The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad, Page 2

  Ever since Peter Rabbit was a little chap and had first ran away from home,he had known Old Mr. Toad, and never once had Peter suspected that he couldsing. Also he had thought Old Mr. Toad almost ugly-looking, and he knewthat most of his neighbors thought the same way. They were fond of Old Mr.Toad, for he was always good-natured and attended strictly to his ownaffairs; but they liked to poke fun at him, and as for there being anythingbeautiful about him, such a thing never entered their heads.

  Now that they had discovered that he really has a very beautiful voice,they began to look on him with a great deal more respect. This wasespecially so with Peter. He got in the habit of going over to the SmilingPool every day, when the way was clear, just to sit on the bank and listento Old Mr. Toad.

  "Why didn't you ever tell us before that you could sing?" he asked one day,as Old Mr. Toad looked up at him from the Smiling Pool.

  "What was the use of wasting my breath?" demanded Old Mr. Toad. "Youwouldn't have believed me if I had. You didn't believe me when I did tellyou."

  Peter knew that this was true, and he couldn't find any answer ready. Atlast he ventured another question. "Why haven't I ever heard you singbefore?"

  "You have," replied Old Mr. Toad tartly. "I sang right in this very placelast spring, and the spring before, and the spring before that. You've saton that very bank lots of times while I was singing. The trouble with you,Peter, is that you don't use your eyes or your ears."

  Peter looked more foolish than ever. But he ventured another question. Itwouldn't be Peter to let a chance for questions go by. "Have I ever heardyou singing up on the meadows or in the Old Orchard?"

  "No," replied Old Mr. Toad, "I only sing in the springtime. That's the timefor singing. I just _have_ to sing then. In the summer it is too hot, andin the winter I sleep. I always return to my old home to sing. You know Iwas born here. All my family gathers here in the spring to sing, so ofcourse I come too."

  Old Mr. Toad filled out his queer music bag under his chin and began tosing again. Peter watched him. Now it just happened that Old Mr. Toad wasfacing him, and so Peter looked down straight into his eyes. He never hadlooked into Mr. Toad's eyes before, and now he just stared and stared, forit came over him that those eyes were very beautiful, very beautifulindeed.

  "Oh!" he exclaimed, "what beautiful eyes you have, Mr. Toad!"

  "So I've been told before," replied Old Mr. Toad. "My family always has hadbeautiful eyes. There is an old saying that every Toad has jewels in hishead, but of course he hasn't, not real jewels. It is just the beautifuleyes. Excuse me, Peter, but I'm needed in that chorus." Old Mr. Toad oncemore swelled out his throat and began to sing.

  Peter watched him a while longer, then hopped away to the dear OldBriarpatch, and he was very thoughtful.

  "Never again will I call anybody homely and ugly until I know all abouthim," said Peter, which was a very wise decision. Don't you think so?

  VII

  A SHADOW PASSES OVER THE SMILING POOL

  Here's what Mr. Toad says; Heed it well, my dear: "Time to watch for clouds is When the sky is clear."

  He says that that is the reason that he lives to a good old age, does OldMr. Toad. I suppose he means that when the sky is cloudy, everybody islooking for rain and is prepared for it, but when the sun is shining, mostpeople forget that there is such a thing as a storm, so when it comessuddenly very few are prepared for it. It is the same way with danger andtrouble. So Old Mr. Toad very wisely watches out when there seems to be theleast need of it, and he finds it always pays.

  It was a beautiful spring evening. Over back of the Purple Hills to whichOld Mother West Wind had taken her children, the Merry Little Breezes, andbehind which jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had gone to bed, there was still afaint, clear light. But over the Green Meadows and the Smiling Pool theshadows had drawn a curtain of soft dusk which in the Green Forest becameblack. The little stars looked down from the sky and twinkled just to seetheir reflections twinkle back at them from the Smiling Pool. And there andall around it was perfect peace. Jerry Muskrat swam back and forth, makinglittle silver lines on the surface of the Smiling Pool and squeakingcontentedly, for it was the hour which he loves best. Little Friend theSong Sparrow had tucked his head under his wing and gone to sleep among thealders along the Laughing Brook and Redwing the Blackbird had done the samething among the bulrushes. All the feathered songsters who had made joyousthe bright day had gone to bed.

