The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Read online

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  THE ADVENTURES OF OLD MR. TOAD

  BY THORNTON W. BURGESS

  With Illustrations by HARRISON CADY

  1920

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER

  I. JIMMY SKUNK IS PUZZLED II. JIMMY SKUNK CONSULTS HIS FRIENDS III. THE HUNT FOR OLD MR. TOAD IV. PETER RABBIT FINDS OLD MR. TOAD V. OLD MR. TOAD'S MUSIC BAG VI. PETER DISCOVERS SOMETHING MORE VII. A SHADOW PASSES OVER THE SMILING POOL VIII. OLD MR. TOAD'S BABIES IX. THE SMILING POOL KINDERGARTEN X. THE LITTLE TOADS START OUT TO SEE THE WORLD XI. OLD MR. TOAD'S QUEER TONGUE XII. OLD MR. TOAD SHOWS HIS TONGUE XIII. PETER RABBIT IS IMPOLITE XIV. OLD MR. TOAD DISAPPEARS XV. OLD MR. TOAD GIVES PETER A SCARE XVI. JIMMY SKUNK IS SURPRISED XVII. OLD MR. TOAD'S MISTAKEXVIII. JIMMY SKUNK IS JUST IN TIME XIX. OLD MR. TOAD GETS HIS STOMACH FULL XX. OLD MR. TOAD IS PUFFED UP XXI. OLD MR. TOAD RECEIVES ANOTHER INVITATION XXII. OLD MR. TOAD LEARNS A LESSONXXIII. OLD MR. TOAD IS VERY HUMBLE

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  "CAN YOU TELL ME WHERE ALL THESE LITTLE TOADS CAME FROM?""DO YOU SEE ANYTHING QUEER ABOUT HIM?" HE ASKED"IF HE DON'T WATCH OUT, HE'LL BLOW UP AND BUST!" EXCLAIMED JIMMYHIS FUNNY LITTLE TONGUE DARTED OUT, AND THE FLY WAS GONE"CAN'T TALK WITH COMMON FOLKS ANY MORE," HE MUTTERED"I AM A LITTLE WARM," REPLIED MR. TOAD IN HIS MOST POLITE MANNER

  THE ADVENTURES OF OLD MR. TOAD

  I

  JIMMY SKUNK IS PUZZLED

  Old Mother West Wind had just come down from the Purple Hills and turnedloose her children, the Merry Little Breezes, from the big bag in which shehad been carrying them. They were very lively and very merry as they dancedand raced across the Green Meadows in all directions, for it was good to beback there once more. Old Mother West Wind almost sighed as she watchedthem for a few minutes. She felt that she would like to join them. Alwaysthe springtime made her feel this way,--young, mad, carefree, and happy.But she had work to do. She had to turn the windmill to pump water forFarmer Brown's cows, and this was only one of many mills standing idle asthey waited for her. So she puffed her cheeks out and started about herbusiness.

  Jimmy Skunk sat at the top of the hill that overlooks the Green Meadows andwatched her out of sight. Then he started to amble down the Lone LittlePath to look for some beetles. He was ambling along in his lazy way, foryou know he never hurries, when he heard some one puffing and blowingbehind him. Of course he turned to see who it was, and he was greatlysurprised when he discovered Old Mr. Toad. Yes, Sir, it was Old Mr. Toad,and he seemed in a great hurry. He was quite short of breath, but he washopping along in the most determined way as if he were in a great hurry toget somewhere.

  Now it is a very unusual thing for Mr. Toad to hurry, very unusual indeed.As a rule he hops a few steps and then sits down to think it over. Jimmyhad never before seen him hop more than a few steps unless he was trying toget away from danger, from Mr. Blacksnake for instance. Of course the firstthing Jimmy thought of was Mr. Blacksnake, and he looked for him. But therewas no sign of Mr. Blacksnake nor of any other danger. Then he looked veryhard at Old Mr. Toad, and he saw right away that Old Mr. Toad didn't seemto be frightened at all, only very determined, and as if he had somethingimportant on his mind.

  "Well, well," exclaimed Jimmy Skunk, "whatever has got into those long hindlegs of yours to make them work so fast?"

  Old Mr. Toad didn't say a word, but simply tried to get past Jimmy and keepon his way. Jimmy put out one hand and turned Old Mr. Toad right over onhis back, where he kicked and struggled in an effort to get on his feetagain, and looked very ridiculous.

  "Don't you know that it isn't polite not to speak when you are spoken to?"demanded Jimmy severely, though his eyes twinkled.

