THE FROGS AND THE FAIRIES The Frogs and the fairies In a pond in a dell lived a big family of frogs, and one day when the sun was shining all the young bullfrogs came up out of the water and hopped on the bank. "I think it would be good fun to see what is in the dell beside this pond," said Billy Bull, who was a young and inquisitive frog. "What do you fellows say to a lark to-night by the light of the moon?" "We'll go, we'll go, Billy Bull," said all the other young frogs in chorus. "Better stay home, better stay home," croaked old Grandfather Bullfrog from his seat on a stump by the edge of the pond. "Oh, hear old grandfather croaking!" said Billy Bull; "he never went out of this pond in all his days, and what does he know of the dell?" "Better stay home, better stay home," croaked Grandfather Frog. "You can, Grandfather Frog, if you like, but we young frogs are going for a lark tonight, and when we come back we will tell you what is in the dell," said Billy Bull. That night when the moon was up and shining through the trees, out of the pond leaped all the young froggies. "Better stay home, better stay home," croaked Grandfather Frog from his seat on the stump, but the young froggies only laughed as grandfather's warning followed them through the dell—"Better stay home, better stay home." It happened that the Fairies were holding a party that night, and when Billy Bull and all the other young frogs hopped and leaped into the middle of the dell they saw the bright lights of the fireflies' lanterns. "Looks to me like all the fireflies in the world had gathered for us to feast on," said Billy Bull. "What luck for us." Away off they could still hear Grandfather Frog croaking his warning: "Better stay home, better stay home." But it was no warning to the young froggies; they only saw the fireflies and the feast in store for them. The froggies had never seen the Fairies before and they thought they, too, were little insects, so, without stopping to think or look closer into the
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