“Oh, you just wait! I’ll have you in a minute!” the alligator cried, and
he opened his mouth so wide that it went all the way back to his ears,
and the top of his head nearly flew off.

“We haven’t time to wait,” said Bully with a laugh, as he hopped on with
his basket of groceries.

“No, we must get back home in time for supper,” spoke Bawly. “So we’ll
have to leave you,” and on he hipped and skipped and hopped with his
basket.

Those frog boys didn’t really think that that alligator could reach
them, for he was so big and clumsy-looking that it didn’t seem as if he
could run very fast. But he could, and the first thing Bully and Bawly
knew, that most unprepossessing creature, with a smile that went away
around to his ears, was close behind them and gnashing his teeth at
them.

“Oh, hop, Bully, hop!” cried Bawly in great fright.

“Sure, I’ll hop!” answered his brother. “You hop, too!”

Well, they both hopped as fast as they could, but on account of the
baskets of groceries which they had they couldn’t hop as fast as usual.
The alligator saw this, and after them he crawled, and several times he
nearly had them by their tails. Oh, no, excuse me, if you please, frogs
don’t have tails. I was thinking of tadpoles.

“Oh, just wait until I catch you!” cried the alligator, snapping his