Show I G I TH THE GIANT WHO WASN'T A GIANT By Thornton W Burgess Burgen Appearances Appearance so oft deceive Tie hard bard to know what to believe belleve Danny Danny Meadow Mouse When Peep the smallest of the Sandpipers together with hIs frIends and relatives flew Hew away from Crom the mud patch on the edge of oe which Danny Dinny Meadow Mouse was sitting Danny Danny Danny was as greatly disappointed He H missed the feathered folk of oe o the Green Meadow Mead Meadows ow Down here on the salt marsh near the seashore he be aw none of ot the th feathered leathered folk of ot his acquaintance So he wu was w s eager to make male new acquaintances Peep and his companions had bad appeared such sociable little folk as ai they ran n this way vay and that over over- the that Danny bad felt that they 1 would be b neIghbors worth while But away they had gone before he really had had hada hada a chance to make their acquaint acquaintance ance 1 I 1 wish I had somebody to talk to said ald Danny Theres There Theres a lot Jot JotI lotI lotI I want to know and however am amI amI amI I going coins to find out things It if I cant can't ask questions I shall come over oyer here every day and perhaps Q Quaker Oats stands by you through the morning IMI itabi It b Im Im Tattler the th Yellowlegs Yellow reo re plied d the stranger I may get really acquainted wIth Peep and his friends Now Iwonder Iwonder I wonder who that Is whistling It ItI I nt Farmer Fanner Brown Browns Boy BOT because Former Fonner Browns Brown's Brown Boy Isn't over here at the seashore It is just justas justas Justas as loud a whistle as Farmer Brown Boy Doy though I declare I believe It Is up up- up In the air Danny looked up Then Thea he squatted down so so- so that the tho grass would bide hide hIm A bird was com coming ing lug his way It was wall wa a a big bit bird At least It looked big to Danny and and Danny i Is always alway suspicious of big ble birds This ThIs one was whiz whis whistling There was no doubt about It that whistle was coming from this bird exclaimed Danny to himself It must be b a II Giant Sand Sandpiper piper Yes sir that fellow must be s Giant Sandpiper Anyway ho he looks a lot like liko Peep and Teeter the two Sandpipers I know only he Is ever eer so much bluer bigger bl ger hIs bill Is longer loner and his bis legs lee are longer and his neck is longer loncer J I wIsh he be would come down where I might have bare a good look at him It was asif as It the stranger stranger had ad heard swung above Danny hIs bis long lone legs stretched out behind and his long neck and long Jong bill stretched straight out In front As he h pass passed ed over Danny his bis pointed wIngs were set and he b sailed Then h he began to beat his wings wines again and presently once more mor he be b sailed Two or three times Umes be he cIrcled aro around nd that fore mak mak-Ine mak log Ing up his mind to come corn down Then with hIs bis wings wines set s t he b sail sailed ed down until he ho could drop hIs his long lone legs lees and touch the mud lie He ran nn a few steps then stopped stretched his wings wines straight up above his back and finally foldS fold fold Ine Ing them carefully For a mo mo ment mont he h stood there with head up looking and listenIng a picture of watchfulness Then satisfied that Hat there was no danger dancer ho he began becan to torun torun torun run about In the shallow water I in the th middle of that patch of mud Danny suspected that he was catching Uny tiny fish In there and this Is exactly what hat he b was doIng At last Jast the th stringer stranger conie come out of the water and began becan to pick pickup pickup pickup up thIns thing on on the th mud So at t last It happened happened that ho b was very dose close to Danny Ills His leg lets legs were yellow His neck and breast were white or grayish heavily spotted wIth white whit Ill His long lone bill WM was black As he stood In front of I Danny he b teetered on those long longlegs legs of o his hll somewhat after the manner nn r of Teeter and Spott Spotted d dI I SandpIper whom Danny had hadI known at the th Smiling Poo Pool I Danny moved ever eTer so 0 little UlUe In Instantly the th strangers stranger bright eye eyes yi were fixed on him and the justI strangers stranger's wings wInge s were lifted justa just I a little as If It for flight Dont ro go Danny Please Pleas dont don't goo eo go Who Vho are ar you ou 1 demanded d the tho stranger r Im Danny Dinny Meadow Mouse Moue If you please who are ar you 1 Im Im I'm Tattler the th Yellow legs Yellow replied the th stranger Copyright 1926 1925 by T W Bur Bur- Burress Bur l ress gess s The next nut ator story Tattler Is II True to Hl His ma Name |