April 7, 2025 • 7 mins
Bunny Brown and his sister Sue trade city life for campfires and forest fun in the Big Woods. Tents, outdoor cooking, and nature escapades await—alongside lessons in curiosity and kindness. Discover hundreds of ad-free audiobooks, soothing sounds for sleep and meditation, and more—unwind and learn at www.adfreebooks.com!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Revox recordings in the public domain. Eagle feathers horse Bunny
Brown was so excited by the Indian campfire he had seen,
and by the queer figures dancing about in the glare
of it, seeming twice as tall and broad as they
really were, that he insisted on telling about it before
(00:21):
he went to bed. Did they really dance just as
we do at dancing school when we're at home, masks soue. No,
not exactly, Bunny answered, it was more like marching, and
they turned around every now and then and howled and
waved ears of corn in the air. Then they ate em.
What was it for, Tom asked, mister Brown, you have
(00:41):
lived about here quite a while, and you ought to know. Oh,
the Indians believe in what they call the Great Spirit.
Tom explained, They do all sorts of things so he'll
like em, such as making fires, dancing and having games.
It's only a few of the old Indians that do that.
This green corn roast or dance is a sort of
(01:02):
prayer that there'll be lots of corn a big crop
this year, so the Indians will have plenty to eat,
for they depend a whole lot on corn meal for bread.
Pancakes and the like of that. I told Bunny i'd
show him how the Indians roast the ears of green
corn tomorrow, if you'll let me. Oh, please, Momsey, do oh,
(01:24):
Daddy let him. The first was Sue's plea, and the
second bunnies and the father and mother smiled. Well, I
think it will be all right if Tom is as
careful about fire as he is on the water, said
mister Brown. Oh good, he cried Sue, while Bunny smiled
and danced his delight. Finally, Camp rest Awhile was quiet,
(01:46):
for everyone was in bed, and the only noises to
be heard were those made by the animals and insects
of the wood. An owl now and then calling out hoo,
hoo hoo, just as if it were trying to find
some one who was lost. Where will we get the
ears to roast? Asked Bunny as soon as he was
up the next morning. We don't grow any corn in
(02:09):
our camp. Oh, we can get some roasting ears from
almost any of the farmers around here, said Tom. But
we don't want to make the fire until night. It
looks prettier, then, that's what I say, cried Sue. And
if you wait until night, I'll make some muffins to
eat with the roast corn. Mother's going to show me
how well don't put any chow chow mincemeat in your muffins,
(02:32):
begged Bunny with a laugh. I won't promise, Sue, but
can't we do something while we're waiting for night to
come so we can roast the corn? Will you put
up the swing you promised to make for us, Tom
asked Bunny. Yes, if you have the rope, we can
row across the lake in the boat to the store
at the landing and get the rope there, said Bunny,
(02:53):
I'll ask my mother. Missus Brown gave permission, and Tom
will soon make a swing, hanging it down from a
high branch of a strong oak tree. Then Bunny and
Sue took turns swinging while Tom pushed. After dinner, they
decided it was time to go for the roasting ears,
and again they were in the boat, as it was
(03:15):
nearer to the farmer's house across the water than by
going the winding road. Tom picked out the kind of
ears he wanted, large and full of kernels in which
the milk or white juice was yet running. This was
a corn that ripened late and was very good for roasting.
(03:35):
With the corn in one end of the boat and
the children in the stern or rear, where he could
watch them as they moved about on the broad seat,
Tom rowed the boat toward camp. They reached it just
in time for supper, and just as mister Brown got
home from his trip to the city. We're going to
have roast ears of corn to night, called Sue, as
(03:57):
she hugged and kissed her father. Oh that makes me
feel as if I were a boy, said mister Brown.
Who is going to roast the corn? I am, said Tom.
I've done it many a time. Well, I'm glad you
know how. But now let's have supper. The children did
not eat much because they were so anxious to roast
the corn, but Tom said they must wait until dark,
(04:20):
as the camp fire would look prettier then. However, it
could hardly have been called dark when Tom, after much
teasing on the part of Bunny and Sue, set aglow
the light twigs and branches, which soon made the bigger
logs glow. We have to have a lot of hot
coals and embers, said Tom, or else the corn will
(04:41):
smoke and burn. So we'll let the fire burn for
a while until there are a lot of red hot
coals or embers of wood. When this had come about,
Tom brought out the ears, stripped the green husks from them,
and then brushing off a smooth stone, and had been
near the fire so long that it was good and hot,
(05:01):
he placed on it the ears of corn. Almost at once.
