large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_07_selous_64kb_63
large/12918/tommy_smiths_animals_1812_librivox_64kb_mp3/tommysmith_07_selous_64kb
English
12918
"Well, when I grow up," said Tommy Smith, "I will have peewits in my garden as well as frogs, and—Oh! but do you agree with frogs?" he asked, for this was an important point. "Young frogs agree very well with _us_," said the peewit. "So it comes to the same thing, doesn't it?" "I don't know," said Tommy Smith. "Not if the old ones don't." "As for the old ones," said the peewit, "we leave them alone. They are too big to be interfered with. WELL WHEN I GROW UP SAID TOMMY SMITH I WILL HAVE PEWITS IN MY GARDEN AS WELL AS FROGS AND OH BUT DO YOU AGREE FROGS HE ASKED FOR THIS WAS AN IMPORTANT POINT YOUNG FROGS AGREE VERY WELL WITH US SAID THE PEWIT SO IT COMES TO THE SAME THING DOESN'T IT I DON'T KNOW SAID TOMMY SMITH NOT IF THE OLD ONES DON'T AS FOR THE OLD ONES SAID THE PEWIT WE LEAVE THEM ALONE THEY ARE TOO BIG TO BE INTERFERED WITH
mmy Smith certainly thought the world might go on without peewits, but he didn’t _quite_ understand the last part of the sentence. “But it seems to me,” he said to himself, “that _animals_ think themselves very important.” “And are _you_ a useful animal?” he said aloud to the father peewit,—for the mother peewit was busy again with her eggs and the young one. “Useful!” exclaimed the peewit. “Why, we are sometimes put into gardens to eat the slugs and the insects there. I suppose _that_ is being useful.” “Oh yes,” said Tommy Smith; “if you don’t eat the cherries, or the strawberries, or the asparagus, or”— “We are not vegetarians,” said the peewit, “we prefer an animal diet, and we only eat things that do harm.” “But don’t you eat worms?” said Tommy Smith. “Of course we do,” said the peewit. “But I don’t think worms do harm.” “If they don’t, it is because we eat them,” the peewit retorted. “If we didn’t eat them, there would be too many of them, and then, of course, they would do harm.” MIGHT ANSWERED THE FATHER PEWIT BUT THERE WOULD BE VERY LITTLE MEANING IN IT TOMMY SMITH CERTAINLY THOUGHT THE WORLD MIGHT GO ON WITHOUT PEWITS BUT HE DIDN'T QUITE UNDERSTAND THE LAST PART OF THE SENTENCE BUT IT SEEMS TO ME HE SAID TO HIMSELF THAT ANIMALS THINK THEMSELVES VERY IMPORTANT AND ARE YOU A USEFUL ANIMAL HE SAID ALOUD TO THE FATHER PEWIT FOR THE MOTHER PEWIT WAS BUSY AGAIN WITH HER EGGS AND THE YOUNG ONE USEFUL EXCLAIMED THE PEWIT WHY WE ARE SOMETIMES PUT INTO GARDENS TO EAT THE SLUGS AND THE INSECTS THERE I SUPPOSE THAT IS BEING USEFUL OH YES SAID TOMMY SMITH IF YOU DON'T EAT THE CHERRIES OR THE STRAWBERRIES OR THE ASPARAGUS OR WE ARE NOT VEGETARIANS SAID THE PEWIT WE PREFER AN ANIMAL DIET AND WE ONLY EAT THINGS THAT DO HARM BUT DON'T YOU EAT WORMS SAID TOMMY SMITH OF COURSE WE DO SAID THE PEWIT BUT I DON'T THINK WORMS DO HARM IF THEY DON'T IT IS BECAUSE WE EAT THEM THE PEWIT RETORTED IF WE DIDN'T EAT THEM THERE WOULD BE TOO MANY OF THEM AND THEN OF COURSE THEY WOULD DO HARM
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