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Show I I I FARMER BROWN S BOY LETS HIS EDSNS OUT-By OUT-By Thornton "W. Burgess. This truth experience will teach Want not the thing beyond your reach. Old Mother Nature. Farmer Brown's Boy was in the habit of once In a while opening tho henyard gate and letting his hene out to run about tho barnyard It gavr them exercise which they needed. He did this one morning shortly after he and the young Fox had become friends It was the first time the '. ling Fox hud seen those- hens since he hnd been a prisoner Y know, it was those very hens who had caused him all the trouble he had been In. Had It not been for them he would not now be a prisoner. He knew now what a hen tasted like, for you remember that Mother p.OX had brought him one In the nik'ht I shortly after ho was made a prlsom.-r. So now he was even more Interest. d In those big birds than ho had been 'when he first saw them. Farmer 1 BroWITS Hoy had brought him many dainties to eat, but a freshly killed ; hen had not been among them Bo its l he watched those hens running about ; the barnyard there was the same I eagerness in his eyes that there use 1 to be when he was hunting for his ! own food. I'oi the time being he for.got that he was a prisoner. Crouching close to the ground he slowly crept toward the nearest hen Very, very carefully he moved If the hen looked up lv r mained motionless. His eyes burneJ with eagerness Little thrills of excitement ex-citement ran all over him. His mouth watered. Then he felt a gentle tug at bis neck as he reached the end of the chain nnl remembered. So. h a bitter. bitter 'disappointment: 'disappoint-ment: Me e;t t his feet and with head and tall hanging low. trotted back to his little house and disappeared disap-peared Inside lb- was ashamed Yes), sir, he was ashamed, and he looked it. He w.isn t ashamed of having tried to catch one of those hens. Oh. 'my. no! He was ashamed of being a prisoner He couldn't bear to hnee those hena see him a prisoner. So he crept inside his house. where he ...uliin't be seen, and tried to forget those liens I But ( .rgettlng wasp I easy, in iuu. , it wvs impossible. You see. he could i hear them clin king and scratching land so long as he heard them he slm-fply slm-fply couldn't forget them. After a while be changed his position so that he could look out of his doorway 1 without himself being seen There for a long time be lay with his chin I on his little black paws, watching "Such stupid reatures," said the young Fox to himself. those hens as they walked or ran about, looking for worms and any scraps of food they might find. "Such stupid creatures!'' said tho young Fox to himself "They haven't any sense at nil. it would bo no trouble at all to catch one of them if only I were free. There's that youn, rooster whose voice led mo Into all my trouble What a vain, boastful fellow he Is Yet he hasn't any moro sense than those stupid In ns My how I would like ono of them for dinner!" din-ner!" It was then that he noticed that pome of those hens were coming nearer, near-er, und a sUdden thought popped Into In-to his head. Perhaps If he kept out of I sight ono of them might como near enough so that he could spring out and catch her. Onco more eagerness took possession of him. and he made ready to spring out should there uo t In least chance. Bui the hens didn't come near; enough. They came almost within reach, but not quite, and the you lg VOX was wise enough not to take the chance of frightening them He remained motionless, but never for an Instant did he take his eyes from those big. stupld-looklng birds Watching Watch-ing them so closely, he soon discovered discov-ered that they were looking for food. He saw Mrs. Brown'come out and put a panfull of scraps on the ground. I He saw those hens rush to meet her J mil thru creedllv crowd around that pan. He looked over at his own empty plate and an Idea came to him. Perhaps If there wo food In that : plate thoso hens would come to get It (Copyright. 1922. by T. W Burgess.) j The next story : "The Young Fox j Catches a Dinner. " |