New Britain herald., 1928-09-29


 Jerry Muskrat was getting ready for winter. He had started new house. He was late in starting it. He should have started it month earlier. But somehow or other Jer- ry hadn't felt like working while the weather was warm. and it had been unusually warm. Now he ad got to work hard and fast to make up for lost time. But when Jerry starts in he is much like Paddy the Beaver, whom he sometimes calls this Oig cousin" although really he isn't his cousin at all. You knod. Paddy is famous for the way he workA
 Jerry had chosen the place for his new house with great care. There were some splendid strong bulrushes growing in the water and the water was about two feet deep. Right in among these rushes was just the place for the foundation of his house At first, because he was so late in building, he had planned only Q small house. But as he worked and found material close at hand he decided to have a big house. "Il have the biggest house I've ever had" said he, talking to himself. 'I'll show Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter and the rest of the people around here what a real house is like. I'll make ii big enough so that l can have company when want it. Some of the children may want to stay with me this winter. Mrs. Muskrat seems to think that our old home in the bank is good enough. but when> she sees this house she'll change her mind
 So Jerry b. gan dragging to the place he had chosen lot of old dead rushes and grass and bits Of sod and mud and roots. He had dug lot of this stuff out of the bottom of the Smiling Pool for some little distance around the place where the house was to be. At first he just piled 1t up. By and by he had piled i: SO high that it began to al pear above the surface of the water. IT" was building a little island tlierr. The island grew bigger and bigger. It wouldn't have been so big had the material not been so handy. The part under the water was very largely mud. with just enough Of vegetation to hold it together. In digging up this mud he mad" tfe water deeper right around the little island. He did this purposely.
 There is nothirg like plenty Of water when you want to swim ;'li Perry, when Mr.s. Jerry asked m why he was making the foundation of his house so big. This mud is e;.sy to dig and when the SuoiIir" Pool freezes and the ice gets thick we'll never have to worry for fear ire wate- will fresz" clear 10 the bottom. IL may do that where tho water is less deep, but it won't do it here"
 At last Jerry had a sood-sized is land. Al least that is what it look ed like. When he wanted to rest he would climb NIp on it arl jus sit there. It was a splendid place 10 sit. He became so fond of it that he would brin. his meals over there to eat Now that the little islar q was above water he didn't us" so much mud. He cut rushcs 1T brought grass and sometimes small sticks. He still used q little mud, but the mud was not so easy to get now The rushes and other material were much easier 10 get.
 NOW" said he. "1 must have a good tunnel: 4 house is no good il it does not have good tunnel. \ tunnel is as important as any part of the house."
 So Jerry dug channel from the deeper water of the Smiling Pool over to the mud base of his house anh a tunnel up througs this, which