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One summer day four little frogs were playing in the edge of a pond.
“Let us swim to the other side of the pond,” said one of the little frogs.
“Very-deep! Very-deep! Very-deep!” called a big frog from the pond.
“Better-go-round! Better-go-round! Better-go-round!” cried another big frog, who was on the bank.
Three of the little frogs swam quickly to the bank, but one little frog stayed in the pond.
“Who’s — afraid? Who’s — afraid? Who’s — afraid?” he called back to the big frogs.
The little frog started off bravely to swim to the other side of the pond. He swam and swam.
All at once he stopped swimming. He could not go on, because his foot was caught in some weeds. He tried and tried, but he could not get away.
Then he called, “Help — me — out! Help — me — out! Help — me — out!”
The three little frogs and the two big frogs heard him calling.
The little frogs cried out, “Oh — he’ll — die! Oh — he’ll — die! Oh — he’ll — die!”
The big frogs said, “Oh — he’ll — drown! Oh — he’ll — drown! Oh — he’ll — drown!”
The little frogs called, in their thin, squeaky voices, “Help! Help! Help!”
The big frogs said in their big, deep voices, “Help! Help! Help!”
Soon a fish swam by, and saw that the little frog was caught in the weeds. So the fish called to the frogs on the bank, “Help — him — out! Help — him — out! Help — him — out!”
But all that the little frogs did was to cry in their thin, squeaky voices, “Oh — he’ll — die! Oh — he’ll — die! Oh — he’ll — die!”
All that the big frogs did was to say in their big, deep voices, “Oh — he’ll — drown! Oh — he’ll — drown! Oh — he’ll — drown!”
The fish swam back to the little frog, and swam all around him. When he saw that the frog was caught in the weeds, he broke the weeds with his tail.
The little frog was free! As he swam away, he called, “Thank — you — sir! Thank — you — sir! Thank — you — sir!” Then he swam quickly to the bank.
And ever since that day he says, “Ker- chug! Kerchug! Kerchug! Now — I’ll — mind! Now — I’ll — mind! Now — I’ll — mind!”
—— Jane L. Hoxie