University of Virginia Library

8. VIII
AT THE TOAD SCHOOL

GRANDMA and Grandpa Lightfoot were quite surprised when Johnnie and Billie Bushytail and Jacko, the tame squirrel, came home from Newark on the back of the fish-hawk. Grandpa was so surprised that he put his bottle of wild cherry bark cough medicine on the mantel, and could not find it for ever so long. You see, the squirrels' grandparents did not know they had gone to the city, but supposed they were off playing in the woods.

Johnnie and Billie told waht they had seen, and how frightened they were, and how glad they were to get back home, and they

said they would never go away again. But they did, as you shall hear, perhaps, in a few nights.

“I wouldn't go with Jacko any more,” said Jennie Chipmunk to Johnnie and Billie that night when she was washing the dishes, and she laughed so she showed all her teeth. “He might get you into trouble.”

“I guess he won't come after us any more,” said Billie. “He said he was going to travel and see things. But I've seen all I want to for some time. Come on, Johnnie, let's go to bed now, and we'll get up early in the morning, and see if we can find some ears of corn to eat.”

So Johnnie and Billie got up early the next morning, and they were just starting off, when Grandma Lightfoot called to them:

“Why don't you take Jennie with you?”

she asked, for she wanted the little orphan chipmunk to have a good time.

“Oh, because,” answered Billie, just like that.

“That's no reason,” said grandma. “Jennie has the beds all made, and the work done, and I want you boys to take her with you, off into the woods to play.”

At first Johnnie and Billie did not want to do this, but when they thought how kind Jennie always had been to them, and what a jolly little creature she was, always smiling and happy, no matter what happened, they were sorry that they had not at first asked her.

“Come along, Jennie,” called Johnnie, and then the three started off through the forest, leaping from tree to tree, and sometimes running along the ground. They went on and on and on, and pretty soon they came

to a place in the woods where there were no trees. It was a very nice place, all covered with grass, and in the grass were a number of toad stools.

“Oh, I know what let's do,” said Billie.

“What?” asked Johnnie.

“Let's play leapfrog over these toad stools. They will be fine for that, and the grass is so soft to fall on.”

“Just the thing!” cried Johnnie. “We'll see who can jump over the most. Come on, Jennie. We'll leave the small ones for you? because you're a girl.”

“You don't need to,” answered Jennie, and she laughed right out loud; yes, that's exactly what she did; I'm not making this up at all. Well, you should have seen those squirrels and Jennie jumping over those toad stools. Over they went, one after the other, landing on the soft grass, and Jennie

leaping just as high as Johnnie and Billie, if not higher. But a funny thing happened. The toad stools were so tender, probably from being baked in the sun too long, that every one broke off.

Would you believe it, children? Well, anyway, every one did break off, close to the ground, as fast as the squirrels and Jennie leaped over them, and pretty soon there was not one left. But the squirrels had lots of fun.

Then, all at once, what should happen but that a lot of toads came hopping through the woods to the grassy spot. They were led by a great big toad, who had an immense wart right on the end of his nose, and lots of warts all over his body, and some even on his legs. As soon as the squirrels and Jennie saw the big toad, and all the other toads, Johnnie cried:

“What's this?”

The big toad heard him, and replied:

“This is the school for toads, and I'm the teacher. But, goodness me, sakes alive, and a penny and a half! What has happened?” he cried out, just like that. “All our toad stools are broken! There is no place for the pupils to sit down, not even a little toad stool left for the kindergarten children. Oh! Oh! Oh! and a three-cent piece! Our school is spoiled!”

Then Johnnie and Billie, and Jennie Chipmunk felt very bad indeed for breaking the toad stools by playing leapfrog over them. They wouldn't have done it for the world, if they had known. And they told the big toad, with the wart on his nose, how sorry they were. And what do you think they did? Those squirrels, I mean. Why, they went up in the trees and gnawed off

some branches and out of them made benches for the toad scholars, and the benches were even nicer than the toad stools had been. At least the big toad with the wart on his nose said so. Then school began, and one little toad couldn't spell “fly”, now, what do you think of that? But Jennie could, and did. Then she and Johnnie and Billie went home, and if there is no skating to-morrow, I will tell you how Johnnie and Billie ran away.