"There's a sand-slide rolling down this way. I'm getting out's fast as I
can." When the Bee said sand-slide it sounded just like
"Sz-sz-sz--z-z-z-z--ide." Toadie Todson opened his fat eyes and dropped
his mouth in an ugly laugh. It made him sick to see any one in such a
hurry. Then the Honest Ant went scurrying past and very kindly gave him
the same message. But Toadie only sneered the more. He had been living
in this very spot for years, almost as many as you have lived, and
nothing had ever happened to him. No, he would stay right there, it was
too much trouble to move for anybody. The green inch-worm was very
green, and went on measuring Toadie Todson's back, for it didn't
understand a word the Bee and Ant had said,

Suddenly, gravel, gravel, gravel, slip, slip, slip--and Toadie Todson
was under mountains of sand with a great big rock square on his back.
The green inch-worm began to bore its way out of the sand; it could hear
Toadie Todson groaning and saying:

"O! O! I wish I'd never been so lazy. I might have lived an' been as
happy and rich as the Bee or the Ant. O, O!"

And the green inch-worm knew that Toadie Todson was dead.

Not more than six hours after this Mrs. Cricky overheard the green
inch-worm practising a tune. It pleased her so much that she tried to
sing it again to Father Cricky for the Marsh Grass Vesper Quartette. Of
course it was all about Toadie Todson, and this was it:

_A Lament

Very slowly_