Just as soon as they dared, they dropped the hat and then separated and
rushed away in all directions across the Green Meadows, over to the
Green Forest, and down to the Smiling Pool. What were they going for?
Why, to hunt for some of Grandfather Frog's friends and ask their help.
You see, the Merry Little Breezes could make Farmer Brown's boy drop
Grandfather Frog, but they couldn't untie a knot or cut a string, and
this is just what had got to be done to set Grandfather Frog free, for
his hind-legs were tied together. So now they were looking for some one
with sharp teeth, who thought enough of Grandfather Frog to come and
help him.
One thought of Striped Chipmunk and started for the old stone wall to
look for him. Another went in search of Danny Meadow Mouse. A third
headed for the dear Old Briar-patch after Peter Rabbit. A fourth
remembered Jimmy Skunk and how he had once set Blacky the Crow free from
a snare. A fifth remembered what sharp teeth Happy Jack Squirrel has and
hurried over to the Green Forest to look for him. A sixth started
straight for the Smiling Pool to tell Jerry Muskrat. And every one of
them raced as fast as he could.
All this time Grandfather Frog was without hope. Yes, Sir, poor old
Grandfather Frog was wholly in despair. You see, he didn't know what the
Merry Little Breezes were trying to do, and he was so frightened and
confused that he couldn't think. When Farmer Brown's boy dropped him, he
lay right where he fell for a few minutes. Then, right close at hand, he
saw an old board. Without really thinking, he tried to get to it, for
there looked as if there might be room for him to hide under it. It was
hard work, for you know his long hind-legs, which he uses for jumping,
were tied together. The best he could do was to crawl and wriggle and
pull himself along. Just as Farmer Brown's boy started to climb the
fence back into the Long Lane, his hat in his hand, Grandfather Frog
reached the old board and crawled under it.
Now when the Merry Little Breezes had thrown the dust in Farmer Brown's
boy's face and snatched his hat, he had dropped Grandfather Frog in such
a hurry that he didn't notice just where he did drop him, so now he
didn't know the exact place to look for him. But he knew pretty near,
and he hadn't the least doubt but that he would find him. He had just
started to look when the dinner horn sounded. Farmer Brown's boy
hesitated. He was hungry. If he was late, he might lose his dinner. He
could come back later to look for Grandfather Frog, for with his legs
tied Grandfather Frog couldn't get far. So, with a last look to make
sure of the place, Farmer Brown's boy started for the house.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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