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Show a. . SBB . FARMER BROWN'S BOY LOSES HIS TROUT By Thornton W. Burgee A thing is often hard to get; To get It may prove hardei yet Farmer BfOB s Hoy. Farmer Brown s Boy was happy. He is always happy when he Is fishing, even though he catcher no fish. But this morning he had caught a fish. He had caughl R fine, plump trout, and he hnd hung it on a tree, to get on his way koine after he was through fishing FJven if he got no more fish would not be disappointed And he didn't get any more fish Pool after pool hp visited all the wry down tho Laughing Brook, without success Tho trout wero not hungry that morning. Anyway, they would nt bite. When he reached the Smiling Pool In tho Orepn Meadows Farmer Brown s Boy deckled that it was too hot out on tho Green Meadows, and that he would fish back up the Laughing Brook So he did But he wa no mnrp successful suc-cessful going up than he had been going down "Never mind," said Farmer Brown's Boy. talking to himself, "I have one j trout, and II Is a good, plump fellow He will make me a good si'pp'-r tonight." to-night." At last he reached the place where ho had left the trout. Very carefully he fished the pool in which he had caught it. But not another trout would I rise. Then he put hie rod down and wont over to get the trout he had caught When he reached the tree on which he had hung it h gavp a little gasp of surprise Only the head of that trout was hanging there. Yes, sir, only the head of that trout 'was j hanging there. Farmer Brown s Boy I couldn't believe his own eves. Some one had taken that trout, all but the j head. Farmer Brown's Boy stood staring at that head wlrh such a surprised sur-prised look on his face that you would have laughed could you have 6een ! him j 'Now who could have done that"" exclaimed Farmer Brown's Boy, and I a flush of anger swept over his i i freckled face You 6ee, his first Ithotight was that some other fh.hpr man had been alonp: and had cut off IthaJ trout, leaving only the head as a mean kind of a Joke. You know there ' are people who are mean enough to j do just such things as that But v, hf-n hr- examined the head of that trout he knew that It hadn't been , cut off with a knife. Then he remembered re-membered something He remfmber-cd remfmber-cd a glimpse he had had early In the I morning at Billy Mink Ho rr mem-, mem-, bered that Billy Is very fond of fish I Ho also remembered that Billy is a Farmer Brown's Bey couldn't Believe his own eyes. very good climber, and that if would hSTe beeh no trouble at all for Billy to climb up to that trout "Billy Mink did that," exclaimed Farmers Brown's Boy. "I ought to 'have known better than to have Left that fish hanging thero when I knew 'that Billy Mink was about. That brown-coaled scamp has stolen my trout, and probably right now ho is j chuckling over it and thinking how smart he was. It is a joke on me. all right I won't dare tell at home about this, for I never would hear the end of it If serve me right I ought to have taken that trout along with me Well, all I can say is that I hope Billy has enjoyed that fat trout ao much ; as I had expected to. I can tell him one thing, and that is that he'll never get another chance to play such a trick on me " Then Farmer Brown's Boy began to look about the foot of thp tree In tho soft, damp earth for Billy Mink's tracks. And right away he discovered something that so astonished him that he actually didn't know what to think. (Copyright, 1922. by T W. Burgess,) The next story: "Tho Astonishing Story' Told by Tracks " |