Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1920-02-05
THE BEAVER TEACHES
SAMMY now TO Save
Wlflle's Mother Reoounts Doings Of In.
dustrlous Animal and Rouses {
Lad to Action.
BY Mary Leon.

What are you doing with that little
book, WillieT asked Sammy Brown,
when on entering the sitting room he
found Willie and Annie busy at the
table with a little booklet.
"Why, don't you known" cried
Annie in surprise. "This is a Thrift
card and we are pasting our Thrift
Stamps in"
20, I've heard Of them" returned
Sammy, "but / never saw one before.
l never could get twenty-five pennies
together to get my first stamp.
'I've tried and tried but I just can't.
I had a dime saved once and the baby
coaxed me for candy SO / bought 1T
for her. Then I got Is cents saved,
but l saw a ball that l wanted awfully
and I just had to have that.
"Then my next two pennies went
for a stick of ~licorice, and it just
seems that my money goes every time
before I can get a quarter together"
Mother was darning over in a cor
ner and heard Sammy's tale Of voc
She laid aside her work and came
up to the table.
Lets talk it over, Sammy" she
said. you would not like 1t if any one
would say that you were not Is smart
as some animals, would you? Let us
think awhile and see if you are. For
instance, you've read about beavers
have you?" :
mot very much" said Sammy. 81
don't know much about them"
"Well, you know they live in colo
mics, or families, in rivers, and their
food is the aspen log. They establish
their home at first near aspen groves.
But they hate to move
"They like to keep on living year
after year in the same place. And
every year they store up their winter
supply of aspen logs to last through
the season. They gnaw down the
trees and gnaw off the unwieldy limbs,
drag the logs to the river edge and
float them down to their home.
"If drift or anything gets in the
way to impede the progress of their
logs they clear it away. They even
build dams when needed to get them
over or around some very bad OBJ
Istruction.
"They put their whole mind and ef-
fort into accomplishing their work,
and, although they love to frolic and
play on. the banks and make excur-
'sions, they stick to their work until
it is done. They have been known to
be so intent upon an especially hard
task that beasts of prey have sneaked
up and caught them unawares.
"But those that are left keep right
at the work, day after day, night after
might, until it is done. Does that fact
make you think anything, Sammy"
WELL" said Sammy, reluctantly, at
does look as if the beaver could stick
to a thing better than I can. When he
sets out to store up and ave he does
it. And when I set out to save I end
by buying candy and balls.
"But I'll tell you what, I'll not let
any old beaver have more sense than
l have any more / guess I can save
il a beaver can. I am going to hunt
around today to see if l can't find
some odd jobs in the neighborhood so
that / can earn money enough to start
pasting Thrift Stamps on a card of my
own" :
Good for you, Sammy" said Willie.
"And I know a druggist who wants an
errand boy after school hours. That's
the way I work, you know, and you
can go with me there today. I earn
lots of quarters that way, and so can
you, and we pass a post office so that
you can get your card and maybe by
might have your first stamp"
Gee, won't that be great" said
Sammy. "Il tell you what let's do,
Willie. Let's run a race to see who
saves the most and fills a card first"
"AIl right" said generous Willie:
all give this one to Annie, and then
you and 1 will start even with new
cards."