Evening star., 1937-02-17

great travellers. Probably they have to
be to get plenty to eat. They are, as
you know, great fishermen, fish form
ing a large part of their food. Now,
as all fishermen know. pool that has
been continuously flShed becomes
flShed out after a while. SO that the
fisherman who really hopes to get any
fish must move on to another pool. 1t
is just so with Offers. When fish be-
come scarce in one place, they move
on to another. So they keep going,
and it may be long time before they
get back to the first place. This has
had time to become restocked with
fish.
There were two children in Little
Joe's family, and ever since they were
big enough to catch fish for them
selves and to travel with the family,
under Little Joe Otter's leadership,
they had been more or less on the
move. All Summer and through the
Fall they had fiShed and played along
the Big River and up and down several
brooks. sometimes going up one brook
until it became too small, then cross
ing overland to the beginning of an
other brook and following this down to
where it joined the Big River
Now one of the children was more
venturesome than the other. He is
too venturesome." his mother would
say. "One Of these days he will get
into real trouble if he persists in
being SO venturesome
My dear" Little Joe Otter would
reply. you seem to have forgotten
that he who ventures nothing nothing
has. I would rather have the young
ster too venturesome than not ven-
turesome at all. He'll get more out
of life and enjoy it more. And from
experience he'll learn in time just how
venturesome he can wisely be"
If he doesn't lose his life before
he learns" retored Mrs Joe
Since Jack Frost had covered the
streams and ponds with heavy ice the
family had done less travelling. They
were content to spend more time in
nice dry. warm room under ground,
room reached by means of an under
water entrance, one deep enough to
make sure that the ice never would be
thick enough to close it. They some
times swan some distance under the
ice to get their food, but this they
didn't mind, for they knew just how
to get fresh air even there.
Now there had been a thaw, fol-
lowed by more snow. This had packed
down, but was not covered with a
hard crust as had been the case q
while back. The venturesome young
Otter had grown tired of staying at
home and making short fishing trips
under the ice. He swan to an open
place and climbed out on the ice. He
shook himself thoroughly. Then he
started for shore. He would roam
a bit through the Green Forest and
see what he could find. He might
catch some one there. A bit Of fresh
meat would be a welcome change in
food. He didn't know what a hard
time the meat eaters were having and
how ceaselessly they hunted in order
to get meat enough to keep them alive.
But if he had known, it would have
made no difference. It really was for
fun, the sense of adventure rather
than the need of food, that he was
going.
II won't 60 far" said he to himself.
"I don't see how there can be any
danger, anyway, but won't go far"
He really meant this. He had no in
tention of going far. But, being of
venturesome spirit, he kept going a
little farther and little farther. until
without realizing it he was a long
way from home. He was little tro
venturesome
(Copyright. 1917