THE TREE FROGS ARRIVE
There was much excitement and a great babble of voices over the way under a big elm tree. Mrs. Toad, hearing the noise, came from her home as fast as her short legs and her fat body would bring her. All the father and mother frogs, all the boy and girl frogs, and all the baby frogs could be seen hoppity-hopping toward the big elm tree with the very biggest and longest leaps they could make. What was it all about? Surely some great person has come, thought Bully as he, too, hurried over to the gathering under the elm tree.
There in the center of a large circle of frogs he saw six strangers sitting. Two of them were dressed in fine green coats with "spots of brown and bands of darker green shaded in." These two strangers said they had always lived in the forest a few miles away. They said the other four strangers had stopped at their house to spend the night, and had told them of the Frog Pond in Rainbow Valley and invited them to come here with them. The two stranger frogs wanted to come, as they had heard the Frog Pond was the most beautiful and the safest place in the world for frogs to live. "It certainly is lovely," they declared as they gazed around.
Two of the other four stranger frogs wore blue coats with pure white vests. "We are the Blue Tree Frogs from South America," they said.
"What splendid clothes!" exclaimed some of the old frogs.
The Blue Tree Frogs only smiled and said, "These are our friends Mr. and Mrs. Golden Tree Frog from Tasmania."
The Golden Tree Frogs wore coats of grass green thickly covered with shiny yellow embroidery that looked like the purest beaten gold. Several of the mother frogs gasped as they saw their beautiful clothes. They went near and touched them gently. They had not known there were such handsome frogs in the world as these. The Golden Tree Frogs were much pleased to be so admired. They believed no other frogs could dress so well.
"A man came to our home and captured us and brought us to this country," said Mr. Golden Tree Frog. "He also brought the Blue Tree Frogs from South America. He took all of us to his beautiful country home and placed us in the trees."
"I don't understand why he should have done that," said Mrs. Blue Tree Frog. "We wanted to stay in our own beautiful country. We have always been unhappy in America. One day a Lark lit in our tree and began talking to us. We told him how homesick we were. 'If I were you,' said the Lark, 'I'd go and live in the Frog Pond.' We asked what Frog Pond he was talking about. He then told us of this lovely place in Rainbow Valley. He talked about these fine old trees and this beautiful little lake. He also told us of the fine old father and mother frogs and of all the young frogs who live here. He said so much about it that we decided to come at once. I can see," he said, looking around, "that the Lark told the truth. It is lovely here. I know we shall like it."
Grandfather Bull Frog asked them what they would like for a house. "Oh, a tree, of course," they said, "if it makes no difference to you."