<h3>A PRESENT FOR KIDDIE</h3>
<p>Mr. Frog had a delightful time listening
to the remarks of his callers, who had no
idea that he was so near at hand. And
as the weather grew colder, they began to
shiver and their voices began to shake.
And by the time it was almost dark all
the waiting company were quite discouraged.</p>
<p>"I'll never be able to stay out to-night!"
Chirpy Cricket declared. "I'm
so cold now that I can scarcely move."</p>
<p>And it was the same with everybody
else. Even Freddie Firefly complained
that his light didn't warm him in the least.
And he said he would have to go home
at once.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Mr. Crow will be very angry with us
to-morrow when he learns we haven't
called on Kiddie Katydid," somebody remarked.
And a hush fell upon the company.
But Chirpy Cricket had a happy
thought, which made them all feel better.</p>
<p>"Kiddie Katydid won't stay out of
doors on a night like this!" he suddenly
exclaimed. "He'll find some snug place
to creep into. And we wouldn't be able
to find him in Farmer Green's dooryard
even if we tried to."</p>
<p>"That's so!" Chirpy's companions
shouted.</p>
<p>"Then there's no need of our freezing
here any longer, waiting for that wretched
tailor, Mr. Frog!" said Freddie Firefly.</p>
<p>And somehow, Mr. Frog did not smile
quite so widely over that speech.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, he was pleased, on the
whole. And not waiting to watch the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</SPAN></span>
shivering party leave the neighborhood, he
set off at once toward Farmer Green's
house, making first for the river, which
ran near the farm buildings, because Mr.
Frog did not like to travel by land.</p>
<p>Because the air was cool, the water felt
all the warmer. And by the time Mr. Frog
had reached his journey's end he was almost
overheated. Besides, as he noticed,
it was not so cold in Farmer Green's dooryard
as it had been by the creek.</p>
<p>He stopped, for a few moments, to cool
himself in the watering-trough. And then
he hopped briskly on to the front yard.</p>
<p>To his great delight he had scarcely
reached the clump of maple trees when
right above him he heard Kiddie Katydid's
famous refrain.</p>
<p>"Good evening!" Mr. Frog called. "I've
brought a little present for you, all the
way from the creek."<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"How-dy do!" said Kiddie Katydid.
"It's a cool night, isn't it?"</p>
<p>"You won't mind the weather when you
put this on," Mr. Frog replied, holding up
the small garment he had made that afternoon.</p>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/illus-2.jpg" width-obs="281" height-obs="400" alt="Kiddie Took His New Coat From the Twig (Page 59)" title="Kiddie Took His New Coat From the Twig (Page 59)" /> <span class="caption">Kiddie Took His New Coat From the Twig<br/> (Page 59)</span></div>
<p>"What's that?" Kiddie Katydid asked.</p>
<p>"An overcoat, fashioned expressly for
you by the finest tailor in Pleasant Valley!"
said Mr. Frog very proudly.</p>
<p>"You're exceedingly kind, I'm sure,"
said Kiddie. And he was about to jump
down and slip into the coat when he
noticed that Mr. Frog had an extremely
wide mouth. . . . Suppose, after slipping
into the coat, he should find himself slipping
down the tailor's throat?</p>
<p>"Just hang the coat on a twig and I'll
get into it a little later," Kiddie Katydid
suggested.</p>
<p>"I see!" Mr. Frog cried. "That's your<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</SPAN></span>
way of accepting a gift. And I wouldn't
dream of quarreling with you about that.
So I'll hang the coat right here and go
back to the watering-trough to wet my
feet. While I'm gone you can try the
coat on, and tell me how you like it when
I come back."</p>
<p>"I hope it's a green one!" said Kiddie
Katydid somewhat anxiously. "For if it
isn't green, I couldn't wear it, you know. I
always wear green. It's my favorite
color."</p>
<p>"Ah! Trust me not to make a mistake!"
Mr. Frog chuckled happily. And
then he withdrew. But he could not help
pausing for a moment, to look back and
watch, while Kiddie sprang down from
his tree and took his new coat from the
twig on which the tailor had hung it.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</SPAN></span></p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<h2>XIII</h2>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />