Mother West Wind "Where" StoriesBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
General
Mother West Wind "Where" Stories
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Animals -- Juvenile fiction
"Certainly," replied Honker. "Certainly that is his name, and a very
good name for him it is. But then of course it is because he _is_ a
glutton that he is named Glutton. Rather I should say that is the reason
the first Wolverine was named Glutton. The name has been handed down
ever since, and it fits Mr. Wolverine of today quite as well as ever it
did his great-great-ever-so-great-grandfather."
"Tell me about it," Peter begged. "Please tell me about it."
"Tell you about what?" asked Honker, pretending not to understand.
"About how the first Wolverine got the name of Glutton," replied Peter
promptly. "There must have been a very good reason, and if there was a
very good reason, there must be a story. Please, Honker, tell me all
about it."
Honker swam a little way out from shore, and with head held high and
very still, he looked and listened and listened and looked until he was
quite certain that no danger lurked near. Then he swam back to where
Peter was sitting on the bank.
"Peter," said he, "I never in all my born days have seen such a fellow
for questions as you are. If I lived about here, I think I should swim
away every time I saw you coming. But as I only stop here for a day or
two twice a year, I guess I can stand it. Besides, you really ought to
know something about some of the people who live in the Great Forest. It
is shameful, Peter, that you should be so ignorant. And so if you will
promise not to ask for another story while I am here, I will tell you
about Glutton the Wolverine."
Of course Peter promised. He wanted that story so much that he would
have promised anything. So Honker told the story, and here it is just as
Peter heard it.
"Once upon a time long, long, long ago, the first Wolverine was sent out
to find a place for himself in the Great World just as every one else
had been sent out. Old Mother Nature had told him that he was related to
Mr. Weasel and Mr. Mink and Mr. Fisher and Mr. Skunk, but no one would
have guessed it just to look at him. In fact, some of his new neighbors
were inclined to think that he was related to Old King Bear. Certainly
he looked more like King Bear than he did like little Mr. Weasel. But
for his bushy tail he would have looked still more like a member of the
Bear family. He was clumsy-looking. He was rather slow moving, but he
was strong, very strong for his size. And he had a mean disposition.
Yes, Sir, Mr. Wolverine had a mean disposition. He had such a mean
disposition that he would snarl at his own reflection in a pool of
water.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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