Show a BURGESS 4 BEDTIME STORIES WIlY WHY THE TIIE CHORUS STOPPED i Bj fir Thornton W. W 11 Mayhap this thought will give ghe you OU J. J pause puse Whatever cr happens has a cause Old Old Mother other Nature I I L When Peter Rabbit reached the tho ther r bank of oi the tho Smiling Pool the chorus of 0 the thc Hylas was ns in full fu swing All around the tho edge ell go of the Smiling Pool and even en out In the tho t 1 middle those voices sound sound- sounded ed ed but but look lo l as ns he would would Peter Pet r couldn't cOl see see seea a a. single gins singer lInger But Dut lio be knew w of old how difficult it is isto isto Isto to see seo these sweet singers of the thearl early arly arl spring so ho didn't even eyen try tn Ho was sure that sooner or later If he didn't look too hard and ho ho didn't nt move about too t o much lie would quite by accident see one I of them j s It It- It was afternoon after on and the sun lay lilY warm along one ono bank the where Peter sat It seemed good lood after the cold winds Below him Just at the tho edge of the Smil- Smil Smiling Ing leg Pool where the Laughing Brook came in In Peter eler could see a alot a alot lot of of little red and green hoods and he knew that if he should look inside one of those hoods ho 10 would find the first flowers of the year the tiny Skunk or Swamp Cabbage blossoms Well protected J were they front from tho the cold cola winds Peters Peter's thoughts thoughts- were of these And how long it had llad taken tak n r r IC now How low do O you volt hero h Is 1 Jan dare Janger ger inquired Peter him him to find out that there thero were r i flowers in each of those little little- 1 hoods Then suddenly he lie realized etl that the chorus had hall stopped slopped Only one of the sweet singers was to tobe tobe tobe be heard and that voice oice was on the far side of ot the tho Smiling Pool Pooh That stopped How Howery very cry very ery still sUll It was as Peter realized then how very loud that chorus had been Tho The stillness was so mark mark- marked ed that it t could 1 almost he be felt fell funny runny thought Peter Why did dl 1 all those singers stop singing There Isn't even en a cloud cloudin in the sky to scare them so win why should the they stop slop singing Danger DanKer said a voice olce close to him There is danger and that thatIs Is hy the th singers sI ers ll c stopped ll t f singing Peter P ter looked down at his side There Thera was wM Old Mr Ir Toad quite out of breath How Hour do y you ou know there thera Is danger danSer inquired Peter You have llave Just arrived d I while I have been 1 een hero a long time and d I haven't seen any danger dan r Yet you rou were wondering wilY why wf y the chorus stopped said Old 01 1 Mr Ir I Toad Peter agreed that this was as true I Old Mr Ir Toad load grinned There was wasa wasa a a. signal sinal said The he There was wasa a danger signal I wish I knew exactly where that danger dancer dan er signal came fro frol i. i I should feel Ml easier casler in my own O mind Peter shook his head obstinate obstinate- obstinately ly Ir Youre wrong Mr Ir Toad TOld said sah he Ive been be n sitting here listening and an 1 there wasn wasn't t any an signal given They The just stopped singing that was nil I One singer stopped singling singing be before be- be before before fore all the rest r st said Old Mr Ir Toad rend demanded Well whit what of QC it It Peter That was the signal said Old Ola Mr Toad One Ono of or those singers discovered Cred danger and the instant ho discovered it he stopped slopped sing sing- singing ing Ills 1113 nearest neighbors missed his voice oice and they Ule knew that he h wouldn't have stopped singing un un- unless un- un unless less 1155 there thero was danger lla l er So they stopped Then their neighbors nei stopped singing and so in no notime notime notime time at all all tho thu singers Ingers had hall stopped singing There was a n. funny look 1001 on Peters Peter's face fact Usually said ho hoa a danger signal is given bv by b some kind of a n noise I never heard of a signal by b stop stop- stopping stopping stopping ping pinga a noise That's a new ne way of signalling No replied Old Mr Ir Toad it it isn't new ne neIt It has been used use 1 by byth byth th the singers of the he Smiling Pool pooi since the days Jars when the world was young And J nd its it's a n. nery very ery good signal if you rOil ask me If one of ot those singers Ingers should try tn to give ch e a a. signal by means of oC a noise how under the sun would any one one hear him hint with all that chorus chorus' But tho the minute some one stops slops sto s sing sing- singIng sing singing Ing every everyone one around knows something is wrong So the reason that chorus f stopped topped was because there was a a. signal to stop Copyright 1927 1921 by T T. W W. Bur Dur- Burgess gess The next story The Cause of the Sudden |