TOTO AND THE BOY
Toto, being only a beaver, did not know very much about the different
things that men do. Toto knew how to gnaw down trees, how to strip off
bark when he was hungry, how to dig canals for the water to run in and
float logs for the dam, and he knew how to help make dams. But he never
thought of going into another beaver’s house and taking the bark which
that beaver had stored away.
And now these men were going into the house of the little girl’s
grandmother, and they were going after jewelry which had been hidden
by the old lady when she went away on a little visit with her
granddaughter. But Toto knew nothing of this. All he knew was that he
was hiding behind a bush, watching the tramps steal softly toward the
lonely house.
One of the tramps, the red-haired one, broke open the door of the
grandmother’s house. It was just the same as if Sniffy and Toto should
break into the house of Mr. Cuppy, when that kind old gentleman beaver
was out working on the dam. Into the house went the tramps――four of
them, big, ragged men.
“I hope they don’t see me,” thought Toto, for he knew it was dangerous
to be where he was. His father and mother had told him to keep away
from men who had traps and guns. And though these tramps were too lazy
to do any hunting or shooting, Toto did not know that.
Really he ought not to have been so far away from home, but you know
how it is with boys――even animal boys. Beavers sometimes don’t do the
right thing, any more than real boys do. So, though he felt that there
was danger, Toto wanted to stay near and watch.
He saw the tramps break into the house, but of course he did not see
what they did when they got inside, so I shall have to tell you that
part of the story myself.
The tramps easily broke open the door and got inside. The first thing
they did was to look for something to eat, for, being lazy men, they
did not work, and all the food they had was what they stole or begged.
And as Millie’s grandmother was a good cook, there was plenty in her
house to eat. The tramps had a fine meal, and they then looked about
for something to take away with them.
Millie’s grandmother was not rich, but she had some gold and silver
jewelry put away in a box in her home. Some of the rings and pins were
those Millie’s grandmother had had since she was a little girl herself,
and there was one pretty bracelet that Mrs. Norman (which was the
grandmother’s name), had promised to give Millie.
Mrs. Norman had hidden her box of jewelry under the bed when she went
out, thinking that would be a safe place. But, would you believe it?
That was one of the first places the tramps looked when they finished
their meal.
“Ho! Ho!” laughed the tramps. “Here it is!”
With their coarse, rough hands they broke open the box, for the lock
was not strong. Inside glittered the gold and silver jewelry of Mrs.
Norman, and the sun sparkled on the pretty bracelet that was to be
Millie’s.
“Ho! Ho!” laughed the tramps. “This will bring us money when we sell
it!”
The tramps were looking at the jewelry in the box when, all at once,
the red-haired one cried:
“Hark! I hear some one coming! We’d better run!”
“Come on!” exclaimed another.
So the next thing Toto, the watching beaver, saw was tramps come
rushing from the house. Toto did not know what the tramps had done
in the house, but he saw them come rushing out, the red-haired one
carrying a small box. Of course Toto did not know what was in the box.
Beavers have no use for jewelry.
“Come on!” cried the red-haired tramp. “Come on! Maybe the police are
after us!”
And so the tramps ran across the fields towards the woods where they
had built themselves another shack. And these woods were not far from
those where Toto and the other beavers lived, near the dam.
Now the noise which had scared the tramps was made by a boy knocking at
the side door of the house where Millie’s grandmother lived. This boy,
whose name was Bobbie Thompson, had been sent by his mother to borrow
a cup of sugar from Mrs. Norman. Bobbie’s mother lived almost half a
mile from Millie’s grandmother, and as there were very few stores in
that part of the country the neighbors used to borrow things from one
another. So Bobbie’s mother had sent him to borrow some sugar.
Bobbie did not know that Millie and her grandmother had gone out, and
he did not know that tramps were in the house, when he knocked at the
side door. And it was his knocking that had scared the ragged men.
Out of the front door of the house they rushed, and, as they hurried
away, Bobbie, who was a sturdy little chap, saw them go.
“Hello there! What’s this?” cried Bobbie, who was very much surprised.
“What’s this?”
Then, as he saw what kind of men they were and that one of them had the
box of jewelry under his arm, Bobbie understood.
“Tramps! Tramps!” cried Bobbie. “I wish I had my dog with me now! Those
tramps have been robbing Mrs. Norman!”
Bobbie stood on the side steps a few seconds, watching the tramps run
across the field. Then, being a brave boy, he decided to run after
them. I don’t believe Bobbie really thought he could catch the tramps,
nor that he hoped he could get the box of jewelry away from them if he
did catch them. He just wanted to see where they went, so he could tell
the police.
“Hi there! Come back with that box!” called Bobbie, and then he began
to run. Off the steps he jumped, dropping the cup which he had come to
get filled with sugar. He had forgotten all about that now.
After the tramps he ran, shouting and calling to them, and the queer
part of it was that the tramps did not look back to see who was after
them. They were too frightened, as they knew they had done wrong and
could be arrested for it.
“Are the police after us?” asked one tramp.
“Yes, I guess so,” answered the red-haired one who had the jewel box.
“We’d better hide this stuff, too! If they catch us with it we’ll have
to go to jail. We’ll hide it as soon as we get to the woods!”
And so the tramps ran on, never once looking back. If they had looked
back they would have seen it was only a small boy chasing them, and not
two or three policemen. But that is often the way with persons who do
wrong. Their own fears scare them.
“Hi there! Hold on! Stop!” cried Bobbie. But the tramps did not stop.
They only ran the faster toward the woods. And, finally reaching the
forest, the red-haired tramp looked around for a place to hide the box
of jewelry.
“I’ll put it in this hollow tree!” he said to the other tramps, as,
reaching a big chestnut tree, he saw a hole in the trunk. “I’ll hide
the jewelry here and, when the police go, we can come back and get it
out again.”
So he thrust the box of gold and silver jewelry, with Millie’s bracelet
in it, into the hollow of the tree. Then the tramps ran on through
the woods, and scattered, some going one way and some another, still
thinking the police were after them.
But it was only Bobbie, and the little boy, seeing that the tramps were
fast running away from him, soon gave up the chase.
“I guess I’ll go back to Millie’s grandmother’s house,” said Bobbie
to himself. “Maybe she’s come back. If she has I’ll get the sugar and
tell her about the tramps. If she isn’t at home I’ll go and tell my
mother.”
Now all this time Toto was wondering what it all meant. He had seen the
bad, ragged tramps break into the house, and he had seen them rush out,
and Bobbie chasing after them. But the beaver did not know what it was
all about. However, being very curious, as are most wild animals, Toto
wanted to find out. So when Bobbie began to run Toto slowly followed
after, taking care, however, to keep in the shadow of the bushes and
trees.
Thus it happened that when Bobbie turned back, after he had lost sight
of the tramps in the woods, he saw Toto ambling along.
“Hello! A beaver!” cried Bobbie. “I haven’t seen one of them for a long
while! I’m going to get him! I’ll take him home for a pet!”
And then, running as fast as he could, Bobbie chased after Toto,
wishing to catch our little friend with the broad, flat tail.
“My goodness!” thought Toto as he saw Bobbie coming. “I’d better run!”