articlesforchristians

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 23 Chapter 23

When Old Mr. Toad saw Mr. Blacksnake and turned his back on Buster Bear and the fine dinner to which Buster had invited him, he had but just one idea in his head, and that was to get out of sight of Mr. Blacksnake as soon as possible.  He forgot to ask Buster Bear to excuse him.  He forgot that he was tired and hot.  He forgot all the pride with which he had been so puffed up.  He forgot everything but the need of getting out of sight of Mr. Blacksnake as soon as ever he could.  So away went Old Mr. Toad, hop, hop, hipperty-hop, hop, hop, hipperty-hop!  He heard Peter Rabbit and Jimmy Skunk and Johnny Chuck and others of his old friends and neighbors shouting with laughter.  Yes, and he heard the deep, grumbly-rumbly laugh of Buster Bear.  But he didn’t mind it.  Not then, anyway.  He hadn’t room for any feeling except fear of Mr. Blacksnake.

But Old Mr. Toad had to stop after a while.  You see, his legs were so tired they just wouldn’t go any longer.  And he was so out of breath that he wheezed.  He crawled under a big piece of bark, and there he lay flat on the ground and panted and panted for breath.  He would stay there until jolly, round, bright Mr. Sun went to bed behind the Purple Hills.  Then Mr. Blacksnake would go to bed too, and it would be safe for him to go home.  Now, lying there in the dark, for it was dark under that big piece of bark, Old Mr. Toad had time to think.  Little by little he began to understand that his invitation to dine with Buster Bear had been part of a plan by his old friends and neighbors whom he had so snubbed and looked down on when he had been puffed up with pride, to teach him a lesson.  At first he was angry, very angry indeed.  Then he began to see how foolish and silly he had been, and shame took the place of anger.  As he remembered the deep, grumbly-rumbly laughter of Buster Bear, the feeling of shame grew.

“I deserve it,” thought Old Mr. Toad.  “Yes, Sir, I deserve every bit of it.  The only thing that I have to be proud of is that I’m honest and work for my living.  Yes, Sir, that’s all.”

When darkness came at last, and he crawled out to go home, he was feeling very humble.  Peter Rabbit happened along just then.  Old Mr. Toad opened his mouth to speak, but Peter suddenly threw his head up very high and strutted past as if he didn’t see Old Mr. Toad at all.  Mr. Toad gulped and went on.  Pretty soon he met Jimmy Skunk.  Jimmy went right on about his business and actually stepped right over Old Mr. Toad as if he had been a stick or a stone.  Old Mr. Toad gulped again and went on.  The next day he went down to see Danny Meadow Mouse.  He meant to tell Danny how ashamed he was for the way he had treated Danny and his other friends.  But Danny brushed right past without even a glance at him.  Old Mr. Toad gulped and started up to see Johnny Chuck.  The same thing happened again.  So it did when he met Striped Chipmunk.

At last Old Mr. Toad gave up and went home, where he sat under a big mullein leaf the rest of the day, feeling very miserable and lonely.  He didn’t have appetite enough to snap at a single fly.  Late that afternoon he heard a little noise and looked up to find all his old friends and neighbors forming a circle around him.  Suddenly they began to dance and shout:

“Old Mr. Toad is a jolly good fellow!
His temper is sweet, disposition is mellow!
And now that his bubble of pride is quite busted
We know that he knows that his friends can be trusted.”

Then Old Mr. Toad knew that all was well once more, and presently he began to dance too, the funniest dance that ever was seen.

This is all for now about homely Old Mr. Toad, because I have just got to tell you about another homely fellow, ­Prickly Porky the Porcupine, ­who carries a thousand little spears.  The next book will tell you all about his adventures.

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 22 Old Mr. Toad Learns a Lesson

Pride is like a great big bubble;
You’ll find there’s nothing in it.
Prick it and for all your trouble
It has vanished in a minute.

Old Mr. Toad was so puffed out with pride as he started for the Green Forest to dine with Buster Bear that those who saw him wondered if he wouldn’t burst before he *got there.  Everybody knew where he was going, and this made Old Mr. Toad feel more important and proud than ever.  He might not have felt quite so puffed up if he had known just how it had come about that he received this second invitation to dine with Buster Bear.  When Jimmy Skunk brought it to him, Jimmy didn’t tell him that Buster had been asked to send the invitation, and that it was all part of a plan on the part of some of Old Mr. Toad’s old friends and neighbors to teach him a lesson.  No, indeed, Jimmy didn’t say anything at all about that!

