; and I
listened. They said these people lived in both salt and fresh water, and
were found in all parts of the world. They were a glassy shell, holding
a soft, golden-yellow substance, and that they were so countless that
banks were made of them, and that a town here in these United States was
founded on them. They were the food of many little sea-animals, who, in
turn, fed us big creatures, and were very interesting and wonderful. I
saved up this story; and, when the polypes asked if they hadn't done
what they intended, I told them I didn't think it so very remarkable,
for the tiny diatoms made cities, and were far more astonishing animals
than they. I thought that would silence them; but they just turned
round, and informed me that my diatoms were plants, not animals,--so my
story was all humbug. Then I _was_ mad; and couldn't get over the fact
that these little rascals had done what we, the kings of the sea,
couldn't do. I wasn't content with being the biggest creature there: I
wanted to be the most skilful also. I didn't remember that every thing
has its own place and use, and should be happy in doing the work for
which it was made. I fretted over the matter a long while, and at last
decided to make an island myself."

"How could you?" asked Freddy.

"I had my plans; and thought them very wise ones. I was so bent on
outdoing the polypes that I didn't much care what happened; and so I
went to work in my clumsy way. I couldn't pile up stones, or build
millions of cells; so I just made an island of myself. I swam up into
the harbor yonder one night; covered my back with sea-weed; and lay
still on the top of the water. In the morning the gulls came to see what
it was, and pecked away at the weeds, telling me very soon that they
knew what I was after, and that I couldn't gull them. All the people on
shore turned out to see the wonder also; for a fisherman had carried the
tidings, and every one was wild to behold the new island. After staring
and chattering a long while, boats came off to examine the mystery.
Loads of scientific gentlemen worked away at me with microscopes,
hammers, acids, and all sorts of tests, to decide what I was; and kept
up such a fire of long words that I was 'most dead. They couldn't make
up their minds; and meanwhile news of the strange thing spread, and
every sort of person came to see me. The gulls kept telling them the
joke; but they didn't understand, and I got on capitally. Every night I