How Freckle Frog Made Herself Pretty

  Produced by David Newman, Sankar Viswanathan, and theOnline Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

 

 

  HOW FRECKLE FROG MADE HERSELF PRETTY

  _By_ CHARLOTTE B. HERR

  _Designs_ FRANCES BEEM

  Published in the Shop of P. F. VOLLAND & CO. CHICAGO U.S.A.

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  THIS LITTLE STORY IS TOLD AND THE LITTLE PICTURES WERE DRAWN FOR A GOOD LITTLE CHILD NAMED

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  COPYRIGHT 1913 P F. VOLLAND & CO CHICAGO, U. S. A.

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  HOW FRECKLE FROG MADE HERSELF PRETTY

  Once upon a time there was a little girl named Marian, and shehad a doll called Big Mary. Marian loved Big Mary, and meant tobe very good to her. But sometimes she was not.

  Santa Claus had brought Big Mary one snowy Christmas night, andhe had brought also a great many pretty clothes for her to wear.There were three dresses, a warm red one for winter, and a whiteone, very thin, for summer, and still another, of beautiful bluesilk with lace on it, for best.

  Then, also, there were little skirts, and tiny stockings, andpretty little shoes with shiny buckles and real heels, and therewas a pink parasol, and, best of all, a dear little muff, made ofsoft white fur, to keep Big Mary's hands warm in cold weather.

  At first little Marian loved to dress Big Mary in all thesepretty things, and she would put on first the warm red dress, andthen the thin white one, and then the one of blue silk with thebeautiful lace. And she would raise the big parasol and put itover Big Mary's head. But she hardly ever gave Big Mary thelittle white muff to hold, because that was for very, _very_best. Little Marian's own mamma had said so.

  But when Marian's birthday came, grandma gave her a doll's trunk,and after that the days were not so pleasant for Big Mary. It wasso much fun to pack the trunk that little Marian often took offall the clothes Big Mary had on to put them away in the trunk.Many a time poor Big Mary had to sit for hours all undressed, andshe would shiver and shake, until at last one time when littleMarian had left her lying all night on the floor without anyclothes on, she took a dreadful cold and became very ill.

  Then little Marian was very sorry for what she had done, and sheput Big Mary to bed and sent for Dr. Prince. When the doctor camehe looked at Big Mary's tongue, and felt her pulse. And then heshook his head and looked very grave. He said that Big Mary musttake some medicine every day, and must sit out in the fresh air,and always wear her best clothes all the time; for she was a verysick doll indeed.

  So little Marian dressed Big Mary in the blue silk trimmed withlace, because that was her very best dress, and she raised thepink parasol and put it over her head and she gave Big Mary thewhite muff to hold, because that was for very, _very_ best. Thenshe carried Big Mary out to the gray rock in the back yard wherethe nasturtiums grow, to sit in the fresh air all day long.

  Now little Miss Freckle Frog lived under the big rock. She wasugly, as all frogs are, but she loved pretty things, perhapsbecause she was not pretty herself. But although she was notpretty, she was a kind-hearted little body, and all her friendsliked her.

  Every day when Big Mary sat in the sunshine, Freckle Frog creptout from under the rock, and hid in the grass, and watched her.She thought Big Mary was wonderful, but she thought that the bluesilk dress and the pink parasol were more wonderful still, andthe little soft muff,--that was the most wonderful of all! Andpoor little Freckle Frog wished that she had a blue silk dresswith lace, and a pink parasol like Big Mary. But most of all shewished that she had a little soft muff.

  Now it happened, too, that it was just about the time for Mr.Robin Redbreast to give his big party in the orchard, and littleFreckle Frog had been invited, and more than that, her owncousin, Billy Bullfrog, had promised to sing, and of course shewished to look just as nice as she could.

  So early one fine day, she went to see the Morning Glory Ladieswho live near the back porch and always wear such beautifuldresses, and she said to them:

  "Oh, dear Morning Glory Ladies, your dresses are always sobeautiful! But have you seen Big Mary's blue silk trimmed withlace? It is more beautiful still, the loveliest dress in thewhole world! Would you mind making me one like that to wear toRobin Redbreast's party? My cousin, Billy Bullfrog, is to sing,and I wish so very much to look just as nice as I can. I am notone bit pretty like Big Mary, but clothes always help a greatdeal, you know. Would you mind lending me one for the party?"

  But the Morning Glory Ladies were angry because they had not beeninvited, and they would not help her.

