Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 2, Number 28, DeMotte, Jasper County, 2 February 1933 — CHILDREN’S BEDTIME STORY [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CHILDREN’S BEDTIME STORY

MERRY LITTLE BREEZES LEARN THE JOY OF WORK There's nothing like some honest work To make the minutes swiftly fly; To fill the day with golden joy And set the hours skipping by. ALL summer long the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind had played on the Green Meadows and in the Green Forest. To dance and play was what they were made for. At least that is what they seemed to think. Why anyone should work was something they couldn’t understand in spite of the fact that Old Mother West Wind herself worked every day. When early in the morning she would turn them out of the big bag to play they would watch her go away to turn the windmills that pumped the water for the cows, to blow white-sailed ships across the distant ocean, to sweep away the smoke from great cities, and they would won-

der why she did these things when it was so much easier just to do nothing at all or to romp and play. But even playing becomes tiresome, especially when nobody will play with you. And now that the busy autumn had come there was no one to play with. Everybody was too busy to play. So it came about that the Merry Little Breezes because they could think of nothing else to do, offered to help Striped Chipmunk, of whom they were very fond. They offered to shake down nuts from the trees that he might more easily fill his secret storehouse. You know Striped Chipmunk is not much of a climber. He can climb if he has to, but he never feels at home in the trees and never likes to get far above the ground. So for his winter stores he depends on what he can find on the ground, and let me tell you there are no brighter eyes than those of Striped Chipmunk when it comes to finding nuts and seeds hidden under brown leaves. But there are others quite as eager as Striped Chipmunk to find nuts for secret storehouses, especially his cousins, Happy Jack Squirrel and Chatterer the Red Squirrel, and because they are bigger and stronger and very, very selfish, they often chase Striped Chipmunk away. So is it any wonder that when the Merry Little Breezes offered to shake down the brown nuts for him, Striped Chipmunk chased his tail for pure happiness? Happy Jack and Chatterer were still quarreling and their voices sounded harsh and angry as the Merry Little Breezes danced along ahead of Striped Chipmunk to a tree some distance from where Happy Jack and Chatterer were calling each other names and worse than wasting the golden minutes of that beautiful day. Striped Chipmunk looked up and his eyes sparkled. The night before Jack Frost had opened the prickly burrs and Striped Chipmunk could see the brown nuts ready to drop. The Merry Little Breezes shook a branch and down rattled the brown nuts. Striped Chipmunk squealed with joy and stuffed the pockets of his cheeks until the Merry Little Breezes shouted with laughter because he looked so funny. Then he scampered away to his secret storehouse. Back he came and did it all over again. As soon as he had picked up the last nut the Merry Little Breezes shook another branch and down showered more brown nuts, rolling under the brown leaves on the ground. It was great fun. It seemed

By THORNTON W. BURGESS

as if those bright eyes of Striped Chipmunk saw where every nut rolled to. Of course they didn’t, but those they didn’t see his keen little nose found, so it amounted to the same thing. Never had the Merry Little Breezes had such a good time. Some times they would tease Striped Chipmunk by shaking down only a few at a time. Then they would shake a branch so hard that the brown nuts would fly in all directions. But Striped Chipmunk didn’t mind. All he wanted was to have the nuts on the ground where he could get them. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth he scampered between his secret storehouse and the place where the brown nuts were being shaken down and in his heart was a song of joy. And there was a like joy in the hearts of the Merry Little Breezes, for they had discovered the joy of something to do, of work. Never had a day passed so quickly. They had helped another and in so doing had won for themselves a great happiness. “We’ll come again, tomorrow!" they cried, as they saw Old Mother West Wind coming across the Green Mead ows with her big bag in which to take them to their home behind the Purple Hills. “Thank you!” cried Striped Chipmunk, as he sat down to rest his weary legs. ©, 1933, by T. W. Burgess.--WNU Service.

Happy Jack and Chatterer Were Still Quarreling.