  But this did not mean that the glad spring chorus was silent. Oh, my, no!No indeed! The Green Meadows were silent, and the Green Forest was silent,but as if to make up for this, the sweet singers of the Smiling Pool, thehylas and the frogs and Old Mr. Toad, were pouring out their gladness as ifthey had not been singing most of the departed day. You see it was the hourthey love best of all, the hour which seems to them just made for singing,and they were doing their best to tell Old Mother Nature how they love her,and how glad they were that she had brought back sweet Mistress Spring towaken them from their long sleep.

  It was so peaceful and beautiful there that it didn't seem possible thatdanger of any kind could be lurking near. But Old Mr. Toad, swelling outthat queer music bag in his throat and singing with all his might, neveronce forgot that wise saying of his, and so he was the first to see whatlooked like nothing so much as a little detached bit of the blackness ofthe Green Forest floating out towards the Smiling Pool. Instantly hestopped singing. Now that was a signal. When he stopped singing, hisnearest neighbor stopped singing, then the next one and the next, and in aminute there wasn't a sound from the Smiling Pool save the squeak of JerryMuskrat hidden among the bulrushes. That great chorus stopped as abruptlyas the electric lights go out when you press a button.

  Back and forth over the Smiling Pool, this way and that way, floated theshadow, but there was no sign of any living thing in the Smiling Pool.After awhile the shadow floated away over the Green Meadows without asound.

  "Hooty the Owl didn't get one of us that time," said Old Mr. Toad to hisnearest neighbor with a chuckle of satisfaction. Then he swelled out hismusic bag and began to sing again. And at once, as abruptly as it hadstopped, the great chorus began again as joyous as before, for nothing hadhappened to bring sadness as might have but for the watchfulness of Old Mr.Toad.

  VIII

  OLD MR. TOAD'S BABIES

  The Smiling Pool's a nursery Where all the sunny day A thousand funny babies Are taught while at their play.

  Really the Smiling Pool is a sort of kindergarten, one of the mostinteresting kindergartens in the world. Little Joe Otter's children learnto swim there. So do Jerry Muskrat's babies and those of Billy Mink, theTrout and Minnow babies, and a lot more. And there you will find thechildren and grandchildren of Grandfather Frog and Old Mr. Toad.

  Peter Rabbit had known for a long time about the Frog babies, but though heknew that Old Mr. Toad was own cousin to Grandfather Frog, he hadn't knownanything about Toad babies, except that at a certain time in the year hewas forever running across tiny Toads, especially on rainy days, and eachlittle Toad was just like Old Mr. Toad, except for his size. Peter hadheard it said that Toads rain down from the sky, and sometimes it seems asif this must be so. Of course he knew it couldn't be, but it puzzled him agreat deal. There wouldn't be a Toad in sight. Then it would begin to rain,and right away there would be so many tiny Toads that it was hard work tojump without stepping on some.

  He remembered this as he went to pay his daily call on Old Mr. Toad in theSmiling Pool and listen to his sweet song. He hadn't seen any little Toadsthis year, but he remembered his experiences with them in other years, andhe meant to ask about them.

  Old Mr. Toad was sitting in his usual place, but he wasn't singing. He wasstaring at something in the water. When Peter said "Good morning," Old Mr.Toad didn't seem to hear him. He was too much interested in what he waswatching. Peter stared down into the water to see what was interesting OldMr. Toad so much, but he saw nothing but a lot of wriggling tadpoles.

  "What
are you staring at so, Mr. Sobersides?" asked Peter, speaking alittle louder than before.

  Old Mr. Toad turned and looked at Peter, and there was a look of greatpride in his face. "I'm just watching my babies. Aren't they lovely?" saidhe.

  Peter stared harder than ever, but he couldn't see anything that lookedlike a baby Toad.

  "Where are they?" asked he. "I don't see any babies but those ofGrandfather Frog, and if you ask me, I always did think tadpoles about thehomeliest things in th' world."

  Old Mr. Toad grew indignant. "Those are not Grandfather Frog's children;they're mine!" he sputtered. "And I'll have you know that they are the mostbeautiful babies in th' world!"

  Peter drew a hand across his mouth to hide a smile. "I beg your pardon, Mr.Toad," said he. "I--I thought all tadpoles were Frog babies. They all lookalike to me."