  Poor Little Freckle Frog felt very badly to think she had hurttheir feelings. She almost cried about it. But just then LittleBlack Spider, who was a good friend of hers, peeped out fromunder a leaf and said:

  "I wouldn't mind them. They are a conceited lot anyway. It is ahot day, too, and they are apt to be cross on hot days. I willspin you all the lace you want."

  And so he did. He wove it all that day in his web, and the nextmorning he brought her a long piece of the loveliest spider-laceas fine as a cobweb. Little Freckle Frog was very grateful tohim.

  "But what shall I do for a parasol?" she asked.

  "Oh, I'll tell you!" called a soft little voice, and when shelooked up she saw a tiny white butterfly resting on a flower.

  "I know where there is the dearest little mushroom. It kept therain off of me the other day, and it is just as soft and pink asBig Mary's parasol."

  So she showed Freckle Frog where to find the mushroom, and it wasvery soft and pink, just as she had said, and Freckle Frog wasvery happy about it.

  "Now if I only had a muff," she sighed, "I could look just asbeautiful as Big Mary at the party!"

  Just then there was a great noise in the tree near the rock andRobin Redbreast himself flew out from among the leaves, but rightat her feet dropped a little white caterpillar. He was sofrightened that he curled himself up into a ball and lay verystill. He made Big Mary laugh, but Freckle Frog had a brightidea.

  "Oh what a splendid muff you would make!" she cried. "Would youmind if I wear you to the party just this once?"

  The poor little caterpillar uncurled himself.

  "If you will promise to take care of me and not let RobinRedbreast eat me," he answered, "I shall be only too glad to beyour muff."

  So Freckle Frog went to the party and wore the cobweb lace, andcarried the mushroom parasol, and held the soft little whitecaterpillar for a muff. She even bought a sweet-pea bonnet toplease the Morning Glory Ladies.

  Then Robin Redbreast said she looked better than anybody else athis party, and Big Mary, who was well enough by that time to goalso, said so, too.

  Now Robin Redbreast, as you must know, always had his partiesjust at twilight. He himself was always in better voice then,he said, and so he felt sure that Billy Bullfrog and all theother singers must be, too. Then the world was lovelier at thattime than it was through the long, hot day, when sensible peoplelike birds and frogs, and sometimes even babies and dolls, tooknaps and did not stir out at all. At twilight one could alwaysdepend upon the sky to grow very soft and pink, and the fairiesnever failed to hang the leaves with dewdrops, all to make hisparties beautiful! The cherri
es tasted better then, too, andlater still, when it began to grow dark, the katy-dids would playif any one cared to dance. So Robin Redbreast always gavebeautiful parties, but even he had never given so beautiful a onebefore.

  Little Freckle Frog was very happy. Every one admired herbeautiful lace, and she told them all how kind Little BlackSpider had been. And by and by, when it came to be time forrefreshments, she ate a whole cherry. She never had tasted onebefore, but as she told Mr. Sparrow, who had brought it to her,she really never had dreamed how delicious a big red cherry couldbe. Then, when the katy-dids began to play, she danced with hercousin, Billy Bullfrog, until it was time to go home.

  There was only one thing that troubled her, and that was that theMorning Glory Ladies were still angry with her. For LittleFreckle Frog wanted to be friendly with everybody.

  But at last another idea came into her head. She would give aparty herself, just as beautiful a one as Robin Redbreast's, andhave it early in the morning so that the Morning Glory Ladiescould come.

  So that very evening, before she went home, she told Big Mary allabout it, and Big Mary promised to help all she could. RobinRedbreast said that he would surely come, and so did BillyBullfrog and all the rest. Freckle Frog invited Little BlackSpider, too, and even the little white caterpillar. "And youneedn't be a muff this time," she said, "but just eat cherries,and have a good time."

  Then, early the next morning, before any one else was up, shewent to invite the Morning Glory Ladies, for they are alwaysgood-natured then, and never frown and scowl at people until thesun is hot.

  "Please, dear Morning Glory Ladies," said Freckle Frog, "will youcome to my party? I want you more than any one else."

  Then the Morning Glory Ladies fluttered with joy, for they lovedparties, and they smiled and answered her: "Yes, indeed, we shallcome, Little Freckle Frog, and wear our best dresses, too."

  Then at last Freckle Frog was perfectly happy, and she laughed toherself and said:

  "It really doesn't matter about my being pretty any more, forevery one likes me now!"

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