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Show dm rate AY MART (&AHAMJ!QflEiER ARMADILLO FAMILY. "We belong to the family of armadillo," arma-dillo," said the nine-handed armadillo. arma-dillo. "We're toothless mammals that's what we an and tine and unusual," said another. "Ah, yes," said the first armadillo, "we're queer in every way, looks and actions. We're fussy about our food. We are delicate and lovely." "I don't suppose we would really be considered lovely," said the second armadillo, ar-madillo, "but we certainly are delicate, ' and only certain things are we allowed to eat. We're like folks who hnvu diets, we are." "It's fine to be like I am," said the nine-banded armadillo, who was named for short Sir Nine. "Let's each tell our own story," said the six-banded armadillo. "All right," agreed the three-banded armadillo. "I'll come first," said Sir Nine, "because "be-cause I spoke of it first." "To be sure," said the others. "We're listening. We are all attention and ready to hear what you have to say to us. Then we expect the same attention at-tention from you." "I certainly will give you my attention," atten-tion," said Sir Nine, "just as soon as I am through with my own tale." "Tail! Tail!" said the others. "I mean story," said Sir Nine. "But you didn't say story, you said t-a-i-1," the others said. "Of course I did, but there is one kind of a tale which means a story, and that's the kind I'm about to begin." be-gin." "We understand now," the others said. "Thanks for explaining, We didn't know at first what you meant "I Can Roll Myself Into a Ball." by getting through with your own tall but now of course we see. Yes, we see quite clearly, and understand perfectly." per-fectly." Poor Sir Nine was becoming anxious anx-ious for fear the others would not listen lis-ten to him, but at last they were quiet and he began. "I'm about the size of an opossum," he said. "I have a horny shell with nine bands in the middle, all joined together, togeth-er, and this shell is my protection. I couldn't live without It. Because there nre nine bands in my shell I am known as the nine-banded armadillo. I live in holes In the earth, and my food is a mixture of ants, snails, beetles, grasshoppers, grass-hoppers, worms and all other nice insects. in-sects. I am called Sir Nine for short as you all know." "Well," commenced the six-banded armadillo, "I have heard almost the story of my own life and ways. My habits are about the same as yours. I eat the same food, I dig In the ground and live there, and I have a horny shell which is my protection. There is just one thing about us that is different. dif-ferent. I have six bands on my shell and so am called the six-banded armadillo, arma-dillo, and for short I am known as Sir Six. And one more thing which I had almost forgotten my shell is even more bony than yours and it's a great deal stronger." It was time for the three-handed armadillo ar-madillo to speak. "I am far more rare than either of you," he said. "There aren't so many of my family. I can do a number of tricks that nel-, ther of you can do. "I can roll myself into a nice little lit-tle round ball and only my bony parts will stick out which will protect me from the other animals. Yes I pro tect myself superbly in this way. Quite superbly." "Why superbly?" the others asked. "It's nlways superb to live," said the three-handed armadillo, "and so I protect pro-tect myself to live see?" The others nodded. "And," he continued, con-tinued, "I have only three hands and so am named the three-banded armadillo, arma-dillo, and for short I am called Sir Three as you nil know." And as all the stories had been told they had a meal of ants, beetles and grasshoppers, for they all liked the same food. |