So Old Mr. Toad went hopping along and stumbling over his own feet, because his head was held so high and he was so puffed out that he couldn’t see where he was going.  He could think of nothing but how important Buster Bear must consider him to invite him to dinner a second time, and of the delicious ants he was sure he would have to eat.

“What very good taste Buster Bear has,” thought he, “and how very fortunate it is that he found out that I also am fond of ants.”

He was so busy with these pleasant thoughts and of the good dinner that he expected to have that he took no notice of what was going on about him.  He didn’t see his old friends and neighbors peeping out at him and laughing because he looked so foolish and silly.  He was dressed in his very best, which was nothing at all to be proud of, for you know Old Mr. Toad has no fine clothes.  And being puffed up so, he was homelier than ever, which is saying a great deal, for at best Mr. Toad is anything but handsome.

He was beginning to get pretty tired by the time he reached the Green Forest and came in sight of the rotted old chestnut stump where he was to meet Buster Bear.

Buster was waiting for him.  “How do you do this fine day?  You look a little tired and rather warm, Mr. Toad,” said he.

“I am a little warm,” replied Mr. Toad in his most polite manner, although he couldn’t help panting for breath as he said it.  “I hope you are feeling as well as you are looking, Mr. Bear.”

Buster Bear laughed a great, grumbly-rumbly laugh.  “I always feel fine when there is a dinner of fat ants ready for me,” said he.  “It is fine of you to honor me by coming to dine.”

Here Mr. Toad put one hand on his stomach and tried to make a very grand bow.  Peter Rabbit, hiding behind a near-by tree, almost giggled aloud, he looked so funny.

“I have ventured to invite another to enjoy the dinner with us,” continued Buster Bear.  Mr. Toad’s face fell.  You see he was selfish.  He wanted to be the only one to have the honor of dining with Buster Bear.  “He’s a little late,” went on Buster, “but I think he will be here soon, and I hope you will be glad to meet him.  Ah, there he comes now!”

Old Mr. Toad looked in the direction in which Buster Bear was looking.  He gave a little gasp and turned quite pale.  All his puffiness disappeared.  He didn’t look like the same Toad at all.  The newcomer was Mr. Blacksnake.  “Oh!” cried Old Mr. Toad, and then, without even asking to be excused, he turned his back on Buster Bear and started back the way he had come, with long, frightened hops.

“Ha, ha, ha!” shouted Peter Rabbit, jumping out from behind a tree.

“Ho, ho, ho!” shouted Jimmy Skunk from behind another.

“Hee, hee, hee!” shouted Johnny Chuck from behind a third.

Then Old Mr. Toad knew that his old friends and neighbors had planned this to teach him a lesson.

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 21 Old Mr. Toad Receives Another Invitation

The friends and neighbors of Old Mr. Toad decided that he needed to be taught a lesson.  At first, you know, every one had laughed at him, because he had grown too proud to speak to them, but after a little they grew tired of being treated so, and some of them put their heads together to think of some plan to teach Old Mr. Toad a lesson and what a very, very foolish thing false pride is.  The very next day Jimmy Skunk went into the Green Forest to look for Buster Bear.  You know Jimmy isn’t afraid of Buster.  He didn’t have to look long, and when he had found him, the very first thing he did was to ask Buster if he had seen any fat beetles that morning.  You know Jimmy is very fond of fat beetles, and the first thing he asks any one he may happen to meet is if they have seen any.

Buster Bear grinned and said he thought he knew where there might be a few, and he would be pleased to have Jimmy go with him to see.  Sure enough, under an old log he found five fat beetles, and these Jimmy gobbled up without even asking Buster if he would have one.  Jimmy is usually very polite, but this time he quite forgot politeness.  I am afraid he is rather apt to when fat beetles are concerned.  But Buster didn’t seem to mind.  When the last beetle had disappeared Jimmy smacked his lips, and then he told Buster Bear what he had come for.  Of course, at first Buster had thought it was for the fat beetles.  But it wasn’t.  No, Sir, it wasn’t for the fat beetles at all.  It was to get Buster Bear’s help in a plan to teach Old Mr. Toad a lesson.

