MR. AND MRS. LEGHORN TO THE RESCUE

Mr. and Mrs. Leghorn went for a stroll one afternoon. They had never been far from home and they soon came into unknown places. But they wandered on and on, chasing grasshoppers and crickets, and now and then stopping to scratch for a worm, until they finally came to the bank of a frog pond.

“Look, Mrs. Leghorn,” said Mr. Leghorn, “there’s the ocean, the wide, blue ocean that we have heard so much about.”

“Indeed it is,” answered Mrs. Leghorn. “Could you believe we had come so far!”

Splash!... Splash!

“What was that?” cried Mrs. Leghorn.

“What was that?” cried Mr. Leghorn.

“Help me out! Help me out!” came a deep voice from the pond.

“Me, too! Me, too!” came a little, peeping voice from the same place.

“Why, that’s our good master and his little boy,” cried Mr. and Mrs. Leghorn together.

“They’ve fallen into the ocean!”

“Help me out! Help me out! Me, too! Me, too!” came again from the pond.

“Yes, good Master, yes,” screamed Mr. Leghorn, “we’ll help you. But what shall we do?”

“Bring a rope! A rope!” came the answer.

“A rope, a rope!” cried Mr. Leghorn. “O, where shall we find one?”

“Just beyond! Just beyond!”

Mr. Leghorn ran wildly along the bank with Mrs. Leghorn following close on his heels. They looked to the right, and they looked to the left; they looked up, and they looked down; but no rope could they see.

“Hurry up! Hurry up!” came from the water.

“O dear, O dear!” cried Mrs. Leghorn.

“O, where is that rope?” cried Mr. Leghorn.

“Follow your nose! Follow your nose!” came the voice.

At that, Mr. Leghorn flew along faster than ever. Mrs. Leghorn could hardly keep in sight of him. But no rope could they find.

“Hurry up! Hurry up!” came from the pond and urged them on, whenever they began to slacken their pace.

“Going down! Going down!” came the deep voice.

“Me, too! Me, too!” came the peeping voice.

“O, they are drowning, they are drowning!” screamed Mr. and Mrs. Leghorn.

“Let ’em drown! Let ’em drown!” came the voice.

“What!” cried Mr. Leghorn.

“What!” cried Mrs. Leghorn.

“Better go home! Better go home!” called the deep voice.

Mr. and Mrs. Leghorn stood staring at each other. They could scarcely believe their ears.

“Go to roost! Go to roost!” came the voice.

Mr. and Mrs. Leghorn began to look silly. The sun had set and it was growing dark. They turned about and started off homeward.

“You’re fooled! You’re fooled!” sounded after them as they left the banks of the pond.

“He told the truth that time, even if he is only a frog,” said Mrs. Leghorn.

GOOD-BYE