The Cheerful Cricket and Others | Page 6

_There's Dreamland Coming_
The Quartette
Assisted by Miss Glo Worm and Mr. Fiah Fli, Jr.
It would be impossible to give the whole program without taking you
right into the concert. The Lullabye Mrs. Frisky Frog sang together
with Mr. T. Toad Todson, and sang very beautifully. She had sung it a
great many times to her own little children while they were still
polly-wogs. Only when she sang it to them she altered the chorus Mrs.
Frisky Frog changed the chorus for her little ones because she knew
well enough that her pollywogs never slept at night. At least I never
saw any asleep at night of all those who swarm in black clumps there
on the edge of Shiner's Pond in the moonlight. But I have not told you
yet how Mrs. Frisky Frog sang the chorus.
Wiggle wog Woggle wig Sing my pollywog A tune to every jig.
Once while they were practising the lullabye at rehearsal, Mrs. Frisky
Frog forgot, and through force of habit sang the chorus she had made
up for her own little polly-woggles. But, dear me! Mr. T. Toad Todson
flew into a towering rage and croaked at her till he was fairly hoarse.
"Non-sense! Non-sense! Non-sense!" he jerked out, and when finally
he could control himself he spluttered aloud that he had never in his life
written such nonsense. You remember it was he who composed the
song. Poor Mrs. Frisky Frog's eyes rolled back a little further than usual,
and her throat jumped up and down with fear. It did not do to speak
crossly to Mrs. Frisky, she was so tenderhearted and was never known
to speak a cross word to her own little ones, or for that matter to any
one. Mrs. Cricky, one day while she was talking with Mrs. Poe
Tato-Bug, said that she knew of only one model mother in the
community and that was the admirable mother of those ugly little
pollywogs. Here Mrs. Cricky heaved a proud sigh as she thought of her
own little darlings, Chee and Chirk and Chirp, decked out in their
pretty little clover sun-bonnets.
But to go back to Mrs. Frisky Frog. Mr. Frisky Frog, who was a

member of the Quartette, became so angry with Mr. T. Toad Todson
for the angry croaking at his wife that his eyes fairly glowered at him.
Mrs. Cricky always called that kind of anger in Mr. Cricky "righteous
indignation." Peace was soon restored, however, as Mr. Tree Toad
Todson, very much of a gentleman at heart, was most anxious to ask
pardon for this display of temper.
But we have spent too much time in discussing the lullabye and the
trouble it brought Mrs. Frisky. The concert began. A Warm Night was
vigorously applauded, and the _Fire-Fly Dance_ was the success of the
evening. Miss K. T. Did had bought at a most extravagant price from
Stingy one fourth of an inch of his best rainbow-hue cobweb. This
made for her a beautiful scarf, which she waved over the light of the
glow-worms that had been arranged in a wide circle on the broad, flat
toad-stool. Around, in and out, now over, now under her scarf, three
fireflies sped with burning wings. And Miss Katy never danced better,
flashing her cobweb scarf in and out the glow-worm circle as with
lightsome foot and wing she danced round and round. Mrs. Cricky said
she did wish the little ones had been allowed to come. Usually it did
not seem right for children to stay up late at night. But this night she
did believe it would have added to their education to see such skill,
especially as Chee was a little inclined to toe in and be clumsy. You
remember, Chee stumbled and fell into the lake.
All of the evening was successful, and the applause at the close of the
concert as they responded to an encore with the Mosquito Aria was
wonderful. There were no clapping hands, but rather the beating of
wings, the enthusiastic croaking from various kinds of little red throats,
and the flash-flash of lights from the Fire-Flies and Glow-Worms. Mr.
Cricky in writing it up for the June Bug Journal pronounced it the
success of the season. We will close with a few stanzas of "There's
Dreamland Coming." Probably you have heard it, for it has a way of
singing itself the moment you are off to sleep. Try sleeping and see if it
is not heard.
_There's Dreamland Coming_
Adaptation from EUGENE COWLES "FORGOTTEN"

Moderately slowly There's dreamland coming, dearie, And dreaming,
coming, too, Sweet dreamland for the weary, To cradle such as you.
Then close your eyes, my darling, And say your little prayer;
Dreamland is waiting for you, And God will take you there.