Mother West Wind How" Stories"

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MINK TAUGH

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He can run very swiftly; he can climb very nimbly; his eyes and his ears and his nose are all wonderfully keen, and-he can swim like a fish. Yes, Sir, Billy Mink is just as much at home in the water as o

hat time. He had invited every one to meet at the Smiling Pool and see Billy Mink do whatever any one else who wore fur could do, and then, when Billy had run and jumped and climbed and

gs that Billy Mink could do and do well. Somehow Peter could never make it seem quite right that one person should be able to do so many th

at they can do till they try. Once upon a time Billy Mink's great-great-ever-so-great-grandfather

do?" asked

to learn how. Then he taught his children, and they taught their chil

k very long to learn how

her Frog. "Quite a while. Perhaps

ter. "If you please. I should love dearly to he

that sounded very much like a chuckle. He looked at Grandfather Frog suspiciously. Was that chu

nk family to be smart. He dressed very much as Billy does now, except that he didn't have the waterproof coat that Billy has. And he was a great traveler, just as Billy is. Everybody smaller than he and some who were bigger were a little bit afraid of old Mr. Mink, for he was quite as sly and cunning as Mr. Fox, and it was suspected that he knew a

all that was going on about him, and he was wise enough to keep his tongue still

er Frog had looked at him very hard when he said this. But Gran

ed on having a special kind of food often went hungry or had to hunt long and hard to find what they liked, so he made up his mind to learn to eat many kinds of food. This is how it happens th

wanted it. 'If I could learn to catch fish for myself, I would be much better off,' thought Mr. Mink. After this he spent a great deal of time on the banks of the Smiling Pool watching

keep at it. After a while he got so that he could paddle around a little. Gradually he lost his fear of the water. Then he found that because he naturally moved

while he swam as fast as ever he could with his head under water as he had seen his cousin, Mr. Otter, swim. The more he did this, the longer he could hold his breath. After a while he found that because he was slim and trim and moved so fast, he could out-swim Mr. Muskrat, and this made him feel very good indeed, for Mr. Muskrat sp

h, my, no! You see, he had learned to catch fish, and so he had plenty to eat. When Old Mother Nature came to see how all the little people were getting along, she was very much su

e had a brand new coat over his old one, and the new one was waterproof. He could swim as much as he pleased and not get the least bit wet, because the water couldn't get through that new coat. And ever sinc

ing my breath," replied Peter

her Frog. "You can't learn to swim by hold