he 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 midst of the Fairy revel, in leaped Billy Bull and all his
cousins.

But the Fairies were as quick as the frogs, and no sooner had they
leaped than up went all the fairy wands, and there stood each frog
still and stiff. They were not able to move; they could only stare and
listen.

"What are these creatures that dare to disturb us?" asked the Queen.

"Your Majesty, they are frogs," said a fire-fly, "and I expect they
intended to eat us."

"Eat the lantern bearers of the fairies!" said the Queen. "They shall
suffer for this."

"Off with a toe on each front foot, and then perhaps these frogs will
stay at home and not hop about at night. Where do they live?" asked
the Queen.

"In the pond at the end of the dell," said the fireflies.

"Send them home," said the Queen, "and every time they wander far from
their pond they shall lose a toe."

Down on the foot of the froggies went the fairy wands, and where the
frogs had five toes there remained only four on each of their front
feet, and then with their wands on the heads of the froggies the
fairies turned them around and drove them back to their pond.

"Better stayed home, better stayed home," croaked their Grandfather
Frog as the young froggies leaped sadly into the pond and buried
themselves in the mud at the bottom.

And that was the way it is said frogs came to have five toes on each of
their hind feet and only four toes on each front foot. If they had
listened to their grandfather's warning they would