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Speaker 1: Hello friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories for extra

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Speaker 1: bedtime stories, mindfulness activities, and sound and music for sleep.

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Speaker 1: Please consider subscribing to sleep Tight Premium. Visit sleep Tightpremium

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Speaker 1: dot com to start a free trial. Thank you. I'd

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Speaker 1: like to say a great, big happy birthday wish to

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Speaker 1: Oliver and Rosemary who are turning six years old. Happy

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Speaker 1: birthday to you. I hope you have a very special day.

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Speaker 1: Today's story is about Spotty the turtle and the other

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Speaker 1: animals that live in or around the Green Meadows and

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Speaker 1: the Smiling Pool. Some of the animals are arguing about

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Speaker 1: who is fastest, so they decide to have a race.

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Speaker 1: That's said is the only true way to see who

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Speaker 1: is the fastest. Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox, and Billy Mink

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Speaker 1: are all ready to start their race when they see

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Speaker 1: Spotty the turtle and ask him if he would like

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Speaker 1: to join the race. Spotty thinks why not, and off

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Speaker 1: they go. Let's see who will win the race. Spotty

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Speaker 1: the Turtle wins a race. All the little people who

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Speaker 1: live on the Green Meadows and in the Smiling Pool

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Speaker 1: and along the Laughing Brook were to have a holiday.

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Speaker 1: The merry little breezes of old Mother west Wind had

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Speaker 1: been very busy, oh very busy indeed, in sending word

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Speaker 1: to all the little meadow folks. You see, Peter Rabbit

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Speaker 1: had been boasting of how fast he could run. Reddy

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Speaker 1: Fox was quite sure that he could run faster than

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Speaker 1: Peter Rabbit. Billy Mink, who can move so quickly you

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Speaker 1: can hardly see him, was quite sure that neither Peter

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Speaker 1: Rabbit nor Reddy Fox could run as fast as he could.

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Speaker 1: They all met one day beside the smiling pool and

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Speaker 1: agreed that old Grandfather Frog should decide who was the swiftest. Now,

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Speaker 1: Grandfather Frog was considered very wise, you see, he had

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Speaker 1: lived a long time, oh very much longer than all

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Speaker 1: of the others, and therefore, because of the wisdom of age,

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Speaker 1: Grandfather Frog was always called on to decide all disputes.

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Speaker 1: He sat on his green lily pad, while Billy Mink

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Speaker 1: sat on the big rock, and Peter Rabbit and Reddy

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Speaker 1: Fox sat on the bank. Each in turn told why

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Speaker 1: he thought he was the fastest. Old Grandfather Frog listened

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Speaker 1: and listened, and said never a word until they were

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Speaker 1: all through. When they had finished, he stopped to catch

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Speaker 1: a silly green fly and then he said, the best

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Speaker 1: way to decide who is the swiftest is to have

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Speaker 1: a race. So it was agreed that Peter Rabbit and

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Speaker 1: Reddy Fox and Billy Mink should start together from the

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Speaker 1: old butternut tree on one edge of the green meadows,

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Speaker 1: race away across the green meadows to the little hill

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Speaker 1: on the other side, and each bring back a nut

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Speaker 1: from the big hickory which grew there. The one who

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Speaker 1: first reached the old butternut tree with a hickory nut

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Speaker 1: would be declared the winner. The little Mary Breezes flew

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Speaker 1: about over the green meadows telling everyone about the race,

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Speaker 1: and everyone planned to be there. It was a beautiful

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Speaker 1: summer day. Mister Son smiled and smiled, and the more

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Speaker 1: he smiled, the warmer it grew. Everyone was there to

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Speaker 1: see the race. Striped Chipmunk, Happy Jack Squirrel, Sammy Jay,

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Speaker 1: Blackie the Crow, Hooty the Owl, and Bobby all sat

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Speaker 1: up in the old butternut tree where it was cool

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Speaker 1: and shady. Johnny Chuck, Jerry Muskrat, Jimmy Skunk, Little Joe Otter,

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Speaker 1: Grandfather Frog, and even old Missus mister Toad were there.

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Speaker 1: Last of all came Spotty the Turtle. Now, Spotty the

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Speaker 1: Turtle is a very slow walker, and he cannot run

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Speaker 1: at all. When Peter Rabbit saw him coming up towards

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Speaker 1: the old butternut tree, he shouted, come, Spotty, don't you

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Speaker 1: want to race with us? Everybody laughed, because you know,

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Speaker 1: Spotty is so very, very slow. But Spotty didn't laugh,

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Speaker 1: and he didn't get angry because everyone else laughed. There

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Speaker 1: is a wise old saying, Peter Rabbit, said, Spotty the turtle,

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Speaker 1: which shows that those who run fastest do not always

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Speaker 1: reach a place first. I think I will enter this race.