  "I--I beg your pardon. I didn't have any breath to spare," panted Old Mr.Toad. "You see I'm in a great hurry."

  "Yes, I see," replied Jimmy. "But don't you know that it isn't good for thehealth to hurry so? Now, pray, what are you in such a hurry for? I don'tsee anything to run away from."

  "I'm not running away," retorted Old Mr. Toad indignantly. "I've businessto attend to at the Smiling Pool, and I'm late as it is."

  "Business!" exclaimed Jimmy as if he could hardly believe his ears. "Whatbusiness have you at the Smiling Pool?"

  "That is my own affair," retorted Old Mr. Toad, "but if you really want toknow, I'll tell you. I have a very important part in the spring chorus, andI'm going down there to sing. I have a very beautiful voice."

  That was too much for Jimmy Skunk. He just lay down and rolled over andover with laughter. The idea of any one so homely, almost ugly-looking, asMr. Toad thinking that he had a beautiful voice! "Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho!"roared Jimmy.

  When at last he stopped because he couldn't laugh any more, he discoveredthat Old Mr. Toad was on his way again. Hop, hop, hipperty-hop, hop, hop,hipperty-hop went Mr. Toad. Jimmy watched him, and he confessed that he waspuzzled.

  II

  JIMMY SKUNK CONSULTS HIS FRIENDS

  Jimmy Skunk scratched his head thoughtfully as he watched Old Mr. Toad godown the Lone Little Path, hop, hop, hipperty-hop, towards the SmilingPool. He certainly was puzzled, was Jimmy Skunk. If Old Mr. Toad had toldhim that he could fly, Jimmy would not have been more surprised, or foundit harder to believe than that Old Mr. Toad had a beautiful voice. Thetruth is, Jimmy didn't believe it. He thought that Old Mr. Toad was tryingto fool him.

  Presently Peter Rabbit came along. He found Jimmy Skunk sitting in a brownstudy. He had quite forgotten to look for fat beetles, and when heforgets to do that you may make up your mind that Jimmy is doing some hardthinking.

  "Hello, old Striped-coat, what have you got on your mind this finemorning?" cried Peter Rabbit.

  "Him," said Jimmy simply, pointing down the Lone Little Path.

  Peter looked. "Do you mean Old Mr. Toad!" he asked.

  Jimmy nodded. "Do you see anything queer about him?" he asked in his turn.

  "Do you see anything queer about him?" he asked.]

  Peter stared down the Lone Little Path. "No," he replied, "except that heseems in a great hurry."

  "That's just it," Jimmy returned promptly. "Did you ever see him hurryunless he was frightened?"

  Peter confessed that he never had.

  "Well, he isn't frightened now, yet just look at him go," retorted Jimmy."Says he has got a beautiful voice, and that he has to take part in thespring chorus at the Smiling Pool and that he is late."

  Peter looked very hard at Jimmy to see if he was fooling or telling thetruth. Then he began to laugh. "Old Mr. Toad sing! The very idea!" hecried. "He can sing about as much as I can, and that is not at all."

  Jimmy grinned. "I think he's crazy, if you ask me," said he. "And yet hewas just as earnest about it as if it were really so. I think he must haveeaten something that has gone to his head. There's Unc' Billy Possum overthere. Let's ask him what he thinks."

  So Jimmy and Peter joined Unc' Billy, and Jimmy told the story about OldMr. Toad all over again. Unc' Billy chuckled and laughed just as they hadat the idea of Old Mr. Toad's saying he had a beautiful voice. But Unc'Billy has a shrewd little head on his shoulders. After a few minutes hestopped laughing.

  "Ah done learn a right smart long time ago that Ah don' know all there isto know about mah neighbors," said he. "We-uns done think of Brer Toad asugly-lookin' fo' so long that we-uns may have overlooked something. Ah don'reckon Brer Toad can sing, but Ah 'lows that perhaps he thinks he can. Whatdo you-alls say to we-uns going down to the Smiling Pool and finding outwhat he really is up to?"

  "The very thing!" cried Peter, kicking up his heels. You know Peter isalways ready to go anywhere or do anything that will satisfy his curiosity.

>   Jimmy Skunk thought it over for a few minutes, and then he decided that ashe hadn't anything in particular to do, and as he might find some fatbeetles on the way, he would go too. So off they started after Old Mr.Toad, Peter Rabbit in the lead as usual, Unc' Billy Possum next, grinningas only he can grin, and in the rear Jimmy Skunk, taking his time andkeeping a sharp eye out for fat beetles.

