Mother West Winds Children | Page 2

Toad, "and I'm afraid I can't tell it. Go down to the Smiling Pool
and ask Great-Grandfather Frog, who is my first cousin, how it
happened your grandfather a thousand times removed lost the half of
his tail. But before you go catch three fat, foolish, green flies and take
them with you as a present to Grandfather Frog."
Danny Meadow Mouse could hardly wait for old Mr. Toad to stop
speaking. In fact, he was in such a hurry that he almost forgot his
manners. Not quite, however, for he shouted "Thank you, Mr. Toad,
thank you!" over his shoulder as he rushed off down the Lone Little
Path.
You see his short tail had always been a matter of mortification to
Danny Meadow Mouse. All his cousins in the Mouse family and the
Rat family have long, smooth, tapering tails, and they have always been
a source of envy to Danny Meadow Mouse. He had felt his queer short
tail to be a sort of disgrace. So when he would meet one of his cousins

dancing down the Lone Little Path, with his long, slim, tapering tail
behind him, Danny Meadow Mouse would slip out of sight under the
long grass, he was so ashamed of his own little tail. It looked so mean
and small! He had wondered and wondered if the Meadow Mice had
always had short tails. He used to ask everyone who came his way if
they had ever seen a Meadow Mouse with a long tail, but he had never
found any one who had.
"Perhaps," thought Danny Meadow Mouse as he hurried down the
Lone Little Path, "perhaps Grandfather Frog, who is very wise, will
know why my tail is short."
So he hurried this way and he hurried that way over the Green
Meadows in search of fat, foolish, green flies. And when he had caught
three, he caught one more for good measure. Then he started for the
Smiling Pool as fast as his short legs would take him.
When finally he reached the edge of the Smiling Pool he was quite out
of breath. There sat Great-Grandfather Frog on his big, green lily pad.
He was blinking his great goggle eyes at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun.
"Oh, Grandfather Frog," said Danny Meadow Mouse in a very small
voice, for you know he was quite out of breath with running, "Oh,
Grandfather Frog, I've brought you four fat, foolish, green flies."
Grandfather Frog put a hand behind an ear and listened. "Did I hear
someone say 'foolish, green flies?'" asked Grandfather Frog.
"Yes, Grandfather Frog, here they are," said Danny Meadow Mouse,
still in a very small voice. Then he gave Grandfather Frog the four fat,
foolish, green flies.
"What is it that you want me to do for you, Danny Meadow Mouse?"
asked Grandfather Frog as he smacked his lips, for he knew that Danny
Meadow Mouse must want something to bring him four fat, foolish,
green flies.
"If you please," said Danny Meadow Mouse, very politely, "if you

please, Grandfather Frog, old Mr. Toad told me that you could tell me
how Grandfather Meadow Mouse a thousand times removed lost half
of his tail. Will you, Grandfather Frog--will you?"
"Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog. "My cousin, Mr. Toad, talks too
much."
But he settled himself comfortably on the big lily pad, and this is what
he told Danny Meadow Mouse:
"Once upon a time, when the world was young, Mr. Meadow Mouse,
your grandfather a thousand times removed, was a very fine gentleman.
He took a great deal of pride in his appearance, did Mr. Meadow
Mouse, and they used to say on the Green Meadows that he spent an
hour, a full hour, every day combing his whiskers and brushing his
coat.
"Anyway, he was very fine to look upon, was Mr. Meadow Mouse, and
not the least attractive thing about him was his beautiful, long, slim tail,
of which he was very proud.
"Now about this time there was a great deal of trouble on the Green
Meadows and in the Green Forest, for some one was stealing--yes,
stealing! Mr. Rabbit complained first. To be sure, Mr. Rabbit was lazy
and his cabbage patch had grown little more than weeds while he had
been minding other folks' affairs rather than his own, but, then, that was
no reason why he should lose half of the little which he did raise. And
that is just what he said had happened.
"No one really believed what Mr. Rabbit said, for he had such a bad
name for telling things which were not so that when he did tell the truth
no one could be quite sure of it.
"So no one paid much heed to what Mr. Rabbit said until