l it covered his feet,
and then he sat down and began to watch his toes. Mr. Redwing looked
down and saw him, and Grandfather Frog looked so funny gazing at his own
toes that Mr. Redwing stopped singing long enough to ask: "What are you
doing, Grandfather Frog?"

"Watching my toes," replied Grandfather Frog gruffly.

"Watching your toes! Ho, ho, ho! Watching your toes! Who ever heard of
such a thing? Are you afraid that they will run away, Grandfather Frog?"
shouted Mr. Redwing.

Grandfather Frog didn't answer. He kept right on watching his toes.
Mr. Redwing flew away to tell everybody he met how Grandfather Frog had
become foolish and was watching his toes. The sun shone down warm and
bright, and pretty soon Grandfather Frog's big goggly eyes began to
blink. Then his head began to nod, and then--why, then Grandfather Frog
fell fast asleep.

By and by Grandfather Frog awoke with a start. He looked down at his
toes. They were not in the water at all! Indeed, the water was a good
long jump away.

"Chugarum! There is something wrong with the Smiling Pool!" cried
Grandfather Frog, as he made a long jump into the water and started to
swim out to the Big Rock.

CHAPTER IX: The Laughing Brook Stops Laughing

There was something wrong. Grandfather Frog knew it the very minute he
got up that morning. At first he couldn't think what it was. He sat
with just his head out of water and blinked his great goggly eyes, as
he tried to think what it was that was wrong. Suddenly Grandfather Frog
realized how still it was. It was a different kind of stillness from
anything he could ever remember. He missed something, and he couldn't
think what it was. It wasn't the song of Mr. Redwing. There were
many times when he didn't hear that. It was--Grand-father Frog gave a
startled jump out on to the shore. "Chugarum! It's the Laughing Brook!
The Laughing Brook has stopped laughing!" cried Grandfather Frog.

Could it be? Who ever heard of such a thing, excepting when Jack Frost
bound the Laughing Brook with hard black ice? Why, in the spring and in
the summer and in the fall the Laughing Brook had laughed--such a merry,
happy laugh--ever since Grandfather Frog could remember, and you know he
can remember way back in the long ago, for he is very old and very wise.
Never once in all that time had the Laughing Brook failed to laugh. It
couldn't be true now! Grandfather Frog put a hand behind one ear and
listened and listened, but not a