  III

  THE HUNT FOR OLD MR. TOAD

  Now, though Old Mr. Toad was hurrying as fast as ever he could and wasquite out of breath, he wasn't getting along very fast compared with theway Peter Rabbit or Jimmy Skunk or Unc' Billy Possum could cover theground. You see he cannot make long jumps like his cousin, GrandfatherFrog, but only little short hops.

  So Peter and Jimmy and Unc' Billy took their time about following him. Theystopped to hunt for fat beetles for Jimmy Skunk, and at every little patchof sweet clover for Peter Rabbit to help himself. Once they wasted a lot oftime while Unc' Billy Possum hunted for a nest of Carol the Meadow Lark, onthe chance that he would find some fresh eggs there. He didn't find thenest for the very good reason that Carol hadn't built one yet. Peter wassecretly glad. You know he doesn't eat eggs, and he is always sorry for hisfeathered friends when their eggs are stolen.

  Half way across the Green Meadows they stopped to play with the MerryLittle Breezes, and because it was very pleasant there, they played longerthan they realized. When at last they started on again, Old Mr. Toad wasout of sight. You see all the time he had kept right on going, hop, hop,hipperty-hop.

  "Never mind," said Peter, "we can catch up with him easy enough, he's sucha slow-poke."

  But even a slow-poke who keeps right on doing a thing without wasting anytime always gets somewhere sooner or later, very often sooner than thosewho are naturally quicker, but who waste their time. So it was with Old Mr.Toad. He kept right on, hop, hop, hipperty-hop, while the others wereplaying, and so it happened that when at last Peter and Jimmy and Unc'Billy reached the Smiling Pool, they hadn't caught another glimpse of OldMr. Toad.

  "Do you suppose he hid somewhere, and we passed him?" asked Peter.

  Unc' Billy shook his head. "Ah don' reckon so," said he. "We-uns done beenfoolin' away our time, an' Brer Toad done stole a march on us. Ah reckonswe-uns will find him sittin' on the bank here somewhere."

  So right away the three separated to look for Old Mr. Toad. All along thebank of the Smiling Pool they looked. They peeped under old leaves andsticks. They looked in every place where Old Mr. Toad might have hidden,but not a trace of him did they find.

  "Tra-la-la-lee! Oka-chee! Oka-chee! Happy am I as I can be!"

  sang Mr. Redwing, as he swayed to and fro among the bulrushes.

  "Say, Mr. Redwing, have you seen Old Mr. Toad?" called Peter Rabbit.

  "No," replied Mr. Redwing. "Is that whom you fellows are looking for? Iwondered if you had lost something. What do you want with Old Mr. Toad?"

  Peter explained how they had followed Old Mr. Toad just to see what hereally was up to. "Of course we know that he hasn't any more voice than Ihave," declared Peter, "but we are curious to know if he really thinks hehas, and why he should be in such a hurry to reach the Smiling Pool. Itlooks to us as if the spring has made Old Mr. Toad crazy."

  "Oh, that's it, is it?" replied Mr. Redwing, his bright eyes twinkling."Some people don't know as much as they might. I've been wondering whereOld Mr. Toad was, and I'm ever so glad to learn that he hasn't forgottenthat he has a very important part in our beautiful spring chorus." Thenonce more Mr. Redwing began to sing.

  IV

  PETER RABBIT FINDS OLD MR. TOAD

  It isn't often that Peter Rabbit is truly envious, but sometimes in thejoyousness of spring he is. He envies the birds because they can pour outin beautiful song the joy that is in them. The only way he can express hisfeelings is by kicking his long heels, jumping about, and such foolishthings. While that gives Peter a great deal of satisfaction, it doesn't addto the joy of other people as do the songs of the birds, and you know togive joy to others is to add to your own joy. So there are times when Peterwishes he could sing.

  He was wishing this very thing now, as he sat on the bank of the SmilingPool, listening to the great spring chorus.

  "Tra-la-la-lee! Oka-chee! Oka-chee! There's joy in the spring for you and for me."

  sang Redwing the Blackbird from the bulrushes.

  From over in the Green Meadows rose the clear lilt of Carol the MeadowLark, and among the alders just where the Laughing Brook ran into theSmiling Pool a flood of happiness was pouring from the throat of LittleFriend the Song Sparrow. Winsome Bluebird's sweet, almost plaintive,whistle seemed to fairly float in the air, so that it was hard to say justwhere it did come from, and in the top of the Big Hickory-tree, WelcomeRobin was singing as if his heart were bursting with joy. Even Sammy Jaywas adding a beautiful, bell-like note instead of his usual harsh scream.As for the Smiling Pool, it seemed as if the very water itself sang, for amighty chorus of clear piping voices from unseen singers rose from allaround its banks. Peter knew who those singers were, although look as hewould he could see none of them. They were hylas, the tiny cousins ofStickytoes the Tree Toad.

