nned before
going out of doors. "I wish they'd hurry up!" he added mysteriously. He
kept a close watch upon his shop door. It was evident that he expected
callers.

Not long afterward a crowd began to gather in front of Mr. Frog's door.
"Back Soon" said the sign upon it. And the thinly clad, shivering knot
of field folk sat themselves down unhappily and waited for the tailor to
appear. Every one of them wanted a warm new overcoat, for each expected
to be out late that night.

Meanwhile Mr. Frog watched them--and giggled as loud as he dared. It was
Mr. Crow's committee that thronged about his door--the people who were
expecting to call upon Kiddie Katydid that very night to invite him to
join the Pleasant Valley orchestra.

[Illustration: Kiddie Took His New Coat From the Twig

(_Page 59_)]

XII

A PRESENT FOR KIDDIE

Mr. Frog had a delightful time listening to the remarks of his callers,
who had no idea that he was so near at hand. And as the weather grew
colder, they began to shiver and their voices began to shake. And by the
time it was almost dark all the waiting company were quite discouraged.

"I'll never be able to stay out to-night!" Chirpy Cricket declared. "I'm
so cold now that I can scarcely move."

And it was the same with everybody else. Even Freddie Firefly complained
that his light didn't warm him in the least. And he said he would have
to go home at once.

"Mr. Crow will be very angry with us to-morrow when he learns we haven't
called on Kiddie Katydid," somebody remarked. And a hush fell upon the
company. But Chirpy Cricket had a happy thought, which made them all
feel better.

"Kiddie Katydid won't stay out of doors on a night like this!" he
suddenly exclaimed. "He'll find some snug place to creep into. And we
wouldn't be able to find him in Farmer Green's dooryard even if we tried
to."

"That's so!" Chirpy's companions shouted.

"Then there's no need of our freezing here any longer, waiting for that
wretched tailor, Mr. Frog!" said Freddie Firefly.

And somehow, Mr. Frog did not smile quite so widely over that speech.

Nevertheless, he was pleased, on the whole. And not waiting to watch
the shivering party leave the neighborhood, he set off at once toward
Farmer Green's house, making first for the river, which ran near the
farm buildings, because Mr. Frog did not like to travel by land.

Because the air was cool, the water felt all the warmer. And by the time
Mr. Frog had