"The thing for me to do now is
to get ready for winter, and that means a great deal of work," he
continued. "Let me see, I've got to build a house, a big, stout,
warm house, where I will be warm and safe when my pond is frozen
over. And I've got to lay in a supply of food, enough to last me
until gentle Sister South Wind comes to prepare the way for
lovely Mistress Spring. My, my, I can't afford to be sitting here
dreaming when there is so much to be done!"
With that Paddy slipped into the water and swam all around his
new pond to make sure of just the best place to build his house.
Now, placing one's house in just the right place is a very
important matter. Some people are dreadfully careless about this.
Jimmy Skunk, for instance, often makes the mistake of digging his
house (you know Jimmy makes his house underground) right where
everyone who happens along that way will see it. Perhaps that is
because Jimmy is so independent that he doesn't care who knows
where he lives.
But Paddy the Beaver never is careless. He always chooses just
the very best place. He makes sure that it is best before he
begins. So now, although he was quite positive just where his
house should be, he swam around the pond to make doubly sure.
Then, when he was quite satisfied, he swam over to the place he
had chosen. It was where the water was quite deep.
"There mustn't be the least chance that the ice will ever get
thick enough too close up my doorway, said he, "and I'm sure it
never will here.
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