<div><h1 id='ch33'>CHAPTER XXXIII<br/> <span class='sub-head'>ANOTHER FISH DISAPPEARS</span></h1></div>
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<p class='line0'>In things at once not understood</p>
<p class='line0'>Some people will admit no good.</p>
<p class='line0'>             <span class='it'>Little Joe Otter.</span></p>
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<p class='pindent'><span class='sc'>So</span> many things happen every
day to the little people of the Green
Forest and the Green Meadows
that they do not think of any
one thing very long. Two days
after the mysterious disappearance
of his big fish the young Otter
had stopped thinking about it.
He had made up his mind that
he never would know what became
of that fish and that the
matter was no longer worth puzzling
over. There were too many
other things to think about and
do.</p>
<p class='pindent'>On the third day he caught
another fine fish and climbed out
on the ice with it near the place
where he had left the other. This
fish wasn’t so big as the one
that had disappeared, but it was
a fine fish for all that. The young
Otter was hungry and he intended
to eat that fish right there. But
he had taken only a bite or two
when his sharp eyes saw another
fish in the water. Two fish would
be better than one. He dropped
on the ice the fish he was eating,
plunged into the water and like a
brown streak shot after the other
fish.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Swift as a fish is in water, there
isn’t much chance for it when once
an Otter gets after it. The young
Otter had quite a chase, but in the
end he caught the fish. Then with
it in his mouth he swam back and
climbed out on the ice at the place
where he had left the first fish.
He was feeling very well satisfied.
With two fish he would have all
he could possibly eat, and more too.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“First I’ll eat the one that I
caught first,” said the young Otter,
as he dropped on the ice the one he
had just caught. Then he received
a shock. That other fish wasn’t
there! There was only one fish
and that was the one he had just
caught. He couldn’t believe it.
No, Sir, he couldn’t believe it. He
actually rubbed his eyes two or
three times, to make sure that
nothing was the matter with them.
But nothing was the matter; that
other fish wasn’t there.</p>
<p class='pindent'>The young Otter hastily looked
in every direction. No one was in
sight. At least he didn’t see any
one. All he saw was what he took
to be a little heap of snow a short
distance away. He looked in the
water. He thought he might have
knocked that fish into the water
when he dived after the other one.
But he looked in vain.</p>
<p class='pindent'>Of course, right away he remembered
the disappearance of
the big fish a few days before.
Now another had disappeared just
as mysteriously. It was unbelievable,
but it was true. The young
Otter became frightened.</p>
<p class='pindent'>“This is no place for me,” said he.
“No, Sir, this is no place for me.
The first thing I know, this fish will
disappear right out of my mouth.
I wouldn’t mind losing the fish so
much if I could only know what
becomes of them.”</p>
<p class='pindent'>He looked hastily down to see
if the fish he had just caught was
still at his feet. It was, and with
a little sigh of relief he picked it up
and with it in his mouth plunged
into the water and swam hurriedly
over to the bank. There he gulped
that fish down as fast as ever he
could. He did it as if he feared
that it might disappear before he
could get it eaten.</p>
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