The Adventures of Bob White

by Thornton W. Burgess

  So every time he moved Peter looked sharply to see that there wasn'ta tiny brown bird hiding under a brown leaf. You know he wouldn't havestepped on one of them for the world. Really there wasn't half as muchdanger as their fond mother seemed to think, for little as they werethose Bob White babies were very spry, and very smart too. But youknow how it is with mothers; they seem to be always expecting somethingdreadful will happen to their babies.

  So twenty times a day Peter would hear that warning, "Watch your step!"

  Still, in spite of this, he was glad that the Bob White family had movedover to the dear Old Briar-patch. It gave him a chance to learn moreabout the ways of Bob White and his children than he could possibly havelearned in any other way. You know, Peter is always anxious to learn,especially about other people. It seemed to him that never had he seenbabies grow as did the little Bob Whites. They were everywhere. Therewere fifteen of them, and Peter often wondered how under the sun theirmother kept track of all of them. But she did. One thing he noticed,and this was that they obeyed promptly whenever she called to them. IfRedtail the Hawk came sailing lazily over the old Briar-patch, watchingwith sharp eyes to see if anything was going on down there that hedidn't know about, little Mrs. Bob would give a warning, and every oneof those youngsters would squat down right where he happened to beand not move until she told him he might. So old Red-tail never oncesuspected that the Bob White family was there. When Mrs. Bob called themto her, they came running on the instant. Such obedience was beautifulto see.

  Then, when they were all nestled under her wings, she would tell themabout the Great World and all the dangers that they would have to watchout for when they were big enough to go out into it, and how each onewas to be met. As they ran this way and that way in the Old Briar-patch,they picked up tiny seeds. Peter had not supposed that there were somany seeds as those little Bob Whites found. You know Peter does not eattiny seeds, and so he never had noticed them before. Mrs. Bob led themabout, showing them what seeds were best and what to leave alone.They didn't have to be shown but once. Often they varied their fare bypicking tiny insects from the low-hanging leaves, and once in a whilethere would be a struggle between two or more for possession of a worm.Peter always liked to watch this. It was very funny.

  In a few days there were no bugs or worms to be found in the OldBriar-patch, at least not on or near the ground. The Bob White familyhad eaten _every one._

  "I wish they would live here all the time," declared Mrs. Peter. "Idon't like bugs and worms. They give me a crawly feeling every time Isee them."

  But a growing family must have plenty to eat, and at the end of a weekMrs. Bob led her youngsters forth to hunt bugs and worms and seeds onthe Green Meadows, but never very far from the Old Briar-patch, so thatin case of need they could run back to its friendly shelter. And everynight she brought them back there to sleep under the friendly brambles.So after all, it was only for a little while that Peter had to watchhis steps, and he was really sorry when he no longer heard that warningevery time he moved. You see, he had grown very fond of the little BobWhites.

  XII. THE LITTLE BOB WHITES AT SCHOOL

  `````Everybody goes to school;

  `````That's the universal rule.

  `````Mother Nature long ago

  `````Said it always should be so.=

  |OF course there are all kinds of schools, but to one kind or anothereverybody has to go. A lot of people don't know they are going toschool, but they are, just the same. If you should ask them what schoolthey go to, they would tell you they don't go to any. But they dojust the same. They go to the hardest school of all, the school ofexperience. That is the school in which we all learn how to live andtake care of ourselves. It is just the same with the little meadow andforest people. The four babies of Johnny and Polly Chuck went to schoolin the Old Orchard just as soon as they were big enough to run around.It was the same way with the children of Peter Rabbit in the dear OldBriar-patch and the youngsters of Danny and Nanny Meadow Mouse on theGreen Meadows and Une' Billy Possum's lively family in the Green Forestand little Joe Otter's two hopefuls in the Laughing Brook. So of courseall the Little Bob Whites started in to go to school almost as soon asthey were out of their shells.

  The very first thing they learned was to mind their parents, which isthe very first lesson all little folks must learn. "You see, my dears,"explained Mrs. Bob, as they nestled under her wings, "the Great World isfull of dangers, especially for little Bob Whites, and so if you wantto live to grow up to be as handsome and smart as your father, you mustmind instantly when we speak to you."

