"Do you have any polly-wogs?" Bully asked.
"Of course I do," she replied, "hundreds and hundreds of them. Why do you suppose I came here to live?" she continued. "I hope you don't think it was on my own account! A fat old toad like me is safe any place. I came to the Frog Pond so I could raise a family. That's why I came here."
"How many children have you, Mrs. Toad?" asked Bully.
"I don't know," she answered. "Before those horrid ducks came I had about six thousand. Before the season is ended I hope to bring up ten thousand little toads. Of course I don't know how many are left. I've seen those ducks eat my babies until I'm discouraged. I haven't eaten a thing for a week. I am too worried to eat."
Bully was greatly surprised at what Mrs. Toad told him. "If you lay that many eggs, why are there so few toads in the world?" he asked.
"Well," she answered, "it's because snakes, turtles, birds, and many other creatures live on young toads. And in the water there are bugs that destroy many of the eggs. After a big rainfall I sometimes put my eggs in what looks like a good pond. But in a few days the sun draws all the water away, the pond is dry, and the eggs never hatch. It's certainly a very discouraging world we're living in. It's surely a hard place for a toad to try to raise a family. When I think of all the babies I have lost I am dreadfully downhearted. I don't see how I can bear to live any longer."
She bowed her head, covered her wet eyes with her hands, and croaked sadly. Bully felt very sorry for her. She seemed to have so much trouble. He wished he could say something to comfort her. It certainly was too bad. She was such a kind old toad. She never harmed anybody. Bully wondered why she had to have so many troubles.
"We hope John Bull Frog will be able to do something," he finally said.
"Well! I don't want to hear any more about what John Bull is going to do. If he can do anything, why doesn't he do it now? It's about time," Mrs. Toad answered.
"He says he will attend to the ducks when the right time comes," Bully told her.