And while they stood there laughing and talking Tommy Turtle passed by with his little shell house on his back, which always goes with him, rain or shine. Isn’t it nice not to have to move out of your house, but always have it go with you?
“Come with me, Billy Bunny,” cried Tommy Turtle, “I’m going down to the Old Mill Pond for a swim.” So the little rabbit said good-by to Dickey Meadow Mouse and went with Tommy Turtle, and by and by they came to the pond where Old Uncle Bullfrog sat all day on his log and caught flies until he grew so fat that his white waistcoat bulged out till the buttons nearly popped off.
“Kerchunk! Kerchunk! Kerplunk! Kerplunk!
I’m king of this Old Mill Pond.
I never care to go anywhere,
Not even a foot beyond.
For I’m contented to stay right here
Where the cattails wave in the at-mos-phere,
And the Darning Needles and Bottle Flies
Dart and skim ’neath the summer skies.”
And then the old frog blinked his eyes and swallowed a foolish fly that came too near.
“Top of the morning to you, Uncle Bullfrog,” said little Billy Bunny. “Does the Miller’s Boy throw stones at you nowadays?”
“Sometimes,” said the old gentleman frog, “but not so often of late, for his father is away and he doesn’t have the time. He has to look after the Old Mill, you know.”
And just then a stone splashed in the water, but I’ll let you guess who threw it until the next story.
STORY XXXV—BILLY BUNNY AND BIG BROWN BEAR
If you haven’t guessed who threw the stone at Old Uncle Bullfrog in the last story, I’ll tell you right now. It was that bad Miller’s Boy.
Yes, siree. There he stood, not very far away, and he was just going to throw another, when the old gentleman frog thought it was time to take a dive and the little rabbit thought it was time to take a hop, and Tommy Turtle to take a swim and soon Uncle Bullfrog was deep down on the muddy bottom where he ate his breakfast without a thought of the Miller’s Boy.