First Jimmy told Buster all about how puffed up Old Mr. Toad was because he had dined with Buster, and how ever since then he had refused even to speak to his old friends and neighbors.  It tickled Buster Bear so to think that little homely Old Mr. Toad could be proud of anything that he laughed and laughed, and his laugh was deep and grumbly-rumbly.  Then Jimmy told him the plan to teach Old Mr. Toad a lesson and asked Buster if he would help.  Buster’s eyes twinkled as he promised to do what Jimmy asked.

Then Jimmy went straight to where Old Mr. Toad was sitting all puffed up, taking a sun-bath.

“Buster Bear has just sent word by me to ask if you will honor him by dining with him to-morrow at the rotted chestnut stump near the edge of the Green Forest,” said Jimmy in his politest manner.

Now if Old Mr. Toad was puffed up before, just think how he swelled out when he heard that.  Jimmy Skunk was actually afraid that he would burst.

“You may tell my friend, Buster Bear, that I shall be very happy to honor him by dining with him,” replied Old Mr. Toad with a very grand air.

Jimmy went off to deliver his reply, and Old Mr. Toad sat and puffed himself out until he could hardly breathe.  “Honor him by dining with him,” said he over and over to himself.  “I never was so flattered in my life.”

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 20 Old Mr. Toad Is Puffed Up

Old Mr. Toad hopped slowly down the Lone Little Path.  He usually does hop slowly, but this time he hopped slower than ever.  You see, he was so puffed up that he couldn’t have hopped fast if he had wanted to, and he didn’t want to.  In the first place his stomach was so full of ants that there wasn’t room for another one.  No, Sir, Old Mr. Toad couldn’t have swallowed another ant if he had tried.  Of course they made his stomach stick out, but it wasn’t the ants that puffed him out all over.  Oh, my, no!  It was pride.  That’s what it was ­pride.  You know nothing can puff any one up quite like foolish pride.

Old Mr. Toad was old enough to have known better.  It is bad enough to see young and foolish creatures puffed up with pride, but it is worse to see any one as old as Old Mr. Toad that way.  He held his head so high that he couldn’t see his own feet, and more than once he stubbed his toes.  Presently he met his old friend, Danny Meadow Mouse.  He tipped his head a little higher, puffed himself out a little more, and pretended not to see Danny.

“Hello, Mr. Toad,” said Danny.

Mr. Toad pretended not to hear.  Danny looked puzzled.  Then he spoke again, and this time he shouted:  “Hello, Mr. Toad!  I haven’t seen you for some time.”

It wouldn’t do to pretend not to hear this time.  “Oh, how do you do, Danny?” said Old Mr. Toad with a very grand air, and pretending to be much surprised.  “Sorry I can’t stop, but I’ve been dining with, my friend, Buster Bear, and now I must get home.”  When he mentioned the name of Buster Bear, he puffed himself out a little more.

Danny grinned as he watched him hop on down the Lone Little Path.  “Can’t talk with common folks any more,” he muttered.  “I’ve heard that pride is very apt to turn people’s heads, but I never expected to see Old Mr. Toad proud.”

Mr. Toad kept on his way, and presently he met Peter Rabbit.  Peter stopped to gossip, as is his way.  But Old Mr. Toad took no notice of him at all.  He kept right on with his head high, and all puffed out.  Peter might have been a stick or a stone for all the notice Old Mr. Toad took of him.  Peter looked puzzled.  Then he hurried down to tell Danny Meadow Mouse about it.

“Oh,” said Danny, “he’s been to dine with Buster Bear, and now he has no use for his old friends.”

Pretty soon along came Johnny Chuck, and he was very much put out because he had been treated by Old Mr. Toad just as Peter Rabbit had.  Striped Chipmunk told the same story.  So did Unc’ Billy Possum.  It was the same with all of Old Mr. Toad’s old friends and neighbors, excepting Bobby Coon, who, you know, is Buster Bear’s little cousin.  To him Old Mr. Toad was very polite and talked a great deal about Buster Bear, and thought that Bobby must be very proud to be related to Buster.

