Grandfather Frog sat among the bulrushes on the edge of the Smiling
Pool. Over his head Mr. Redwing was singing as if his heart would burst
with the very joy of springtime.
“Tra-la-la-lee, see me! See me!
Happy am I as I can be!
Happy am I the whole day long
And so I sing my gladsome song.”
Of course Mr. Redwing was happy. Why shouldn't he be? Here it was the
beautiful springtime, the gladdest time of all the year, the time when
happiness creeps into everybody's heart. Grandfather Frog listened. He
nodded his head. “Chugarum! I'm happy, too,” said Grandfather Frog. But
even as he said it, a little worried look crept into his big goggly eyes
and then down to the corners of his big mouth, which had been stretched
in a smile. Little by little the smile grew smaller and smaller, until
there wasn't any smile. No, Sir, there wasn't any smile. Instead of
looking happy, as he said he felt, Grandfather Frog actually looked
unhappy.
The fact is he couldn't forget what Jerry Muskrat and Little Joe Otter
had told him--that there was something the matter with the Smiling
Pool. He didn't believe it, not a word of it. At least he tried to make
himself think that he didn't believe it. They had said that the water
in the Smiling Pool was growing lower and lower, just as it did in the
middle of summer, in the very hottest weather. Now Grandfather Frog is
very old and very wise, and he had never heard of such a thing happening
in the springtime. So he wouldn't believe it now. And yet--and yet
Grandfather Frog had an uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong.
Ha! he knew now what it was! He had been sitting up to his middle in
water, and now he was sitting with only his toes in the water, and he
couldn't remember having changed his position!
“Of course, I moved without thinking what I was doing,” muttered
Grandfather Frog, but still the worried look didn't leave his face. You
see he just couldn't make himself believe what he wanted to believe, try
as he would.
“Chugarum! I know what I'll do; I'll watch my toes!” exclaimed
Grandfather Frog.
So Grandfather Frog waded out into the water until it covered his feet,
and then he sat down and began to watch his toes. Mr. Redwing looked
down and saw him, and Grandfather Frog looked so funny gazing at his own
toes that Mr. Redwing stopped singing long enough to ask: “What are you
doing, Grandfather Frog?”
“Watching my toes,” replied Grandfather Frog gruffly.
“Watching your toes! Ho, ho, ho! Watching your toes! Who ever heard of
such a thing? Are you afraid that they will run away, Grandfather Frog?”
shouted Mr. Redwing.
Grandfather Frog didn't answer. He kept right on watching his toes.
Mr. Redwing flew away to tell everybody he met how Grandfather Frog had
become foolish and was watching his toes. The sun shone down warm and
bright, and pretty soon Grandfather Frog's big goggly eyes began to
blink. Then his head began to nod, and then--why, then Grandfather Frog
fell fast asleep.
By and by Grandfather Frog awoke with a start. He looked down at his
toes. They were not in the water at all! Indeed, the water was a good
long jump away.
“Chugarum! There is something wrong with the Smiling Pool!” cried
Grandfather Frog, as he made a long jump into the water and started to
swim out to the Big Rock.