They began to roast, turning a delicate brown, and Tom
turned them over from time to time so they would
not burn by having one side too near the fire
too long. When will they be ready to eat? Asked
Bunny Brown. In a few minutes, said Tom, there, I
(05:24):
guess these two are ready, and he picked out two
smoking hot ones, nicely browned. Using a sharp pointed stick
for a fork, he offered one ear to mister Brown
and the other to missus Brown. No, let the children
have the first one, said their mother. Be careful, they're hot,
cautioned Tom, as he passed the ears on their queer
(05:45):
wooden sticks to Bunny and Sue. Sue blew on hers
to cool it, but Bunny was in such a hurry
that he started to eat at once. As a result,
he cried, ouch, it's hot. Be careful, cautioned his mother,
and after that Bunny was careful. Soon two more ears
were roasted, and these mister and Missus Brown took. They
(06:07):
waited a bit for them to cool, and then began
to eat slowly. They are delicious, said Missus Brown. This
is the only way to cook green corn, remarked Uncle Tad.
It's the best I've eaten since I was a boy,
declared mister Brown. We shall have to have some more, Tom. Yes,
I'll cook some more for you. Parched corn is good too.
(06:30):
The Indians like that. You have to wait until the
ears are nearly ripe for that, though, and the kernels dried.
Aren't you going to eat any Tom, Bunny asked as
he took the ear the bigger boy handed him. Oh, yes,
I'll have some now. If you've had all you want, well,
maybe i'll eat more, said Bunny. And I want another
(06:51):
hood en, Sue. There's plenty here, said Tom as he
began to eat. Almost as he spoke, there was a
crackling of the lee leaves and sticks behind the embers
of the roast corn party, and before any one could
turn around to see what it was, a voice spoke.
White folks may keep good meal, same as Indians. That's right.
(07:13):
Eagle Feather called back Tom, who did not seem to
be so much taken by surprise as did the others.
Come and have some. What brings you here, Eagle Feather,
lose him horse, was the answer, Come look for him,
maybe you have, And he squatted down beside the camp
fire and accepted a roasted ear that Tom handed him.
(07:36):
What does this mean about eagle Feather's horse being here,
asked mister Brown. Me tell you about a minute, answered
the Indian, gnawing away. At the corn end of chapter nineteen,
Revox recordings in the public domain. Eagle feathers horse Bunny
Brown was so excited by the Indian campfire he had seen,
and by the queer figures dancing about in the glare
of it, seeming twice as tall and broad as they
really were, that he insisted on telling about it before
(00:21):
he went to bed. Did they really dance just as
we do at dancing school when we're at home, masks soue. No,
not exactly, Bunny answered, it was more like marching, and
they turned around every now and then and howled and
waved ears of corn in the air. Then they ate em.
What was it for, Tom asked, mister Brown, you have
(00:41):
lived about here quite a while, and you ought to know. Oh,
the Indians believe in what they call the Great Spirit.
Tom explained, They do all sorts of things so he'll
like em, such as making fires, dancing and having games.
It's only a few of the old Indians that do that.
This green corn roast or dance is a sort of
(01:02):
prayer that there'll be lots of corn a big crop
this year, so the Indians will have plenty to eat,
for they depend a whole lot on corn meal for bread.
Pancakes and the like of that. I told Bunny i'd
show him how the Indians roast the ears of green
corn tomorrow, if you'll let me. Oh, please, Momsey, do oh,
(01:24):
Daddy let him. The first was Sue's plea, and the
second bunnies and the father and mother smiled. Well, I
think it will be all right if Tom is as
careful about fire as he is on the water, said
mister Brown. Oh good, he cried Sue, while Bunny smiled
and danced his delight. Finally, Camp rest Awhile was quiet,
(01:46):
for everyone was in bed, and the only noises to
be heard were those made by the animals and insects
of the wood. An owl now and then calling out hoo,
hoo hoo, just as if it were trying to find
some one who was lost. Where will we get the
ears to roast? Asked Bunny as soon as he was
up the next morning. We don't grow any corn in
(02:09):
our camp. Oh, we can get some roasting ears from
almost any of the farmers around here, said Tom. But
we don't want to make the fire until night. It
looks prettier, then, that's what I say, cried Sue. And
if you wait until night, I'll make some muffins to
eat with the roast corn. Mother's going to show me
how well don't put any chow chow mincemeat in your muffins,
(02:32):
begged Bunny with a laugh. I won't promise, Sue, but
can't we do something while we're waiting for night to
come so we can roast the corn? Will you put
up the swing you promised to make for us, Tom
asked Bunny. Yes, if you have the rope, we can
row across the lake in the boat to the store
at the landing and get the rope there, said Bunny,
(02:53):
I'll ask my mother. Missus Brown gave permission, and Tom
will soon make a swing, hanging it down from a
high branch of a strong oak tree. Then Bunny and
Sue took turns swinging while Tom pushed. After dinner, they
decided it was time to go for the roasting ears,
and again they were in the boat, as it was
(03:15):
nearer to the farmer's house across the water than by
going the winding road. Tom picked out the kind of
ears he wanted, large and full of kernels in which
the milk or white juice was yet running. This was
a corn that ripened late and was very good for roasting.
