IN FROGLAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 862, 4 January 1930, Page 25

IN FROGLAND

A Story of a Lost Gnome

Ticky and Teeny were two little Gnome children, brother and sister. Ticky was six years old, and Teeny was four and a-half, and they always went about together, Ticky looking after his little sister. It was a great treat for them when one day their mother said they could go for a walk into the bush.

“Now be sure to be back by lunch time.” she said, “and do not S o far away.”

They walked off hand in hand. Tickv said,

if 3 e ShaU “° int ° the bush ’ see f we can catch some fantails.” which y fl f W ” any ° f these httle birds, which flew all around their heads but they could not catch one, so at last they became tired of trying. The „ T-eeny said,

“Come on, Ticky to the frog ponds, and we shall catch a frog.” So out of the bush they went, into a little valley, where the fern and the grass were growing. Here were little ponds, and muddy places, and some swamps and rushes, and in all of these Places were frogs, who jumped about m the mud, and swam and sprawled themselves out In the dirty water the whole day long. And though these two little Gnomes chased every frog they saw, they did not catch one, and at last it was time for them to go home. Ticky took Teeny by the hand, and away they started.

"f do wish we had just caught one little frog,” said Teeny, “I would, like to have taken one borne.” Then she stopped, for from the ground near her feet came a strange sound. She looked all around, and as the sound came again, she saw, very close to her feet, a little green frog. It was sitting on a tuft of grass, and from the way its eyes were slowly opening and shutting. Teeny saw that it seemed sick. Then it opened its mouth, and tried to croak in the way all frogs do, but its head rolled a little to one side, and Teeny heard the strange noise again.

Teeny knelt down by the frog, and said,

You poor little frog, you seem sick. If you will tell me what is the matter, my brother and I will do our best to help you.”

“Thank you,” said the frog. “I am feeling very sick. “If I could only croak like other frogs do, I could call them to me, and they would look after me, but every time I try, the sound seems to stick in my throat, and I can only gurgle, and so they do not hear me. I was hopping along yesterday, and I hopped right into a hole that I did not know was there, and I twisted my knee so badly that I am not able to move. It is so painful, and I have not been able to hop for a day and a night, and lam getting very weak. If I cannot move about and get stronger, I am afraid I shall die tonight.” ■“No,” said Teeny, “you will not die. Ticky and I will look after you, and in a day or two you will be quite well again.”

at the fr °£’ s leg, and saw that the twisted knee was very sore. She bathed it with cold water, and then tied, her little handkerchief around it. ‘lt will not be so painful now,” she said, “and I do want you to get well.” Telling Ticky to come with her, she walked to the edge of the bush. Together they looked for dry leaves, that would make a warm bed for the sick frog.

With their little hands they gathered them into heaps, then kneeling down they filled their arms and then carried the dry leaves over to where the sick frog was. They then put them down in a heap and went back for more, and they soon had enough gathered to make a soft, dry bed. Teeny very gently lifted the frog, and placed him on the leaves, then she and her brother covered him up with more leaves, so that he was as snug as a bird in its nest. Ticky then broke a piece of bark from a large tree, and covered the frog’s bed with it, so that no rain would be able to wet it.

“I am feeling better now,” said the frog. “You are indeed very kind to me.”

"We are glad you aVe feeling better,” said the little Gnomes, “for we must be going home now.” The next day they went back, taking some frog food with them. They soon came to the little leafy bed that they had made, and there, still wrapped up in the warm leaves, was tile little fellow, blinking away as if he had never been sick. But he was very hungry, and quickly gobbled up tho food they had brought him. He then looked at them for a long time, as if he were wondering why they were so kind to him. Then he said, “You aro two kind little Gnomes. I am feeling so well now that in an hour or two I am going to jump out of these cosy blankets and hop back to my pond.' And yet if you had not found me and nursed me, I should have been dead by now. I shall never forget how good you have been to me, nor will the other frogs in Frogland forget, for I shall tell them everything. I hope that some day we shall bo able to be kind to you.” A year passed, and Ticky and Teeny had almost forgotten about the frog. Then came a day when Ticky got lost in the hills, many miles away from Gnometown. He once had told Tjeeny that he could never get lost, as he knew his way about every part of Gnomeland, but now he was finding out how easy it was to get lost, and how big a country Gnomeland was. After wandering about for almost a whole day, he came to a small river. He was very tired, and he sat down on the bank and cried. He was thinking that he might never see Teeny any more. Then he looked at the river and said out aloud. ‘Tf only I could get to the other side I might be able to find my way home again. How can I get across?”

