The Hire Principle

Welcome to another episode of my personal podcast, Ned knows. Today I'm talking to the creator of Paws and Tails, Dave Carl. Well, thanks for being with me today, Dave. It's a pleasure to be here, Ned. So, because I'm me, I happen to know that you have written the first ever Paws and Tails book. Tell me more about that. I'd love to. It's called The Overcomers. And reading this book will be like reading maybe five regular episodes. The club is in the middle of a big new adventure and there are new characters weinered. That's fascinating, Dave. I have it, though, by good authority that this book centers around Ned and how he saves the day for everyone. Well, it's... No, that's not what the book is about. It is significantly about the struggle against evil that lurks high up in Wild Mountain. If anything, I'd have to say it centers around Stacey. What? I gave you really good notes when you were writing this. What happened all of my great ideas? Well, mostly I didn't read them. There was a lot of notes, Ned. In the book I did write, we meet Smidge, a badger who really wants to become someone who will make a difference. And he meets up with Crockett, a genuine overcomer, who begins to teach him how to survive in the woods and how to take care of the miners digging for gold in the tunnels of Wild Mountain. Ned knows what this book was supposed to be about. In those notes you did not read, Ned inherits a million dollars. But he does not let anyone know about it. And he sneaks around and secretly helps those in need and uses all kinds of really neat gadgets to fight crime. I did read that part of the notes, but in this first Pause and Tales book, The Overcomers, we follow the club as they begin a new adventure and we see how Crockett battles bandits and the evil minion in only the way an overcomer can. Well, I did not know that you changed the whole book, Dave. This is a bitter disappointment. Well, this ends this episode of Ned Knows. Thanks for joining me, Dave Carl, who ignored all my notes. I'll see you all next time for another episode of Ned Knows. Do I stop tape? Wild Mountain can be a pretty dangerous place, but if you stay on the trails and stick with me, there's adventures to be had there too. Come on, CJ, jump! It's too far! It wasn't too far for me! Laaah! I do believe this is the best band we've had in years. Band music makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. CJ, you're a bear. You're always warm and fuzzy. Insight for Living is proud to present Pause and Tales. Howdy and welcome to Wildwood. Right now at James T. Collins Elementary, it's every kid's favorite part of the school day, recess. But for little Sammy Hawthorne, recess means only one thing, misery. You see, Sammy's dad works for Mr. Rockler, Tiffany's father, and she will not let Sammy forget that fact for one moment. But when the boxes arrived, they didn't look anything like they did in the catalog. How can they do that? It should be against the law or something. Sammy, my books! Sorry, they just slipped. We'll collect the papers, make sure they're in order, and brush the dirt off. Just leave them on my desk when you catch up. We're not waiting. Oh, sure. I'll just be a minute. Hey, CJ. I can't believe what I just heard. Carry your own books, Tiffany. Sammy, kickball's starting. Come on. This is none of your business, CJ Brown. Sammy wants to carry my books. Sammy? Well, I... I... I'd want to go play kickball. Then let's play kickball. Take one step, Sammy Hawthorne. Your father? Your father what? He got a job as Mr. Rockler's driver. She says she can fire him if I don't do what she says. That's ridiculous. What 11-year-old can fire an adult? Come on. We're just half over. Sammy Hawthorne? This is my last warning. Sammy, CJ's right. Here's your books, Tiffany. Get yourself another sleigh. I'm holding up the game. Woo-hoo! All right! Finally. You show her. Oh, Sammy. Tiffany, don't. Sammy Hawthorne, you will rue the death. So then they said, we need you in frontera by tomorrow morning. In the morning? Tomorrow morning? Or he tells me we'll have to find another lawyer. Who do they think they are? I'd like to know. This shows no respect. Not for you, not for this family. Nancy, you're absolutely right. How can you be so calm? Well, Mrs. Brown, I have no choice. I'd better get going. CJ, on your way to school, I need you to drop off these papers to Mr. Youssef at the hotel. I will be back until tomorrow afternoon. All right. What's it like? Riding the train at night. Is it really fun? Fun? No, it is not fun. Listen, don't forget those papers. I gotta run. Excuse me, Mr. Youssef? Good morning, um... CJ Brown, Mr. Youssef, Theo Brown's son. Oh, yes, of course. Hi, I'm Ned. CJ Brown, what can I do for you? Oh, don't keep that. My dad asked me to stop by and give you these papers. He said they were important. Very good. Thank you. Excuse me. Chopper the morning to you, Mr. Youssef. Got her all gashed up, ready for another