Part 12 (1/2)

XXIII

A MERRY SONG

Timothy Turtle made such a noise that the Frog family had to stop singing.

”It's not fair!” he cried. ”You're peeping!”

”Well, so are you!” Ferdinand Frog retorted.

”I only opened my eyes to make sure that you were doing as I asked you to,” Mr. Turtle replied with an injured air.

”And we didn't shut ours, because we wanted to watch _you_,” said Mr.

Frog.

”Can't you trust me?” Timothy snapped.

”Certainly!” Ferdinand Frog replied.

”Oh, yes! We can trust you!” And he winked at his friends.

”You don't want to hurt my feelings, do you?” Timothy Turtle went on.

”No, indeed!” everybody exclaimed.

And then Ferdinand Frog told Timothy that they would sing a special song in his honor.

”Fire away!” Timothy ordered them. And the whole company knew, when he said that, that if he really cared anything at all for singing he never would have spoken of it in that fas.h.i.+on.

They were just about to begin the song when Timothy Turtle stopped them.

”What's this thing called?” he demanded.

”It's known,” Ferdinand Frog explained, ”as 'A Merry Song.'”

And then the whole Frog family began to bellow their loudest:

Come let us sing a merry song!

To you it may sound sad.

And if you think it loud and long _We_ think that it's not bad.

”We'll sing about a grumpy one Who snaps and bites all day.

And if you call that ”having fun”

We make reply, ”Go 'way!”

He has a glittering, wicked eye And also cruel jaws.

And if you ask the reason why, We'll answer you, _”Because!”_