At first everybody thought it a great joke to see Old Mr. Toad so puffed up with, pride, but after a little they grew tired of being snubbed by their old friend and neighbor, and began to say unpleasant things about him.  Then they decided that what Old Mr. Toad needed was a lesson, so they put their heads together and planned how they would teach Old Mr. Toad how foolish it is for any one to be puffed up with pride.

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 19 Old Mr. Toad Gets His Stomach Full

Pray do not tip your nose in scorn
At things which others eat,
For things to you not good at all
To others are most sweet.

There are ants, for instance.  You wouldn’t want to eat them even if you were dreadfully hungry.  But Old Mr. Toad and Buster Bear think there is nothing much nicer.  Now Buster Bear had found Old Mr. Toad catching ants, one at a time, as he kept watch beside their home, and it had pleased Buster to find some one else who liked ants.  Right away he invited Old Mr. Toad to dine with him.  But poor Old Mr. Toad was frightened almost to death when he heard the deep, grumbly-rumbly voice of Buster Bear, for he had been so busy watching the ants that he hadn’t seen Buster coming.

He fell right over on his back, which wasn’t at all dignified, and made Buster Bear laugh.  That frightened Mr. Toad more than ever.  You see he didn’t have the least doubt in the world that Buster Bear meant to eat him, and when Buster invited him to dinner, he was sure that that was just a joke on Buster’s part.

But there was no way to escape, and after a little Old Mr. Toad thought it best to be polite, because, you know, it always pays to be polite.  So he said in a very faint voice that he would be pleased to dine with Buster.  Then he waved his feet feebly, trying to get on his feet again.  Buster Bear laughed harder than ever.  It was a low, deep, grumbly-rumbly laugh, and sent cold shivers all over poor Old Mr. Toad.  But when Buster reached out a great paw with great cruel-looking claws Mr. Toad quite gave up.  He didn’t have strength enough left to even kick.  He just closed his eyes and waited for the end.

What do you think happened?  Why, he was rolled over on to his feet so gently that he just gasped with surprise.  It didn’t seem possible that such a great paw could be so gentle.

“Now,” said Buster Bear in a voice which he tried to make sound pleasant, but which was grumbly-rumbly just the same, “I know where there is a fine dinner waiting for us just a little way from here.  You follow me, and we’ll have it in no time.”

So Buster Bear led the way, and Old Mr. Toad followed as fast as he could, because he didn’t dare not to.  Presently Buster stopped beside a big decayed old log.  “If you are ready, Mr. Toad, we will dine now,” said he.

Old Mr. Toad didn’t see anything to eat.  His heart sank again, and he shook all over.  “I ­I’m not hungry,” said he in a very faint voice.

Buster Bear didn’t seem to hear.  He hooked his great claws into the old log and gave a mighty pull.  Over rolled the log, and there were ants and ants and ants, hurrying this way and scurrying that way, more ants than Mr. Toad had seen in all his life before!

“Help yourself,” said Buster Bear politely.

Old Mr. Toad didn’t wait to be told twice.  He forgot all about his fright.  He forgot all about Buster Bear.  He forgot that he wasn’t hungry.  He forgot his manners.  He jumped right in among those ants, and for a little while he was the busiest Toad ever seen.  Buster Bear was busy too.  He swept his long tongue this way, and he swept it that way, and each time he drew it back into his mouth, it was covered with ants.  At last Old Mr. Toad couldn’t hold another ant.  Then he remembered Buster Bear and looked up a little fearfully.  Buster was smacking his lips, and there was a twinkle in each eye.

“Good, aren’t they?” said he.

“The best I ever ate,” declared Old Mr. Toad with a sigh of satisfaction.

“Come dine with me again,” said Buster Bear, and somehow this time Old Mr. Toad didn’t mind because his voice sounded grumbly-rumbly.

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 18 Jimmy Skunk Is Just in Time

Jimmy Skunk ambled slowly along, chuckling as he thought of what a hurry Mr. Toad had been in, when he had heard that Mr. Blacksnake had asked after him.  It had been funny, very funny indeed, to see Mr. Toad try to hurry.

Suddenly Jimmy stopped chuckling.  Then he stopped ambling along the Crooked Little Path.  He turned around and looked back, and as he did so he scratched his head thoughtfully.  He had just happened to think that Old Mr. Toad had gone up the Crooked Little Path, and it was up the Crooked Little Path that Mr. Blacksnake had shown himself that morning.

