her side of the Big
Rock," said Tommy Trout. "The sun is shining and the brook is laughing
and nothing could happen if I go just a little speck of a ways."

So, when no one was looking, Tommy Trout slipped out of the safe little
pool where all the other little Trouts were playing. He swam just a
little speck of a ways farther still. Now he could see almost around
the Big Rock. Then he swam just a little speck of a ways farther and--oh
dear, dear! he looked right into the mouth of a great big, big fish
called Mr. Pickerel, who is very fond of little Trouts and would like to
eat one for breakfast every day.

"Ah ha!" said Mr. Pickerel, opening his big, big mouth very, very wide.

Tommy Trout turned to run back to the dear, dear safe little pool where
all the other little Trouts were playing so happily, but he was too
late. Into that great big, big mouth he went instead, and Mr. Pickerel
swallowed him whole.

"Ah ha," said Mr. Pickerel, "I like little Trouts."

And nothing more was ever heard of Tommy Trout, who didn't mind.

CHAPTER XVI SPOTTY THE TURTLE WINS A RACE

All the little people who live on the Green Meadows and in the Smiling
Pool and along the Laughing Brook were to have a holiday. The Merry
Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind had been very busy, oh very busy
indeed, in sending word to all the little meadow folks. You see, Peter
Rabbit had been boasting of how fast he could run. Reddy Fox was quite
sure that he could run faster than Peter Rabbit. Billy Mink, who can
move so quickly you hardly can see him, was quite sure that neither
Peter Rabbit nor Reddy Fox could run as fast as he. They all met one
day beside the Smiling Pool and agreed that old Grandfather Frog should
decide who was the swiftest.

Now Grandfather Frog was accounted very wise. You see he had lived a
long time, oh, very much longer than any of the others, and therefore,
because of the wisdom of age, Grandfather Frog was always called on to
decide all disputes. He sat on his green lily-pad while Billy Mink sat
on the Big Rock, and Peter Rabbit and Reddy Fox sat on the bank. Each
in turn told why he thought he was the fastest. Old Grandfather Frog
listened and listened and said never a word until they were all through.
When they had finished, he stopped to catch a foolish green fly and then
he said: "The best way to decide who is the swiftest is to have a race."

So it was agreed that Peter Rabbit and Reddy Fox and Billy Mink sh