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Speaker 1: Hello, friends, and welcome to sleep Tight Stories. Sleep Tight

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Speaker 1: Stories is supported by the generosity of our patrons and

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Speaker 1: the perks like shout outs, stickers and other surprises in

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Speaker 1: the mail, go to sleep tightstories dot org, forward slash

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Speaker 1: support or follow the link in our show notes. Thank you.

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

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Speaker 1: to Ian from Ireland who turned eight years old on

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Speaker 1: September thirteenth. Happy birthday to you. I hope you have

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Speaker 1: a very special day. Do you think you are lucky?

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Speaker 1: Today's story is about a lucky mink. Everyone thinks the

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Speaker 1: mink is lucky because of all the things he can

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Speaker 1: do and because of his tail. Big brother Mink wants

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Speaker 1: to be exactly like the lucky mink and starts following

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Speaker 1: him around. One day, the lucky mink needs big brother's help,

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Speaker 1: and big brother offers to help in return where the

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Speaker 1: lucky mink's luck. The lucky mink agrees, will big brother

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Speaker 1: be able to get his luck? Let's listen and see

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Speaker 1: what happens the lucky mink. During the warm weather, the

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Speaker 1: minks did not come often to the pond, then they

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Speaker 1: had to stay nearer home and care for their babies.

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Speaker 1: In the winter, when food was not so plentiful, and

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Speaker 1: their youngest children were old enough to come with them,

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Speaker 1: they visited there every day. It was not far from

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Speaker 1: their home. The minks lived by a waterfall in the

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Speaker 1: river and had burrows in the banks, where the young

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Speaker 1: minks stayed until they were large enough to go out

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Speaker 1: into the world. Then the fathers and mothers were very

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Speaker 1: busy or in each home there were four or five

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Speaker 1: or six children, hungry and restless and needing to be

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Speaker 1: taught many things. They were related to the weasels who

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Speaker 1: lived up by the farmyard, and had the same slender

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Speaker 1: and elegant bodies and short legs as they like the weasels.

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Speaker 1: They sometimes climbed trees, but that was not often. They

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Speaker 1: did most of their hunting in the river, swimming with

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Speaker 1: their bodies almost all underwater, and diving and turning and

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Speaker 1: twisting gracefully and quickly. When they hunted on land, they

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Speaker 1: could tell by smelling just which way to go for

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Speaker 1: their food. The minks were a very dark brown, and

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Speaker 1: scattered through their close soft fur were long shining hairs

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Speaker 1: of an even darker shade, which made their coats very beautiful. Indeed,

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Speaker 1: the fur was darker on their backs than on the

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Speaker 1: underpart of their bodies, and their tapering, bushy tails were

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Speaker 1: almost black. Their underjaws were white, and they were very

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Speaker 1: proud of them. Perhaps it was because they had so

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Speaker 1: little white fur that they thought so much of it,

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Speaker 1: you know, that is often the way we think. Most

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Speaker 1: of those things which are scarce are hard to get.

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Speaker 1: There was one older mink by the river who had

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Speaker 1: a white tip on his tail, and that is something

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Speaker 1: which many people have never seen. It is even more

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Speaker 1: uncommon than for minks to have white upper lips, and

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Speaker 1: that happens only once in a great while. This mink

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Speaker 1: was a bachelor, and nobody knew why. Some people said

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Speaker 1: it was because he was waiting to find a wife

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Speaker 1: with a white tip on her tail. Yet that could

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Speaker 1: not have been or he was too wise to wait

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Speaker 1: for something which might never happen. However, he lived alone

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Speaker 1: and fished and hunted just for himself. He could dive

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Speaker 1: more quickly, stay underwater longer, and hunt by scent better

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Speaker 1: than any other mink round there. His fur was sleeker

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Speaker 1: and more shiny than that of his friends, and it

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Speaker 1: is no wonder that the sisters of his friends thought

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Speaker 1: he ought to marry them. When the minks visited together,

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Speaker 1: somebody was sure to speak of the mink's luck. They

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Speaker 1: said that whatever he did, he was always lucky. It

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Speaker 1: is all because of a white tip on his tail.

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Speaker 1: They said, that makes him lucky. The young minks heard

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Speaker 1: their fathers and mothers talking and wished that they had

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Speaker 1: been born with white tips on their tails, so that

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Speaker 1: they could be lucky too. Once the bachelor heard them

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Speaker 1: wishing this, and he smiled and showed his beautiful teeth

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Speaker 1: and told them that it was not the tip of

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Speaker 1: his tail, but his whole body that made him lucky.