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Speaker 1: Everyone thought that that was the best joke they had

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Speaker 1: heard for a long time, and all laughed harder than ever.

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Speaker 1: They all agreed that Spotty the Turtle should start in

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Speaker 1: the race too, so they all stood in a row,

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Speaker 1: Peter Rabbit first, then Billy Mink, then Reddy Fox, and

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Speaker 1: at the right side of Reddy Fox Spotty the Turtle.

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Speaker 1: Are you ready, asked Grandfather Frog. Go Away went Peter

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Speaker 1: Rabbit with great big jumps. After him went Billy Mink,

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Speaker 1: so fast that there was just a little brown streak

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Speaker 1: going through through the tall grass, and side by side

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Speaker 1: with him ran Reddy Fox. Now, just as they started,

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Speaker 1: Spotty the Turtle reached up and grabbed the long hair

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Speaker 1: at the end of Reddy's big tail. Of course, Reddy

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Speaker 1: couldn't have stopped to shake him off, because Peter Rabbit

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Speaker 1: and Billy Mink were running so fast that he had

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Speaker 1: to run his very best to keep up with them.

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Speaker 1: But he didn't even know that Spotty the turtle was there.

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Speaker 1: You see, Spotty is not very heavy, and Reddy Fox

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Speaker 1: was so excited that he did not notice that his

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Speaker 1: big tail was heavier than usual. The merry little breezes

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Speaker 1: flew along too, to see that the race was fair.

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Speaker 1: Peter Rabbit went with great big jumps. Whenever he came

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Speaker 1: to a little bush, he jumped right over it or

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Speaker 1: Peter Rabbit's legs are long and meant for jumping. Billy

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Speaker 1: Mink is so slim that he slipped between the bushes

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Speaker 1: and through the long grass like a little brown streak.

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Speaker 1: Reddy Fox, who was bigger than either Peter Rabbit or

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Speaker 1: Billy Mink, had no trouble in keeping up with them.

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Speaker 1: Not one of them noticed that Spotty the turtle was

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Speaker 1: hanging fast to the end of Reddy's tail. Now, just

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Speaker 1: at the foot of the little hill on which the

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Speaker 1: big hickory tree grew was a little pond. It wasn't

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Speaker 1: very wide, but it was quite long. Billy Mink remembered

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Speaker 1: this pond, and he chuckled to himself as he raced along,

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Speaker 1: for he knew that Peter Rabbit couldn't swim, and he

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Speaker 1: knew that Reddy Fox doesn't like the water, so therefore

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Speaker 1: both would have to run around it. He himself can

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Speaker 1: swim even faster than he can run. The more he

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Speaker 1: thought of this, the more silly it seemed that he

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Speaker 1: should hurry so on such a warm day, four, said

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Speaker 1: Billy Mink to himself, Even if they reached the pond first,

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Speaker 1: they will have to run around it, while I can

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Speaker 1: swim across it and cool off while I am swimming,

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Speaker 1: I will surely get there first. So Billy Mink ran

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Speaker 1: slower and slower, and pretty soon he had dropped behind

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Speaker 1: mister sun Round and red looking down, smiled and smiled

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Speaker 1: to see the race. The more he smiled, the warmer

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Speaker 1: it grew. Now Peter Rabbit had a thick gray coat

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Speaker 1: and Reddy Fox had a thick red coat, and they

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Speaker 1: both began to get very, very warm, Peter Rabbit did

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Speaker 1: not make such long jumps as when he first started.

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Speaker 1: Reddy Fox began to feel very thirsty and his tongue

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Speaker 1: hung out. Now that Billy Mink was behind them, they

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Speaker 1: thought they did not need to hurry so much. Peter

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Speaker 1: Rabbit reached the little pond first. He had not thought

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Speaker 1: of the pond when he agreed to enter the race.

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Speaker 1: He stopped right on the edge of it and sat

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Speaker 1: up on his hind legs. Right across, he could see

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Speaker 1: the big hickory tree, so near and yet so far,

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Speaker 1: for he knew that he must run around the pond

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Speaker 1: then back again, and it was a long long way.

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Speaker 1: In just a moment, Reddy Fox ran out of the bushes,

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Speaker 1: and Reddy felt much as Peter Rabbit did. Way way

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Speaker 1: behind them was Billy Mink, trotting along comfortably and chuckling

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Speaker 1: to himself. Peter Rabbit looked at Reddy Fox in dismay,

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Speaker 1: and Reddy Fox looked at Peter Rabbit in dismay. Then

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Speaker 1: they both looked at Billy Mink and remembered that Billy

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Speaker 1: Mink could swim right across. Then off, Peter Rabbit started

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Speaker 1: as fast as he could go around the pond one way,

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Speaker 1: and Reddy Fox started around the pond the other way.

