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Show BEDTIME STORY FOR THE YOUNGSTERS By THORNTON" V. BURGESS 'T-.'. 35 just a siidden ort surprise Made Farmer Bro-.sn's boy s hair to rise. ' I 'HAT'S a funny thing for hair to do rise up all of a sudden isn't it? But that is just what the hair on Farmer Brown's Boy's head did the day he went fishing in the Laughing Brock and had no luck at all There are just two things that make hair rise anger and fear. Anger sometimes makes the hair on the back and neck of Bowser the Hound and cf some other little people bristle and stand up. and you know the hair on the tail of Black Pussy stands on end until her tail looks twice as big as it really is Both anger and fear make it do that. But there is only one thing that can make the hair on the head of Farmer Brown's Boy rise, and as it isn't anger, of course it must be the other thing, ear. It never happened before. You see, there isn't much ot anything that Farmer Brown's Boy is really afraid of. Perhaps it wouldn't have happened this time if it hadn't been for the surprise ot what he found. You see. he had patiently fished down the Lauuhing Brook through the Green Forest without getting so much as a nibble, and this seemed very, very queer to him, for it had never happened before. Then he had found the heads of some trout on the bank, and this had seemed very queer, too. because be-cause they had been bitten off and not cut off with a knife. He knew right away that some one else had been fishing and that was why he couldn't catch any. but the only fisherman fish-erman he could think of who might bite off the heads of the trout was Billy Mink, and he had never known Billy to do it before and leave them lying around that way. Besides, Be-sides, it didn't seem possible that little Billy Mink could have eaten all those trout. He didn't once think of Little Joe Otter, and so he was very, very much puzzled. He was turning it nil over in his mind and studying what it could mean, when he came to a little muddy place on the bank of the Laughing Brook, and there he saw something that made his eyes look as if they'd pop right out of his head. It was right then that he felt his hair rise. Anyway, that is what he said when he told about it afterward. after-ward. What was it he saw? What do you think? Why. It was a footprint foot-print in the soft mud. Yes. sir. that's what it was and all it was. But it was the biggest footprint i-'armcr Brown's Boy ever had seen, and it looked as if it had been made only a few minutes before. It was the footprint of Busier Bear. Now, Farmer Brown's Boy didn't know that Blister Bear had come down to the Green Forest to live, lie never had heard of n bear being be-ing in the Green Forest. And he was so surprised that lie had hard work to believe his own eyes, and he had a queer feelini: all over, n little chilly feeling, allliough it was a warm day. Somehow he didn't feel like meet- ! ing Buster Bear. The very though! made his hair rise. If he had had his terrible gun with him it miht have been different. But he didn't. : and so he suddenly made up his mind that he didn't want to fish anymore any-more that day. He had a funny ', feeling that he was being watched, i although he couldn't see any os.e i He was being watched. Little Joe i Otter and Buster Bear were watrh iff lis fa. It was right then that he felt hl9 hair rise. ing him and taking the greatest care to keep out of his sight. All the way home through the Green Forest Farmer Brown's Boy kept looking behind him, and he didn't draw n long breath until he ' reached the edge of the Green Kor-est. Kor-est. He hadn't run, but he had wanted to. 'Huh!" said Buster Bear to Little Joe Otter, "I believe he was afraid!" And Buster Bear was Just exactly right. (T, W. ntirEr.ni. WNU Service |