Bully and Bawly No-Tail | Page 8

one most tremendous, extemporaneous
and extraordinary jump, he landed close beside his brother, and the
alligator couldn't get either of them because he couldn't jump across the
chasm.
Oh, but he was an angry alligator though! He gnashed his teeth and
wiggled his tail and even cried big round tears. Nearly all alligators cry
little square tears, but even round ones didn't do a bit of good. Then
Bully threw a marble at the savage creature, and hit him on the nose,
and Bawly blew his whistle so loud, that the alligator thought a
policeman, or postman, was coming, and he turned around and ran
away, and the frog boys went on safely home with their baskets of
groceries and had a good supper.
Now in case that alligator doesn't chase after me, and chew up my
typewriter to make mincemeat of it for the wax doll, I'll tell you in the
next story about Grandpa Croaker digging a well.

STORY V
GRANDPA CROAKER DIGS A WELL
It happened, once upon a time when Mrs. No-Tail, the frog lady, went
to the pump to get some water for supper, that a little fish jumped out
of the pump spout and nearly bit her on the nose.

"Ha! That is very odd," she said. "There must be fish in our well, and in
that case I think we had better have a new one."
So that night, when Mr. No-Tail came home from the wallpaper factory,
where he stepped into ink and then hopped all over white paper to make
funny patterns on it--that night, I say, Mrs. No-Tail said to her husband:
"I think we will have to get a new well." Then she told him about the
fish from the pump nearly biting her, and Mr. No-Tail remarked:
"Yes, I think we had better have a new place to get our water, for the
fish in the old well may drink it all up."
"Well, well!" exclaimed Grandpa Croaker in such a deep bass voice
that he made the dishpan on the gas stove rattle as loudly as if Bully or
Bawly were drumming on it with a wishbone from the Thanksgiving
turkey. "Let me dig the well," went on the old gentleman frog. "I just
love to shovel the dirt, and I can dig a well so deep that no fish will
ever get into it."
"Very well," said Mr. No-Tail. "You may start in the morning, and
Bully and Bawly can help you, as it will be Saturday and there is no
school."
Well, the next morning Grandpa Croaker started in. He marked a nice
round circle on the ground in the back yard, because he wanted a round
well, and not a square one, you see; and then he began to dig. At first
there was nothing for Bully and Bawly to do, as when he was near the
top of the well their Grandpa could easily throw the dirt out himself.
But when he had dug down quite a distance it was harder work, to toss
up the dirt, so Grandpa Croaker told the boys to get a rope, and a hook
and some pails.
The hook was fastened to one end of the rope, and then a pail was put
on the hook. Then the pail was lowered into the well, down to where
Grandpa Croaker was working. He filled the pail with dirt, and Bully
and Bawly hauled it up and emptied it.

"Oh, this is lots of fun!" exclaimed Bully, as he and his brother pulled
on the rope. "It's as much fun as playing baseball."
"I think so, too," agreed Bawly. Then Sammie Littletail, the rabbit boy,
came along, and so did Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow, the puppy dogs.
They wanted to help pull up the dirt, so Bully and Bawly let them after
Sammie had given the frog brothers a nice marble, and Peetie and
Jackie each a stick of chewing gum.
Grandpa Croaker kept on digging the well, and the frog boys and their
friends pulled up the dirt, and pretty soon the hole in the ground was so
deep and dark that, by looking up straight, from down at the bottom of
it, the old gentleman frog could see the stars, and part of the moon, in
the sky, even if it was daylight.
Then he dug some more, and, all of a sudden, his shovel went down
into some water, and then Grandpa Croaker knew that the well was
almost finished. He dug out a little more earth, in came more water,
wetting his feet, and then the frog well-digger cried:
"I've struck water! I've struck water!"
"Hurrah!" shouted Bawly.
"Hurray! Hurray!" exclaimed Bully, and they were so happy that they
danced up and down. Then Sammie