  So as every one of the fifteen little Bob Whites wanted to five togrow up to be as handsome and smart as their father, each one took thegreatest care to mind the very second Bob or Mrs. Bob spoke. While theywere in the dear Old Briar-patch they were quite safe, but just the sameevery little while Mrs. Bob would give the danger signal, which meantto squat and keep perfectly still, or another call that meant to comerunning to her as fast as ever they could. It wasn't until she was surethat they had learned to mind instantly that she led them out on to theGreen Meadows among the grasses and the weeds.

  Then there was always real danger as she took great pains to tell them.There was danger from the air where old Redtail the Hawk sailed roundand round, watching below for heedless and careless little folks. Therewas danger from Reddy and Granny Fox and Old Man Coyote, prowling aboutwith sharp eyes and keen ears and wonderful noses, all the time huntingfor heedless little people. And there was danger from Mr. Blacksnake andsome of his cousins, slipping silently through the grass.

  So the little Bob Whites learned to be always on the watch as they ranthis way and that way, hunting for bugs and worms and seeds. At theleast little unknown sound they squatted and waited for Mrs. Bob'ssignal that all was well. She taught them to know Ol' Mistah Buzzard,who wouldn't hurt a feather of them, from old Redtail the Hawk by theway he sailed and sailed without flapping his wings. Just as soon asthey could fly a little, she taught them to make sure just where thenearest bushes or trees were so that they could fly to them in caseof sudden danger on the ground. She taught them how to find the safestplaces in which to spend the night. Oh, there was a great deal for thoselittle Bob Whites to learn! Yes, indeed. And it didn't do to forget asingle thing. Forgetting just once might mean a dreadful thing. So theydidn't forget. Bob White himself taught them many things, for Bob iswise in the ways of the Great World, and he is the best of fathers. Sothe little Bob Whites grew and grew until they were too big to nestleunder the wings of Mrs. Bob and could fly on swift strong wings. And allthe time they were at school without knowing it.

  XIII. FARMER BROWN'S BOY BECOMES THOUGHTFUL

  ````For everything that happens

  `````You've but to look to find

  ````There's bound to be a reason;

  `````So keep that fact in mind.=

  |SON," said Fanner Brown one morning at the breakfast table, "we've gotthe finest looking garden any where around. I don't remember ever havinga garden with so little harm done by bugs and worms. All our neighborsare complaining that bugs and worms are the worst ever this year, andthat their gardens are being eaten up in spite of all that they can do.I'm proud of the way in which you've taken care of ours."

  Farmer Brown's boy flushed with pleasure. He had worked hard in thatgarden ever since the seeds were planted.

  He had fought the weeds and the bugs and worms. But so had some of hisneighbors. Yet in spite of this their gardens were nearly ruined. Theyhad worked just as hard as he had, but the worms and the bugs had beentoo much for them. He couldn't understand why he had succeeded when theyhad failed. There must be a reason. There is a reason for everything.

  After breakfast he put on his old straw hat and started down to thegarden to look it over, still puzzling over the reason why his gardenwas so much better than others. Just on the edge of the garden was anold board. He lifted one end of it and peeped under. Old Mr. Toad lookedup at him and blinked sleepily, but in the most friendly
way. Mr. Toad'swaistcoat was filled out until it looked too tight for comfort. FannerBrown's boy smiled as he put the board down gently. He knew what madethat waistcoat so tight; it was filled with bugs and worms. "There's apart of the reason," muttered Farmer Brown's boy.

  A little farther on he discovered Little Friend the Song Sparrow verybusy among the berry-bushes. "There's another part of the reason,"chuckled Farmer Brown's boy. At the end of a long row he sat down tothink it over. There was no doubt that he owed a great deal to OldMr. Toad and Little Friend and a lot of the feathered folk of the OldOrchard for his fine-looking garden, but he had had their help in otheryears when his garden had not looked half as well, and yet when therehad not been nearly as many bugs and worms as this year. Their help andhis own hard work accounted for part of the reason for his fine-lookinggarden, but he couldn't help but feel that there must be something elsehe didn't know about.

