THE SMALLEST OTTER IS WILFUL
The wilful and the heedless gain
Experience through fright and pain.
_Little Joe Otter._
Little Joe and Mrs. Otter are wise in the ways and the things of the
Green Forest. So, as they journeyed towards the distant brook they had
planned to visit, their keen ears caught every little sound, and without
bothering to investigate they knew just what had made each little sound.
But with the two young Otters it was a very different matter. Everything
was new and strange and therefore interesting. They wanted to stop and
examine everything. Every time they heard a little noise off at one side
they wanted to go over and find out what had made it.
Now Mrs. Otter is a good mother, a watchful mother. She kept a keen eye
on the two young Otters. And every time they started off she called them
back. She warned them that there were dangers in the Green Forest. She
did her best to frighten them.
The smallest Otter was headstrong and wilful and heedless. She wanted to
have her own way. “Mother is just trying to scare us,” she whispered to
her brother. “I don’t believe there is any danger. We haven’t seen a
single thing to be afraid of. She wants us to tag along at her heels and
not have any fun. I want to see all there is to see. She can’t scare me.
I’m not afraid of any one.”
So the smallest Otter kept dropping behind to examine everything that
interested her. At the same time she kept a watchful eye on Mrs. Otter,
and every time the latter turned to see where the youngsters were, the
smallest Otter would go bounding along the trail, hurrying to catch up.
Her brother was more obedient. He sometimes dropped behind, but never as
far behind as his sister. Mother Otter, seeing the obedient young Otter
not far behind, would take it for granted that his sister was not far
behind him, and so after a while she became a little less watchful. The
smallest Otter soon discovered this, and then she dropped farther back
than ever.
“I can’t get lost,” said she to herself, “because all I have to do is to
follow this trail through the snow. I don’t care if they do get way
ahead. I can catch up any time by hurrying. Now I wonder what that is. I
am sure I saw something move under that little tree over to the right.”
She stopped and looked very hard at the young tree. The branches were
bent down with snow. She couldn’t see under them. There was nothing
moving there now. She looked up the trail. Little Joe and Mrs. Otter
were out of sight, and her brother was just disappearing over the top of
a little ridge.
“I’m sure I saw something move over there,” said the wilful young Otter,
looking back at the little tree. “I’m sure I did. It won’t take but a
minute to go over and find out. Mother always has said that we should
learn all we can. How can we learn if we don’t try to find out about
things? There certainly won’t be any harm in looking under that little
tree.”
Once more she glanced along the trail. Her brother had disappeared. No
one was in sight. Then she turned and bounded through the snow towards
that little hemlock tree. She was going to satisfy her curiosity.