ed, for it is the hardest thing in the
world for them to keep perfectly still unless they are asleep. But
they promised that they would, and when they had settled down, each one
in the heart of a great white water lily, Grandfather Frog began:

"Once upon a time, when the world was young, Hooty the Owl's
grandfather a thousand times removed used to fly about in daylight with
the other birds. He was very big and very strong and very fierce, was
Mr. Owl. He had great big claws and a hooked bill, just as Hooty the
Owl has now, and he was afraid of nothing and nobody.

"Now when people are very big and very strong and afraid of nothing and
nobody they are very apt to care for nothing and nobody but themselves.
So it was with Mr. Owl. Whatever he saw that he wanted he took, no
matter to whom it belonged, for there was no one to stop him.

"As I have already told you, Mr. Owl was very big and very strong and
very fierce and he was a very great glutton. It took a great many
little birds and little animals to satisfy his appetite. But he didn't
stop there! No, Sir, he didn't stop there! He used to kill harmless
little meadow people just for the fun of killing, and because he could.
Every day he grew more savage. Finally no one smaller than himself
dared stir on the Green Meadows when he was around. The little birds
no longer sang. The Fieldmice children no longer played among the
meadow grasses. Those were sad days, very sad days indeed on the Green
Meadows," said Grandfather Frog, with a sigh.

"At last old Mother Nature came to visit the Green Meadows and she soon
saw what a terrible state things were in. No one came to meet her, for
you see no one dared to show himself for fear of fierce old Mr. Owl.

"Now I have told you that Mr. Owl was afraid of nothing and nobody, but
this is not quite true, for he was afraid, very much afraid of old
Mother Nature. When he saw her coming he was sitting on top of a tall
dead stump and he at once tried to look very meek and very innocent.

"Old Mother Nature wasted no time. 'Where are all my little meadow
people and why do they not come to give me greeting?' demanded old
Mother Nature of Mr. Owl.

"Mr. Owl bowed very low. 'I'm sure I don't know. I think they must
all be taking a nap,' said he.

"Now you can't fool old Mother Nature and it's of no use to try. No,
Sir, you can't fool old Mother Nature. She just looked at Mr. Owl and
she looked at the feathers and f