  He was thinking so hard that he sat perfectly still. Presently a pair ofbright eyes peeped out at him from under a berry-bush. Then right out infront of him stepped a smart, trim little fellow dressed in brown, grayand white with black trimmings. It was Bob White. He called softly andout ran Mrs. Bob and fifteen children! At a word from Bob they scatteredand went to work among the plants.

  Farmer Brown's boy held his breath as he watched. They didn't pay theleast attention to him because, you know, he sat perfectly still. Somescratched the ground just like the hens at home, and then picked upthings so small that he couldn't see what they were. But he knew. Heknew that they were tiny seeds. And because all the seeds which he andFarmer Brown had planted were now great strong plants, he knew thatthese were seeds of weeds.

  Bob himself was very busy among the potato-vines. He was near enough forFarmer Brown's boy to see what he was doing. He was eating those stripedbeetles which Farmer Brown's boy had fought so long and which he hadcome to hate. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,ten, eleven," counted Farmer Brown's boy, and then Bob moved on to wherehe couldn't be seen. Among the squash-vines he could see Mrs. Bob, andshe was picking off bugs as fast as Bob was taking the potato-beetles.What the others were doing he didn't know, but he could guess.

  "There's the rest of the reason!" he suddenly exclaimed in triumph. Hespoke aloud, and in a twinkling there wasn't a Bob White to be seen.

  XIV. A LITTLE LESSON IN ARITHMETIC

  ````Don't say you "_hate_" arithmetic,

  ````And find it dull and dry.

  ````You'll find it most astonishing

  ````If you sincerely try.=

  |Farmer brown's boy used to feel that way, but he doesn't any more. Henever could see any use in puzzling over sums in school. He said thatthere wasn't anything interesting in it; nothing but hard work. He usedto complain about it at home. Farmer Brown would listen awhile, then hewould say, "If you live long enough, my son, you will find that figurestalk and that they tell the most wonderful things." There was always atwinkle in his eyes when he said this.

  Now of course Fanner Brown's boy knew that his father didn't meanthat figures could speak right out. Of course not. But he never couldunderstand just what he did mean, and he wasn't interested enough to tryto find out. So he would continue to scowl over his arithmetic and wishthe teacher wouldn't give such hard lessons. And when the long summervacation began, he just forgot all about figures and sums until afterhe discovered Bob White and his family helping to rid the garden of bugsand worms and seeds of weeds.

  After he discovered them, he went down to the garden every day to watchthem. They soon found out that he wouldn't hurt them, and after thatthey just paid no attention to him at all, but went right on with theirbusiness all about him, and that business was the filling of theirstomachs with seeds and worms and bugs. One day Bob White ate twelvecaterpillars while Farmer Brown's boy was watching him. He got out astubby pencil and a scrap of paper.

  "If every one of those Bob Whites eats twelve of those horrid worms atone meal that would be--let me see." He wrinkled his brows. "There areBob and Mrs. Bob and fifteen young Bobs and that makes seventeen. Nowif each eats twelve, that will make twelve times seventeen." He put downthe figures on his bit of paper and worked over them for a few minutes."That makes 204 caterpillars for one meal," he muttered, "and in onemonth of thirty days they would eat 6120 if they only ate one meal aday. But they eat ever so many meals a day and that means--" He stoppedto stare at the figures on the bit of paper with eyes round with wonder.Then he whistled a little low whistle of sheer astonishment. "Nowonder I've got a good garden when those fellows are at work in it!" heexclaimed.

  0090]

  Then he sat down to watch Mrs. Bob catching cabbage-butterflies whichhe knew were laying the eggs which would hatch out into the worms thatspoiled the cabbages. He counted the number she caught while she wasin sight. He did the same thing with another of the Bob Whites whowas catching cucumber-beetles, and with another who was huntinggrasshoppers. Then he did some more figuring on that bit of paper. Whenhe had finished he got up and went straight down to the cornfield whereFarmer Brown was at work.

  "I know now what you meant when you used to tell me that figures talk,"said he. "Why, they've told me more than I ever dreamed! They've told methat the Bob Whites are the best friends we've got, and that the reasonthat we've got the best garden anywhere around is just because they havemade it so. Why, those little brown birds are actually making money forus, and we never guessed it!"

