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Show THi: GLADDEST OF GLAD SURPRISES. By Thornton W. Burgess When al! ends well we soon forget I The doubt and worries we have met. Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit was being carried in a basket be knew that that Journey never would enrl. Had he known Just where he ?as being taken It would not have been so long. But he elidnM knov , aiul he imagined all sorts of i hings. At last the basket was put down on the ground and Farmer J3rewn's Boy lifted the cover. At first Peter Just crouched He didn't dare look out. He was afraid of what lie might see. I He suspected that he would find hnn- jself in an entirely strange place, far j from the places he knew so well. So ho simply dreaded to look out, and ; for a few minutes didn't move. Then very slowly he lifted his head , to peck over the the edge of the bas- I ket. Peter blinked. He blinked and blinked, foe he couldn't believe what his eyes saw Right in front of him was a Briar-patch Yes, sir, right in j front of him was a Briar-natch. What is more, it looked very, very much like his own home, the dear Old Briar-patch. Do you wonder that later blinked? But all the blinking in the world ouldn't make that Briar-patch look I any different Peter straightened up and stared at it aa if he had never se, u it before Yes, It was the dear 'ild Briar-patch! There couldn't be I the least doubt about it. Farmer Brown's Hoy had brought him home. . With a bound Peter was out of that j basket. With' another bound he was at the entrance to one of his own : private llttlo paths For Just a second he stopped to glance back There stood Farmer Brown's Boy laughing Peter kicked up his heels and disappeared disap-peared inthe dear Old Briar-patch It was the gladdest surprise lie had ever known. . "Go It, you rascal'" cried Farnur Brown's Boy. "You are home now. and I hope you have learned a lesson; les-son; I hope you will stay here now " But Peter didn't hear what Farmer Brown's Boy jjaid. lie wouldn't have understood had he heard, but hewaa far too happy to hear "anything As fast as his legs could take him he Iscampered along his private little path;. He was looking for Mrs. ! Peter. Presently he founel her on the far side of theald Briar-patch. She heard him coming and turned In sudden sud-den fright to see who could be behind be-hind her. When she saw Peter she wasn't sure that it was he. You see he had been gone so leng that .she had made up her mind he was never coming back Of course, sho had known that he was a prisoner up In Farmer Brown's henyard. All the Yca, sir. right In front of him itls a Briar-patch. little people of the Green Forest and the Green Meadows had known It "Fuzzy, my dear, I've conic home!" cried Petor. Then little Mrs. Peter knew that there could be no doubt. It really was Peter, and her heart fairly leaped for Joy. She rushed to meet him.! and for a few minutes there was no happier spot In all the Groat World Not one word about hla carelessness did little Mrs. Peter say. Of course, sho knew that all this worry and trouble' had come from Peter's heed- j lessnees, and that no one was to blame but himself. But .she didn't even hint at It. When they i,ud I 111. I,, . nnseM t.) th 11 heu.i t-.' , out. Ill they sat down side by side and Peter ' ti.ld ber all about hlti adventures. "Never, never will I go near that garden again," declared l'eter. "And If you are really wise you will never, never again leave "the ! dear Old Briar-patch," whlspored little Mrs. Peter. "I gue-s you are right, my dear." replied Peter softly, but In his heart he knew that never In the world would he be contented to always stay in the dear Old Briar-patch. (Copyright, 1922, by T. W. Burgesa) The next story: "Farmer Brown's Boy Goes Finning." oo |