Part 10 (1/2)

”Then if you can read my lips, no doubt you can read what's on my back,”

he said.

”That's easy,” the tailor observed. ”Your sh.e.l.l's on your back, of course.”

Timothy Turtle glanced up with a look of scorn.

”Don't be silly!” he snapped. ”I mean, can you read what's carved on my sh.e.l.l?”

”Certainly!” Mr. Frog replied. And he began to mutter, as if to himself, ”J. G.--that means _just grumpy_, of course----”

Timothy Turtle interrupted him quickly.

”I don't care to hear any more,” he screamed. And turning away, he waddled towards the water.

”That Ferdinand Frog has no manners,” he spluttered. ”I only wish he wasn't quite so spry.” And Mr. Turtle looked very fierce as he snapped his jaws together.

XX

THE ALMANAC

One rainy night Peter Mink stopped at Black Creek; and calling loudly to Timothy Turtle he asked for a place to sleep.

”You remember,” he said, when Timothy drew himself upon the bank, ”you told me that you would do something handsome for me some time. And now that I'm wet and tired I hope you can offer me a snug, dry spot in which to spend the night.”

”What can you do to pay me?” asked Timothy Turtle. He never did anything for anybody without pay. ”Can you saw wood?”

Now, Peter Mink would rather stay out in the rain forever than saw a single stick of wood. So he said:

”No, I can't!” just like that.

”Well, it's about time you learned,” said Timothy Turtle.

Peter Mink was about to leave in disgust; and he was wondering what name he would call Timothy Turtle, when he was a little further away, when he noticed that Timothy had a thin book in his hand.

”What's that?” Peter asked.

”It's the Farmer's Almanac,” said Timothy Turtle. ”I've been looking through it; but my eyes are bad and I can't read.”

Now that was quite true; for Timothy's eyes _were_ bad--and he had never learned to read.

”I'll tell you what I'll do,” Peter Mink announced. ”If you'll give me a place to spend the night I'll read the Farmer's Almanac to you.”

”Come right in!” Timothy Turtle cried, leading the way to a cozy nook beneath a big rock which was not far from the water. And Peter Mink was very glad to creep inside that comfortable shelter. He took the Almanac from Timothy Turtle and they both sat down.

Peter opened the book.

”I see,” he said, ”that it says the weather was fair to-day, but look out for a heavy rain to-night!”