Evening Star Newspaper, January 29, 1929, Page 36

THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1929.° BEDTIME STORIES Spooky Becomes a Prisoner. Before you move be sure you know Just where you are about to go. jpooky the Screech Owl. Spooky llked Farmer Brown's barn. He liked living in there. For a while there was better hunting than there was outside. You see there were many mice and many rats in Farmer Brown's barn, and rats and mice arer the favor- ite food of the Owl family. So, take it all in all, Spooky was spending the most comfortable Winter that he could recall. Spooky hadn't lived in that barn a very great while before he knew all about it. He knew just where he was most likely to find a dinner when he was hungry. He knew that the grain bin ‘was a continual temptation to the rats and mice. The big rats he let alone, but the small and half-grown rats he ot ol LA K ((_ ¥ BY THIS TIME THERE WAS AN- ggm YOUNG RAT IN THE GRAIN caught whenever he could. Once in a while Farmer Brown or Farmer Brown's Boy would be careless and leave the lid of the grain bin up. If it ‘were left up any length of time at all, a mouse or a rat was pretty sure to get inside. Spooky had discovered this. So he used to perch up on a rafter in the roof from which he could look down into that grain bin. It happened one morning that Far- | . mer Brown's Boy was in a great hurry | when he fed the horses and the cows. He fully intended to close the lid of the grain bin, but he didn't do it. He for- t it. He went off and left it open. [t wasn't & great while before a ven- turesome young rat was inside that | and get out myself without a bit of BY w. THORNTON BURGESS grain bin. Spooky saw the young rat go in. Speoky shifted his position and leaned over, so that he could see bet- | ter. There was the young rat in a corner of the grain bin, stuffing himself. Spooky was tempted. Spooky was sore- ly tempted. “Ican drop right down in that place, pick up that young rat right out of it, trouble, I don't believe there is any danger there at all,” thought Spooky. Still he hesitated. You see, he was a little suspicious of that grain bin. He had seen rats and mice go in and out of it and nothing happened to them. But he had also seen it opened and closed by Farmer Brown and Farmer Brown's Boy. And anything that could be opened and closed must be regarded with suspicion. So now, two or three times Spooky leaned forward as if to fly down, and then drew back. He just didn’t quite dare to do it. By this time there was another young rat in the grain bin. Spooky could see the two rats stuffing themselves as only rats can. The sight was too much for him. It certainly couldn't be any more dangerous for him in that bin than for the two rats that were there. Down flew Spooky, as lightly as a feather. There was no sound. There was noth- ing to warn those rats. Down he dropped, straight into that grain bin, and had one of those rats before the latter knew what he was about. The second rat squealed with fright and scrambled up out of that grain bin. Now, it just happened that the lid of that bin was not thrown way back. In fact, it was almost balanced. A good puff of wind would have blown it over and closed it. The frightened young rat in scrambling out hit it, and down came the lid with a Bang. It scared Spooky almost out of his wits and at the same time made him a prisoner. It was dark, of course. Spooky didn't mind the darkness, but it did frighten him to be a prisoner. When he tried to fly up, all he could do was to bump against the lid of that grain bin. Spooky had been frightened more than once in his life, but never had he had quite such a fright as this. He was so frightened that he actually for- got the young rat he had caught. And when Spooky the Screech Owl has caught a rat or a mouse and forgets it, you may know that he is very much upset, indeed. He imagined all sorts of dreadful things. He wondered what Farmer Brown's Boy or Farmer Brown would do to him, for he knew that one of them would be sure to find him there. Altogether, it was a most for- lorn little Screech Owl that cowered down in a corner of the big grain bin. (Copsright. 1929.) B i e i e i The Neighbors o‘ ° My course is truly circumspect, I strive to make my curves correct, in all my work and play; if I'm inclined to actions raw, I ask myself, in startled awe, “What would the neighbors say?” I know there are courageous chaps who say they do not care three raps for what the neighbors think; so free and bold are they in mind, they greet the comments of their kind with scornful laugh and wink. But I possess a rab- bit's heart, and criticism makes me turns my blood to whey; be- fore I pull the simplest trick I wonder, with misgivings quick, what will the neighbors say? I drive my bus with ceaseless care, and seldom maim a cow or mare, although I'd like to speed; I'd like to step upon the gas and let the old car go and pass all other boats, indeed. But I suppress that craving dire to travel like & house afire, the speed laws T obey; I ask myself, while growing