Part 3 (1/2)
Little Joe Otter looked around at all the eager faces watching hi way, he drawled: ”Farmer Brown's boy is afraid of Buster Bear”
For a minute no one said a word Then Blacky the Crow leaned down fro Hickory-tree and looked very hard at Little Joe as he said:
”I don't believe it I don't believe a word of it Farmer Brown's boy isn't afraid of any one who lives in the Green Forest or on the Green Meadows or in the S Pool, and you know it We are all afraid of hilared back at Blacky ”I don't care whether you believe it or not; it's true,” he retorted Then he told how early that very ether in the Laughing Brook, and how Far there too, and hadn't caught a single trout because they had all been caught or frightened before he got there Then he told how Farmer Brown's boy had found a footprint of Buster Bear in the soft ht away and started for ho behind him with fear in his eyes all the way
”Now tell me that he isn't afraid!” concluded Little Joe ”For once he knows just hoe feel when he coreat news? Noe'll get even with _him_!”
”I'll believe it when I see it for myself!” snapped Blacky the Crow
X
BUSTER BEAR BECOMES A HERO
The news that Little Joe Otter told at the S Pool,--how Farmer Brown's boy had run away fro hih the Green Forest, until every one who lives there knew about it Of course, Peter Rabbit helped spread it Trust Peter for that! But everybody else helped too You see, they had all been afraid of Far that they were tickled al some one in the Green Forest who could make Farmer Brown's boy feel fear as they had felt it And so it was that Buster Bear becaht away to most of them
A few doubted Little Joe's story One of them was Blacky the Crow
Another was Reddy Fox Blacky doubted because he knew Farine him afraid Reddy doubted because he didn't want to believe You see, he was jealous of Buster Bear, and at the same time he was afraid of him So Reddy pretended not to believe a word of what Little Joe Otter had said, and he agreed with Blacky that only by seeing Farmer Brown's boy afraid could he ever be made to believe it But nearly everybody else believed it, and there was great rejoicing Most of them were afraid of Buster, veryBut they were still more afraid of Farmer Brown's boy, because they didn't know him or understand him, and because in the past he had tried to catch some of theun
So now they were very proud to think that one of their own nuan to look on Buster Bear as a real hero They tried in ever so many ways to show him how friendly they felt and went quite out of their way to do him favors Whenever they met one another, all they could talk about was the suess Farmer Brown's boy will keep away from the Green Forest, and on't have to be all the ti out for hihing Brook, for you know he is very neat and particular
”And he won't dare set any loated Billy Mink
”Ah wish Brer Bear would go up to Farmer Brown's henhouse and scare Farmer Brown's boy so that he would keep away from there It would be a favor to me which Ah cert'nly would appreciate,” said Unc' Billy Possuether and tell Buster Bear how ed we are for what he has done,” proposed Jerry Muskrat
”That's a splendid idea!” cried Little Joe Otter ”We'll do it right away”
”Ca!” broke in Blacky the Crow ”I say, let's wait and see for ourselves if it is all true”
”Of course it's true!” snapped Little Joe Otter ”Don't you believe I' the truth?”
”Certainly, certainly Of course no one doubts your word,” replied Blacky, with the utmost politeness ”But you say yourself that Farmer Brown's boy didn't see Buster Bear, but only his footprint Perhaps he didn't knohose it was, and if he had he wouldn't have been afraid
Now I've got a plan by which we can see for ourselves if he really is afraid of Buster Bear”
”What is it?” asked Saerly