STORY I

BULLY AND BAWLY GO SWIMMING


Once upon a time, not so very many years ago, there were two little frog
boys who lived in a little pond near a nice big farm. It wasn’t very far
from where Peetie and Jackie Bow-Wow, the puppy dogs, had their home,
and the frogs’ house was right next door to the pen where Lulu and Alice
and Jimmie Wibblewobble the ducks lived.

There was Bully No-Tail, and his brother Bawly No-Tail, and the reason
Bawly had such a funny name was because when he was a little baby he
used to cry a good bit. And once he cried so much that he made a lot
more water in the pond than should have been there, and it ran over,
just like when you put too much milk in your glass, and made the ground
all wet.

The last name of the frogs was “No-Tail,” because, being frogs, you see,
they had no tails.

But now Bawly was larger, and he didn’t cry so much, I’m glad to say.
And with the frog boys lived their papa and mamma, and also a nice, big,
green and yellow spotted frog who was named Grandpa Croaker. Oh, he was
one of the nicest frogs I have ever known, and I have met quite a
number.

One day when Bully and Bawly were hopping along on the ground, close to
the edge of the pond, Bully suddenly said: