THE TREE FROGS ARRIVE

There was much excitement and a great babble of voices over the way under a big elm tree. Mrs. Toad, hearing the noise, came from her home as fast as her short legs and her fat body would bring her. All the father and mother frogs, all the boy and girl frogs, and all the baby frogs could be seen hoppity-hopping toward the big elm tree with the very biggest and longest leaps they could make. What was it all about? Surely some great person has come, thought Bully as he, too, hurried over to the gathering under the elm tree.

There in the center of a large circle of frogs he saw six strangers sitting. Two of them were dressed in fine green coats with "spots of brown and bands of darker green shaded in." These two strangers said they had always lived in the forest a few miles away. They said the other four strangers had stopped at their house to spend the night, and had told them of the Frog Pond in Rainbow Valley and invited them to come here with them. The two stranger frogs wanted to come, as they had heard the Frog Pond was the most beautiful and the safest place in the world for frogs to live. "It certainly is lovely," they declared as they gazed around.

Two of the other four stranger frogs wore blue coats with pure white vests. "We are the Blue Tree Frogs from South America," they said.

"What splendid clothes!" exclaimed some of the old frogs.

The Blue Tree Frogs only smiled and said, "These are our friends Mr. and Mrs. Golden Tree Frog from Tasmania."

The Golden Tree Frogs wore coats of grass green thickly covered with shiny yellow embroidery that looked like the purest beaten gold. Several of the mother frogs gasped as they saw their beautiful clothes. They went near and touched them gently. They had not known there were such handsome frogs in the world as these. The Golden Tree Frogs were much pleased to be so admired. They believed no other frogs could dress so well.

"A man came to our home and captured us and brought us to this country," said Mr. Golden Tree Frog. "He also brought the Blue Tree Frogs from South America. He took all of us to his beautiful country home and placed us in the trees."

"I don't understand why he should have done that," said Mrs. Blue Tree Frog. "We wanted to stay in our own beautiful country. We have always been unhappy in America. One day a Lark lit in our tree and began talking to us. We told him how homesick we were. 'If I were you,' said the Lark, 'I'd go and live in the Frog Pond.' We asked what Frog Pond he was talking about. He then told us of this lovely place in Rainbow Valley. He talked about these fine old trees and this beautiful little lake. He also told us of the fine old father and mother frogs and of all the young frogs who live here. He said so much about it that we decided to come at once. I can see," he said, looking around, "that the Lark told the truth. It is lovely here. I know we shall like it."

Grandfather Bull Frog asked them what they would like for a house. "Oh, a tree, of course," they said, "if it makes no difference to you."

"Take any one you like, it's all the same to me," said Grandfather Bull Frog, bowing low with his hand on his vest. "I am glad you came," he went on, "for there are so many insects in these trees I was afraid the trees would be destroyed."

"One thing I can't understand," said John Bull Frog, "is how a tree frog can climb. I have tried many times to climb, but I can't do it."

"It is because you do not have suctorial discs, or tiny sucking cups, on the bottom of your feet as we do. These cups help us cling to a tree or anything we may wish to walk upon," said Mr. Blue Tree Frog.

"And see my vest," said a tree frog proudly. "Look at the tiny holes in it. Through these holes I can drink the dew from the leaves. I don't have to come to the ground for a drink of water. No indeed, I don't," he boasted.

"Where do you lay your eggs and hatch your polly-wogs?" asked Mrs. Toad.

"Oh," answered Mrs. Blue Tree Frog, "of course we come down for that, as our babies must spend the first three months in the water."

"Do you sing?" asked some one of the boys among the crowd.

"A very little," they replied.

"We should be glad to have you sing in our grand concert which we give each evening," said Grandfather Bull Frog.

"Thank you. We shall be glad to do our best," they answered. "Now if you will please excuse us," they said, "we shall go to our new home and rest."

The company then divided, each frog going his own way, but all were glad that the new frogs had come to live near the Frog Pond.

Late that afternoon Bully was sitting on an old log wondering why he was not a tree frog. He thought it would be fine to wear such beautiful clothes and to be able to climb trees. It seemed hardly fair that he must always stay on the ground while others could climb so high in the world. He was sitting very still thinking of this when he was startled by a voice near him saying, "Are you asleep?" He came to himself with a jump. There, close by him, was a woolly worm. It was much like the one he had seen change his coat early in the morning, only this worm was wearing a bright, new-looking coat. The woolly worm looked proud and happy.

"No, I was not asleep," said Bully, "but you frightened me." He then remembered the sick worm he had left under the leaf. Perhaps this worm knew him. So Bully asked, "How is the woolly worm who changed his coat? Is he dead?"

The worm laughed. "Now that's a good joke on you," he said. "You don't know an old friend when you meet him. I'm the sick worm. Do you like my new coat?"

"You!" exclaimed Bully. "Are you the worm that was so weak and so sick this morning?"

"Of course I am," the worm replied. "I told you I should be all right in a few hours. How do you like my coat?" he asked again.

"It is fine; much handsomer than the old one," Bully told him. "But how did you get well so quickly?"

"Oh, that's easy," answered Woolly Worm as he slid off the log and disappeared among the thick leaves.

Bully kept on thinking for some time; then he croaked to himself, "Humph! I don't see how it could be so easy!" Then he sprang into the water and disappeared.