1 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. Hi friends, 2 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: we are hard at work at writing and editing new 3 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: stories for fall and winter, and we would love your input. 4 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,160 Speaker 1: If you have any story or character ideas, please visit 5 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: sleep tightstories dot org slash contact and send us your ideas. 6 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:40,839 Speaker 1: That's sleep tightstories dot org slash contact and if we 7 00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,919 Speaker 1: include your idea, you'll get credit on our show. Thank you. 8 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: I'd like to say hello to some friends. Hello to 9 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 1: Sawyer and her brother Harrison in Greenville, South Carolina. Hello 10 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: to Ruby and Tiffin, and hello to Shelby in Pennsylvania. 11 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: If you'd like to support us and get some of 12 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: the perks like shout outs, birthday messages, and goodies in 13 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:18,759 Speaker 1: the mail, please visit our support page at sleep tightstories 14 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: dot org slash support. Thank you. In today's story, we 15 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: are going to hear about a young beaver who has 16 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:40,440 Speaker 1: gone out to play and his mother cannot find him. Toto, 17 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 1: the young beaver asked his mom if he could go 18 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: out and play. He was tired of being cooped up 19 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: inside and wanted to get out for a while. Toto 20 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: had gone down on the ice and around a curve 21 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: so he couldn't see or hear his mother calling him. 22 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: He kept going until he saw bush that he thought 23 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: looked good to eat. He took a bite and felt 24 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: something sharp. Toto thought he had been bited, but it 25 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: was only a BlackBerry bush. Toto is trying to get 26 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: away from the bush when he hears some sounds that 27 00:02:27,720 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: he has heard somewhere before. Let's see where those sounds 28 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: came from. Toto, helps Millie, Toto, Toto, where are you? 29 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,360 Speaker 1: There was no answer to this call, which Missus Beaver, 30 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: the mother of Toto, sounded as she climbed up on 31 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: the ice and looked around for her little boy. Missus 32 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: Beaver sat on her broad flat tail, which really made 33 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: quite a good seat, and with her sharp eyes she 34 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: looked up and down winding river or a sight of Toto. 35 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:27,600 Speaker 1: Then she called again, Toto, Toto, come home this minute. 36 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: You've been out on the ice long enough, and goodness knows, 37 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: we've had plenty of ice and snow this winter went 38 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: on Missus Beaver, and she kept on looking up and 39 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: down the frozen river. I'll be glad when spring comes 40 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: so we beavers can gnaw down trees, eat the soft bark, 41 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: and make dams for our houses. She added, But though 42 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: she called as loudly as she could and looked sharply 43 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 1: up and down the river, which was covered with a 44 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: sheet of smooth ice, Missus Beaver couldn't see nothing of 45 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 1: her little boy, Toto. What's the matter, asked an old 46 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: gentleman beaver who had come along just then. Has Toto 47 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:25,840 Speaker 1: run away? Ah? I don't know that. I'd call it 48 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:31,640 Speaker 1: exactly running away, mister Cuppy, answered Missus Beaver. I said 49 00:04:31,720 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: he could go out of the house and play on 50 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: the ice for a little while, but I told him 51 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: to come back and get his willow bark lunch. But 52 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: he hasn't come. So I walked out to call him, 53 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 1: and he doesn't answer, said mister Cuppy, the old beaver gentleman, 54 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: with a laugh. Of course, he laughed animal fashion, and 55 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,960 Speaker 1: not as you do. I guess Toto is off play 56 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,839 Speaker 1: tag or something like that on the ice with the 57 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 1: other beaver boys, added mister Cuppy. I'm going down the 58 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: river to call on some friends of mine. If I 59 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:18,800 Speaker 1: see Toto, I'll tell him. You want him. I wish 60 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: you would, said Missus Beaver. Please tell him to come 61 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: straight home, I will, answered mister Cuppy, And then he 62 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 1: got up from the ice where he had sat down 63 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 1: on his broad flat tail to talk to Toto's mother, 64 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: and walked slowly down the ice covered river which ran 65 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: into clear water lake. That is, the river ran in 66 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 1: summer time. In winter it was frozen over, though of 67 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: course the water ran under the ice where boys and 68 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:03,520 Speaker 1: girls could not see it, but Toto, mister Cuppy and 69 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:07,679 Speaker 1: the other beavers could see it, or they could dive 70 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 1: under the ice and swim in the water that flowed 71 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:16,760 Speaker 1: beneath it. In fact, they would rather swim in the water, 72 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 1: cold as it was, than walk on the ice. For 73 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,599 Speaker 1: a beaver cannot walk very well on the ice, it 74 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: is too slippery. Nor can a beaver walk very fast 75 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:39,720 Speaker 1: even on dry ground. But my, how fast they can 76 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: swim in water. So though beavers very often come out 77 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: on the land or shore, they always run for the water, 78 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: dive down, and swim away as soon as there is 79 00:06:54,960 --> 00:07:02,400 Speaker 1: the least sign of danger. Missus Beaver walked back toward 80 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 1: the hole in the ice through which she intended to 81 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: get into her house where she lived with her husband, 82 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: mister Beaver, Toto, and another little beaver boy named sniffy. 83 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:23,040 Speaker 1: Missus Beaver's home looked just like a bundle of sticks 84 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: from a wood pile, laid together crisscross fashion. In fact, 85 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,040 Speaker 1: if you had seen it from the outside, you would 86 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:37,800 Speaker 1: have said it was only a heap of rubbish. This 87 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: heap of sticks was built out near the middle of 88 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: Winding River, which was not a very large stream, and 89 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: now that the river was frozen, the pile of sticks 90 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 1: which made the Beaver house was heaped up above the 91 00:07:54,600 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: frozen ice. The front door to the beaver home was underwater, 92 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: so far under that it did not freeze, and when 93 00:08:08,120 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: Toto or any of the family wanted to come out, 94 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 1: they had to dive down, swim underwater, and come out 95 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: on top some distance away. When the river was not frozen, 96 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: they could come out of the water wherever they pleased. 97 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: But when jack frost had made the river a solid, 98 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:37,120 Speaker 1: hard sheet of ice, the beavers had to come out 99 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,480 Speaker 1: of it just where a hole had been made for them. 100 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: Sometimes they made the hole themselves by blowing their warm 101 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: breath on the underside of the ice, and sometimes they 102 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: used an air hole, such as you often see when 103 00:08:55,760 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: you are skating. Missus beef Her found the hole through 104 00:09:01,520 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: the ice, dove down into the water, swam along a 105 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 1: short distance until she reached the front door of her 106 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:15,040 Speaker 1: house of sticks and frozen mud, and then she went 107 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:23,720 Speaker 1: up inside. The house was nicely lined inside with soft grass, 108 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: and there were a number of short pieces of sticks 109 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: scattered about. It was the bark from these sticks that 110 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:39,320 Speaker 1: the beavers lived on in winter. Did you find Toto, 111 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:43,199 Speaker 1: asked mister Beaver, who was taking a little nap in 112 00:09:43,320 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: the house. No, I didn't, answered missus Beaver. But I 113 00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: met mister Cuppy, the old grandfather Beaver, you know, and 114 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: he said if he saw Toto, he'd send our little 115 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:03,360 Speaker 1: boy home. That is very kind of mister Cuppy. Mister 116 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: Beaver stretched himself. Well, ah, I think i'll gnaw a 117 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: little more bark. I want some too, called Sniffy, the 118 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: other little beaver boy. Here you are, said his mother, 119 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:22,600 Speaker 1: and she took some of the bark covered sticks from 120 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: a pile at one side of the house. Of course, 121 00:10:28,559 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: it was dark inside the house, for mud was plastered 122 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,760 Speaker 1: thickly over the cross sticks to keep out the cold 123 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: and snow. But beavers can see well enough in the dark, 124 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: just as owls can or cats. After mister Cuppy had 125 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 1: watched missus beaver dive down through the ice and swim away. 126 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: He walked on down the frozen river he looked from 127 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: so I decide as he waddled slowly along, hoping to 128 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:10,439 Speaker 1: see Toto. But the beaver boy was not in sight. 