Mother West Wind How" Stories"

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. TOAD LEA

r. Toad ever since he could remember. He was rather fond of him, even if he did play jokes on him once in a while. But he always thought of Old Mr. Toad as one of the homeliest of all his friends,-slow, awkward, and too commonplace to be very interesting. So

rs. They were Hylas, the little cousins of Sticky-toes the Tree Toad. Peter sat very still on the edge of the bank trying to see one of them. Suddenly he became aware of a new note, one he never had

d as if they would pop right out of his head, and he dropped his lower jaw foolishly. There was Old Mr. Toad with a queer bag Peter never

n; then he called Jimmy Skunk and Unc' Billy Possum, who were also listening to the music, and they were just as surprised as Peter. Then he spied Jerry Muskrat at t

rry Muskrat! Do you know t

said he. "It would be mighty funny if I didn't know it, seeing that he is the sweet

just how," he confessed. "I didn't believe him when he t

came to him naturally. His father sang, and his grandfather, and his great grandf

out it. Please do, J

, one of the very oldest. I've heard say that it goes way back almost to the very beginning of things when there wasn't much land. Anyway, the first Toad, the great-great-ever

of course, it was so new. She looked at him sharply. 'What are you doing he

ack there if you say so. I thought there must be some things worth findi

at bugs of many kinds liked the tender green things and were increasing so fast and were so greedy that they threatened to strip the land of all that she had planted. Sh

came that way again. Right in the middle of a great bare place where the bugs had eaten everything was a beautiful green spot, and patiently hopping from plant to plant was Mr. Toad, snapping up

t here ever since I la

start of surprise

to see the Great World an

the bugs have kept me so busy there was no time to travel. Besides, I have learned a great deal ri

for Mr. Toad was the first of all the little people who had tried

aking a little gruffly, 'yo

rd,' said he. 'I didn't do it for that. It will be reward enough to

her most beautiful smiles. 'Mr. Toad,' said she, 'if

minutes and then said sh

rprised. 'A beautiful voice!' she exclaimed

ss in the most beautiful way I kno

ch, you know, is the real source of true happiness. In the spring of each year you shall go back to your home in the

when he swelled it out, he had one of the sweetest voices in the world. And so it has been ever since with the Toad family. Old Mr. Toad is one of the sweetest singers i

d work," said he. "Perhaps

quite forgetting that he cannot sing