pale, it T were fined or sent to jail, what hbors say? Considering , what would the Robin- sons the Johnsons and the Burkes? Oh, what would be the Smiths’ harangue, if I were sentenced to gang that on the rockpile works? The tempter often comes llonx'n u::d mfi t.: me going wrong, my fee mnnny: and doubtless I would often fall, but that old question I recall—what ‘would the neighbors say? The neighbors ‘watch my every act, they're keeping tab on eyery fact that bears on my career. and 'so I walk the righteous road and like & martyr pack my load throughout the weary year. WALT MASON. (Copyright, 1929.) LITTLE BENNY with a live terkey? , and ma sed, Eat it of corse, I meen after its properly ded. Wat raffle ‘was that? she sed. I dont know, Im always taking a chance in some raffie or other, not that it gives me any plezzure, but somebdy is always asking m L e kepp on reed! or _other and get the fowl. ‘Why Willyum I think thats marvel- liss, ma sed. We'll have it for dinner tomorrow or the day after and Ill in- vite somebody that I owe an invita- tion to and kill 2 berds with one stone, O I made a joke Willyum, because a terkey is a bird, especially a live one. But that izzent saying Im going to make a joke of myself carrying a grown up terkey full "of life and spirrits through the populous streets of my ‘home city, pop sed. But Willyum do you realize the price of a terkey? ma sed, and pop sed, I realize the appearants of one, not to mention the size and actions, lets call up this place and see if theyll send it. Tl telefone rite away, ma sed. Wich b ‘\ i Yoo ARRIVED ToO Wr 11;“5':&'« A DIME BY SHOVELING “THE HALF MILE OF SIDEWALKS R NG THE VILLAGE BANKER'S HOME = piininnansm— SMOW OFF SURROUND! e L Abe Martin Says: Scientists are a little late promisin’ to make wood edible, fer I know folks right now that would eat a croquet ball if it had vinegar on it. (Copyright, 1829.) e Cut Glass Again in Favor. There is an immense boom in Eng- lish hand-cut glass now. There are literally thousands of collectors in Eng- land, while visitors from America and Australia, in particular, think nothing of taking back with them to their own country glassware to the limit of their ca;wcicy. n an elaborate piece—such as a big vase—the number of separate cuts may run into thousands. In one piece re- cently completed the enormous total of 47,000 separate cuts were made. An article entailing all these cuts is not necessarily the highest form of cutter's art, however. A plain piece in which the cuts may number only a few hundreds is a still {:eatfl' test. This is because the slightest slip, which might be covered up in a fanciful de- sign, would show in this case and spoil the piece. she did, and the man sed he couldent deliver that far, and he told pop and pop sed, Yee gods then Il haff to go and get it, have I lived all these years for the sole perpose of wawking home hand in _hand with a large unwilling terkey? I know, Ill get a taxi, yee gods this is awful, he sed. Now Willyum theres no use making a mole hill out of a mountain, ma sed. And she picked up the envelope and looked at it, saying, Why this izzent ad- dressed to you at all, Willyum, its for Mr. Jones, how provoking. How lovely, 3 cheers and a prayer of thanks, pop b And he left the letter on his way out and wawked down the street wisseling like somebody glad they-was wawking alone and not with a live terkey. T 3 ol t/ l /. THE CHEERFUL CHERUB By BuUD FISHER in Midair. Yy WELLINGTON Just asa KENKLING Roughhouse Had a Different Kind on His' Mind. FREEMAN Entirely Too Much. Bv GENE BYRNES The Information Kid. That, Settles That. GENTS, T'M 60ING VP TO REFULL JEFF'S PLANE, THE “EXCLAMATION MARK e WITH MY ASSISTANCE THE LITTLE PILOT EXPECTS TO STAY ALOFT UNTIL THIS ROAD WORK 1S GETTIN' MY GOAT — You'd THINK T WUZ TRAININ' FER A MARRATHON INSTERD OF A FIGHT! AH-- THERE'S THE LITTLE 6IRL 1 PASSED YESTERDAY YES, MRS. JENKINS, T'LL BE RIGAT QVER MY SISTER HE.HEGAS, IS T TRUE THAT YOU HAVE A Pepsew RDING AT You GoT VACCINATED 12 —1T'S So ity orNou To STy HERE AND RISK A RELAPSE — \WE 0UGHT To 6o SouTH ! TLL NEVER FORGIVE HIM MR MSGNS - T JUST HATE Hit - Beugve M6, THE OLD TANK NEEDED A STIFF DRINK YES,YES, T KNOWOLD YOR BUT MR, PLMP.GUN PETE PROMISES THAT - THING WILL BE ALL RIGRT IE YOULL JUST WALK PAWST ‘THE HE CAME HOME | FROM THE GOLF CLUB; WALKED INTO THE ROUSE, AND COLLAPSED wHERe T VACCINATED! — | SPosE IT WouLD BREAKYoUR HEART IF Nov GULDK'T STAY HERE To THRow SHow BALLS HUK? D' YA YHINK T'M CRAZY?F I WALK MUt SAY! \T TOOK You TWICE AS LONG To RUN THosE THREE MILES AS IT EVER 7 V'LOOK LIKE THERE'S ’ SOMETHING ON YOUR MIND ¢ DID BEFORE ! 2] DONT TeLL ME YOU'RE [ Bsunhpar- e YUt GINING _UP THE IDEA A OF THe RINC Too Much GoLF 1S RIGRT. HE'S -TeEN OVER PAR. 1 THINIKC IT'S DUE To - Too ‘MUCR GOLF OPEN Your MOUTH, T'LL TAKE . YourR TEMPERATURE l‘ | 1 W O Mecrule HEwsMPER Sypreate —Nov Kiow THE DocTor SAIDNow 0LGHT To 60 To A MILDER CUMATE To REQVPERATE UNCLE PETEY ~OH, ATRIGHT- AWRIGHT! V'LL G0 - BUT- REMEMBER- THIS— IF | GET ALL SUN- BURNT Alp BLISTERED — T 1L BENou,