The penny which Toodle lost was one Grandpa Whackum, the oldest beaver of them all had given him with which to buy a birch bark lollypop. Toodle had not had time to buy the candy on a stick before school, and so kept his penny in his pocket all that afternoon, while he said his lessons.
And, every once in a while, he would put his paw in his pocket to see if his money were safe. And it was—all except the last time.
Toodle was just feeling of his penny when Professor Rat, who kept school, called out:
"Toodle Flat-tail, please stand up and spell me the word 'fox!'"
Well, if you will kindly believe me, Toodle was so excited when he heard that word "fox," thinking, for all I know, that maybe a fox was trying to get in a window, that he jumped up quickly, pulled his paw out of his pocket, and, alas! the penny came with it. Away rolled the money, over the schoolroom floor, rattle-te-bang! and down a crack it went.
"Oh, dear!" cried Toodle, and all the other animal children laughed.
"Never mind," said Professor Rat, kindly. "You did not mean to do it, Toodle. Now you may recite your lesson, and after school you may stay in and look for your penny."
So that is why the little beaver boy had to stay in to find his penny. His brother Noodle said he'd stay and help him hunt for it, but Toodle said:
"No, you had better go along home and tell mamma that I will be a little late. Then she won't worry."
You see it's too bad to make mammas worry, and if ever we can do anything to stop that it's a good thing. Toodle knew that.