276 



RECREATION. 



frog, vaulting clear over the edge of the 

 hogshead. This was 3 feet higher than 

 the top of the stone in the center, from 

 which this flying leap must have been 

 taken. 



Then a mean little trick was played on 

 Reggy. The stone was removed from the 

 hogshead, and a small square of board put 

 in for his resting place. He was then re- 

 turned unfed to his prison. After many 

 minutes there was a big, resounding splashy 

 but nothing appeared at the top of the 

 hogshead. Reggy, having become a little 



the pond. The wind and waves beat so 

 heavily on the walls of his prison that it 

 was overthrown. Reggy probably escaped 

 unharmed and returned to the pond much 

 wiser by reason of his association with 

 man. Who knows but what he may have 

 learned to talk fish talk as well as frog 

 talk? Who knows but what he devised 

 some scheme for calling minnows up to 

 him in order that he might devour them? 

 He may have been seen again, but he 

 has never been identified. Yet who can 

 say he was not the very frog whose lo- 



THE CONSULTATION. 



accustomed to his new perch, had again 

 tried a leap for freedom; but a part of the 

 energy of his spring had been taken by 

 the floating bit of board, that tipped, and 

 rose and fell, so that poor froggy had 

 fallen short of his mark, struck against the 

 side of the hogshead, and dropped sprawl- 

 ing back into the water. The mystery 

 having been solved, the usual grasshoppers 

 and slugs were dropped into the watery 

 pen. 



Reggy must have been greatly mortified 

 by his strange failure in gymnastics. 

 Whether he repeated the attempt is not 

 known; but he did not escape again until 

 one night, when a great storm raged over 



quacity had attracted my attention; who, 

 after many days of wandering, had just 

 then found his old haunt and accustomed 

 companions? 



Apparently there were sensational epi- 

 sodes in his low-toned, long-drawn bab* 

 ble; for it was often interrupted by utter- 

 ances as of doubt, like "Bur-r-rum, br-r- 

 um;" or of assent — a gutteral "Oook-a- 

 boom, 00m;" and rarely, of applause, 

 "Ke-bloonk, bloonk, oonk;" the confer- 

 ence winding up, as the first rays of the 

 rising full moon fell along the water, with 

 a multitude of sounds, like the rolling beat 

 of a small bass drum, or the bellowing of 

 a herd of young bulls. 



Mrs. Stubb — John, I believe there is a 

 robber in the cellar. 



Mr. Stubb — Nonsense, Maria, there is 

 nothing down there except the gas meter. 

 — Chicago News. 



