<h2><SPAN name="XI" id="XI"></SPAN>XI</h2>
<h3>ON THE BEAVER DAM</h3>
<p><span class="smcap">Timothy Turtle</span> was so angry that he
went about snapping at everybody and
everything. And since the whole Beaver
family kept carefully out of his way, he
had to content himself with setting his
jaws upon roots and sticks.</p>
<p>Now, the Beavers' dam was made of
sticks and mud. So Timothy found
plenty of chances to bite. And because
he could not hurt the sticks, no matter
how much he tried, nobody cared.</p>
<p>Really he acted in a most silly, surly
fashion.</p>
<p>Out of a corner of his eye Brownie<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></SPAN></span>
Beaver watched Timothy Turtle closely.
Brownie had not forgotten how Timothy
seized his mother by the tail. And while
he was helping his elders on the dam, at
the same time he was trying to think of
some way to outwit Timothy Turtle.</p>
<p>It happened that just at that time the
dam needed a great deal of mending.
There were so many holes to be filled that
the Beavers worked all night long. And
in spite of all their efforts they saw that
even then a few leaks would have to go
unmended. But they did not get snappish
nor lose their tempers. They were
not like Timothy Turtle. Though he slept
a great part of the night, and waked up
to watch the workers early in the morning,
his temper was worse than ever.</p>
<p>He was paddling through the water
close to the dam when Brownie Beaver
called to him.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>"You see that stick??" said Brownie,
pointing to a stout piece of box elder that
stuck out of the dam.</p>
<p>"I'm not blind," Timothy Turtle
snarled back at him.</p>
<p>"Well, please don't bite it, anyhow!"
Brownie Beaver begged him.</p>
<p>That was enough for Timothy Turtle.
The mere fact that he thought somebody
didn't want him to do a certain thing was
sure to make him do it. So without saying
another word he seized that stick in
his powerful jaws. And bracing his feet
against the inner side of the dam, half in
the water and half out, he pulled with all
his strength.</p>
<p>Now and then he turned his beady eyes
toward Brownie Beaver and frowned at
him, as if to say, "Don't give <i>me</i> any orders,
young fellow! I shall do just as I
please; and nobody can stop me."<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></SPAN></span></p>
<p>Timothy noticed that Brownie went to
a number of the other workers and whispered
to them. And when everyone to
whom he spoke called to Timothy and
asked him if he wouldn't just as soon let
go of that stick and grab another one, that
crusty old codger made up his mind that
nobody should move him from that spot.
He took an even firmer hold and tugged
as if he meant to tear the whole dam
down.</p>
<p>But the Beaver family knew that he
couldn't do any damage. And as soon as
it was light enough they all went home to
take a nap, leaving Timothy Turtle to pull
away to his heart's content.</p>
<hr class="chapter" />
<p class="chapter"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></SPAN></span></p>
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