er the Smiling Pool and the grassy banks.
He saw the sunbeams dancing on the water. He saw the tadpoles having
such a good time in the Smiling Pool. He saw the Merry Little Breezes
kissing the buttercups and daisies on the bank, and he saw old
Grandfather Frog with his hands folded across his white, and yellow
waistcoat sitting on the green lily pad, dreaming of the days when the
world was young.

Then Billy Mink took a long breath, a very long breath, and dived into
the Smiling Pool. Now, Billy Mink can swim very fast, very fast
indeed. For a little way he can swim even faster than Mr. Trout. And
he can stay under water a long time.

Straight across the Smiling Pool, with not even the tip of his nose out
of water, swam Billy Mink. The thousand little tadpoles saw him coming
and fled in all directions to bury themselves in the mud at the bottom
of the Smiling Pool, for when he thinks no one is looking Billy Mink
sometimes gobbles up a fat tadpole for breakfast.

Straight across the Smiling Pool swam Billy Mink toward the big green
lily pad where Grandfather Frog sat dreaming of the days when the world
was young. When he was right under the big green lily pad he suddenly
kicked up hard with his hind feet. Up went the big green lily pad,
and, of course, up went Grandfather Frog--up and over flat on his back,
with a great splash into the Smiling Pool!

Now, Grandfather Frog's mouth is very big. Indeed, no one else has so
big a mouth, unless it be his cousin, old Mr. Toad. And when
Grandfather Frog went over flat on his back, splash in the Smiling
Pool, his mouth was wide open.

You see he was so surprised he forgot to close it. So, of course,
Grandfather Frog swallowed a great deal of water, and he choked and
spluttered and swam around in foolish little circles trying to find
himself. Finally he climbed out on his big green lily pad.

[Illustration: He was so surprised he forgot to close it.]

"Chug-a-rum?" said Grandfather Frog, and looked this way and looked
that way. Then he gave a funny hop and turned about in the opposite
direction and looked this way and looked that way, but all he saw was
the Smiling Pool dimpling and smiling, Mrs. Redwing bringing a fat worm
to her hungry little babies in their snug nest in the bulrushes, and
the Merry Little Breezes hurrying over to see what the trouble might be.

"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog. "It is very strange. I must have
fallen asleep and had