Show beata bedtime nie story for children by THORNTON W BURGESS JUMPER THE HARE CANNOT FIND THE TRACKS THE HARE had meant J to go to the place deep in the green forest where peter rabbit had seen those strange great big tracks and see them for himself lf the very night after peter had told him about them but there was no moon that night and you know it is very very dark deep in the green forest when there is no moon of course it would be hard work very hard work indeed to find those tracks in the dark so jumper wisely de it so off he started for the deepest part of the green forest aided not to go until the next night but the next day and the next night it rained and it is very uncomfortable going about in the we wet t unless you have a waterproof coat like jerry muskrat or bully mink or little joe otter so jumper the hare made himself as comfortable as he could under a thick hem hemlock ock tree and watched the rain fall and the snow melt and tried to be as patient as he could when it stopped raining there was very little snow left its of no use to go now thought jumper because the snow has melted and of course the tracks melted too I 1 guess I 1 will have to wait for some more snow so he waited and waited but you see it was almost spring time every day peter rabbit came up to find out if jumper had been to look for the tracks and every day he was disappointed of course he ought not to have been for he knew very well that it would have been a waste of time for jumper to go way off 0 there to the deepest part of the green forest to look for tracks when there was no snow but peter thought that there might be a little patch left with a track in it there just m might be you know and every day peter teased jumper to tell him who he thought might have made those tracks but jumper no sir he he would just shake his head and say when I 1 see those tracks myself and know for sure then I 1 will tell you and not before cousin peter and peter had to be content with this then one day it snowed a lovely light fluffy snow a beautiful snow in in which to make tracks jumper decided to go that very night for the snow might melt the next day he invited peter to go along but peter e er shook hook his head no said he no I 1 wont go this time its too far and besides cousin jumper your legs are so much longer than mine that I 1 never never could keep up with you ive seen those great strange tracks once and I 1 guess that will do all right replied jumper and hid a smile you see he knew that tha t wl while dle it was true that peter keep up with him if he r ran an fast that the real reason he knew perfectly well that peter was afraid but he was too polite to say so to peter so off he started for the deepest part of the green forest the part which peter had found so still and lonesome but jumper mind this as peter had you see he was used to it in the great woods where he had been born and had lived before coming down to the green forest in fact he rather liked it it made him think of his old home you know very few of us are afraid of the things we are used to it is strange things that frighten us and that is just the way it was with peter rabbit all that night jumper the hare hopped this way and hopped that way through the deepest part of the green forest but not once did he find one of the strange tracks that peter rabbit had told about abou t he must have seen them thought jumper because he told about them just as I 1 remember scein seeing 9 them in the great woods he ce certainly r must have seen them at last he gave it up and started back for the place where he had left peter rabbit peter was waiting for him did you find them cried peter as soon as he sa saw W jumper no said jumper 1 I find them tell me about them again peter and peter did 0 T W burgess service |