“‘Why this is our birthday—we are six weeks old today,’ exclaimed Tibby, as he managed to scramble out of the puddle and sit up in the grass, panting after the unusual exertion.
“He watched his brothers and sisters crawl up beside him, and after a time, they began to jump and have the most fun! Leap-frog was too strenuous for that day, as the little legs would wobble when they tried to hop.
“‘Come with me, Tina,’ coaxed Tibby to his sister, as he found she was the sturdiest of the lot who had hopped from the pool.
“As Tibby and Tina hopped away, a few of their brethren followed. Now and then the Tads—or Toads they now were—stopped to feast upon an unknown tidbit, but they ate it whether it was familiar and certified by the Pure Food Commission or not! They ate and ate, every sort of bug or worm they found, and not a single thought was wasted on Mr. Hoover or his wartime rations! Tibby and Tina were not very patriotic in their self-denial that first day out of the puddle!
“Tibby led the way, for he was the bravest of the party. Soon he came to a tall grassy place where he heard a queer sound.
“‘Tina, do you hear?’ asked Tibby.
“‘Yes, brother, what is it?’
“‘No time to ask—run, Tina!’ cried Tibby, and the two made a mighty leap just in time to escape a quail that pounced down upon the tiny toads and gobbled one quickly out of sight.
“‘It was Clumsy that disappeared!’ sighed Tina, all sympathy for the awkward little toad that could not escape death.
“‘Watch out for other assassins! We know not where the next may lurk,’ whispered Tibby, for he was poetical as well as practical, you see.