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Show - - - . - - - . THORNTON B BURGESS7 BURGESS LESS ' BEDTIME BEDTIIMIE ; , , STOBY STORY STOEY 1 By TIIOttNTON THORNTON TT W BUBOES BURGESS BURGESSLITTLE * LITTLE JOE OTTER was lalrly fairly lalrlybursting fairlybursting ' bursting with excitement . . He Hecould Hecould Hecould could hardly contain himself He HefeIt Hefelt Hefelt feIt felt that he had the greatest news to toten totell totell ten tell since Peter Rabbit had ftrst first ftrstfound firstfound nr tfound found the tracks of Buster Bear inthe In Inthe inthe the Great Forest . . He couldn t keep keepit keepit keepit it to himself a minuta minute longer thanhe than thanhe thanhe he had to So he hurried to the theSmiling theSmiling theSmiling Smiling Pool where he was sur sure he be hewould bewould hewould would find ftnd Billy BIUy Mink and Jtrry Jerry JtrryMuskrat JerryMuskrat JerryMuskrat ! Muskrat and Grandfather Frog and andSpotty andSpotty andSpotty Spotty the Turtle TurUe , . and h he hoped that thatperhaps thatperhaps thatperhaps perhaps some of the Uttia little people peoplewho peoplewho peoplewho who live in the Green Forest might mightbe mightbe mightba be there , too Sure enough , , Peter PeterRabbit PeterRabbit PeterRabbit Rabbit waa was there on ona one sida side of ofthe ofthe oftha the Smiling SmlUng Pool making faces at atReddy atReddy atReddy Reddy Fox . , , who was on the other otherside otherside otherside side , . which wh1ch , , of course was not at atan atall atall an all nice of Peter Mr and Mra Mrs MraRedwing MrsRedwing MrsRedwing Redwing wera were there and Blacky the theCrow theCrow theCrow Crow was sitting In the Big HIckory HIckoryTree HickoryTree HickoryTree HickoryTreeLittle Tree TreeLittle Little Joe Otter swam straight to tothe tothe tothe the Big Rock and climbed up to lo the thevery thevery thevery very highest part . . He looked so soexcited soexcited soexcited excited and his ayes eyes sparkled so that thateveryone thateveryone thateveryone everyone knew rl right ht away that thatsomething thatsomething thatsomething something had happened The news newswas newswas newswas was not long In coming comingHi Hi ! ! cried Billy Mink Mmk look at atLittle atLittle atLittle Little Joe Otter I ! 1 It must be that thatfor thatfor thatfor for once he has been smarter than thanBuster thanBuster thanBuster Buster BearLittle BearLittle Bear BearLittle Little Joe made a good natured naturedface naturedface naturedface face at Billy Mink and shook his hishead hishead hishead head No Billy said he you youare youare youare are wrong altogether wrong I don t tbelieve tbelieve tbelieva believe anybody can ba be smarter smarterthan smarterthan smarterthan than Buster BearReddy Bear BearReddy Reddy Fox rolled his lips back backIn backin backin In an unpleasant grin Don t be betoo betoo betoo too sure of that ! ! ! h he ( ' snapped 1m 1mnot I m mnot mnot not through with him yetBoaster yet . . Boaster ! Boaster ! cried Peter PeterRabit PeterRabit PeterRabit PeterRabitReddy Rabit . RabitReddy Reddy Glared across acros ! the Smiling SmilingPool SmilingPool SmilingPool Pool at Pet-r Pet r Petor Peter - I m not through throughwith throughwith throughwith with you either Peter Rabitl Habit ! ! hesnarled he hesnarled hesnarled snarled You 11 nnd find it out one of ofthese ofthese these fine tine days I ! II IBut I But Peter answered answeredReddy answeredReddy answeredReddy Reddy Reddy smart and slyCouldn slyCouldn sly slyCouldn Couldn t catch a buzzing fly I ! ! Chugarum ! ! said Grandfather GrandfatherFrog