“If he’s still up there,” thought Jimmy, “Old Mr. Toad is hopping right straight into the very worst kind of trouble.  How stupid of him not to have asked me where Mr. Blacksnake was!  Well, it’s none of my business.  I guess I’ll go on.”

But he had gone on down the Crooked Little Path only a few steps when he stopped again.  You see, Jimmy is really a very kind-hearted little fellow, and somehow he didn’t like to think of what might happen to Old Mr. Toad.

“I hate to go way back there,” he grumbled, for you know he is naturally rather lazy.  “Still, the Green Meadows wouldn’t be quite the same without Old Mr. Toad.  I should miss him if anything happened to him.  I suppose it would be partly my fault, too, for if I hadn’t pulled over that piece of bark, he probably would have stayed there the rest of the day and been safe.”

“Maybe he won’t meet Mr. Blacksnake,” said a little voice inside of Jimmy.

“And maybe he will,” said Jimmy right out loud.  And with that, he started back up the Crooked Little Path, and strange to say Jimmy hurried.

He had just reached a turn in the Crooked Little Path when who should run right plump into him but poor Old Mr. Toad.  He gave a frightened squeal and fell right over on his back, and kicked foolishly as he tried to get on his feet again.  But he was all out of breath, and so frightened and tired that all he could do was to kick and kick.  He hadn’t seen Jimmy at all, for he had been looking behind him, and he didn’t even know who it was he had run into.

Right behind him came Mr. Blacksnake.  Of course he saw Jimmy, and he stopped short and hissed angrily.

“What were you going to do to Mr. Toad?” demanded Jimmy.

“None of your business!” hissed Mr. Blacksnake.  “Get out of my way, or you’ll be sorry.”

Jimmy Skunk just laughed and stepped in front of poor Old Mr. Toad.  Mr. Blacksnake coiled himself up in the path and darted his tongue out at Jimmy in the most impudent way.  Then he tried to make himself look very fierce.  Then he jumped straight at Jimmy Skunk with his mouth wide open, but he took great care not to jump quite far enough to reach Jimmy.  You see, he was just trying to scare Jimmy.  But Jimmy didn’t scare.  He knows all about Mr. Blacksnake and that really he is a coward.  So he suddenly gritted his teeth in a way not at all pleasant to hear and started for Mr. Blacksnake.  Mr. Blacksnake didn’t wait.  No, Sir, he didn’t wait.  He suddenly turned and glided back up the Crooked Little Path, hissing angrily.  Jimmy followed him a little way, and then he went back to Old Mr. Toad.

“Oh,” panted Mr. Toad, “you came just in time!  I couldn’t have hopped another hop.”

“I guess I did,” replied Jimmy.  “Now you get your breath and come along with me.”  And Old Mr. Toad did

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 17 Old Mr. Toad’s Mistake

If is a very little word to look at, but the biggest word you have ever seen doesn’t begin to have so much meaning as little “if.” If Jimmy Skunk hadn’t ambled down the Crooked Little Path just when he did; if he hadn’t been looking for fat beetles; if he hadn’t seen that big piece of bark at one side and decided to pull it over; if it hadn’t been for all these “ifs,” why Old Mr. Toad wouldn’t have made the mistake he did, and you wouldn’t have had this story.  But Jimmy Skunk did amble down the Crooked Little Path, he did look for beetles, and he did pull over that big piece of bark.  And when he had pulled it over, he found Old Mr. Toad there.

Old Mr. Toad had crept under that piece of bark because he wanted to take a nap.  But when Jimmy Skunk told him that he had seen Mr. Blacksnake that very morning, and that Mr. Blacksnake had asked after Old Mr. Toad, the very last bit of sleepiness left Old Mr. Toad.  Yes, Sir, he was wide awake right away.  You see, he knew right away why Mr. Blacksnake had asked after him.  He knew that Mr. Blacksnake has a fondness for Toads.  He turned quite pale when he heard that Mr. Blacksnake had asked after him, and right then he made his mistake.  He was in such a hurry to get away from that neighborhood that he forgot to ask Jimmy Skunk just where he had seen Mr. Blacksnake.  He hardly waited long enough to say good-by to Jimmy Skunk, but started off as fast as he could go.

