After the first shock, Father Frog became very angry with Pinkie
Whiskers. His legs began to move once more and he made long hops and
jumps until he stood beside Pinkie Whiskers. He puffed out his white
throat and croaked:
"Chug-e-rum! chug-e-rum! What are you doing with my son and why did you
pull him out of the water?"
Pinkie Whiskers looked at Father Frog and when he saw how big he was,
felt rather small and timid himself, but he raised up to his full height
and said:
"Is this little tadpole your son? I fished for him just for the sport of
it and I did intend to take him home with me."
"Chug-e-rum! chug-e-rum!" roared Father Frog, "drop my son at once."
The way Father Frog demanded Pinkie Whiskers to drop the tadpole made
him very determined not to do so. It was very naughty of Pinkie
Whiskers, and afterwards he was most sorry for having been so rude,
unkind and stubborn, but then it was too late.
Pinkie Whiskers said to Father Frog, "I will not drop your son. He is my
little tadpole now and I am going to take him home and fry him for my
breakfast."
"Chug-e-rum! chug-e-rum!" growled Father Frog. "You shall do nothing of
the kind. Don't you know that frogs and tadpoles have feelings and
hearts as well as yourself?"
"Poof! poof!" scoffed Pinkie Whiskers. "I don't care. I am going to take
my tadpole home with me anyway."
Father Frog did not say a word. He just jumped against Pinkie Whiskers
with such force that the rod flew out of his hand and the little
tadpole went flop back into his watery home.
Pinkie Whiskers fell flat upon the stone and when he scrambled to his
feet, there beside him stood Father Frog. In his hand he held a long
green reed, which he had pulled out of the creek.
Pinkie Whiskers thought that Father Frog intended to whip him with the
reed and he begged, "Please do not whip me. I will never touch your
little tadpoles again."
"Indeed you will not touch them again, for you will not be here to fish
for them."
With these words, the Frog grabbed Pinkie Whiskers and threw him up onto
his back. He then put the reed around him so that he could not possibly
get away.
Pinkie Whiskers kicked and kicked. He jerked and jerked, but the reed
was so strong that he could not break it. He tried to bite it with his
teeth, but he could not reach around far enough.
Father Frog hopped up onto a big rock that was hanging right over the
creek. Pinkie Whiskers screamed and kicked some more, but it was of no
use.
"Oh, please put me down, Mr. Frog," begged Pinkie Whiskers.
"Indeed, I will not. You showed my son no mercy and now you cannot
expect me to show you any kindness," replied Father Frog.
"But he is back in the creek with his brothers and sisters now," said
Pinkie Whiskers.
"Yes, he is back home with a fish hook in his mouth and I will have a
hard time to get it out. Besides it was not you or your kindness that
put him back home. It was because I made you drop him," growled Father
Frog.
"What are you going to do to me?" cried Pinkie Whiskers.
"I am going to dump you into the water," replied Father Frog.
"Oh, mother! mother! father! father! help me! Come quick and help me!"
screamed Pinkie Whiskers.
Mother Gray and all of the others heard him scream and they ran as fast
as they could to his aid. Billy Jay could fly faster than the others
could run, and he flew as fast as he could, but even he was too late.
Right before their very eyes, Father Frog leaped into the creek with
Pinkie Whiskers on his back.
The last they saw of Pinkie Whiskers was his feet kicking the air and
his little red coat-tails flying.
Mother Gray threw herself down on the rock and sobbed, "My dear Pinkie
Whiskers, I will never see him again."
Winkle, Twinkle and Billy Jay all cried, too, but Father Gray blew his
nose and wiped a tear from his eye as Uncle Whiskers said, "That boy
will come back all safe and sound."