drive on the highway of life. Hey, CJ, Ned, say Sammy couldn't stop talking about that kickball game the other day. Mr. Hawthorne. Yes, Mr. Youssef? It is my duty to inform you that your services as a driver will no longer be required. Excuse me? You've been released, Mr. Hawthorne. Please leave the keys in the car. But I am not... That will be all. Maybe the others took it quietly, but I'm not. You haven't heard the last of me, you... You... You... Youssef? You can count on that. So you were wondering what 11-year-old could fire an adult? She... She couldn't have. Mr. Southerner will come to get a little bit of the kids. The princess and her new chauffeur. And be sure to pick me up at three. I do not want to be standing around waiting for you. Oh, yes, yes, Miss Tiffany. Oh, CJ, Ned, I didn't notice you. Need a lift? Not in a thousand years. CJ? It's a limousine! It's a limousine with Tiffany. Oh, right. Not in two thousand years. Suit yourself. Have a nice walk. Friedrich? Oh, Sammy. Here. This is your dad's sweater. You left it in the car. Be a dear and return it to him, won't you? Just give it to him when he picks you up. A new driver is picking me up today. New driver? Your father was released this morning. Fired? That's a rather coarse way to say it. You fired my dad? But CJ said that... CJ is a bit out of his league. Hey, Sammy! Hey, Sammy, wait up! Hey, Sammy! You said an eleven-hole couldn't fire an adult, CJ. You said she was bluffing. Sammy! CJ! You said it would be alright. She fired my dad. Sammy, I don't know what to say. I gotta go home. How could she be so mean? I'm going to put Little Miss Rockler in her place once and for all. That afternoon, Ned and CJ plotted and schemed as they formed their plans for revenge on Tiffany. I'm thinking serious artillery here. Fitballs, pea shooters, rubber bands. Just bomb Tiffany to tears right in front of the whole school. There's gotta be more. We need to get her where it hurts. Where it hurts? How about we... Hey, there's your dad. Where? Coming out of a hotel. Yeah. Come on. Dad! Hey, Dad! Over here! Oh, yeah. Hi, son. Hey, Ned. Whatcha doing? Huh? Oh, I just had a meeting with Mr. Rockler. This is unbelievable. What is? Son, those papers. I asked you to drop off this morning. Yeah? They were land contracts for Mr. Rockler's new house. He's impressed with my work. He wants me to join his legal team. A job? You're gonna work for Tiffany's dad? This is remarkable. Yeah, but you... Just remarkable. I did see a dinner, son. Bye, Ned. My dad working for Rockler? Hi, I'm Joseph Levins from Harlem, Kentucky. Don't know why, because this motor-pawson tale is gonna be brought up. We have some parents with me today that would love to tell you what they think about the fun, the biblical teaching, and the music of paws and tails. Go right ahead, please. Well, I love... Get closer to the microphone, please. Oh, sorry. I love that paws and tails is fun for kids and for kids. I kind of expect my kids learn from the episodes, but so do we. I love that. Now, don't miss an episode of Paws and Tails right here on this amazing station. That night, CJ hardly slept a wink. The next morning, he met Ned and Sammy on the playground to tell them his plan. I don't have a plan. I don't have a plan. You don't have a plan. You have to have a plan. Relax, okay? I'll get a plan. It better be a good one, too. My dad told me there are a lot of people Tiffany has already fired. The cook, the maid, the butler, the nanny. CJ, this is bad. There is no way I can let my dad take this job. That's fine for you. What about the kids and parents already working for Rockler? Here she comes. She has got to be stopped. Thank you, Friedrich. Welcome, Miss. And it's Fredrick. I will call you Friedrich. You may go now. Good day, Miss. Hi, Tiffany. Love your shoes. Good morning, Lily. Thank you. Peter, carry these for me, would you? Me? Well, sure. Me? Yes, Peter. Your mother has been doing some really wonderful work for my father. She's quite a seamstress. Oh, okay. Peter, don't do it. Good morning, CJ. I've heard some really exciting news about your father. This could be the best job he's ever had. And how fun it'll be when you are carrying my books. There is no way. Let's go in, Lily. I've just received a whole stack of them. You know, it's not that she's just rotten when she wants to be. She's rotten when she doesn't even mean to be. She's just gotten so good at it, it comes easy to her now. Well, it's going to get a lot harder for her in a soon. Ooh, you got one? You got a plan? CJ, you got a plan? I got a plan. Our strength is in our numbers. Tiffany needs to be told off in front of everyone. So let's split up and spread the word. Have everyone come to school early tomorrow. When Tiffany steps out of her limousine, we will all be waiting. I'll tell her how it is, how she's been rotten, and it will end here. And she'll be embarrassed. She'll be embarrassed. That's the worst thing that there is for her. You are