Now it just happened that Old Mr. Toad started up the Crooked Little Path, and it just happened that Mr. Blacksnake was coming down the Crooked Little Path.  Now when people are very much afraid, they almost always seem to think that danger is behind instead of in front of them.  It was so with Old Mr. Toad.  Instead of watching out in front as he hopped along, he kept watching over his shoulder, and that was his second mistake.  He was so sure that Mr. Blacksnake was somewhere behind him that he didn’t look to see where he was going, and you know that people who don’t look to see where they are going are almost sure to go headfirst right into trouble.

Old Mr. Toad went hopping up the Crooked Little Path as fast as he could, which wasn’t very fast, because he never can hop very fast.  And all the time he kept looking behind for Mr. Blacksnake.  Presently he came to a turn in the Crooked Little Path, and as he hurried around it, he almost ran into Mr. Blacksnake himself.  It was a question which was more surprised.  For just a wee second they stared at each other.  Then Mr. Blacksnake’s eyes began to sparkle.

“Good morning, Mr. Toad.  Isn’t this a beautiful morning?  I was just thinking about you,” said he.

But poor Old Mr. Toad didn’t say good morning.  He didn’t say anything.  He couldn’t, because he was too scared.  He just gave a frightened little squeal, turned around, and started down the Crooked Little Path twice as fast as he had come up.  Mr. Blacksnake grinned and started after him, not very fast because he knew that he wouldn’t have to run very fast to catch Old Mr. Toad, and he thought the exercise would do him good.

And this is how it happened that summer morning that jolly, bright Mr. Sun, looking down from the blue, blue sky and smiling to see how happy everybody seemed, suddenly discovered that there was one of the little meadow people who wasn’t happy, but instead was terribly, terribly unhappy.  It was Old Mr. Toad hopping down the Crooked Little Path for his life, while after him, and getting nearer and nearer, glided Mr. Blacksnake.

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 16 Jimmy Skunk Is Surprised

Jimmy Skunk ambled along the Crooked Little Path down the hill.  He didn’t hurry because Jimmy doesn’t believe in hurrying.  The only time he ever hurries is when he sees a fat beetle trying to get out of sight.  Then Jimmy does hurry.  But just now he didn’t see any fat beetles, although he was looking for them.  So he just ambled along as if he had all the time in the world, as indeed he had.  He was feeling very good-natured, was Jimmy Skunk.  And why shouldn’t he?  There was everything to make him feel good-natured.  Summer had arrived to stay.  On every side he heard glad voices.  Bumble the Bee was humming a song.  Best of all, Jimmy had found three beetles that very morning, and he knew that there were more if he could find them.  So why shouldn’t he feel good?

Jimmy had laughed at Peter Rabbit for being so anxious for Summer to arrive, but he was just as glad as Peter that she had come, although he wouldn’t have said so for the world.  His sharp little eyes twinkled as he ambled along, and there wasn’t much that they missed.  As he walked he talked, quite to himself of course, because there was nobody near to hear, and this is what he was saying:

“Beetle, beetle, smooth and smug,
You are nothing but a bug.
Bugs were made for Skunks to eat,
So come out from your retreat.

“Hello!  There’s a nice big piece of bark over there that looks as if it ought to have a dozen fat beetles under it.  It’s great fun to pull over pieces of bark and see fat beetles run all ways at once.  I’ll just have to see what is under that piece.”

Jimmy tiptoed softly over to the big piece of bark, and then as he made ready to turn it over, he began again that foolish little verse.

“Beetle, beetle, smooth and smug,
You are nothing but a bug.”

As he said the last word, he suddenly pulled the piece of bark over.

“Who’s a bug?” asked a funny voice, and it sounded rather cross.  Jimmy Skunk nearly tumbled over backward in surprise, and for a minute he couldn’t find his tongue.  There, instead of the fat beetles he had been so sure of, sat Old Mr. Toad, and he didn’t look at all pleased.

“Who’s a bug?” he repeated.

Instead of answering, Jimmy Skunk began to laugh.  “Who’s a bug?” demanded Old Mr. Toad, more crossly than before.