Then he saw a dry log at the water's edge, and he decided to use it as a boat.

He pushed against the bank with all his strength, and the log shot out into the water. But after all, Ticky was only a little Gnome hoy; his little arms were not strong enough to send the big boat across the swift river. Down the rushing river it went, with Ticky holding on tightly and very frightened. Round and round it twisted, then shot out into smoother water, under the branches of a big tree that was growing on the bank. Ticky saw at once that this was his only chance for

safety, lie caught hold of the lowest branch, and while the log sailed on he drew himself up into the tree. and climbed along until he was above the ground. Then he jumped down.

“Safe,” he said. “And lost,” said a small voice beside him.

Ticky jumped with fright at the sudden sound. He looked all round him, and saw, sitting on a very large mushroom, a, very big and very fat frog, who blinked at him. then said, “Yes. little Gnome, safe but lost —L-O-S-T— ---lost.”

“I am not lost,” said Ticky angrily “I shall find my way home again.” “Lost, little Gnome, lost.” said the frog. “There is no road or path from here to Gnometown, and there is no one to tell you which way to go. What it your name?”

“My name is Ticky.” “Ticky?” said the frog. “Ticky?” “Yes, that is my name,” said the little Gnome boy.

The frog stood up, and stopped blinking. His eyes opened very widely. “Have you a sister named Teeny?” he said.

“Yes,” was the reply, “that is my sister’s name.”

“Then,” said the frog, “it was you and your sister who found a sick frog a long, long time ago, and nursed him and fed him until he was well?”

“Yes,” said Ticky; “Teeny and I did that, but it is such a long time ago that I have nearly forgotten all about it.” The fat frog was now blinking very fast.

“Well,” ha said, “there is not a frog in Frogland who has forgotten it. And every frog that hops about in this country would be proud to see you and your sister, and prouder still to help either of you in any way. Now, my boy, I will do what I can for you, but how I can get a message sent to Gnometown I don’t know. So please excuse me for a minute, for I must think hard about this, and I can’t do much thinking on this mushroom.” *Ho gave two hops and sprang into a muddy pool that was close by, and swam round and round it at a great rate. After a minute of this he came out again, and hopped up on to the mushroom.

“Now I am feeling better, Ticky,” he said, “and I will tell you what I will do. I cannot tell you which way you should go to get to your home, for Gnometown is a long way from here, and I have never been there. You see, Ticky, I was born in this pond, and I have never been away from it, and it is the only place in Frogland that I know anything about. Now watch me.”

The fat frog stood up, and sent out the loudest croak that Ticky had ever heard. From a long distance away came an answering croak. Then the fat frog croaked and croaked anci croaked again, and as many answering croaks came back. Then, when he had finished, he turned to Ticky and said:

“That frog I was speaking to Is a good way from here and I told him that you were here and lost, and that you wanted a message sent to your home. Now listen.”

A long distance away the taint sound of croaking could be heard. “That is my friend sending the message on,” said the fat frog. “Each frog that hears it will send it on to the next frog further away, and at last It will reach a frog who knows your town and who will tell the Gnomes where you are. Then some of them will come and find you.” All through that day the message was sent on, and when evening came it had travelled many miles. Very near to Gnometown was an old frog named Blonky. He was sitting in some rushes watching his children splashing about in the mud, when from a long distance he heard a loud croak. “Someone calling,” he said. “Now what can be the matter?”

He croaked back in return, then listened carefully. Croak after croak came through the air, and to Blonky they said: “Ticky the Gnome is lost by the pool of the Fat Frog. Can you tell them in Gnometown?”

So Blonky hopped off, and he hopped and hopped and hopped until he found Teeny. “Don’t cry,” he said, “Ticky is quite safe.” Soon all Gnometown was alive with the good news, and at break of day a party of four Gnomes set out.

They followed the river down and after a long, tiring walk they came to the Fat Frog’s pond. And there lay Ticky, tired out and asleep on the ground, and, sitting on a mushroom, lazily blinking, was an old fat frog. When Ticky awakened he was overjoyed at seeing his friends, and he was quite ready for the meal they had brought him. After a good rest they started for home, but before leaving Ticky started to thank the old frog for his kindness.

“My dear boy,” said the Fat Frog, “there is no need to thank me. You remember the sick frog that you and your sister were so kind to? Well, he was my son. When you get home tell your sister that the frogs never forget a kind action.”