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Speaker 1: Did not smile to show his teeth, because he was

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Speaker 1: not at all vain. He just smiled and showed his teeth.

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Speaker 1: There was a family of young minks who lived at

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Speaker 1: the foot of the waterfall, where the water splashed and

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Speaker 1: dashed in the way they liked best. There were four

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Speaker 1: brothers and two sisters in this family, and the brothers

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Speaker 1: were bigger than the sisters, as mink brothers always are,

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Speaker 1: although they were all the same age, one was very

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Speaker 1: much larger than any of the rest and so they

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Speaker 1: called him big Brother. Big brother thought there was never

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Speaker 1: such a fine mink as the bachelor, and he used

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Speaker 1: to follow him around and look at the tip of

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Speaker 1: his tail and wish that he was lucky like him.

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Speaker 1: He wished to be just like him in every way

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Speaker 1: but one. He did not want to be a bachelor.

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Speaker 1: The other young minks laughed at big Brother and asked

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Speaker 1: him if he thought his tail would turn white if

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Speaker 1: he followed the bachelor long enough. Big Brother stood it

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Speaker 1: very patiently for a while. Then he snarled at them

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Speaker 1: and showed his teeth without smiling, and said he would

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Speaker 1: chase anybody who spoke another word about it. Minks are

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Speaker 1: very brave and very fierce, and never know when to

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Speaker 1: stop if they have begun to fight. So after that,

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Speaker 1: nobody dared tease Big Brother by saying anything more about

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Speaker 1: the bachelor. Sometimes they did look at his tail and smile,

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Speaker 1: but they never spoke, and he pretended not to know

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Speaker 1: what they meant by it. A few days after this,

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Speaker 1: the bachelor was caught in a trap, a common clumsy

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Speaker 1: wooden trap put together with nails and twine. It was

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Speaker 1: not near the river, and none of his friends would

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Speaker 1: have found him. If Big Brother had not happened along,

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Speaker 1: he could hardly believe what he saw. Was it possible

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Speaker 1: that a trap had dared to catch a mink with

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Speaker 1: a white tipped tail? Then he heard the bachelor groan,

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Speaker 1: and he knew that it was so hurried up to

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Speaker 1: where the trap was. Can't you get out? He said? No,

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Speaker 1: said the bachelor, I can't. The best way to get

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Speaker 1: out is not to get in, and I've gotten in. Well,

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Speaker 1: can't you do something with your lucky tail to make

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Speaker 1: the trap open? Asked big brother. I could do something

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Speaker 1: with my teeth, answered the bachelor, if they were only

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Speaker 1: where the tip of my tail is. Why are minks

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Speaker 1: always walking into traps? He was trying hard not to

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Speaker 1: be angry, but his eyes showed how he felt, and

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Speaker 1: that was very angry. Indeed, then big Brother became very excited.

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Speaker 1: I have good teeth, he said, tell me what to

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Speaker 1: do if you will help me out, said the bachelor,

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Speaker 1: I will give you my luck. And what shall I

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Speaker 1: do with the tail I have asked the young mink,

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Speaker 1: who thought that the bachelor was to give him his

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Speaker 1: white tipped tail. Never mind now, answered the bachelor, and

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Speaker 1: he told the young mink just where to gnaw. For

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Speaker 1: a long time, there was no sound but that of

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Speaker 1: the young mink's teeth on the wood of the trap.

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Speaker 1: The bachelor was too brave to groan or make a

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Speaker 1: fuss when he knew there was anybody around to hear.

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Speaker 1: Big Brother's mouth became very sore and his stomach became

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Speaker 1: very empty, but he still kept at work. He was

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Speaker 1: afraid somebody would come for the trap and the mink

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Speaker 1: in it before he finished. Now try it, he said.

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Speaker 1: After he had gnawed for quite a while, the bachelor

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Speaker 1: backed out as far as he could, but his body

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Speaker 1: stuck in the hole. You are rumpling your beautiful fur,

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Speaker 1: cried the young mink. Never mind the fur, answered the bachelor.

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Speaker 1: I can smooth that down afterward. You will have to

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Speaker 1: gnaw a little on this side, and he raised one

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Speaker 1: of his hind feet to show where he meant. It

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Speaker 1: was a beautiful hind foot, thickley padded and with short,

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Speaker 1: partly webbed toes and no hair at all growing between them.

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Speaker 1: The claws were short, sharp and curved. Big Brother gnawed away.

