The Adventures of Grandfather Frog Read online

  "I'll just have a look over at the Smiling Pool, and if there is nothingthere, I'll take a turn or two along the Big River," thought he andstraightway started for the Smiling Pool. Long before he reached it, hiskeen eyes saw Longlegs the Blue Heron standing motionless on the edge ofit, and he knew by the looks of Longlegs that he was watching somethingwhich he hoped to catch.

  "If it's a fish," thought Whitetail, "it will do me no good, for I am nofisherman. But if it's a Frog--well, Frogs are not as good eating as fatMeadow Mice, but they are very filling."

  With that he hurried a little faster, and then he saw what Longlegs waswatching so intently. It was, as you know, Grandfather Frog sitting onhis big green lily-pad. Old Whitetail gave a great sigh of satisfaction.Grandfather Frog certainly would be very filling, very filling, indeed.

  Now Longlegs the Blue Heron was so intently watching Grandfather Frogthat he saw nothing else, and Grandfather Frog was so busy watchingLonglegs that he quite forgot that there might be other dangers.Besides, his back was toward old Whitetail. Of course Whitetail sawthis, and it made him almost chuckle aloud. Ever so many times he hadtried to catch Grandfather Frog, but always Grandfather Frog had seenhim long before he could get near him.

  Now, with all his keen sight, old Whitetail had failed to see some oneelse who was sitting right in plain sight. He had failed because hismind was so full of Grandfather Frog and Longlegs that he forgot to lookaround, as he usually does. Just skimming the tops of the bulrushes hesailed swiftly out over the Smiling Pool and reached down with hisgreat, cruel claws to clutch Grandfather Frog, who sat there pretendingto be asleep, but all the time watching Longlegs and deep down insidechuckling to think how he was fooling Longlegs.

  Slap! That was the tail of Jerry Muskrat hitting the water. GrandfatherFrog knew what that meant--danger! He didn't know what the danger was,and he didn't wait to find out. There would be time enough for thatlater. When Jerry Muskrat slapped the water with his tail that way,danger was very near indeed. With a frightened "Chugarum!" GrandfatherFrog dived head first into the Smiling Pool, and so close was oldWhitetail that the water was splashed right in his face. He clutchedfrantically with his great claws, but all he got was a piece of the biggreen lily-pad on which Grandfather Frog had been sitting, and of coursethis was of no use for an empty stomach.

  With a scream of disappointment and anger, he whirled in the air andmade straight for Jerry Muskrat. But Jerry just laughed in the mostprovoking way and ducked under water.

  VI

  LONGLEGS AND WHITETAIL QUARREL

  "You did!" "I didn't! I didn't!" "You did!" Such a terrible fuss when Grandfather hid!

  You see Longlegs the Blue Heron had stood very patiently on one foot allthe long morning waiting for Grandfather Frog to go to sleep on his biggreen lily-pad. He had felt sure he was to have Grandfather Frog for hisbreakfast and lunch, for he had had no breakfast, and it was now lunchtime. He was so hungry that it seemed to him that the sides of hisstomach certainly would fall in because there was nothing to hold themup, and then, without any warning at all, old Whitetail the Marsh Hawkhad glided out across the Smiling Pool with his great claws stretchedout to clutch Grandfather Frog, and Grandfather Frog had dived into theSmiling Pool with a great splash just in the very nick of time.

  Now is there anything in the world so hard on the temper as to lose agood meal when you are very, very, very hungry? Of course Longlegsdidn't really have that good meal, but he had thought that he was surelygoing to have it. So when Grandfather Frog splashed into the SmilingPool, of course Longlegs lost his temper altogether. His yellow eyesseemed to grow even more yellow.

  "You robber! You thief!" he screamed harshly at old Whitetail.

  Now old Whitetail was just as hungry as Longlegs, and he had come evennearer to catching Grandfather Frog. He is even quicker tempered thanLonglegs. He had whirled like a flash on Jerry Muskrat, but Jerry hadjust laughed in the most provoking manner and ducked under water. Thishad made old Whitetail angrier than ever, and then to be called badnames--robber and thief! It was more than any self-respecting Hawk couldstand. Yes, Sir, it certainly was! He fairly shook with rage as heturned in the air once more and made straight for Longlegs the BlueHeron.

  "I'm no more robber and thief than you are!" he shrieked.

