Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1879-11-06
The Tale of the Frogs.

inc boys up In the lake country Iowa
f are remarkably agile and most thorough,
versed in the art of catching anything tha
, walks, crawls, hops or swims About tw,
weeks ago there were, among other tourist
on Harvey's Lake, two gentlemen, on,
from the Twentieth and the other from tn,
Sixteenth Wards of Chicago. One da,
they wanted some frogs for bait. They
found some boys.
Bring u.s." said the tourists, "som,
frogs. Bring them to us this evening:
fresh and alive, for we would fish on the
morrow"
And the boys spoke unto them, "How
many frogs would they want2"
And they said, "Go to; bring us as
many as you can catch"
For they wist not that the boys were
lightning on frogs.
And the boys were astonished, and
marveled within themselves, and said,
$50 many2"
And the tourists were wroth and entreat-
ell the lads roughly, and said, "Yea, so
many. Up; get thee away, for the day
waneth." And straightway the lads got
up and got.
And it was so that the two fishermen
sought yet other boys and spoke unto them
/ in like manner as they had said unto the
first, for they feared there would be no
bait for the morrow's sport.
Now, the fishermen desired that they
might have twenty-five frogs and no more.
but they withheld this matter back from
the lads, and said unto them: "Brng
unto us all the frogs you can catch. See,
is not here silver and nickles 2"
Now, when eve was come the lads
returned, and they brought with them frogs.
In oyster cans, in fruit cans, sardine boxes,
old bottles, in earthen vessels and tin buc-
kets, in baskets and in gunny sacks, in
their hats and in their pockets, yea, i'm
everything wherein frog might be CON
tanned, brought they frogs big frogs little
frogs, fat frogs, lean frogs, old frogs,
young frogs, male and female brought they
them.
And the fishermen were amazed, and one
said, "Lo, what have we here 2"
And the lads spake unto them, saving,
"Frogs"
And the head fishermen entreated them,
saying, "Lo, here are far more frogs than
we want, but we will take them. We will
lump the lot at hundred. Here is silver;
let that suffice thee"
But the lads said, "Nay, we will count
them"
And they Tailed the tale of frogs, and
the number thereof was two hundred and I
three-score and nine. And the people |
laughed and clapped their hands and made |
merry.
But the fishermen were wroth without
cause
And 1t was so that yet other lads came
in by ones and twos and threes. And they
brought with them each lad his full tale of .
~, 80 that tt,-l;iA-of il had never been
Lake.
And they counted each boy his frogs, |
and he said: "Pay me what thou owest. /
Lo, is not there the frogs thou hast COM |
manded2"
And they paid them, and entreated them
that they would cast the frogs into the /
lake.
But the lads said: "Not so. The frogs
arc thine; do with them as thou mayest
please"
And all the country round about the |
lake was filled with frogs, for 1t was so
that they escaped from the earthen vessels |
and the fruit cans and sardine boxes and |
baskets and the empty beer bottles and the
gunny bags, and spread themselves abroad
over the land. And they lifted up their
voices and made great lamentation so that
no man slept that night.
And the people sat at the windows and
at the gates and said with a loud voice,
Blasthe," which by Interpretation is
"frogs."
And when the morrow was come, the
fishers went forth to fish, and they took
with them, as was their need, twenty five
frogs. And they used four of them.
But they had paid for three hundred and
eighty seven.