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Show MANY VISITORS TO FARMER BROWN'S H EN YARD By Thornton W. BurneSo ' True friends will know when comes i a day I'Twere better they should keep away. Peter llabbit. Of course. Peter Rabbit had heard I Sammy .Tay screaming the news through lkp Old Orchard Ho knew I that soon everybody Jn the Green Forest, For-est, on th Green Meadows, at the Bmlll tj Pool 8 id In the 1 fid Pasture j would know that he was a prisoner. It hurt Peter's prld3. It hurt if dreadfully. dread-fully. He knew that If ever he should ' get free he ncvor would hear th end I of this. You know he had done his best to keep out ot eight. Ho had 1 come out of that box onl at nlghL Had not Sammy Jay been up extra earl that morning Peter would still have had his secret. "Oh dear," groaned Peter. "Now everybody will know what has hap pened to me, and never, never will I hear the end of it Sammy- Jay mlghl have kept it to himself Yes sir, Sammy Jay might have kept ft in himself I'll never forgive him Now everybody who can will come over here to make fun of me." In this Peter vrm wrong. Everybody Every-body who could did visit Farmer Brown's henyard Rut most of these visitors came to offer sympathy and "I see you moved from the dear Old Briar patch," said Reddy in the most provoking way. not to make fun of Peter They were sorry for him and they wanted him to know it. But Peter kept out. of sight in the little box Farmer Diown'i boy had provided for him. He didn't show so much aa a whisked outside His frlrnid of the Old Orchard called to him. but Peter didn't answer. Not until the Black Shadows had Ofept out from behind tho Purple Hills and all the little people of thoOld Orchard had gone to bed lor the night did Pe ter come out of bis box. But there wero visitors even then. Yes. indeed, there were visitors even -- : ! then. And these visitors wero not 1 the kindly oort who had tried so hard ! all day to see hlra. Reddy Fox was j the first. You know Reddy knew Juet how Peter had been caughl He sat ; down just outside the henyard and hrianed through te wires at Peter "I see you have moved from the dear Old Briar-patch." said Reddy In the most provoking way. "I can't say that I think much of the change myself, my-self, but there Is no accounting for ts.stes. Did you get tired of littlo Mrs Peter and the children? Peter turned his back to Reddy and pretended not to hear him Reddy kept right on saying all kinds of mean things, and making all manner of fun at Peter for gettig caught. Redely was enjoying making Peter uncomfortable. uncomfort-able. You know some people do enjoy en-joy making others uncomfortable. 1 Suddenly Reddy disappeared as silently si-lently as a shadow Almost at once his place wus taken by another. It was Old Man Coyote He also grinned through the wlros at Peter. But he didn't make fun of Peter. No, sir. Old Man Coyofo didn't make fun of Peter. He had once been a prisoner himself and he understood just how Peter felt. "Don't worry. Peter," said he. "I don't believe Farmer Brown's boy means you any harm. Just, keep your eyes open and sooner or later you will find a chance to get out." Old Man Coyote grinned again and then went on about his busTness He had not been gone long when Peter heard Just the faintest of sounds. He looked up to find Hooty tho Owl sitting on one of tho posts of the henyard and glaring down at him with such g ungry look that little shivrs ran all over Peter, although ho knew Hooty couldn't get him. Three times Hooty sailed over him so close that his bniBhed the wire top of the pen Then with a scream of disappointment he flew away. Somehow with Hooty about that pen hadn't seemed such a dreadful place (Copyright, 1922, by T W Burgess ) The next story: "Peter Shows Hi3 rommnnnip " |