Show I i c I C GRATEFUL AND UNGRATEFUL By r Thornton W Hur That for which Im I'm grateful may Make you feel the r way Mrs MIs Sirs Grouse Farmer Browns Brown's rown's Boy continued to stand motionless and silent among the young hemlock trees watching the Bob Cat had noticed th sudden way In which Reddy Vox had de- de departed departed de departed parted and it was plain to eec Beo that Yo wier was suspicious Ills stub of o a tall tail twitched and twitched as glared all about He Ho looked straight at Farmer Browns Brown's Boy without see see- seeIng seeIng see seeing ing him That Is 18 If It he toe saw him he didn't know that he did Had Hod Farmer armer Browns Brown's Boy Doy oy moved even the tiniest bit would have seen him at once Once more crouched and resumed his watch of that place on the snow where he ho had been scratch scratch- scratchIng scratching ing Then another Merry LIttle Breeze happened alon along alone and car car- carried car carried ried the scent of ot Farmer Drowns Browns Boy straight to Reddy Fox had vanished awl sud- suddenly sud suddenly denly but It was nothing to the way In which vanished ic He was as there and then he wasn't there Farmer Browns Brown's Boy chuckled It Is of no use to stay here any longer said he That tailed tailed bob scamp knows I am here now and I wont won't have a chance to see him again today Well ell Ill I'll have a I look at that place where he ho was scratching I 1 would like to know what It was all ail about He lie walked over toward the place where hid had scratched the crust and as he drew near ho he heard a a faint tap tap tap from underneath Ha Hal he heas heas heas as he listened Unless I am mis mis- mistaken mistaken taken I know now why ehy hy was so interested In that spot He knew there was a good dinner down under there It If only he could get set it Well We'll s see e Yes sir air sirwell well we'll see He Me noted just juat where herll had been ben scratching There was now no sound of that tapping Then at a little distance Farmer Browns Brown's rown's Boy began jumping up and down don That crust was strong enough to hold him when he was walking but It U wasn't strong enough to keep from breakIng when he lie lC jumped that way All the time he took care not to get too close to that spot Ho He wanted to be sure not to break through and crush whoever might be be- be beneath beneath be beneath neath Great Grat cracks ran this way and that way along the crust as In ina ina Farmer Browns Brown's Boy jumped a circle around that spot slot Fl- Fl Fi Finally nally he stopped and began lift lift- lifting lift lifting ing off ott pieces of ot crust and throw throw- throwing throwing ing them aside aside- Suddenly a ClOUd of at snow was thrown In his face and with swiftly beating wings Ings Mrs Grouse burst out from Coom almost under his nose noso as he bent tent over overto overto overto Al- Al Although Although Al Although to pick up a piece of ot crust though he was expecting some some- something thing Bome-thing thing of ot the kind ho lie Wile wao so startled by tho the suddenness of It that he ho lost his balance and sat down so 80 hard that he went through the crust Irto Irlo the tho soft snow beneath lie was all l smiles Al as t Jb he jr got Hn to his feet Ceet the Bob Cob Cat did you OU a good turn that time Mrs Grouse when all the time time ho he was vas thinking to do himself a good turn said raid he aloud It If It hadn't been for I would not hav found you ou No sir I wouldn't have have- found you There Thero wouldn't have been a 0 chance So you ou have havo to thank that you are no longer a prisoner un- un under un under dt der r the crust likely to starve st to death Yes Yea sir you have to thank Now I can go BO home borne In pence peace I certainly should have havo I worried If It I hadn't found you I Mrs Mr Grouse Grome I I So Farmer Browns Brown's Boy turn turn- turned I eu ed ell homeward home and for a Q long long- longtime time p- p pHe W He lie sins so startled by the Mid ull ud lennes of t it that lie he lost hL balance Mrs Grouse rouse could hear his merry whistle Very grateful was she very grateful Indeed na n It she filled her empty stomach with willi buds that being all there thero was for tor her 1 just then But ut some one else listening to that merry whistle wasn't grate grate- grateful grateful grateful ful It was waa the Bob Cat CatHe He snarled to himself as he ha lis- lis listened lis us listened and he 10 felt that he ho hated Farmer Browns Brown's boy although ho he knew well enough that even had Farmer Browns Brown's boy not ot happened along he wouldn't have had Mrs Grouse for his dinner for h ha he couldn't have got at her herBut But ut Instead of being that Farmer armer Browns Brown's bO boy had hap hap- happened hap happened period along to set Mrs Grouse free with Ith the chance that some some- sometime sometime time he might catch her in a fair hunt some day was un- un ungrateful ungrateful un ungrateful grateful People are aru that way sometimes Copyright 1926 by 1 T 1 W Vt Burgess I |