(03:35):
With the corn in one end of the boat and
the children in the stern or rear, where he could
watch them as they moved about on the broad seat,
Tom rowed the boat toward camp. They reached it just
in time for supper, and just as mister Brown got
home from his trip to the city. We're going to
have roast ears of corn to night, called Sue, as
(03:57):
she hugged and kissed her father. Oh that makes me
feel as if I were a boy, said mister Brown.
Who is going to roast the corn? I am, said Tom.
I've done it many a time. Well, I'm glad you
know how. But now let's have supper. The children did
not eat much because they were so anxious to roast
the corn, but Tom said they must wait until dark,
(04:20):
as the camp fire would look prettier then. However, it
could hardly have been called dark when Tom, after much
teasing on the part of Bunny and Sue, set aglow
the light twigs and branches, which soon made the bigger
logs glow. We have to have a lot of hot
coals and embers, said Tom, or else the corn will
(04:41):
smoke and burn. So we'll let the fire burn for
a while until there are a lot of red hot
coals or embers of wood. When this had come about,
Tom brought out the ears, stripped the green husks from them,
and then brushing off a smooth stone, and had been
near the fire so long that it was good and hot,
(05:01):
he placed on it the ears of corn. Almost at once.
They began to roast, turning a delicate brown, and Tom
turned them over from time to time so they would
not burn by having one side too near the fire
too long. When will they be ready to eat? Asked
Bunny Brown. In a few minutes, said Tom, there, I
(05:24):
guess these two are ready, and he picked out two
smoking hot ones, nicely browned. Using a sharp pointed stick
for a fork, he offered one ear to mister Brown
and the other to missus Brown. No, let the children
have the first one, said their mother. Be careful, they're hot,
cautioned Tom, as he passed the ears on their queer
(05:45):
wooden sticks to Bunny and Sue. Sue blew on hers
to cool it, but Bunny was in such a hurry
that he started to eat at once. As a result,
he cried, ouch, it's hot. Be careful, cautioned his mother,
and after that Bunny was careful. Soon two more ears
were roasted, and these mister and Missus Brown took. They
(06:07):
waited a bit for them to cool, and then began
to eat slowly. They are delicious, said Missus Brown. This
is the only way to cook green corn, remarked Uncle Tad.
It's the best I've eaten since I was a boy,
declared mister Brown. We shall have to have some more, Tom. Yes,
I'll cook some more for you. Parched corn is good too.
(06:30):
The Indians like that. You have to wait until the
ears are nearly ripe for that, though, and the kernels dried.
Aren't you going to eat any Tom, Bunny asked as
he took the ear the bigger boy handed him. Oh, yes,
I'll have some now. If you've had all you want, well,
maybe i'll eat more, said Bunny. And I want another
(06:51):
hood en, Sue. There's plenty here, said Tom as he
began to eat. Almost as he spoke, there was a
crackling of the lee leaves and sticks behind the embers
of the roast corn party, and before any one could
turn around to see what it was, a voice spoke.
White folks may keep good meal, same as Indians. That's right.
(07:13):
Eagle Feather called back Tom, who did not seem to
be so much taken by surprise as did the others.
Come and have some. What brings you here, Eagle Feather,
lose him horse, was the answer, Come look for him,
maybe you have, And he squatted down beside the camp
fire and accepted a roasted ear that Tom handed him.
(07:36):
What does this mean about eagle Feather's horse being here,
asked mister Brown. Me tell you about a minute, answered
the Indian, gnawing away. At the corn end of chapter nineteen,
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