129 00:11:15,120 --> 00:11:18,200 Speaker 1: And now so that you may no longer wonder what 130 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: had become of the little beaver boy, I'll tell you 131 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: where he was and some of the wonderful adventures that 132 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:30,840 Speaker 1: happened to him. Toto had asked his mother if he 133 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: might go out on the ice and play, and she 134 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 1: had said he might. Toto was about a year old, 135 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:44,439 Speaker 1: having been born the previous spring, and he knew that 136 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: in winter there was not much to eat outside the 137 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:52,319 Speaker 1: beaver house. But he had gnawed a number of sticks 138 00:11:52,360 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 1: of poplar and of willow with sweet, juicy bark on, 139 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: And now he was not hungry. He was tired of 140 00:12:03,559 --> 00:12:08,560 Speaker 1: being cooped up in the dark house frozen fast in 141 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: the river. So Toto had gone out and had walked 142 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 1: along the ice until he was quite a long way 143 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:22,840 Speaker 1: from home. But I guess I can easily find my 144 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:28,360 Speaker 1: way back, thought Toto to himself. It's pretty slippery walking, 145 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: and I'd a good deal rather swim, but if I 146 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: walked slowly, I won't slip. So he had walked along 147 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: the ice until he was out of sight of his 148 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 1: home around one of the many curves in Winding River. 149 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:54,440 Speaker 1: That was the reason Missus Beaver could not see her 150 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: little boy, and also why Toto could not hear his 151 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: mother calling to him. He did not really mean to 152 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: stay out when his mother did not want him to. Ah. 153 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:16,080 Speaker 1: That looks like something good to eat, said Toto to himself, 154 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 1: as he saw some scraggly bushes growing on the bank 155 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: of the river. The bushes had no leaves on, of course, 156 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 1: for this was March and winter was still the king 157 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,360 Speaker 1: of the land. But Toto thought there might be bark 158 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: of some kind on the twigs of the bushes, and 159 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:43,480 Speaker 1: bark was what the beavers mostly ate in winter. He 160 00:13:43,559 --> 00:13:48,119 Speaker 1: was not hungry, but Toto, like other boys, was always 161 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: ready to eat. Toto walked slowly over the ice, and 162 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: standing up on his hind legs and partly sitting on 163 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: his brea road flat tail, which was almost like the 164 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: mortar trowel a mason uses. The little beaver boy began 165 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:13,319 Speaker 1: to gnaw the bark, but he had not taken more 166 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:19,040 Speaker 1: than a bite or two before he suddenly stopped ouch cried, Toto, 167 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:25,520 Speaker 1: something bit me. He looked about. There were no bees 168 00:14:25,760 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: or wasps flying which might have stung him. Still, something 169 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 1: had pricked him on his tongue. Then he looked more 170 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:40,600 Speaker 1: closely at the twig he had been gnawing. Oh ho, 171 00:14:41,600 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: exclaimed Toto, no wonder, this is a BlackBerry bush, and 172 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: the thorns pricked me. I won't gnaw any more of 173 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:58,560 Speaker 1: this bark. Toto backed away and started over the ice again. 174 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,040 Speaker 1: But he had not moved more than a few feet 175 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: from the thick clump of BlackBerry bushes growing on the 176 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 1: edge of the river, when all of a sudden, the 177 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: little beaver boy heard a strange noise, several noises, in fact, 178 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: one was a tinkly sound, a sound total remembered to 179 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: have heard when in summer a farmer was hoeing corn 180 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:31,200 Speaker 1: in a field near the river, and his hoe struck 181 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: on a stone in the dirt. Then came the noise 182 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 1: of a thud, as if something heavy had fallen on 183 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,960 Speaker 1: the ice, And after that sounded the voice of a 184 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: little girl saying, oh, dear, there goes my skate. Of course, 185 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: Toto did not understand man, girl or boy talk, but 186 00:15:57,440 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: he knew what it was for in the sun, as 187 00:16:00,560 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: he played around his stick home in the river, he 188 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: had often heard the farmer and his hired men talking 189 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: in the fields not far away. So though Toto did 190 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: not know what the little girl said, he knew it 191 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 1: was the same sound the farmer and his men had 192 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: made when they talked to one another. And Toto was 193 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: afraid of men and boys and girls too. Though I 194 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: don't believe any girl would have tried to catch the beaver. 