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Show Children's Bedtime Story By THORNTON W. BURGESS WHAT WAS FARMER BROWN'S BOY DOING? PARMER BROWN'S BOY trudged along toward the Green Forest and he whistled as he tramped. That whistle was good to hear. Tommy Tit the Chickadee thought so. and he stopped hunting grubs and eggs and insects in the Old Orchard long enough to listen. Chatterer the Red Squirrel thought so, and he stopped his mad scamper along the old stone wall that he might hear better. But Sammy Jay didn't think so. Sammy seems to delight in thinking just the opposite to what other people think. Besides, he had fully made up his mind that Farmer Brown's Boy had been making traps, and now he was sure of it, for under one arm he was carrying some boards and in one hand was a hammer. So Sammy followed Farmer Brown's Boy and screamed at the top of his lungs. But Farmer Brown's Boy took no notice of him. He went whistling on his way until he reached the Green Forest. Where the Lone Little Path goes down the hill he stopped beside be-side a big chestnut tree. He put down the things that he was carrying. carry-ing. Then he fished some nails from a pocket, and picking up a board, he nailed it to the big chestnut tree M..anark1 J Not one of them knew what to think. as high up as he could reach. When he had driven the last nail he backed off and looked at the board. "I guess that will do the business," said he, and picking up the other boards he started on down the Lone Little Path toward the Green Meadows, Mead-ows, once more whistling. Sammy Jay stopped to look at the board nailed to the big chestnut tree. He cocked his head first to one side and then to the other side, and tried to look very wise, but he wasn't wise at all. If that was a trap it was the queerest looking trap that ever he had seen. All he could make of it was just a board with a lot of queer black marks on it. It looked perfectly harmless. But Sammy Sam-my had told everybody that Farmer Farm-er Brown's Boy was making a trap, and now he wouldn't own up even to himself that he was wrong. He found Farmer Brown's Boy nailing another board, just like the first one, to the big hickory tree over by the Smiling Pool. From there he went straight over to the dear Old Brier Patch and nailed one to an old fence post Then, still whistling as if he were very happy, he started for home. Now, no sooner was he out of sight than all the little people hurried hur-ried to see what he had been doing. do-ing. Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel, Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Bobby Coon, Unc' Billy Possum and Jumper Jump-er the Hare gathered in front of the big chestnut tree in the Green Forest For-est and stared and stared at the board with the queer black marks. Over at the Smiling Pool Billy Mink. Jerry Muskrat, and Little Joe Otter Ot-ter stared and stared at the board on the big hickory tree. Peter Rabbit, Rab-bit, little Mrs. Peter, and Jimmy Skunk, who happened along, stared and stared at the board on the old fence post. No one of them knew what to think. Finally they gave it up and went about their business. Only Sammy Jay hung around, and so it happens that he was the only one who saw a hunter with a terrible terri-ble gun come down the Lone Little Path and stop in front of the big chestnut tree. He scowled at the board. Then muttering angrily he turned and left the Green Forest. This is what he had read on that board: NOTICE All hunting and trapping on this property is forbidden. FARMER BROWN. Farmer Brown's Boy had been proving himself the best friend the little people of the Green Forest, the Smiling Pool, and the Green Meadows have. (Associated Newspapers WNU Service.) |