“Ha! Here is a hard one,” said the fox. “Could you jump over my head?”
“Easily,” replied Bawly, and he did it, lemons and all.
“Well, you certainly are a good jumper,” spoke the fox, wagging his bushy tail with a puzzled air. “I know something you can’t do, though.”
“What is it?” inquired Bawly.
“You can’t jump over the church steeple.”
“I believe I can!” exclaimed Bawly, before he thought. You see he didn’t like the fox to think he couldn’t do it, for Bawly was proud, and that’s not exactly right, and it got him into trouble, as you shall soon see.
You know that fox was very sly, and the reason he wanted Bawly to try to jump over the church steeple was so the frog boy would fall down from a great height and be hurt, and then the fox could eat him without any trouble, sore feet or none. I tell you it’s best to look out when a fox asks you to do anything.
“Yes, I can jump over the church steeple,” declared Bawly, and he hopped ahead until he came to the church, the fox limping slowly along, and thinking what a fine meal he’d have when poor Bawly fell, for the fox knew what a terrible jump it was, and how anyone who made it would be hurt, but the frog boy didn’t.
Bawly tucked the bag of lemons under his leg, and he took a long breath, and he gave a jump, but he didn’t go very far up in the air as his foot slipped.
“Ha! I knew you couldn’t do it!” sneered the fox.