after bully and bawly no-tail, the frogs, and their papa, reached home from the woods, where they met the make-believe giant, as i told you in the story before this one, they talked about it for ever so long, and agreed that it was quite an adventure.
“i wish i’d have another adventure to-morrow,” said bawly, as he went to bed that night.
“perhaps you may,” said his papa. “only i can’t be with you to-morrow, as i have to go to work in my wallpaper factory. we made the pelican bird give back the ink, so the printing presses can run again.”
well, the next day the frog boys’ mamma said to them:
“bully and bawly, i wish you would go to the store for me. i want a dozen lemons and some sugar, for i am going to make lemonade, in case company comes to-night.”
“all right, we’ll go,” said bully very politely. “i’ll get the sugar and bawly can get the lemons.”
so they went to the store and got the things, and when they were hopping out, the storekeeper, who was a very kind elephant gentleman, gave them each a handful of peanuts, which they put in the pockets of their clothes, that water couldn’t hurt.
well, when bully and bawly were almost home, they came to a place where there were two paths. one went through the woods and the other across the pond.
“i’ll tell you what let’s do,” suggested bully. “you go by the woodland path, bawly, and i’ll go by way of the pond and we’ll see who will get home first.”
“all right,” said bawly, so on he hopped through the woods, going as fast as he could, for he wanted to beat. and bully swam as fast as he could in the water, carrying the sugar, for it was in a rubber bag, so it wouldn’t get wet. but now i’m going to tell you what happened to bawly.
he was hopping along, carrying the lemons, when all at once he heard some one calling to him:
“hello, little frog, are you a good jumper?”
bawly looked all around, and there right by a great, big stone he saw a savage, ugly fox. at first bawly was going to throw a lemon at the bad animal, to scare him away, and then he happened to think that the lemons were soft and wouldn’t hurt the fox very much.
“don’t be afraid,” said the fox, “i won’t bite you. i wouldn’t hurt you for the world, little frog,” and then the fox came slowly from behind the stone, and bawly saw that both the sly creature’s front feet were lame from the rheumatism, like uncle wiggily’s, so the fox couldn’t run at all. bawly knew he could easily hop away from him, as the sly animal couldn’t go any faster than a snail.
“oh, i guess the reason you won’t hurt me, is because you can’t catch me,” said bawly, slow and careful-like.
“oh, i wouldn’t hurt you, anyhow,” went on the fox, trying not to show how hungry he was, for really, you know, he wanted to eat bawly, but he knew he couldn’t catch him, with his sore feet, so he was trying to think of another way to get hold of him. “i just love frogs,” said the fox.
“i guess you do,” thought bawly. “you like them too much. i’ll keep well away from you.”
“but what i want to know,” continued the fox, “is whether you are a good jumper, bawly.”
“yes, i am—pretty good,” said the frog boy.
“could you jump over this stone?” asked the fox, slyly, pointing to a little one.
“easily,” said bawly, and he did it, lemons and all.
“could you jump over that stump?” asked the fox, pointing to a big one.
“easily,” answered bawly, and he did it, lemons and all.
“ha! here is a hard one,” said the fox. “could you jump over my head?”
“easily,” replied bawly, and he did it, lemons and all.
“well, you certainly are a good jumper,” spoke the fox, wagging his bushy tail with a puzzled air. “i know something you can’t do, though.”
“what is it?” inquired bawly.
“you can’t jump over the church steeple.”
“i believe i can!” exclaimed bawly, before he thought. you see he didn’t like the fox to think he couldn’t do it, for bawly was proud, and that’s not exactly right, and it got him into trouble, as you shall soon see.
you know that fox was very sly, and the reason he wanted bawly to try to jump over the church steeple was so the frog boy would fall down from a great height and be hurt, and then the fox could eat him without any trouble, sore feet or none. i tell you it’s best to look out when a fox asks you to do anything.
“yes, i can jump over the church steeple,” declared bawly, and he hopped ahead until he came to the church, the fox limping slowly along, and thinking what a fine meal he’d have when poor bawly fell, for the fox knew what a terrible jump it was, and how anyone who made it would be hurt, but the frog boy didn’t.
bawly tucked the bag of lemons under his leg, and he took a long breath, and he gave a jump, but he didn’t go very far up in the air as his foot slipped.
“ha! i knew you couldn’t do it!” sneered the fox.
“watch me!” cried bawly, and this time he gave a most tremendous and extraordinary jump, and right up to the church steeple he went, but he didn’t go over it, and it’s a good thing, too, or he’d have been all broken to pieces when he landed on the ground again. but instead he hit right on top of the church steeple and stayed there, where there was a nice, round, golden ball to sit on.
“jump down! jump down!” cried the fox, for he wanted to eat bawly.
“no, i’m going to stay here,” answered the frog boy, for now he saw how far it was to the ground, and he knew he’d be killed if he leaped off the steeple.
well, the fox tried to get him to jump down, but bawly wouldn’t. and then the frog boy began to wonder how he’d ever get home, for the steeple was very high.
then what do you think bawly did? why, he took a lemon and threw it at the church bell, hoping to ring it so the janitor would come and help him down. but the lemon was too soft to ring the bell loudly enough for any to hear.
then bawly thought of his peanuts, and he threw a handful of them at the church bell in the steeple, making it ring like an alarm clock, and the janitor, who was sweeping out the church for sunday, heard the bell, and he looked up and saw the frog on the steeple. then the janitor, being a kind man, got a ladder and helped bawly down, and the fox, very much disappointed, limped away, and didn’t eat the frog boy after all.
“but you must never try to jump over a steeple again,” said bawly’s mamma when he told her about it, after he got home with the lemons, and found bully there ahead of him with the sugar.
so bawly promised that he wouldn’t, and he never did. and now, if the postman brings me a pink letter with a green stamp on from the playful elephant in the circus, i’ll tell you next about bully and the basket of chips.