going to bring her down. That night, CJ stayed in his room rehearsing his big speech against Tiffany until well after his bedtime. Then, on his way to the kitchen for a late night snack, he overheard his parents talking. It's worse than I thought. Are you sure we did the math correctly? I double checked it. Between my law school loans, the mortgage, these past due bills, weren't some serious debt here. And, with what I've been making, we may never be able to pay all these bills. I thought we were doing fine. Obviously the job with Mr. Rockler would increase our income. But you've been working so hard to build up your own practice. With Rockler, you would just be one more lawyer. You know, my practice here has been little more than filing papers with a county. But with Rockler, I'd be part of a team. You know, I could do the kind of work I've wanted to do for years. Well, then this is about more than just the money. Honey, it is. Rockler wants to bring big changes to Wildwood. And this is my chance to play a role in the town's future. Our future. Then I can't really see a downside to this. You won't have to travel. And after all the sacrifices you've made for us... We're a family. That's what families do. This might just be the answer to our prayers. I think you've just made your case. Congratulations, honey. Here's to Theo Brown, the best lawyer Rockler has ever hired. We really need this. And Dad really wants it. This has got to be a bad dream. Well, the next morning Ned, Sammy and a crowd of kids were waiting to watch CJ go toe to toe with Tiffany and put her in her place once and for all. CJ's here! I told you he'd be here. You were almost late, CJ. Ned. This has got to be so good! Ned, I need to tell you... Here comes the limo! But I... Here she comes! Whatever is going on here? Right. Um, CJ, what is this? Well, I... Those... uh-huh... Those books of yours? I'd be happy to carry them for you. What?! CJ! Well, of course CJ. That would be so nice of you. Such a lovely morning, don't you think? Lovely. And CJ, put them on my desk. Lily, very good dress. I can't believe this! Something is going very bad here. Very bad! What were you thinking?! I had to. It's my dad's dream job, the answer to my parents' prayers. Do you know how long it's going to take to live this down? Months? Maybe years? I had no choice. Well, there's an easy way out of this though. Just go to your dad and tell him. I'm not going to tell him anything. I can do this for my dad. She's going to run you into the ground! She's got something to prove with you! This is not going to be pretty. No, it's not. A week after CJ's painful and humiliating surrender, Tiffany was still at it. Working that poor cub like a puppet on a string and loving every man in it. She even had CJ coming over to the hotel before school. Morning, Tiffany. CJ, my books are on the table. If you would just put them in that for me. In the pink bag? It just came in. Don't you just love it? I'm not carrying a pink book bag. Excuse me? Hey CJ, you in here? I told you I'd be right out. Hey, we're going to be late. What is that pink thing? I'm off. Please leave it on my desk when you get to school. She's going to school in the limo and she makes you carry her books while you walk? I know Ned, don't you think I know. I gotta go find something to cover up this pink thing with. Meet you out front. No, this is too much. Even for Tiffany. Oh, hi Ned. Oh, hi Mr. Brown. I, uh, I thought CJ was here. He just left. Ned? Yes, sir? Is CJ all right? Seems fine to me. He's not been himself. Won't talk to me about it. And I just thought you might have some idea. You do, don't you? Well... Ned, you see it's like this. The day only got worse for poor old CJ. Tiffany had him sharpen her pencils, had him save her a seat at lunch, then made him go off and sit somewhere else. Tiffany was working a well thought out plan to embarrass and humiliate CJ. After this, she knew that no one would ever stand up to her again. You're late. I walked as fast as I could, okay? I think you dawdled. You think I... You think what you want. What? Nothing? No, you snapped at me. That is disrespectful and it will not happen again. Understood? Understood? No. I beg your pardon? I said no. You are not the Queen of Sheba. You are a spoiled rotten little girl who treats people like dirt because no one likes her. Carry your own books. You will rue the day that you said that. Mark this day in your calendar, CJ Brown. Mark it down so you will never forget. This is the day that you got your father fired from the best job he will ever have. Okay, wait a minute. I am a rockler. You will see what happens when you defy a rockler. I'm sorry. Oh no, what have I done? Hi, I'm Liam from Colorado. My favorite Paul's and Tails character is Ned because he is so smart. We'll tell you what happens next on today's episode. Welcome everyone. Not the beaver here. I have a very sweet mom here with me today that would love to tell you what she thinks