  "Well, they're not," declared Old Mr. Toad. "How any one can mistake mybabies for their cousins I cannot understand. Now mine are beautiful,while--"

  "Chug-arum!" interrupted the great deep voice of Grandfather Frog. "Whatare you talking about? Why, your babies are no more to be compared with mybabies for real beauty than nothing at all! I'll leave it to Peter if theyare."

  But Peter wisely held his tongue. To tell the truth, he couldn't see beautyin any of them. To him they were all just wriggling pollywogs. They weremore interesting now, because he had found out that some of them were Toadsand some were Frogs, and he hadn't known before that baby Toads begin lifeas tadpoles, but he had no intention of being drawn into the dispute nowwaxing furious between Grandfather Frog and Old Mr. Toad.

  IX

  THE SMILING POOL KINDERGARTEN

  Play a little, learn a little, grow a little too; That's what every pollywoggy tries his best to do.

  Of course. That's what a kindergarten is for. And you may be sure that thebabies of Grandfather Frog and Old Mr. Toad and Stickytoes the Tree Toaddid all of these things in the kindergarten of the Smiling Pool. Theylooked considerably alike, did these little cousins, for they were allpollywogs to begin with. Peter Rabbit came over every day to watch them.Always he had thought pollywogs just homely, wriggling things, not theleast bit interesting, but since he had discovered how proud of them wereGrandfather Frog and Old Mr. Toad, he had begun to wonder about them andthen to watch them.

  "There's one thing about them, and that is they are not in danger the wayany babies are," said Peter, talking to himself as is his way when there isno one else to talk to. Just then a funny little black pollywog wriggledinto sight, and while Peter was watching him, a stout-jawed water-beetlesuddenly rushed from among the water grass, seized the pollywog by histail, and dragged him down. Peter stared. Could it be that thatugly-looking bug was as dangerous an enemy to the baby Toad as Reddy Fox isto a baby Rabbit? He began to suspect so, and a little later he knew so,for there was that same little pollywog trying hard to swim and making badwork of it, because he had lost half of his long tail.

  That set Peter to watching sharper than ever, and presently he discoveredthat pollywogs have to keep their eyes open quite as much as do babyRabbits, if they would live to grow up. There were several kinds of queer,ugly-looking bugs forever darting out at the wriggling pollywogs.Hungry-looking fish lay in wait for them, and Longlegs the Blue Heronseemed to have a special liking for them. But the pollywogs were spry, andseemed to have learned to watch out. They seemed to Peter to spend alltheir time swimming and eating and growing. They grew so fast that itseemed to him that he could almost _see_ them grow. And just imagine howsurprised Peter was to discover one day that that very pollywog which hehad seen lose his tail had grown a _new_ one. That puzzled Peter more thananything he had seen in a long time.

  "Why, I couldn't do that!" he exclaimed right out loud.

  "Do what?" demanded Jerry Muskrat, who happened along just then.

  "Why, grow a new tail like that pollywog," replied Peter, and told Jerryall that he had seen. Jerry laughed.

  "You'll see queerer things than that if you watch those pollywogs longenough," said he. "They are a queer lot of babies, and very interesting towatch if you've got the time for it. I haven't. This Smiling Pool is agreat kindergarten, and there's something happening here every minute.There's no place like it."

  "Are those great big fat pollywogs Grandfather Frog's children, or Old Mr.Toad's?" asked Peter.

  "Grandfather Frog's last year's children," replied Jerry. "They'll growinto real Frogs this summer, if nothing happens to them."

  "Where are Old Mr. Toad's last year's children?" asked Peter.

  "Don't ask me," replied Jerry. "They hopped away last summer. Never sawanything like the way those Toad youngsters grow. Those Toad pollywogs yousee now will turn into real Toads, and be leaving the Smiling Pool in a fewweeks. People think Old Mr. Toad is slow, but there is nothing slow abouthis children. Look at that little fellow over there; he's begun to growlegs already."

  Peter looked, and sure enough there was a pollywog with a pair of legssprouting out. They were his fore legs, and they certainly did make himlook funny. And only a few days before there hadn't been a sign of legs.

  "My gracious!" exclaimed Peter. "What a funny sight! I thought my babiesgrew fast, but these beat them."

