Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories

for a call on their old friend, Jerry Muskrat. But Jerry was n

Johnny Chuck, "and if he is we'll have to sit here until he w

water for, anyway. If he had built it on land, like sensible people, w

ow. You know how much of the time he stays in the water. That seems funny to me. I suppose there is a reason for it, and probably there is a reason for building his ho

t, and if there is a story, Grandfather Frog will be sure to know it. There he is, over on his big green lily-pad, and he loo

right away that they were coming for a story. H

hnny Chuck. Grandfather Frog didn't answe

"and I guess we'd better not disturb him, for he might wake

seemed to him that there was just the least little hint of a smile in the corners of Gr

oadstool. Peter looked over at Johnny Chuck and winked. Then he turned around, and with one of his long hind-feet, he kicked the toadstool with all his might. Now toadstools, as you all know, are not very well fastened at the roots, and this one was no different

into the water. A minute later Peter's sharp eyes saw him peep

ut on the bank. "Ha, ha, ha! Grandfather

long over a joke, especially when he has been fairly caught trying to play a joke himself. So presently he c

bbit," said he, "but I thought it surely was a stone thrown by Farmer Bro

were asleep when you were wide awake," replied Peter. "Oh, Grandfather Frog, do

g, settling himself comfortably, "but I believe I will, to show you tha

uck together, sitting down side by

hite and yellow waistcoat and half closed his

re was very little dry land, and most of the animals lived in the water. Yes,

means himself and his family,

ding nearly all of the time on land. Now Old Mother Nature had been keeping a sharp watch, as she always does, and when she found that they were foolish enough to like the land best, she did all that she could to make things comfortable for them. She taught them how to run and jum

ughed, but after a while they found that quite often there were times when it would be very nice to be at home in the water as they once had been. But it was of no use. Some could swi

m if he had to, but only for a very lit

ry Muskrat, was one, who learned to walk and run on dry land, but who still loved the water," continued

tter, Mr. Muskr

up that he was envious of his cousins and some of the ot

you a fine house on the lan

all the time,' said he, 'and-and-well, I was put in the water in the first pl

him how to build a wonderful house of mud and rushes and twigs, with a nice warm bedroom lined with grass above the water, and an entrance down under the water, so that no one except those who still lived most of the time in the water could poss

g the most industrious, contented, and happy of all the animals. And that is why Jerry Muskrat h

h. "I almost wish my grandfather a thousand times remov

f he had, you wouldn't have the dear Old Br

I will,"