“If you don’t let my brother go I’ll call a policeman!”
“No policeman can catch me!” declared the fish, boldly, and in a saucy manner.
“Oh, do something to save me!” cried poor Bawly, trying to pull his toes away from the fish’s teeth, but he couldn’t.
“I’ll save you!” shouted Bully, and then he took a stick, and tried to put it in the fish’s mouth to make him open his jaws and let loose of Bawly. But the stick broke, and the fish was swimming away faster than ever. Then Bully popped his head out of the water and cried to the two duck girls:
“Oh, run and tell Grandpa Croaker! Tell him to come and save Bawly!”
Well, Alice and Lulu wibbled and wobbled as fast as they could go to the frog house, and told Grandpa Croaker, and the old gentleman gave one great big leap, and landed in the water right down close to where the fish had Bawly by the toes.
“Boom! Boom! Croak-croak-croaker-croak!” cried Grandpa in his deepest bass voice. “You let Bawly go!” And, would you believe it, his voice sounded like a cannon, or a big gun, and that fish was so frightened, thinking he was going to be shot, that he opened his mouth and let Bawly go. The frog boy’s toes were scratched a little by the teeth of the fish, but he could still swim, and he and his brother and Grandpa were soon safe on shore.
“Well, I guess we won’t race any more to-day,” said Bawly. “Thank you very much for saving me, Grandpa.”
“Oh, that’s all right,” said Mr. Croaker kindly. “Here is a penny for each of you,” and he gave Bully and Bawly and Lulu and Alice each a penny, and they bought peppermint candy, so Bully and Bawly had something good to eat, even if they didn’t finish the race, and the bad fish had nothing. Now, in case I see a green rose in bloom on the pink lilac bush, I’ll tell you next about Bully making a water wheel.