  "You frightened away my Frog!" screamed Longlegs.

  "I didn't!"

  "You did!"

  "I didn't! It wasn't your Frog; it was mine!"

  "Chugarum!" said Grandfather Frog to Jerry Muskrat, as they peeped outfrom under some lily-pads. "I didn't know I belonged to anybody. Ireally didn't. Did you?"

  "No," replied Jerry, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he watchedLonglegs and Whitetail, "it's news to me."

  "You're too lazy to hunt like honest people!" taunted old Whitetail, ashe wheeled around Longlegs, watching for a chance to strike with hisgreat, cruel claws.

  "I'm too honest to take the food out of other people's mouths!" retortedLonglegs, dancing around so as always to face Whitetail, one of hisgreat, broad wings held in front of him like a shield, and his long,strong bill ready to strike.

  Every feather on Whitetail's head was standing erect with rage, and helooked very fierce and terrible. At last he saw a chance, or thought hedid, and shot down. But all he got was a feather from that great wingwhich Longlegs kept in front of him, and before he could get away, thatlong bill had struck him twice, so that he screamed with pain. So theyfought and fought, till the ground was covered with feathers, and theywere too tired to fight any longer. Then, slowly and painfully, oldWhitetail flew away over the Green Meadows, and with torn and raggedwings, Longlegs flew heavily down the Laughing Brook towards the BigRiver, and both were sore and stiff and still hungry.

  "Dear me! Dear me! What a terrible thing and how useless anger is," saidGrandfather Frog, as he climbed back on his big green lily-pad in thewarm sunshine.

  VII

  GRANDFATHER FROG'S BIG MOUTH GETS HIM IN TROUBLE

  Grandfather Frog has a great big mouth. You know that. Everybody does.His friends of the Smiling Pool, the Laughing Brook, and the GreenMeadows have teased Grandfather Frog a great deal about the size of hismouth, but he hasn't minded in the least, not the very least. You see,he learned a long time ago that a big mouth is very handy for catchingfoolish green flies, especially when two happen to come along together.So he is rather proud of his big mouth, just as he is of his gogglyeyes.

  But once in a while his big mouth gets him into trouble. It's a way bigmouths have. It holds so much that it makes him greedy sometimes. Hestuffs it full after his stomach already has all that it can hold, andthen of course he can't swallow. Then Grandfather Frog looks veryfoolish and silly and undignified, and everybody calls him a greedyfellow who is old enough to know better and who ought to be ashamed ofhimself. Perhaps he is, but he never says so, and he is almost sure todo the same thing over again the first chance he has.

  Now it happened that one morning when Grandfather Frog had had a verygood breakfast of foolish green flies and really didn't need anothersingle thing to eat, who should come along but Little Joe Otter, who hadbeen down to the Big River fishing. He had eaten all he could hold, andhe was taking the rest of his catch to a secret hiding-place up theLaughing Brook.

  Now Grandfather Frog is very fond of fish for a change, and when he sawthose that Little Joe Otter had, his eyes glistened, and in spite of hisfull stomach his mouth watered.

  "Good morning, Grandfather Frog! Have you had your breakfast yet?"called Little Joe Otter.

  Grandfather Frog wanted to say no, but he always tells the truth."Ye-e-s," he replied. "I've had my breakfast, such as it was. Why do youask?"

  "Oh, for no reason in particular. I just thought that if you hadn't, youmight like a fish. But as long as you have breakfasted, of course youdon't want one," said Little Joe, his bright eyes beginning to twinkle.He held the fish out so that Grandfather Frog could see just how plumpand nice they were.

  "Chugarum!" exclaimed Gra
ndfather Frog. "Those certainly are very nicefish, very nice fish indeed. It is very nice of you to think of a poorold fellow like me, and I--er--well, I might find room for just a littleteeny, weeny one, if you can spare it."

  Little Joe Otter knows all about Grandfather Frog's greediness. Helooked at Grandfather Frog's white and yellow waistcoat and saw how itwas already stuffed full to bursting. The twinkle in his eyes grew moremischievous than ever as he said: "Of course I can. But I wouldn't thinkof giving such an old friend a teeny, weeny one."

