The Adventures of Grandfather Frog E-Book

Thornton W. Burgess

• Herausgeber: Interactive Media
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

The Adventures of Grandfather Frog

Leseprobe

Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Grandfather Frog

New Edition

New Edition

Published by Fantastica

This Edition

First published in 2022

Copyright © 2022 Fantastica

All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9781787363939

Contents

BILLY MINK FINDS LITTLE JOE OTTER

LONGLEGS THE BLUE HERON RECEIVES CALLERS

LONGLEGS VISITS THE SMILING POOL

THE PATIENCE OF LONGLEGS THE BLUE HERON

GRANDFATHER FROG JUMPS JUST IN TIME

LONGLEGS AND WHITETAIL QUARREL

GRANDFATHER FROG’S BIG MOUTH GETS HIM IN TROUBLE

SPOTTY THE TURTLE PLAYS DOCTOR

OLD MR. TOAD VISITS GRANDFATHER FROG

GRANDFATHER FROG STARTS OUT TO SEE THE GREAT WORLD

GRANDFATHER FROG IS STUBBORN

GRANDFATHER FROG KEEPS ON

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE FEELS RESPONSIBLE

GRANDFATHER FROG HAS A STRANGE RIDE

GRANDFATHER FROG GIVES UP HOPE

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES WORK HARD

STRIPED CHIPMUNK CUTS THE STRING

GRANDFATHER FROG HURRIES AWAY

GRANDFATHER FROG JUMPS INTO MORE TROUBLE

GRANDFATHER FROG LOSES HEART

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES TRY TO COMFORT GRANDFATHER FROG

GRANDFATHER FROG’S TROUBLES GROW

THE DEAR OLD SMILING POOL ONCE MORE

BILLY MINK FINDS LITTLE JOE OTTER

Billy Mink ran around the edge of the Smiling Pool and turned down by the Laughing Brook. His eyes twinkled with mischief, and he hurried as only Billy can. As he passed Jerry Muskrat’s house, Jerry saw him.

“Hi, Billy Mink! Where are you going in such a hurry this fine morning?” he called.

“To find Little Joe Otter. Have you seen anything of him?” replied Billy.

“No,” said Jerry. “He’s probably down to the Big River fishing. I heard him say last night that he was going.”

“Thanks,” said Billy Mink, and without waiting to say more he was off like a little brown flash.

Jerry watched him out of sight. “Hump!” exclaimed Jerry. “Billy Mink is in a terrible hurry this morning. Now I wonder what he is so anxious to find Little Joe Otter for. When they get their heads together, it is usually for some mischief.”

Jerry climbed to the top of his house and looked over the Smiling Pool in the direction from which Billy Mink had just come. Almost at once he saw Grandfather Frog fast asleep on his big green lily-pad. The legs of a foolish green fly were sticking out of one corner of his big mouth. Jerry couldn’t help laughing, for Grandfather Frog certainly did look funny.

“He’s had a good breakfast this morning, and his full stomach has made him sleepy,” thought Jerry. “But he’s getting careless in his old age. He certainly is getting careless. The idea of going to sleep right out in plain sight like that!”

Suddenly a new thought popped into his head. “Billy Mink saw him, and that is why he is so anxious to find Little Joe Otter. He is planning to play some trick on Grandfather Frog as sure as pollywogs have tails!” exclaimed Jerry. Then his eyes began to twinkle as he added: “I think I’ll have some fun myself.”

Without another word Jerry slipped down into the water and swam over to the big green lily-pad of Grandfather Frog. Then he hit the water a smart blow with his tail. Grandfather Frog’s big goggly eyes flew open, and he was just about to make a frightened plunge into the Smiling Pool when he saw Jerry.

“Have a nice nap?” inquired Jerry, with a broad grin.

“I wasn’t asleep!” protested Grandfather Frog indignantly. “I was just thinking.”

“Don’t you think it a rather dangerous plan to think so long with your eyes closed?” asked Jerry.

“Well, maybe I did just doze off,” admitted Grandfather Frog sheepishly.

“Maybe you did,” replied Jerry. “Now listen.” Then Jerry whispered in Grandfather Frog’s ear, and both chuckled as if they were enjoying some joke, for they are great friends, you know. Afterward Jerry swam back to his house, and Grandfather Frog closed his eyes so as to look just as he did when he was asleep.

Meanwhile Billy Mink had hurried down the Laughing Brook. Half-way to the Big River he met Little Joe Otter bringing home a big fish, for you know Little Joe is a great fisherman. Billy Mink hastened to tell him how Grandfather Frog had fallen fast asleep on his big green lily-pad.

“It’s a splendid chance to have some fun with Grandfather Frog and give him a great scare,” concluded Billy.

Little Joe Otter put his fish down and grinned. He likes to play pranks almost as well as he likes to go fishing.

“What can we do?” said he.

“I’ve thought of a plan,” replied Billy. “Do you happen to know where we can find Longlegs the Blue Heron?”

“Yes,” said Little Joe. “I saw him fishing not five minutes ago.”

Then Billy told Little Joe his plan, and laughing and giggling, the two little scamps hurried off to find Longlegs the Blue Heron.

LONGLEGS THE BLUE HERON RECEIVES CALLERS

Longlegs the Blue Heron felt decidedly out of sorts. It was a beautiful morning, too beautiful for any one to be feeling that way. Indeed, it was the same beautiful morning in which Grandfather Frog had caught so many foolish green flies.

