He was still grumbling when these two same little scamps poked their
heads out of the grass on the other side of the little pool. "You look
happy, Longlegs. Must be that you have had a good breakfast," said
Little Joe, nudging Billy Mink.

Longlegs snapped his great bill angrily. "What are you doing here,
spoiling my fishing?" he demanded. "Haven't you got the Big River and
all the rest of the Laughing Brook to fool around in? This is my pool,
and I'll thank you to keep away!"

Billy Mink chuckled so that Longlegs heard him, and that didn't improve
his temper a bit. But before he could say anything more, Little Joe
Otter spoke.

"Oh," said he, "we beg your pardon. We just happen to know that
Grandfather Frog is sound asleep, and we thought that if you hadn't had
good luck this morning, you might like to know about it. As long as you
think so ill of us, we'll just run over and tell Blackcap the Night
Heron."

Little Joe turned as if to start off in search of Blackcap at once.
"Hold on a minute!" called Longlegs, and tried to make his voice sound
pleasant, a difficult thing to do, because, you know, his voice is very
harsh and disagreeable. "The truth is, I haven't had a mouthful of
breakfast and to be hungry is apt to make me cross. Where did you say
Grandfather Frog is?"

"I didn't say," replied Little Joe, "but if you really want to know, he
is sitting on his big green lily-pad in the Smiling Pool fast asleep