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12 THE PRESBYTEFTI
For the Children
ABOUT A TOAD.
By Blanche Elizabeth Wade.
Once upon a time, a brown toad?oh, a very brown
toad, indeed!?lived in a garden, and under a large
stone, where it was dark and cool and moist.
"This." said he. "is the finest place to live in the
wnoic world!
He kept on thinking so. too, until one clay lie heard '
a yellow butterfly talking to a busy humble-bee as one
was fluttering and the other was buzzing about the
same tall spike of larkspur.
"Good afternoon." said the yellow butterfly to the
busy bumble-bee. "A beautiful day it is; is it not?''
"Fine!'' said the good-natured, busy bumble-bee as
lie jammed the honey into his honey-bags.
"1 have been thinking'that the finest place to live, in
all the world, is in the air in -this garden," said the
yellow butterfly.
"You arc right." said the busy bumble-bee. "It is
the finest place to live in all the world."
"Now, that is c|ueer," said the toad. "I should feel
very much out of place in the air, and I am sure they
never have been under this great stone, or they would
see how mistaken they are. This really is the finest
place to live, whatever a yellow butterfly and a busy
bumble-bee may say."
Then, down came a good robin to hunt for a worm
in the ground.
"I'll ask him," said the toad. So he called out to the
bird:
"Hi, there. Brother Robin! Tell me the answer
to this question: Where is the finest place to live in all
the world?*'
"I think." said the robin, "the finest place to live in
all the world is the top of a tree."
"Well, of all things!" said thetoad. "That is the
last place I should think of choosing," but the robin
did nut stay to listen any longer, for he found his worm
and flew away.
"1 shall go out for a short walk and get someone else
to tell me who is right about this matter," said the toad.
So out he went from under the great stone, hop, hop,
across the garden path and into the soft grass. There
lie met a large,^reen grasshopper.
"Good afternoon," he said to the large, green grasshopper.
"I have come to ask you a serious question.
Come, tell me, which is the finest place to live in all
the world? The yellow butterfly and the busy bumble
bee say it is the air in this garden, and the good robin
says it is the top of a tree: hut T think it is the dark,
cool, moist spot under a great stone. Now, what do
you think?''
"I think you are all wrong," said the large, green
grasshopper. "The only place worth while is this
sunny lawn. On a hot day it is the finest thing you
ever saw!"
"Why," said the toad, "that is a most surprising
a iswer!"
"Well, ask the fat, brown cricket," said the large,
\N OF THE SOUTH. March 31, 1909.
green grasshopper. "He will tell you the same thing.""
The fat, brown cricket said yes, that his friend had
spoken truly.
"Any one would know that to be 011 this sunny lawn
for any length of time would blister my back," said the
very brown toad; so 011 he went till he came to a rail
fence by the woods. Upon the lowest rail sat a small
beetle, having a look at the world while he rested a
few seconds.
"Good afternoon." said the toad. "I have a question
for which no one yet has given me a fitting answer."
"What is your question?" asked the small bettle as
he moved his feelers about.
"It is this," said the toad: "Which is the finest place
to live in all the world?"
"I think," said the small beetle, "that the finest place
to live in all the world is inside this fence rail."
"Well. I wonder at that." said the very brown toad.
"I shall ask some one else," and under the rail he hopped
into the woods.
Near a stump sat an old woodchuck.
"Good afternoon. Friend Woodchuck," said the verybrown
toad. ".I have a question which must have an
answer: Which is the finest place to live in all the
world ? The yellow butterfly and the busy humble-bee
sav it i< tin* *a'?- " tV"* 1 ''
...^ ... i..t gcirucn; ine good robin says it
is the top of a tree; the large, green grasshopper and
the fat, brown cricket say it is the sunny lawn; and
the small beetle says it is inside the fence rail; but i
think it is the dark, cool, moist spot under a great
stone. Now, what do you think?"
"I think you are the nearest right of any," said the
old woodchuck. "The finest place in the world is a
deep, dry, snug hole under the ground."
"The hole under the ground is good enough," said
the very brown toad: "but 1 should not care to have
it dry nor snug. You are only partly right, so I shall
go farther till I find the correct answer "
On lie went deeper into the wood till he came to a
log. Upon the log a slippery snail was crawling along
with its shell on its hack.
''Well, well!" said the very brown toad. "Of all
cpieer performances that is the cpieerest I ever have
seen! What are you trying to carry on your back?"
"That," said the slippery snaif, "is inv 'shell. I have
to carry it."
"That is a strange thing, indeed," said the very
brown toad.
"Xot at all." said the slippery snail. "It is my house,
and it is the finest place to live in all the world."
"I never heard such nonsense!" said the. very brown
toad. "So I shall bid vou food Hav nrwi ?
o K" "" i"Ci
for the right answer."
The very brown toad then went on till lie came to a
funny spider, swinging from a bush.
"How are you, Mr. Spider?" said he.
"Very well, thank you," said the spider.
"That is good," said the very brown toad. "Do voit
know the answers to every question in the world?"
"Yes, indeed!" said the funny spider.
"Good!" said the very brown toad. "Now, please
tell me which is the finest place to live in all the world.