“There isn’t any bug, Mr. Toad, and I beg your pardon,” replied Jimmy, remembering his politeness.  “I just thought there was.  You see, I didn’t know you were under that piece of bark.  I hope you will excuse me, Mr. Toad.  Have you seen any fat beetles this morning?”

“No,” said Old Mr. Toad grumpily, and yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“Why,” exclaimed Jimmy Skunk, “I believe you have just waked up!”

“What if I have?” demanded Old Mr. Toad.

“Oh, nothing, nothing at all, Mr. Toad,” replied Jimmy Skunk, “only you are the second one I’ve met this morning who had just waked up.”

“Who was the other?” asked Old Mr. Toad.

“Mr. Blacksnake,” replied Jimmy.  “He inquired for you.”

Old Mr. Toad turned quite pale.  “I ­I think I’ll be moving along,” said he.

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad Chapter 15 Old Mr. Toad Gives Peter a Scare

If you play pranks on other folks
You may be sure that they
Will take the first chance that they get
A joke on you to play.

Old Mr. Toad was getting even with Peter for laughing at him.  While Peter’s back had been turned, Old Mr. Toad had disappeared.

It was too much for Peter.  Look as he would, he couldn’t see so much as a chip under which Old Mr. Toad might have hidden, excepting the old board, and Old Mr. Toad had given his word of honor that he wouldn’t hide under that.  Nevertheless, Peter hopped over to it and turned it over again, because he couldn’t think of any other place to look.  Of course, Old Mr. Toad wasn’t there.  Of course not.  He had given his word that he wouldn’t hide there, and he always lives up to his word.  Peter should have known better than to have looked there.

Old Mr. Toad had also said that he would not go three feet from the spot where he was sitting at the time, so Peter should have known better than to have raced up the Crooked Little Path as he did.  But if Old Mr. Toad had nothing to hide under, of course he must have hopped away, reasoned Peter.  He couldn’t hop far in five minutes, that was sure, and so Peter ran this way and that way a great deal farther than it would have been possible for Old Mr. Toad to have gone.  But it was a wholly useless search, and presently Peter returned and sat down on the very spot where he had last seen Old Mr. Toad.  Peter never had felt more foolish in all his life.  He began to think that Old Mr. Toad must be bewitched and had some strange power of making himself invisible.

For a long time Peter sat perfectly still, trying to puzzle out how Old Mr. Toad had disappeared, but the more he puzzled over it, the more impossible it seemed.  And yet Old Mr. Toad had disappeared.  Suddenly Peter gave a frightened scream and jumped higher than he ever had jumped before in all his life.  A voice, the voice of Old Mr. Toad himself, had said, “Well, now are you satisfied?” And that voice had come from right under Peter! Do you wonder that he was frightened?  When he turned to look, there sat Old Mr. Toad right where he himself had been sitting a moment before.  Peter rubbed his eyes and stared very foolishly.

“Wh-wh-where did you come from?” he stammered at last.

Old Mr. Toad grinned.  “I’ll show you,” said he.  And right while Peter was looking at him, he began to sink down into the ground until only the top of his head could be seen.  Then that disappeared.  Old Mr. Toad had gone down, and the sand had fallen right back over him.  Peter just had to rub his eyes again.  He had to!  Then, to make sure, he began to dig away the sand where Old Mr. Toad had been sitting.  In a minute he felt Old Mr. Toad, who at once came out again.

Old Mr. Toad’s beautiful eyes twinkled more than ever.  “I guess we are even now, Peter,” said he.

Peter nodded.  “More than that, Mr. Toad.  I think you have a little the best of it,” he replied.  “Now won’t you tell me how you did it?”

Old Mr. Toad held up one of his stout hind feet, and on it was a kind of spur.  “There’s another just like that on the other foot,” said he, “and I use them to dig with.  You go into a hole headfirst, but I go in the other way.  I make my hole in soft earth and back into it at the same time, this way.”  He began to work his stout hind feet, and as he kicked the earth out, he backed in at the same time.  When he was deep enough, the earth just fell back over him, for you see it was very loose and not packed down at all.  When he once more reappeared, Peter thanked him. Then he asked one more question.

“Is that the way you go into winter quarters?”

Old Mr. Toad nodded.  “And it’s the way I escape from my enemies.”

The Adventures of Old Mr. Toad by Thornton W. Burgess