  X

  THE LITTLE TOADS START OUT TO SEE THE WORLD

  The world is a wonderful great big place And in it the young must roam To learn what their elders have long since learned-- There's never a place like home.

  It had been some time since Peter Rabbit had visited the Smiling Pool towatch the pollywogs. But one cloudy morning he happened to think of them,and decided that he would run over there and see how they were gettingalong. So off he started, lipperty-lipperty-lip. He wondered if thosepollywog children of Old Mr. Toad would be much changed. The last time hesaw them some of them had just begun to grow legs, although they still hadlong tails.

  He had almost reached the Smiling Pool when great big drops of rain beganto splash down. And with those first raindrops something funny happened.Anyway, it seemed funny to Peter. Right away he was surrounded by tinylittle Toads. Everywhere he looked he saw Toads, tiny little Toads justlike Old Mr. Toad, only so tiny that one could have sat comfortably on aten-cent piece and still had plenty of room.

  Peter's big eyes grew round with surprise as he stared. Where had they allcome from so suddenly? A minute before he hadn't seen a single one, and nowhe could hardly move without stepping on one. It seemed, it really seemed,as if each raindrop turned into a tiny Toad the instant it struck theground. Of course Peter knew that that couldn't be, but it was verypuzzling. And all those little Toads were bravely hopping along as if theywere bound for some particular place.

  Peter watched them for a few minutes, then he once more started for theSmiling Pool. On the very bank whom should he meet but Old Mr. Toad. Helooked rather thin, and his back was to the Smiling Pool. Yes, Sir, he washopping away from the Smiling Pool where he had been all the spring,singing in the great chorus. Peter was almost as surprised to see him as hehad been to see the little Toads, but just then he was most interested inthose little Toads.

  "Good morning, Old Mr. Toad," said Peter in his most polite manner. "Canyou tell me where all these little Toads came from?"

  "Can you tell me where all these little Toads came from?"]

  "Certainly," replied Old Mr. Toad. "They came from the Smiling Pool, ofcourse. Where did you suppose they came from?"

  "I--I didn't know. There wasn't one to be seen, and then it began to rain,and right away they were everywhere. It--it almost seemed as if they hadrained down out of the sky."

  Old Mr. Toad chuckled. "They've got good sense, if I must say it about myown children," said he. "They know that wet weather is the only weather forToads to travel in. They left the Smiling Pool in the night while it wasdamp and comfortable, and then, when the sun came up, they hid, likesensible children, under anything they could find, sticks, stones, piecesof bark, grass. The minute this shower came up, they knew it was goodtraveling weat
her and out they popped."

  "But what did they leave the Smiling Pool for?" Peter asked.

  "To see the Great World," replied Old Mr. Toad. "Foolish, very foolish ofthem, but they would do it. I did the same thing myself when I was theirage. Couldn't stop me any more than I could stop them. They don't know whenthey're well off, but young folks never do. Fine weather, isn't it?"

  XI

  OLD MR. TOAD'S QUEER TONGUE

  Old Mother Nature doth provide For all her children, large or small. Her wisdom foresees all their needs And makes provision for them all.

  If you don't believe it, just you go ask Old Mr. Toad, as Peter Rabbit did,how such a slow-moving fellow as he is can catch enough bugs and insects tokeep him alive. Perhaps you'll learn something just as Peter did. Peter andOld Mr. Toad sat in the rain watching the tiny Toads, who, you know, wereMr. Toad's children, leaving their kindergarten in the Smiling Pool andstarting out to see the Great World. When the last little Toad had passedthem, Old Mr. Toad suddenly remembered that he was hungry, very hungryindeed.

  "Didn't have time to eat much while I was in the Smiling Pool," heexplained. "Couldn't eat and sing too, and while I was down there, I wassupposed to sing. Now that it is time to quit singing, I begin to realizethat I've got a stomach to look out for as well as a voice. See that bugover there on that leaf? Watch him."

  Peter looked, and sure enough there was a fat bug crawling along on an oldleaf. He was about two inches from Old Mr. Toad, and he was crawling veryfast. And right while Peter was looking at him he disappeared. Peter turnedto look at Old Mr. Toad. He hadn't budged. He was sitting exactly where hehad been sitting all the time, but he was smacking his lips, and there wasa twinkle of satisfaction in his eyes. Peter opened his eyes very wide.