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Speaker 1: Now try it, he said. The bachelor backed carefully out

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Speaker 1: through the opening and stood there, looking tired. And hungry

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Speaker 1: and very much rumpled. You are a fine young mink,

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Speaker 1: he said. We will get something to eat, and then

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Speaker 1: we will see about making you lucky. They went to

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Speaker 1: the river bank and had a good dinner. The bachelor

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Speaker 1: ate more than big brother, for his mouth was not sore.

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Speaker 1: But big brother was very happy. He thought how handsome

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Speaker 1: he would look with a white tipped tail, and how

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Speaker 1: after he had that he could surely marry whoever he wished.

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Speaker 1: It was the custom among his people to want to

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Speaker 1: marry the best looking and the strong. Indeed, it is

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Speaker 1: so among all the pond people, and that is one

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Speaker 1: reason why they care so much about being strong. It

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Speaker 1: is very hard for a young mink to have the

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Speaker 1: one he loves choose somebody else just because the other

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Speaker 1: fellow has the bushiest tail, or the longest fur, or

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Speaker 1: the thickest pads on his feet. Now, said the bachelor,

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Speaker 1: we will talk about luck. We will go to a

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Speaker 1: place where nobody can hear what we say. They found

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Speaker 1: such a place and lay down. The bachelor rolled over

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Speaker 1: three times and smoothed his fur. He was still so

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Speaker 1: tired from being in the trap. Then he looked at

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Speaker 1: the young mink very sharply. So you want my tail,

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Speaker 1: he said. You said you would give me your luck,

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Speaker 1: answered big brother. And everybody knows that your luck is

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Speaker 1: in your tail. The bachelor smiled. What will you do

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Speaker 1: with the tail you have, he asked? I don't know,

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Speaker 1: answered big brother. You wouldn't want to wear too, asked

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Speaker 1: the bachelor. Oh no, answered big brother. How would that look? Well?

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Speaker 1: How will you put my tail in place of yours?

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Speaker 1: Asked the bachelor. I don't know, answered the young mink,

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Speaker 1: But you are so wise that I thought you might

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Speaker 1: know some way. He began to feel discouraged and to

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Speaker 1: think that the bachelor's offer didn't mean very much after all,

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Speaker 1: don't you think, said the bachelor slowly. Don't you think

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Speaker 1: that if you could have my luck, you could get

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Speaker 1: along pretty well with your own tail? Why? Yes, said

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Speaker 1: the young mink, who had begun to fear he was

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Speaker 1: not going to get anything. Yes, but how could that be?

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Speaker 1: The bachelor smiled again. I always tell people, he said,

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Speaker 1: that my luck is not in my tail, and they

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Speaker 1: never believe it. I will tell you the secret of

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Speaker 1: my luck, and you can have luck like it if

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Speaker 1: you really care enough. He looked all around to make

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Speaker 1: sure that nobody was near, and he listened very carefully

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Speaker 1: with the two little round ears that were almost hidden

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Speaker 1: in his head fur. Then he whispered to big brother,

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Speaker 1: this is the secret. Always do everything a little better

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Speaker 1: than anybody else can. Is that all, asked the young mink.

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Speaker 1: That is enough, answered the bachelor. Keep trying and trying

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Speaker 1: and trying. Until you can dive deeper, stay underwater longer,

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Speaker 1: run faster, and smell farther than other minks. Then you

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Speaker 1: will have good luck when theirs might not be so lucky.

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Speaker 1: You will have plenty to eat. You can win every fight,

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Speaker 1: You can have sleek, shining fur. Luck is not a

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Speaker 1: matter of white tipped tails. The more the young mink

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Speaker 1: thought about it, the happier he became. I don't see

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Speaker 1: that I am to have your luck after all, he said.

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Speaker 1: When I have learned to do everything in the very

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Speaker 1: best way, it will be luck of my own. Of course,

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Speaker 1: answered the bachelor. Then it is a kind of luck

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Speaker 1: that cannot be lost. If I carried mine in the

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Speaker 1: tip of my tail, somebody might bite it off and

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Speaker 1: leave me unlucky. Big brother kept the secret and worked

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Speaker 1: until he had learned to be as lucky as the bachelor.

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Speaker 1: Then he married the person he wanted and she was

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Speaker 1: very beautiful and straw. It is said that one of

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Speaker 1: their sons has a white tipped tail, but that may

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Speaker 1: not be so, and that is the end of our story.

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Speaker 1: Good Night, sleep tight in im