Show Burgess Stories I 1 THE TILE EMPTY E BRIAR PATCH I IDy By Dy Thornton W W. Burgess For emptiness none anywhere Can with an empty home compare Peter Peter Rabbit It t seemed to Peter Rabbit sitting g on the th edge J of 1 the eP Old d Pasture S that the t Black Shadows would never start to creep out from the Purple Hills mils That was because Peter was Impatient But at last jolly lolly round red Mr Sun slow slow- slowly slowly slowly ly sank to bed behind the Purple Hills and right away the Black Shad Shad- Shadows Shadows Shadows started out across the Old Pasture Pasture Pas Pas- Pasture ture and the Green Grean Mendo to the Green Forest The time had come when Peter might safely start across the Green Meadows to the Old Briar Briar- Patch He didn't waste any time Ume He simply made sure that the way was clear and then away he scampered He didn't go straight to the dear Old Briar He circled around so as to approach it from another direction You see he didn't want to take uke a chance that lit little lit lit- little tle tIe Mrs Peter might see him She knew that he had gone up to the Old Pasture P sture to live and It might be that she the would keep watch more or less in that direction to see that he didn't come back As he drew near the Old Briar- Briar Patch he was Vas very careful in his movements mo He stopped frequently to look and listen At last he reached the entrance to one of his private lit lit- little lit little tle tIe paths He hesitated before b fore enter- enter enterIng enterIng entering Ing it He looked and he listened and he used that wobbly little nose of his He was looking and listening and smelling for that handsome young rabbit he had heard about and he fairly shook with Jealous anger But Buthe Buthe Buthe he heard nothing and saw nothing to Indicate that a 8 strange rabbit had been there Then Peter slipped Into that private little path and slowly and carefully made his way farther into the dear Old Briar My M how good it seemed scented to be back there 1 I Until that moment Peter had never realized how fond he was of the dear dearOld dearOld dearOld Old Briar He just jutt longed torun to torun torun run about to every part as fast as his legs could take him But he was too wise to do that You see he didn't want his presence there to be known So he stole about as one who had no business there might have done Every step or two he stop stop- stopped stopped stopped ped to listen Constantly he used that wobbly little nose of his He found nothing to Indicate a stranger It must be thought Peter that he is over in fn that part of the dear dearOld dearOld dearOld Old Patch Briar-Patch where Mrs Peter likes to live most of the time and then he ground his teeth with jealous rage He had moved carefully before but it was nothing to the way vay he moved t I I 1 Il IlL Ld L oLd o So he stale st le about as one who nho had no business there might have done now He would take one step at a time and then stop and look listen and smell Gradually hs he h approached one favorite place of Mrs Airs Peters Peter's after af after af- af after ter another He didn't find Mrs Peter Neither did he find any signs of a strange rabbit Gradually it came over o Peter that there was a queer air of loneliness about the dear dearOld dearOld dearOld Old Briar Patch It was just as if tf the Old Patch Briar-Patch were But that couldn't be Never N ver had he known little Mrs Airs Peter to leave the dear Old Patch Briar-Patch alone It had ben been hard enough work to get her to It with him for a little ex ur- ur slon sion now and then Of course she Ehe might be out at a a. sweet clover patch patcha a little way from the edge ed e of the Old Briar Patch Peter decided that this must be the case Still all in all al there was something very strange He hadn't Intended to run the risk of meeting little Mrs Peter by visiting her favorite places but he did it He went through every little path In the theOld theOld theOld Old Patch Briar and there was no strange rabbit there Neither was little Mrs Peter there The dear Old Patch Briar-Patch was empty save sa for his own presence Copyright 1927 1917 T. T W. W Burgess The next t story tory Peter Jumps to Conclusions I |