Stránka:tales 1905.djvu/50

THE WISE WOODCHUCK

Of all the beasts that roamed the woods in their primeval state,
The Woodchuck only holds his own and keeps right up to date;
And why he never lost his grip may prove a plan of worth:
He sticks to this first principle, “Get back to Mother Earth”.
Another thing he demonstrates: the safest kind of wealth
Is brains with up-to-date ideas, a hide just crammed with health.
A final guide in Woodchuck life is this well-known refrain:
“He ought to die who has n’t sense to come in from the rain.”
The Chipmunk stores up hoards of nuts, which robbers steal away;
The Fox stays out late every night and dearly has to pay:
But Woodchuck hides when fall’s feasts fail; his fat his only hoard
For months of subsoil serious thought, as happy as a lord.

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