  Listening to all these joyous voices, Peter forgot for a time what hadbrought him to the Smiling Pool. But Jimmy Skunk and Unc' Billy Possumdidn't forget. They were still hunting for Old Mr. Toad.

  "Well, old Mr. Dreamer, have you found him yet?" asked Jimmy Skunk,stealing up behind Peter and poking him in the back.

  Peter came to himself with a start. "No," said he. "I was just listeningand wishing that I could sing, too. Don't you ever wish you could sing,Jimmy?"

  "No," replied Jimmy. "I never waste time wishing I could do things it wasnever meant I should do. It's funny where Old Mr. Toad is. He said that hewas coming down here to sing, and Redwing the Blackbird seemed to beexpecting him. I've looked everywhere I can think of without finding him,but I don't believe in giving up without another try. Stop your dreamingand come help us hunt."

  So Peter stopped his dreaming and joined in the search. Now there was oneplace where neither Peter nor Jimmy nor Unc' Billy had thought of looking.That was in the Smiling Pool itself. They just took it for granted that OldMr. Toad was somewhere on the bank. Presently Peter came to a place wherethe bank was very low and the water was shallow for quite a little distanceout in the Smiling Pool. From out of that shallow water came the pipingvoice of a hyla, and Peter stopped to stare, trying to see the tiny singer.

  Suddenly he jumped right up in the air with surprise. There was afamiliar-looking head sticking out of the water. Peter had found Old Mr.Toad!

  V

  OLD MR. TOAD'S MUSIC BAG

  Never think that you have learned All there is to know. That's the surest way of all Ignorance to show.

  "I've found Old Mr. Toad!" cried Peter Rabbit, hurrying after Jimmy Skunk.

  "Where?" demanded Jimmy.

  "In the water," declared Peter. "He's sitting right over there where thewater is shallow, and he didn't notice me at all. Let's get Unc' Billy, andthen creep over to the edge of the Smiling Pool and watch to see if Old Mr.Toad really does try to sing."

  So they hunted up Unc' Billy Possum, and the three stole very softly overto the edge of the Smiling Pool, where the bank was low and the watershallow. Sure enough, there sat Old Mr. Toad with just his head out ofwater. And while they were watching him, something very strange happened.

  "What--what's the matter with him?" whispered Peter, his big eyes lookingas if they might pop out of his head.

  "If he don't watch out, he'll blow up and bust!" exclaimed Jimmy.

  "If he don't watch out, he'll blow up and bust!" exclaimedJimmy.]

  "Listen!" whispered Unc' Billy Possum. "Do mah ol' ears hear right? 'Pearsto me that that song is coming right from where Brer Toad is sitting."

  It certainly did appear so, and of all the songs that glad spring day therewas none sweeter. Indeed there were few as sweet. The only trouble was thesong was so very sho
rt. It lasted only for two or three seconds. And whenit ended, Old Mr. Toad looked quite his natural self again; just ascommonplace, almost ugly, as ever. Peter looked at Jimmy Skunk, Jimmylooked at Unc' Billy Possum, and Unc' Billy looked at Peter. And no one hada word to say. Then all three looked back at Old Mr. Toad.

  And even as they looked, his throat began to swell and swell and swell,until it was no wonder that Jimmy Skunk had thought that he was in dangerof blowing up. And then, when it stopped swelling, there came again thosebeautiful little notes, so sweet and tremulous that Peter actually held hisbreath to listen. There was no doubt that Old Mr. Toad was singing just ashe had said he was going to, and it was just as true that his song was oneof the sweetest if not _the_ sweetest of all the chorus from and around theSmiling Pool. It was very hard to believe, but Peter and Jimmy and Unc'Billy both saw and heard, and that was enough. Their respect for Old Mr.Toad grew tremendously as they listened.

  "How does he do it?" whispered Peter.

  "With that bag under his chin, of course," replied Jimmy Skunk. "Don't yousee it's only when that is swelled out that he sings? It's a regular musicbag. And I didn't know he had any such bag there at all."

  "I wish," said Peter Rabbit, feeling of his throat, "that I had a music baglike that in my throat."

  And then he joined in the laugh of Jimmy and Unc' Billy, but still withsomething of a look of wistfulness in his eyes.

  VI

  PETER DISCOVERS SOMETHING MORE

  There are stranger things in the world to-day Than ever you dreamed could be. There's beauty in some of the commonest things If only you've eyes to see.