e didn't know
how to manage it, but when he tried to swim, he found that it was even
better than his old tail for swimming. He hurried over to begin his
day's work, and there he made another discovery; his new tail was just
the most splendid brace! It was almost like a stool to sit on, and he
could work all day long without tiring his legs. Then was Mr. Beaver
very happy, and to show how happy he was, he worked harder than ever.
Later, he found that his new tail was just what he needed to pat down
the mud with which he covered the roof of his house.

"'Why,' he cried, 'I believe it is the most useful tail in all the
world!'

"And then he wished with all his might that Old Mother Nature would
return so that he might thank her for it. And that," concluded
Grandfather Frog, "is how Mr. Beaver came by his broad tail. You see,
Old Mother Nature always helps those who help themselves. And ever
since that long-ago day, all Beavers have had broad tails, and have
been the greatest workers in the world."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories
by Thornton W. Burgess

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MOTHER WEST WIND 'WHY' STORIES ***

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