GrandfatherFrog GrandfatherFrog Frog in his deepest gruffeit gruffest voiceWe voiceWe voice voiceWe We know all about that What we wewant wewant wewant want to know is 'what what "What " ' Little Joe Ot Otter Otter Otter ter has got on t > Us his ls mindIt mindIt mind mindIt It s news-great news great news - great news cried criedLittle criedLittle criedLittle Little JoeWe JoeWe Joe JoeWe We can tell better how great it itIs itis Itis Is wher whet ' we hear what it jt Is replied repliedGrandfather repliedGrandfather repliedGrandfather Grandfather Frog testily What Is IsIt isit Ilt7 Ilt7Little * It ? Little Joe Otter looked around at atall atall atall all tha the eager faces watching him himand himand himand and then In the slowest .lowest lowest . most pro pro- provoltlna provoking provoking - voking voltlna way be he drawled . ' ' Farmer FarmerBrown FarmerBrown FarmerBrown Brown s a boy I is . afraid of Busur Buster BusurBear BusterBear BusterBear Bear ' For a minute no one said a word wordThen wordThen wordThen Then Blacky the Crow leaned down downfrom downfrom downfrom from his bls perch In the Big Hickory Tree and looked vel very ' ) hard at LittleJoe Little LittleJoe Joe 81 as he saId saIdI I don t believe It it . . I don't dont ' be- be belIeve believe - - lIeve a word of it it . . Farmer Brown Brown's Browns Brown'sboy ' , boy isn iso t afraid of anyone who live lives livesu . u r 00 , l w wl .rte rte . ! e a , Blacky the Crow leaned down down.rom downerom .rom rom erom . his perch and looked very veryhard veryhard hard at Little Joe In tba the Green Forest or oa on the th * Green GreenMeadows GreenMeadows GreenMeadow Meadows * or ot in tha the Smiling Pool Pool . , and andyou andyou andyou you know It it . . Wa We are all aU afraid ot of othim ofhim fhim him " . Uttia Little Joe Jo * flared glared back at Blacky"I Blacky Blacky"I " "I I " 1 don't dont ' ' care car * whether you believe believeIt bcliavIt * It or not , . ' it'a ita it's its ' ' true . , , It " Itbe be b * retortedThen retortedThen retorted retortedThen Then he told how bow early enrly that very verymorning verymorning verymorning morning he be and Buster Bear had hadbeen hadbeen hadbeen been fishing together ! in n tba the Laulh Laugh LaulhIng Laughing Laughing Ing Brook and how Farmer Brown a . aboy boy had been fishing ftahlng gshing thera there , too , . and andhadn't andhadn't andhadn't andhadnt hadn't hadnt ' caught caugbt a singia single trout because becausethey becausethey bacausathey they had all aU been caught or fright fright- frightened frightened - . ened befor before * he got thera there Then be he betold hetold btold * told how Farmer Brown's Browns ' boy bad had badfound hadfound badfound found a footprint tootprlnt of Buster Baar Bear In InI inthe intha ' the soft mud . , . and bow how be b * hadstopped had hadtopped ad adstopped I topped stopped fishing ftshlng flshing right rlgbt away and start started started started ed for ( or home looking behind him with withfear withfear withtear fear in his eyes all the way'Now way : 'Now Now ' Now , , tell me that ha he Ifn Isn tsn t tafraid tatraldl ! afraldl afraid ! " concluded Littia Little Joe Jo * For Foronce Forone . once * ba he knows Just how we w * feel feelwhen feelwhen ( eelwhen when be he h * comes prowling prowUng around aroundwhere aroundwhere aroundwher where * we w * are Isn Iso Ion t that great greatnews greatnews greatnews news ? Now we U 11 get even with withhim withhim withhim him " 0 C p T W Burae BuraeWNU BurgesswNU Burgess urff . -WNU WNU - WNU acrvic Servlc * . |