195 00:16:37,400 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: But this particular little girl, whose name was Millie Watson, 196 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:46,640 Speaker 1: did not even know Toto was near her. She had 197 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: been skating on the ice when one of her skates 198 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: suddenly came off and she fell down. The tinkly sound 199 00:16:56,840 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: the beaver heard was the loose steel skate sliding over 200 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:05,879 Speaker 1: the ice and striking a stone near the bush under 201 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:11,800 Speaker 1: which Toto was hidden. The thudding sound was that made 202 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: by Milly when she fell. But she was not hurt. 203 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: Oh dear, she said again, I wonder where my skate 204 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:25,800 Speaker 1: slid to. I can't get along on only one skate, 205 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 1: and it's slow walking on the ice where is it. 206 00:17:32,640 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: She slowly got on to her feet. One skate was 207 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 1: still on her foot, but on the other shoe was 208 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:44,160 Speaker 1: only a loose strap. Milly, who had skated from her 209 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 1: home to take a little pail of soup to her grandmother, 210 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:51,120 Speaker 1: who lived farther down the river, was on her way 211 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: back when she lost her skate. I don't see where 212 00:17:56,560 --> 00:18:00,399 Speaker 1: it can be, mused the little girl, looking here and 213 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: there on the ice. The reason she could not see 214 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: the skate was because it had slid under the edge 215 00:18:09,119 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 1: of the overhanging berry bush. I hope she doesn't see me, 216 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:19,639 Speaker 1: thought Toto, as he crouched down under the twigs. I 217 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,160 Speaker 1: wish it were summer and there were leaves on this bush. 218 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: I could hide better then, and the river wouldn't be frozen, 219 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:30,560 Speaker 1: so I could swim away very fast. If this girl 220 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: comes after me, dear me, I wonder what she is 221 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: doing here. Anyhow. Toto did not know much about skating, 222 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,199 Speaker 1: but as he peered out at the little girl, he 223 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:49,640 Speaker 1: saw her pushing herself along on one foot, and on 224 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:56,520 Speaker 1: that foot was something long, thin and shiny. It sparkled 225 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,879 Speaker 1: in the sun, just as the blade of the farmer's 226 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 1: oh Sometimes sparkled. Toto looked on either side of him, 227 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:12,679 Speaker 1: and there, close to him was another shiny thing, just 228 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: like the one the girl had on one foot. Toto 229 00:19:17,640 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: could see the girl moving slowly along and looking from 230 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:28,320 Speaker 1: side to side. She must be looking for me, thought Toto, 231 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,439 Speaker 1: and his heart began to beat very fast, for his 232 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: father and mother had told him always to keep away 233 00:19:36,320 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 1: from little boys, and this girl was probably just like 234 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: a little boy. The beaver thought he had seen boys 235 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:50,160 Speaker 1: along the river bank in summer, trying to catch muskrats, 236 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:55,560 Speaker 1: and sometimes trying to catch beavers too. Toto did not 237 00:19:55,840 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: want to be cut, so he crouched lower and lower 238 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,840 Speaker 1: under the bush, and then all of a sudden his 239 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 1: feet slipped on the ice and they struck the long, 240 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 1: shiny thing that was like the object the girl had 241 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: on one foot. Instantly there was another tinkly sound, and 242 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,120 Speaker 1: the shiny thing slid across the ice, out from under 243 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:33,879 Speaker 1: the overhanging bush, and straight toward the little girl. Oh oh, 244 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: cried Millie, clapping her mittened hands. Here is my lost gate. 245 00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: It was under the bush, But I wonder what pushed 246 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:48,160 Speaker 1: it out. There must be something there. I'm going to look, 247 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:56,720 Speaker 1: Toto heard this talk, but did not know what it was. However, 248 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: he could see the little girl stooped down and pick 249 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:04,760 Speaker 1: up the skate he had accidentally knocked over the ice 250 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:10,119 Speaker 1: to her. Then he saw Millie come straight toward the 251 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:19,960 Speaker 1: bush under which he was hiding. And that's the end 252 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 1: of this story. Good Night, sleep tight.