  With that, Little Joe picked out the biggest fish he had and tossed itover to Grandfather Frog. It landed close by his nose with a greatsplash, and it was almost half as big as Grandfather Frog himself. Itwas plump and looked so tempting that Grandfather Frog forgot all abouthis full stomach. He even forgot to be polite and thank Little JoeOtter. He just opened his great mouth and seized the fish. Yes, Sir,that is just what he did. Almost before you could wink an eye, the fishhad started down Grandfather Frog's throat head first.

  Now you know Grandfather Frog has no teeth, and so he cannot bite thingsin two. He has to swallow them whole. That is just what he started to dowith the fish. It went all right until the head reached his stomach. Butyou can't put anything more into a thing already full, and GrandfatherFrog's stomach was packed as full as it could be of foolish green flies.There the fish stuck, and gulp and swallow as hard as he could,Grandfather Frog couldn't make that fish go a bit farther. Then he triedto get it out again, but it had gone so far down his throat that hecouldn't get it back. Grandfather Frog began to choke.

  VIII

  SPOTTY THE TURTLE PLAYS DOCTOR

  Greed's a dreadful thing to see, As everybody will agree.

  At first Little Joe Otter, sitting on the bank of the Smiling Pool,laughed himself almost sick as he watched Grandfather Frog trying toswallow a fish almost as big as himself, when his white and yellowwaistcoat was already stuffed so full of foolish green flies that therewasn't room for anything more. Such greed would have been disgusting, ifit hadn't been so very, very funny. At least, it was funny at first, forthe fish had stuck, with the tail hanging out of Grandfather Frog's bigmouth. Grandfather Frog hitched this way and hitched that way on hisbig green lily-pad, trying his best to swallow. Twice he tumbled offwith a splash into the Smiling Pool. Each time he scrambled back againand rolled his great goggly eyes in silent appeal to Little Joe Otter tocome to his aid.

  As soon as they saw Grandfather Frog, they began tolaugh, too. _Page 37._]

  But Little Joe was laughing so that he had to hold his sides, and hedidn't understand that Grandfather Frog really was in trouble. BillyMink and Jerry Muskrat came along, and as soon as they saw GrandfatherFrog, they began to laugh, too. They just laughed and laughed andlaughed until the tears came. They rolled over and over on the bank andkicked their heels from sheer enjoyment. It was the funniest thing theyhad seen for a long, long time.

  "Did you ever see such greed?" gasped Billy Mink.

  "Why don't you pull it out and start over again?" shouted Little JoeOtter.

  Now this is just what Grandfather Frog was trying to do. At least, hewas trying to pull the fish out. He hadn't the least desire in the worldto try swallowing it again. In fact, he felt just then as if he never,never wanted to see another fish so long as he lived. But GrandfatherFrog's hands are not made for grasping slippery things, and the tail ofa fish is very slippery indeed. He tried first with one hand, then withthe other, and at last with both. It was of no use at all. He justcouldn't budge that fish. He couldn't cough it up, because it had gonetoo far down for that. The more he clawed at that waving tail with hishands, the funnier he looked, and the harder Little Joe Otter and BillyMink and Jerry Muskrat laughed. They made such a noise that Spotty theTurtle, who had been taking a sun-bath on the end of an old log, slippedinto the water and started to see what it was all about.

  Now Spotty the Turtle is very, very slow on land, but he is a goodswimmer. He hurried now because he didn't want to miss the fun. At firsthe didn't see Grandfather Frog.

  "What's the joke?" he asked.

  Little Joe Otter simply pointed to Grandfather Frog. Little Joe hadlaughed so much that he couldn't even speak. Spotty looked over to thebig green lily-pad and started to laugh too. Then he saw great tearsrolling down from Grandfather Frog's eyes and heard little choky sounds.He stopped laughing and started for Grandfather Frog as fast as he couldswim. He climbed right up on the big green lily-pad, and reaching out,grabbed the end of the fish tail in his beak-like mouth. Then Spottythe Turtle settled back and pulled, and Grandfather Frog settled backand pulled. Splash! Grandfather Frog had fallen backward into theSmiling Pool on one side of the big green lily-pad. Splash! Spotty theTurtle had fallen backward into the Smiling Pool on the opposite side ofthe big green lily-pad. And the fish which had caused all the troublelay floating on the water.

  "Thank you! Thank you!" gasped Grandfather Frog, as he feebly crawledback on the lily-pad. "A minute more, and I would have choked to death."

  "Don't mention it," replied Spotty the Turtle.

  "I never, never will," promised Grandfather Frog.

