over that matter onco before and wo aren t going to quarrel again. Of course I don't own the Old Briar-patch, but I feel as If I did and that Is why I' always think of it In that way That baok door is In tho Old Briar-patch,! Isn't It Johnny Chuck'" Johnny rrlnned and finally admit- "Badi door:" exclaimed Peter, "Bark door! I didn't know you Itad a back drxr to this house " ted that the back door was In the) Old Briar-patch. "I supposed,' nai 1 he. "that you knew all about every-1 I thing In the Old Briar-patch I am ; I surprised. Peter, that you didn't find that back door long ago." "I'll show It to you." piped up a' little voice And before Johnnv Chuo could stop him one of the little Chucks had SCampSrSd behind a bramble bush. 'Here it Is," he 1 squeaked Peter chuckled and hopped over, where tho little ("buck had disappeared. disap-peared. Sure enough, nicely hidden! under a bramble bush past which Peter had hopped many tlmea. w as j a back door. It had been very' run 1 nlngly hidden and Peter hastened to tell Johnny how clever he thought him. Its a lucky thing you had that back door," said Peter. "Nobody knows that better than' I," replied Johnny Chuck. "But now what are you going to: do?' asked Peter. You won't dare' to live in that house now that Redly! Fox has dug it open." Johnny looked grave 'I don't, know what we are going to do," said he. (Copyright. 1922. by T. W. Burgess) The next story: "Peter Rabbit H. '.p- ' or the Chuck Fan |