about Paul's and Tails. I'll go ahead, ma'am, that I have never met before. I love that the kids in the club are so fun and take care of each other while they are learning about God. Youssef, I'd like a word. Yes, Miss Tiffany? There is another employee that needs to be dismissed at once. He's there. I am pleased to inform you that I no longer handle such matters. What? My responsibilities have been reassigned. You'll have to see your father. Ugh, then I will go and see my father. In conclusion, gentlemen, I'll be looking forward to our meeting. So on and so forth, etc., etc., sincerely. Father, I need to talk with you. Tiffany, I'm dictating a letter. This is very important. What is this about? I have an issue with one of your employees. Youssef said that he no longer... Enough, enough. Miss Tucker, who do I talk to about staff issues? Send him in, please. It's just that usually I would go to Youssef, but now I've... Youssef has been promoted. He no longer has time to be dealing with staff. Yes, sir. Mr. Brown? The old Tiffany has a staffing issue that she would like to discuss with you. Certainly, Mr. Rockler, if you'll just follow me into my office, Tiffany. Father, I... I'm sure we can correct any issues you may have, Tiffany. I was just in the middle of a meeting, so if you wouldn't mind sitting here for a minute or so. I'll be right with you. It's her. What? Who... Why are all these people here? I believe you know these folks, Tiffany. Your former cook, former maid, former butler, former nanny... I know who they are! Right. And they were all fired without cause, and I'm hiring them back. But... If you'll just give me a few minutes, I'll be right with you. I can't! I won't be... Oh my... Well, Tiffany stormed out of the hotel. She was a mighty frustrated 11-year-old, and there was only one thing to do when she got this way. So she headed directly for the limo. Friedrich? I'm going shopping. Take me downtown. Sorry, Tiffany. Frederick has been reassigned. Hey, Sammy, come on, get in. Mr. Hawthorne? Hey, Dad. Oh, and you should also know that there has been a change in policy. The limo is now reserved exclusively for Mr. Rockler and his staff, which... means you'll have to be walking to school with the rest of the children for now on. What? I'm heading off. I have a pickup at the train depot. But this can't be! I always... Oh, well, downtown is just a short stroll. Let's go, Pop. I'm gonna have the luggage. Woo! CJ, you should be in school. Dad, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Son. I did something bad. I just got so angry. Listen to me, CJ. I'll try to talk to her. I still have my job. You do? Yes. And you no longer have to answer to Tiffany. Why? CJ, Tiffany's behavior... it's called blackmail. I've taken care of everything. You won't have to worry about Tiffany lording it over you or any of the other kids. Wow. You still have your job. I do. And your behavior... Yes, sir. Although misguided, you are making a great sacrifice for me. Well, I thought that she could just fire you just by... I know. You should have come to me. We're a family. We work things out together. That's what families do. Okay. You carried a pink book bag? Oh, didn't I tell you that? That was above and beyond the call of duty. Well, we're a family. And that's what families do. You're right, CJ. That's what families do. Thank you. To the Lord above and knew what we should do. Now me, myself and I will be thinking first of you. I used to think I should be first in line. Anywhere, every time. Yeah, I was stuck up on that horse of mine. Always looking down. But now I can't believe the things I said. The words that passed my lips. Oh, how could I say I was a cool cat? All that and a bag of chips. Oh, me, myself and I. Oh, me, myself and I. We think of us by far too much. We're one sub sky. We've learned from the Lord above. A lesson long overdue. Now me, myself and I will be thinking first of you. Yeah, I was puffed up like a big hot air balloon. I mean, I was so full of myself, I could hardly reach around to pat me on the back. I can't believe how selfish we all were. Me, myself and I. What were we thinking about? So if you've ever heard that simple verse, the first or last, the last or first. Well, you could say I had them in reverse. But no more, cause I'll be good to you before. Me, myself and I. Hey, me, myself and I. How about the foolish pride we had inside? Till we saw God's glorious light in a door not being. So we'd freak, we'd finally got a clue. Now me, myself and I will be thinking first of you. You, yes me, myself and I will be thinking of you. To order a copy of today's program, the Higher Principle, just log on to pausandtales.org. The Higher Principle was written by Gary Armstrong and directed by David Carl. Our script supervisor was Phil Lawler. The song Me, Myself and I was written by Sandy Howell. Music was by Billy Martin, and our sound designer was Eric Basil. Pause and Tales is an insight for living production.