ill to that hill, the
alligator couldn't get us."
"Oh, but it's a terrible big jump," said Bully, and indeed it was; about
as wide as a big river. "But we've got to do it!" cried Bully, "for here
comes the terrible beast!"
The alligator was almost upon them. He opened his mouth to grab them
with his teeth, when Bully, spreading out his legs, and taking a firm
hold of his grocery basket, gave a great, big jump. Through the air he
sailed, over the deep valley, and he landed safely on the other hill.
Then Bawly did the same, and with one most tremendous, extemporaneous
and extraordinary jump, he landed close beside his brother, and the
alligator couldn't get either of them because he couldn't jump across
the chasm.
Oh, but he was an angry alligator though! He gnashed his teeth and
wiggled his tail and even cried big round tears. Nearly all alligators
cry little square tears, but even round ones didn't do a bit of good.
Then Bully threw a marble at the savage creature, and hit him on the
nose, and Bawly blew his whistle so loud, that the alligator thought a
policeman, or postman, was coming, and he turned around and ran away,
and the frog boys went on safely home with their baskets of groceries
and had a good supper.
Now in case that alligator doesn't chase after me, and chew up my
typewriter to make mincemeat of it for the wax doll, I'll tell you in
the next story about Grandpa Croaker digging a well.
STORY V
GRANDPA CROAKER DIGS A WELL
It happened, once upon a time when Mrs. No-Tail, the frog lady, went to
the pump to get some water for supper, that a little fish jumped out of
the pump spout and nearly bit her on the nose.
"Ha! That is very odd," she said. "There must be fish in our well, and
in that case I think we had better have a new one."
So that night, when Mr. No-Tail came home from the wallpaper factory,
where he stepped into ink and then hopped all over white paper to make
funny patterns on it--that night, I say, Mrs. No-Tail said to her
husband:
"I think we will have to get a new well." Then she told him about the
fish from the pump nearly biting her, and Mr. No-Tail remarked:
"Yes, I think we had better have a new place to get our water, for the
fish in the old well may drink it all up."
"Well, well!" exclaimed Grandpa Croaker in such a deep bass voice that
he made the dishpan on the gas stove rattle as loudly as if Bully or
Bawly were drumming on it with a wishbone from the
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