Jolly, round, bright Mr. Sun was smiling his broadest. The Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind were dancing happily here and there over the Green Meadows, looking for some good turn to do for others. The little feathered people to whom Old Mother Nature has given the great blessing of music in their throats were pouring out their sweetest songs. So it seemed as if there was no good reason why Longlegs should feel out of sorts. The fact is the trouble with Longlegs was an empty stomach. Yes, Sir, that is what ailed Longlegs the Blue Heron that sunshiny morning. You know it is hard work to be hungry and happy at the same time.

So Longlegs stood on the edge of a shallow little pool in the Laughing Brook, grumbling to himself. Just a little while before, he had seen Little Joe Otter carrying home a big fish, and this had made him hungrier and more out of sorts than ever. In the first place it made him envious, and envy, you know, always stirs up bad feelings. He knew perfectly well that Little Joe had got that fish by boldly chasing it until he caught it, for Little Joe can swim even faster than a fish. But Longlegs chose to try to make himself think that it was all luck. Moreover, he wanted to blame some one for his own lack of success, as most people who fail do. So when Little Joe had called out: “Hi, Longlegs, what luck this fine morning?” Longlegs just pretended not to hear. But when Little Joe was out of sight and hearing, he began to grumble to himself.

“No wonder I have no luck with that fellow racing up and down the Laughing Brook,” said he. “He isn’t content to catch what he wants himself, but frightens the rest of the fish so that an honest fisherman like me has no chance at all. I don’t see what Old Mother Nature was thinking of when she gave him a liking for fish. He and Billy Mink are just two worthless little scamps, born to make trouble for other people.”

He was still grumbling when these two same little scamps poked their heads out of the grass on the other side of the little pool. “You look happy, Longlegs. Must be that you have had a good breakfast,” said Little Joe, nudging Billy Mink.

Longlegs snapped his great bill angrily. “What are you doing here, spoiling my fishing?” he demanded. “Haven’t you got the Big River and all the rest of the Laughing Brook to fool around in? This is my pool, and I’ll thank you to keep away!”

Billy Mink chuckled so that Longlegs heard him, and that didn’t improve his temper a bit. But before he could say anything more, Little Joe Otter spoke.

“Oh,” said he, “we beg your pardon. We just happen to know that Grandfather Frog is sound asleep, and we thought that if you hadn’t had good luck this morning, you might like to know about it. As long as you think so ill of us, we’ll just run over and tell Blackcap the Night Heron.”

Little Joe turned as if to start off in search of Blackcap at once. “Hold on a minute!” called Longlegs, and tried to make his voice sound pleasant, a difficult thing to do, because, you know, his voice is very harsh and disagreeable. “The truth is, I haven’t had a mouthful of breakfast and to be hungry is apt to make me cross. Where did you say Grandfather Frog is?”

“I didn’t say,” replied Little Joe, “but if you really want to know, he is sitting on his big green lily-pad in the Smiling Pool fast asleep right in plain sight.”

“Thank you,” said Longlegs. “I believe I have an errand up that way, now I think of it. I believe I’ll just go over and have a look at him. I have never seen him asleep.”

LONGLEGS VISITS THE SMILING POOL

Longlegs the Blue Heron watched Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter disappear down the Laughing Brook. As long as they were in sight, he sat without moving, his head drawn down between his shoulders just as if he had nothing more important to think about than a morning nap. But if you had been near enough to have seen his keen eyes, you would never have suspected him of even thinking of a nap. Just as soon as he felt sure that the two little brown-coated scamps were out of sight, he stretched his long neck up until he was almost twice as tall as he had been a minute before. He looked this way and that way to make sure that no danger was near, spread his great wings, flapped heavily up into the air, and then, with his head once more tucked back between his shoulders and his long legs straight out behind him, he flew out over the Green Meadows, and making a big circle, headed straight for the Smiling Pool.

All this time Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter had not been so far away as Longlegs supposed. They had been hiding where they could watch him, and the instant he spread his wings, they started back up the Laughing Brook towards the Smiling Pool to see what would happen there. You see they knew perfectly well that Longlegs was flying up to the Smiling Pool in the hope that he could catch Grandfather Frog for his breakfast. They didn’t really mean that any harm should come to Grandfather Frog, but they meant that he should have a great fright. You see, they were like a great many other people, so heedless and thoughtless that they thought it fun to frighten others.

“Of course we’ll waken Grandfather Frog in time for him to get away with nothing more than a great scare,” said Little Joe Otter, as they hurried along. “It will be such fun to see his big goggly eyes pop out when he opens them and sees Longlegs just ready to gobble him up! And won’t Longlegs be hopping mad when we cheat him out of the breakfast he is so sure he is going to have!”

They reached the Smiling Pool before Longlegs, who had taken a roundabout way, and they hid among the bulrushes where they could see and not be seen.

“There’s the old fellow just as I left him, fast asleep,” whispered Billy Mink.

Sure enough, there on his big green lily-pad sat Grandfather Frog with his eyes shut. At least, they seemed to be shut. And over on top of his big house sat Jerry Muskrat. Jerry seemed to be too busy opening a fresh-water clam to notice anything else; but the truth is he was watching all that was going on. You see, he had suspected that Billy Mink was going to play some trick on Grandfather Frog, so he had warned him. When he had seen Longlegs coming towards the Smiling Pool, he had given Grandfather Frog another warning, and he knew that now he was only pretending to be asleep.