Show thornton W bur cress OLD MAN COYOTE LOSES HIS APPETITE ARDLY was sammy jay out of H HARDLY sight flying toward the old orchard when old man coyote started for the green forest he is very sharp Is old man coyote so sharp that it is not very often that he is fooled it if sammy jay had bad gone to him and told him what a splendid chance he would have to catch peter rabbit if he hurried up to the green forest right away old man coyote would have suspected a trick of some kind sammy had been smart enough to know this so he had just mentioned in the most matter of fact way that he had seen peter over on prickly hill k ra 11 60 15 I 1 I 1 0 N J old man alan coyote took one good look hesitated looked again and then turned tail and started for the green Atea meadows dows and that peter appeared to have been in trouble so that he was too lame to go to his home in the dear old brier patch there even a hint that old man coyote should go over there this was what made him sure that the news about peter was probably true now as soon as sammy was sure that old man coyote see him he headed straight for the green forest and the hill where prickly porky jimmy skunk unc billy possum and peter and mrs peter rabbit were waiting As he flew he saw reddy fox and old granny fox stretched flat behind an old log some distance away but where they could see all that might happen when he reached the others he reported that he had delivered th the message to old man coyote and that thal he was very sure in fact he was positive that old man coyote was already on his way there in the hope that he would be able to catch peter rabbit it was decided that everybody but peter should get out ot of sight at once so unc billy possum climbed a tree jimmy skunk crawled into a hollow log sam sammy my jay hid in the thickest part of a hemlock tree prickly porky got behind a big stump right at the top of the hill bill and little mrs peter with her heart going pit a pat crept into the old house between the roots of this same old stump only peter was to be seen at man coyote came tiptoeing tip toeing along therol low at the foot of the hill as noiseless as a gray shadow he saw peter almost as soon as peter saw him and the instant he saw him he stopped as still as if he were made of stone peter took a couple of steps and it was very plain to see that he was lame just as sammy jay had said that good for nothing jay told the truth for once thought old man coyote with a hungry gleam in his eyes whenever old man coyote thought that peter was not looking his way he would crawl on his stomach from one tree to another always getting a little nearer to peter he would lie ile perfectly still whenever peter seemed to be looking toward him now of course peter knew just what was going on and he took the greatest care not to get more than a couple of c jumps away from the old under the big stump wt where mrs peter was hiding and wishing with all tier her might that she and peter were back in the dear old brier patch old man coyote had crept up the hill and peter was wondering how much nearer he could let him get with safety when a sudden grunting broke right out behind him peter knew what it meant and jumped to one side then down the hill rolling straight toward old man coyote started the strange headless tailless legless creature that had so frightened reddy and granny fox old man coyote took one good look hesitated looked again and then turned tall tail and started for the green meadows as fast as his big long legs would take him it was plain to see that he was afraid very much afraid quite suddenly he had lost his appetite T W durges burgess s service |