  IX

  OLD MR. TOAD VISITS GRANDFATHER FROG

  Grandfather Frog and old Mr. Toad are cousins. Of course you know thatwithout being told. Everybody does. But not everybody knows that theywere born in the same place. They were. Yes, Sir, they were. They wereborn in the Smiling Pool. Both had long tails and for a while no legs,and they played and swam together without ever going on shore. In fact,when they were babies, they couldn't live out of the water. And peoplewho saw them didn't know the difference between them and called them bythe same names--tadpoles or pollywogs. But when they grew old enough tohave legs and get along without tails, they parted company.

  You see, it was this way: Grandfather Frog (of course he wasn'tgrandfather then) loved the Smiling Pool so well that he couldn't thinkof leaving it. He heard all about the Great World and what a wonderfulplace it was, but he couldn't and wouldn't believe that there could beany nicer place than the Smiling Pool, and so he made up his mind thathe would live there always.

  But Mr. Toad could hardly wait to get rid of his tail before turning hisback on the Smiling Pool and starting out to see the Great World.Nothing that Grandfather Frog could say would stop him, and away Mr.Toad went, when he was so small that he could hide under a clover leaf.Grandfather Frog didn't expect ever to see him again. But he did,though it wasn't for a long, long time. And when he did come back, hehad grown so that Grandfather Frog hardly knew him at first. And rightthen and there began a dispute which they have kept up ever since:whether it was best to go out into the Great World or remain in the homeof childhood. Each was sure that what he had done was best, and each issure of it to this day.

  So whenever old Mr. Toad visits Grandfather Frog, as he does every oncein a while, they are sure to argue and argue on this same old subject.It was so on the day that Grandfather Frog had so nearly choked todeath. Old Mr. Toad had heard about it from one of the Merry LittleBreezes of Old Mother West Wind and right away had started for theSmiling Pool to pay his respects to Grandfather Frog, and to tell himhow glad he was that Spotty the Turtle had come along just in time topull the fish out of Grandfather Frog's throat.

  Now all day long Grandfather Frog had had to listen to unpleasantremarks about his greediness. It was such a splendid chance to tease himthat everybody around the Smiling Pool took advantage of it. GrandfatherFrog took it good-naturedly at first, but after a while it made himcross, and by the time his cousin, old Mr. Toad, arrived, he was sulkyand just grunted when Mr. Toad told him how glad he was to findGrandfather Frog quite recovered.

  Old Mr. Toad pretended not to notice how out of sorts Grandfather Frogwas but kept right on talking.

  "If you had been out in the Great World as much as I have been, youwould have known that Little Joe Otter wasn't giving you that fish fornothing," said he.

  Grandfather Frog swelled right out with anger. "Chugarum!" he exclai
medin his deepest, gruffest voice. "Chugarum! Go back to your Great Worldand learn to mind your own affairs, Mr. Toad."

  Right away old Mr. Toad began to swell with anger too. For a wholeminute he glared at Grandfather Frog, so indignant he couldn't find histongue. When he did find it, he said some very unpleasant things, andright away they began to dispute.

  "What good are you to anybody but yourself, never seeing anything of theGreat World and not knowing anything about what is going on or whatother people are doing?" asked old Mr. Toad.

  "I'm minding my own affairs and not meddling with things that don'tconcern me, as seems to be the way out in the Great World you are sofond of talking about," retorted Grandfather Frog. "Wise people knowenough to be content with what they have. You've been out in the GreatWorld ever since you could hop, and what good has it done you? Tell methat! You haven't even a decent suit of clothes to your back."Grandfather Frog patted his white and yellow waistcoat as he spoke andlooked admiringly at the reflection of his handsome green coat in theSmiling Pool.

  Old Mr. Toad's eyes snapped, for you know his suit is very plain andrough.

  "People who do honest work for their living have no time to sit about infine clothes admiring themselves," he replied sharply. "I've learnedthis much out in the Great World, that lazy people come to no good end,and I know enough not to choke myself to death."

  Grandfather Frog almost choked again, he was so angry. You see old Mr.Toad's remarks were very personal, and nobody likes personal remarkswhen they are unpleasant, especially if they happen to be true.Grandfather Frog was trying his best to think of something sharp to sayin reply, when Mr. Redwing, sitting in the top of the big hickory-tree,shouted: "Here comes Farmer Brown's boy!"