X
GRANDFATHER FROG GETS EVEN
Old Grandfather Frog sat on his big green lily pad in the Smiling Pooldreaming of the days when the world was young and the frogs ruled theworld. His hands were folded across his white and yellow waistcoat.Round, red, smiling Mr. Sun sent down his warmest rays on the back ofGrandfather Frog's green coat.
Very early that morning Old Mother West Wind, hurrying down from thePurple Hills on her way to help the white-sailed ships across the greatocean, had stopped long enough to blow three or four fat, foolish,green flies over to the big lily pad, and they were now safely insidethe white and yellow waistcoat. A thousand little tadpoles, the great,great-grandchildren of Grandfather Frog, were playing in the SmilingPool, and every once in a while wriggling up to the big lily pad tolook with awe at Grandfather Frog and wonder if they would ever be ashandsome and big and wise as he.
And still old Grandfather Frog sat dreaming and dreaming of the dayswhen all the frogs had tails and ruled the world.
Presently Billy Mink came hopping and skipping down the Laughing Brook.Sometimes he swam a little way and sometimes he ran a little way alongthe bank, and sometimes he jumped from stone to stone. Billy Mink wasfeeling very good--very good indeed. He had caught a fine fat troutfor breakfast. He had hidden two more away for dinner in a snug littlehole no one knew of but himself. Now he had nothing to do but get intomischief. You can always depend upon Billy Mink to get into mischief.He just can't help it.
So Billy Mink came hopping and skipping down the Laughing Brook to theSmiling Pool. Then he stopped, as still as the rock he was standingon, and peeped through the bulrushes. Billy Mink is very cautious,very cautious indeed. He always looks well before he shows himself,that nothing may surprise him.
So Billy Mink looked all over the Smiling Pool and the grassy banks.He saw the sunbeams dancing on the water. He saw the tadpoles havingsuch a good time in the Smiling Pool. He saw the Merry Little Breezeskissing the buttercups and daisies on the bank, and he saw oldGrandfather Frog with his hands folded across his white, and yellowwaistcoat sitting on the green lily pad, dreaming of the days when theworld was young.
Then Billy Mink took a long breath, a very long breath, and dived intothe Smiling Pool. Now, Billy Mink can swim very fast, very fastindeed. For a little way he can swim even faster than Mr. Trout. Andhe can stay under water a long time.
Straight across the Smiling Pool, with not even the tip of his nose outof water, swam Billy Mink. The thousand little tadpoles saw him comingand fled in all directions to bury themselves in the mud at the bottomof the Smiling Pool, for when he thinks no one is looking Billy Minksometimes gobbles up a fat tadpole for breakfast.
Straight across the Smiling Pool swam Billy Mink toward the big greenlily pad where Grandfather Frog sat dreaming of the days when the worldwas young. When he was right under the big green lily pad he suddenlykicked up hard with his hind feet. Up went the big green lily pad,and, of course, up went Grandfather Frog--up and over flat on his back,with a great splash into the Smiling Pool!
Now, Grandfather Frog's mouth is very big. Indeed, no one else has sobig a mouth, unless it be his cousin, old Mr. Toad. And whenGrandfather Frog went over flat on his back, splash in the SmilingPool, his mouth was wide open.
You see he was so surprised he forgot to close it. So, of course,Grandfather Frog swallowed a great deal of water, and he choked andspluttered and swam around in foolish little circles trying to findhimself. Finally he climbed out on his big green lily pad.
He was so surprised he forgot to close it.]
"Chug-a-rum?" said Grandfather Frog, and looked this way and lookedthat way. Then he gave a funny hop and turned about in the oppositedirection and looked this way and looked that way, but all he saw wasthe Smiling Pool dimpling and smiling, Mrs. Redwing bringing a fat wormto her hungry little babies in their snug nest in the bulrushes, andthe Merry Little Breezes hurrying over to see what the trouble might be.
"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog. "It is very strange. I must havefallen asleep and had a bad dream."
Then he once more settled himself comfortably on the big green lilypad, folded his hands across his white and yellow waistcoat, and seemedto be dreaming again, only his big goggly eyes were not dreaming. No,indeed! They were very much awake, and they saw all that was going onin the Smiling Pool. Great-Grandfather Frog was just pretending. Youmay fool him once, but Grandfather Frog has lived so long that he hasbecome very wise, and though Billy Mink is very smart, it takes someone a great deal smarter than Billy Mink to fool Grandfather Frog twicein the same way.
Billy Mink, hiding behind the Big Rock, had laughed and laughed till hehad to hold his sides when Grandfather Frog had choked and splutteredand hopped about on the big lily pad trying to find out what it allmeant. He thought it such a good joke that he couldn't keep it tohimself, so when he saw Little Joe Otter coming to try his slipperyslide he swam across to tell him all about it. Little Joe Otterlaughed and laughed until he had to hold his sides. Then they bothswam back to hide behind the Big Rock to watch until Grandfather Frogshould forget all about it, and they could play the trick over again.
Now, out of the corner of one of his big goggly eyes, Grandfather Froghad seen Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter with their heads closetogether, laughing and holding their sides, and he saw them swim overbehind the Big Rock. Pretty soon one of the Merry Little Breezesdanced over to see if Grandfather Frog had really gone to sleep.Grandfather Frog didn't move, not the teeniest, weeniest bit, but hewhispered something to the Merry Little Breeze, and the Merry LittleBreeze flew away, shaking with laughter, to where the other MerryLittle Breezes were playing with the buttercups and daisies.
Then all the Merry Little Breezes clapped their hands and laughed too.They left the buttercups and daisies and began to play tag across theSmiling Pool.
Now, right on the edge of the Big Rock lay a big stick. Pretty soonthe Merry Little Breezes danced over to the Big Rock, and then,suddenly, all together they gave the big stick a push. Off it went,and then such a splashing and squealing as there was behind the BigRock!
In a few moments Little Joe Otter crept out beside his slippery slideand slipped away holding on to his head. And, sneaking through thebulrushes, so as not to be seen, crawled Billy Mink, back towards hishome on the Laughing Brook. Billy Mink wasn't laughing now. Oh, no!He was limping and he was holding on to his head. Little Joe Otter andBilly Mink had been sitting right underneath the big stick.
"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog and held on to his sides and openedhis mouth very wide in a noiseless laugh, for Grandfather Frog nevermakes a sound when he laughs.
"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog once more. Then he folded hishands across his white and yellow waistcoat and began again to dream ofthe days when the frogs had long tails and ruled the world.
Mother West Wind's Children Page 10