Show THE BEDTIME STORY by THORNTON W BURGESS THE QUACKS GROW UNEASY avery et RABBIT like the very hot weather of midsummer any more than you ou ora or I 1 do ile he cannot go to the seashore seashore or the mountains as we can and nd just think he has to wear a fur coat all the time of course in this respect peter Is not worse off titan than a lot or of his neighbors in fact none of them likes the very hot loather wo ather so with the coming of the first cool days in september new life seemed to fill peter lie he loves tho the fall next to the spring lie likes the fall best but for two things he thinks he might even like it the best of all the year those two things bilings are arc the parting with old friends who are leaving for the far away sunny southland or who are preparing to sleep AL what are you so glad about do de mandzij mr quack all al winter and the fact that the fall brings the dreadful hunting season when men with terrible guns delight in spreading terror and suffering over the green meadows through the he green forest along the laughing brook around the smiling pool up in the old pasture and even deep in the great woods the fall la Is a busy time for peter you tou see there ure are so many friends to say goodby good by bs to that he Is afraid that some will slip away before he sees them the first of the cool days had already come and peter knew by things he saw that it would not be long before many of his feathered friends started on their long journey everywhere he saw them in flocks now instead of in pairs as he saw them in the spring they were making up parties for the long journey for they prefer to travel in tills this way it Is quite luffe necessary because you know there are so many young birds for whom this will be the first time to make the long journey and they must be shown tile the way by the older birds then it always Is much pleasanter plea santer to travel with company A great party of blackbirds flying ever the old brier patch reminded peter that it was quite likely that certain other friends would soon so 0 n be starting among others the quack family who had spent this summer in the pond of paddy the beaver so tile the first chance he be got peter hurried over to paddys gaddys pond deep in the green forest he was half afraid that they might have hav left already and he half hoped that they might decide to stay all winter when tie he got there he found mr and mrs quack and the ten young quacks now as big as their father and mother still there oh im so glad P 1 cried peter what are you so glad about demanded mr quack swimming in close to where peter was sitting on the bank that you are still here replied peter 1 I was afraid you might have gone away are you going to take that terrible journey again this year mr quack replied mr quack what else can I 1 do why stay here all winter the same as I 1 do replied peter and what would we do when nil all the water has turned to lee ice stupid demanded mr quack peter looked foolish 1 I thought of that said he of course you have to go where the water freeze just the same I 1 think it Is dreadful that you have to take that terrible journey it be so bad if f it were not for the hunters with terrible guns re plied mr quack we dont mind the journey it Is the terrible guns have you seen any hunters near the old brier patch yet mr quack asked this anxiously no replied peter this cool weather Is sure to bring them out replied mr quack uneasily 1 I almost wish we had started earlier but we have been so happy here this summer that I 1 cannot bear to leave until we ve have to that mr quack started nervously and stretched clie his head up to listen all the other ducks did the same thing it was only the snapping of a twig under buster bears feet and in a moment lie he appeared at once the ducks dropped their heads and began swimming about again for they did not fear buster bear but it was very clear that they were uneasy very uneasy indeed especially ally mr and mrs quack the young quacks had had no experience with hunters but they were uneasy uneas 7 too the truth Is they were ans anxious lous to try their wings they were lookin looking g forward to that long tourney journey as something som e very wonderful they were anxious to be on their way something ng inside was urging them to start for their beautiful southland it Is often that way with the young they did not fear because they did not know Q 1332 1932 ayt by TW W 13 burgess service |