play checkers."

But he couldn't scare the alligator that way, and the first thing he and
Uncle Wiggily knew, that savage creature poked his nose still farther
into the room.

"Oh, ho!" the alligator cried. "Checkers; eh? Now, do you know I am very
fond of checkers?" And with that, what did he do but put out his long
tongue, and with one sweep he licked up the red checkers and the black
checkers and the red and black squared checker board at one swallow, and
down his throat it went, like a sled going down hill.

"Ah, ha!" exclaimed the alligator. "Those were very fine checkers. I
think I won that game!" he said, smiling a very big smile.

"Yes, I guess you did," said Uncle Wiggily, sadly, as he looked for his
cornstalk crutch. When he had it he was just going to hop away, and
Grandpa Croaker was going with him, for they were afraid to stay there
any more, when the alligator suddenly cried:

"Where are you going?"

"Away," said Uncle Wiggily.

"Far, far away," said Grandpa Croaker, for it made him sad to think of
all the nice red and black checkers, and the board also, being eaten up.

"Oh, no! I think you are going to stay right here," snapped the
alligator. "You'll stay here, and as soon as I feel hungry again I'll
eat you."

And with that the savage creature with the double-jointed tail put out
his claws, and in one claw he grabbed Uncle Wiggily and in the other he
caught Grandpa Croaker, and there he had them both.

Now, it so happened that a little while before this, Bully and Bawly
No-Tail, the frog boys, had started out for a walk in the woods.

"Dear me," said Bully, after a while, "do you know I am afraid that
something has happened to Grandpa Croaker."

"What makes you think so?" asked his brother.

"Because I think he went past the pond where the alligator was, and that
the bad creature got him."

"Oh, I hope not," replied Bawly. "But let's walk along and see." So they
walked past the pond, and they saw that it was all calm and peaceful,
and they knew the alligator wasn't in it.

So they kept on to Uncle Wiggily's house, thinking they would walk home
with Grandpa Croaker, and when they came to where the old gentleman
rabbit lived, they saw the alligator standing on his tail outside with
his head in through the window.

"I knew it!" cried Bully. "I knew that alligator would be up to some
tricks! Perhaps he has already eaten Grandpa Croaker and Uncle Wiggily."

Just then they heard both the