ff his head over into the Green Meadows. Of course Tommy ran after it.
Just as he stooped to pick it up another little Breeze ran away with
it. Then they took turns, first one little Breeze, then another little
Breeze running away with the old straw hat just as Tommy Brown would
almost get his hands on it. Down past the Smiling Pool and across the
Laughing Brook they raced and chased the old straw hat, Tommy Brown
running after it, very cross, very red in the face, and breathing very
hard. Way across the Green Meadows they ran to the edge of the wood,
where they hung the old straw hat in the middle of a thorn tree. By the
time Tommy Brown had it once more on his head he had forgotten all about
Mrs. Redwing and her dear little nest. Besides, he heard the breakfast
horn blowing just then, so off he started for home up the Lone Little
Path through the wood.

And all the Merry Little Breezes danced away across the Green Meadows
to the swamp where the bulrushes grow to see the new speckled egg in the
dear little nest where Mrs. Redwing was singing for joy. And while she
sang the Merry Little Breezes danced among the bulrushes, for they knew,
and Mrs. Redwing knew, that some day out of that pretty new speckled egg
would come a wee baby Redwing.

CHAPTER II WHY GRANDFATHER FROG HAS NO TAIL

Old Mother West Wind had gone to her day's work, leaving all the Merry
Little Breezes to play in the Green Meadows. They had played tag and run
races with the Bees and played hide and seek with the Sun Beams, and now
they had gathered around the Smiling Pool where on a green lily pad sat
Grandfather Frog.

Grandfather Frog was old, very old, indeed, and very, very wise. He wore
a green coat and his voice was very deep. When Grandfather Frog
spoke everybody listened very respectfully. Even Billy Mink treated
Grandfather Frog with respect, for Billy Mink's father and his father's
father could not remember when Grandfather Frog had not sat on the lily
pad watching for green flies.

Down in the Smiling Pool were some of Grandfather Frog's
great-great-great-great-great grandchildren. You wouldn't have known
that they were his grandchildren unless some one told you. They didn't
look the least bit like Grandfather Frog. They were round and fat and
had long tails and perhaps this is why they were called Pollywogs.

"Oh Grandfather Frog, tell us why you don't have a tail as you did when
you were young," begged one of the Merry Little Breez