  XV. FARMER BROWN'S BOY GROWS INDIGNANT

  |TO be indignant is to be angry in a good cause. If you lose yourtemper and give way to anger because things do not suit you, you arenot indignant; you are simply angry. But if anger wells up in your heartbecause of harm or injustice which is done to some one else, or even toyourself, then you become indignant.

  Farmer Brown's boy had spent all his spare time down in the gardenwatching Bob White and his family. In fact, he had been there so muchthat all the Bob Whites had come to look on him as harmless if notactually a friend. They just didn't pay him any attention at all,but went about their business as if he were nowhere about. And theirbusiness was ridding that garden of bugs and worms and seeds of weeds inorder to fill their stomachs. What tickled Farmer Brown's boy was thatthe bugs and worms of which they seemed the most fond were the very oneswhich did the most harm to the growing plants.

  Over beyond the garden was a field of wheat. You know from wheat comesthe flour of which your bread is made. Now there is a certain little bugcalled the chinch-bug which is such a hungry rascal that when he and alot of his kind get into a field of wheat, they often spoil the wholecrop. They suck the juices from the plants so that they wilt and die.Farmer Brown's boy had heard his neighbors complaining that chinch-bugswere very bad that year, and he knew that they must be by the looks ofthe wheat on the farms of his neighbors. But Farmer Brown's wheatlooked as fine as wheat could look. It was very plain that there were nochinch-bugs there, and he often had wondered why, when they were so badin the fields of his neighbors.

  Farmer Brown's boy noticed that Bob White and his family spent agreat deal of time in the wheat-field. One day he noticed Bob pickingsomething from a stem of wheat. He went over to see what it might be.Of course Bob scurried away, but when Farmer Brown's boy looked at thatwheat-plant he found some chinch-bugs on it. Then he knew what Bob hadbeen doing. He had been picking off and eating those dreadful littlebugs. And he knew, too, why it was that their wheat-field was the bestfor miles around. It was because Bob White and his family hunted for andate those bugs as fast as they appeared.

  "Hurrah for you! You're the greatest little helpers a farmer ever had!"cried Farmer Brown's boy, and hurried off to tell Farmer Brown what hehad found out.

  So the summer passed, and the cool crisp days of autumn came. The wheathad been harvested and the vegetables gathered and stored away. JackFrost had begun to paint the maple trees red and yellow, the gardenwas bare, and the stubble in the wheat-field a golden brown. The littlefeathered people who do not like cold weather had flown awa
y to thesunny Southland, led by Ol' Mistah Buzzard. Striped Chipmunk, Chattererthe Red Squirrel, and Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel were busy frommorning till night storing away seeds and nuts on which to live throughthe long cold winter. These were glorious days, and Bob White lovedevery one of them.

  "Son," said Farmer Brown one morning, "those Bob Whites must be fat withthe good living they have had. Seeing that we have fed them off the farmall summer, don't you think that it is their turn to feed us? I thinkbroiled Bob White on toast would taste pretty good. The shooting seasonbegins next week, so I suppose you will get out your gun and shoot a fewof those Bob Whites for us." There was a twinkle, a kindly twinkle inhis eyes as he spoke.

  But Farmer Brown's boy didn't see that twinkle. His face grew red. A hotanger filled his heart. He was indignant. He was very indignant to thinkthat his father should ever hint at such a thing. But he didn't forgetto be respectful.

  "No, sir!" said he. "I wouldn't shoot one of them for anything in theworld! They don't owe us anything; we owe them. If it hadn't been forthem, we wouldn't have had half a crop of wheat, and our garden wouldhave been just as poor as those of our neighbors. I'm not going to shoot'em, and I'm not going to let any one else shoot 'em if I can help it,so there!"

  XVI. FARMER BROWN'S BOY TALKS THINGS OVER

  ````There's nothing to compare with

  ````In earth or sea or up above.=

  |IF love prevailed everywhere there would be no terrible wars, noprisons, no dreadful poverty, no bitter quarrels between those whowork and those for whom they work. And on the Green Meadows and in theGreen Forest there would be no fear of man and no frightful sufferingfrom traps and terrible guns. Love, that wonderful great thing which iscontained in one little word of four letters, could and would bring joyand happiness to every heart for all time if only we would give it achance.