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Speaker 1: They were so excited that neither noticed a little splash

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Speaker 1: in the pond. That was Spotty, the turtle who had

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Speaker 1: let go of Reddy's tail and now was swimming across

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Speaker 1: the pond. Or you know that Spotty is a splendid swimmer.

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Speaker 1: Only once or twice he stuck his little black nose

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Speaker 1: up to get some air. The rest of the time

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Speaker 1: he swam underwater, and no one but the merry little

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Speaker 1: breezes saw him. Right across, he swam and climbed up

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Speaker 1: the bank, right under the big hickory tree. Now there

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Speaker 1: were just three nuts left under the hickory trees. Two

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Speaker 1: of these Spotty took down to the edge of the

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Speaker 1: pond and buried in the mud. The other he took

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Speaker 1: in his mouth and started back across the pond. Just

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Speaker 1: as he reached the other shore, up trotted Billy Mink.

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Speaker 1: But Billy Mink didn't see Spotty. He was too intent

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Speaker 1: on watching Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit, who were now

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Speaker 1: halfway around the pond. In he jumped with a splash. My,

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Speaker 1: how good that school water did feel. He didn't have

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Speaker 1: to hurry now, because he felt sure that the race

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Speaker 1: was his. So he swam round and round and chased

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Speaker 1: some fish and had a beautiful time in the water.

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Speaker 1: By and bye. He looked up and saw that Peter

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Speaker 1: Rabbit was almost around the pond one way, and Reddy

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Speaker 1: Fox was almost around the pond the other way. They

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Speaker 1: both looked tired and hot and discouraged. Then Billy Mink

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Speaker 1: swam slowly across and climbed out on the bank under

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Speaker 1: the big hickory tree. But where were the nuts? Look

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Speaker 1: as he would, he could not see a single nut anywhere.

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Speaker 1: Yet the merry little breezes had said there were three

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Speaker 1: nuts lying under the hickory tree. Billy Mink ran this

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Speaker 1: way and ran that way. He was still running around,

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Speaker 1: poking over the leaves and looking under the twigs and

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Speaker 1: pieces of bark when Peter Rabbit and Reddy Fox came up.

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Speaker 1: Then they too began to look under the leaves and

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Speaker 1: under the bark. They pawed around in the grass. They

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Speaker 1: hunted in every nook and cranny, but not a nut

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Speaker 1: could they find. They were tired and angry and hot,

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Speaker 1: and they accused Billy Mink of having hidden the nuts.

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Speaker 1: Billy Mink insisted that he had not hidden the nuts,

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Speaker 1: that he had not found the nuts, And when they

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Speaker 1: saw how hard he was hunting, they believed him. All

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Speaker 1: the afternoon they hunted and hunted and hunted, and all

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Speaker 1: the afternoon, Spotty the turtle with the nut in his mouth,

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Speaker 1: was slowly, oh so slowly, crawling straight back across the

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Speaker 1: green meadows towards the old butternut tree. Round Red mister

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Speaker 1: Sun was getting very close to the Purple hills where

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Speaker 1: he goes to bed every night. And all the little

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Speaker 1: meadow folks were getting ready to go to their homes.

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Speaker 1: They were wondering and wondering what could have happened to

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Speaker 1: the racers. When Sammy Jay spot the merry little breezes

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Speaker 1: dancing across the green meadows. Here come the merry little breezes.

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Speaker 1: They'll tell us who wins the race, cried Sammy Jay.

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Speaker 1: When the merry little breezes reached the old butternut tree,

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Speaker 1: all the little meadow folks crowded around them, But the

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Speaker 1: merry little breezes just laughed and laughed and wouldn't say

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Speaker 1: a word. Then all of a sudden, out of the

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Speaker 1: tall meadow grass crept Spotty the turtle and laid the

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Speaker 1: hickory nut at the feet of Old Grandfather Frog. Old

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Speaker 1: Grandfather Frog was so surprised that he actually let a

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Speaker 1: great green fly buzz right past his nose. Where did

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Speaker 1: you get that hickory nut, asked Grandfather Frog. Under the

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Speaker 1: big hickory tree on the hill on the other side

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Speaker 1: of the green meadows, said Spotty. Then all the merry

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Speaker 1: little breezes clapped their hands and said he did, he did.

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Speaker 1: Spotty wins the race. Then they told how Spotty reached

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Speaker 1: the pond by clinging to the tip of Reddy Fox's

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Speaker 1: tail and had hidden the other two nuts, and then

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Speaker 1: how he had patiently crawled home while Billy Mink and

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Speaker 1: Reddy Fox and Peter Rabbit were hunting and hunting and

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Speaker 1: hunting for the nuts they could not find. And so

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Speaker 1: Spotty the turtle was awarded the race, and to this

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Speaker 1: day eat a rabbit and Reddy Fox and Billy Mink

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Speaker 1: cannot bear the sight of a hickory nut. Good Night,

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Speaker 1: sleep tight,