The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-10-16


What could they do but thrive?
There was room to hop and dive,
And room to swim all Jay, If so they chose;
Plenty of messy boys
Where the old rheumatic frogs
Could sit and sun themselves and crOak and
doze.
The little froglets had
Each his own lily pad
To sit on, and though slippery he could cling;
And at night the firc-fi cs
Held lanterns to their eyes
So they could read the notes they wished to
sing.
But no; they weren't content;
They had preSentimcnt
Some creatures in the world Jared better than
One Very certain thing,
They hadn't any King,
And they thought the way to get one was to
pray
And so one warm spring night,
Beginning at twilight,
They all of one accord began to chir-r-r;
They made the air rcsound,
And all the people round
Laughed, saying: Hear them pray to Jupi-
ter!
On high Olympus peak
Jove heard them croaA and creak.
And, being in merry mood. he gaily cried:
The race of simpletOns!
Even il ] listened once
They'd be no better pleased or satisfied"
But from his mighty throne
He tos sed a huge log down,
And thundcrcd; Here, i send you this for
King!"
All, how it, plunged and plasheds
And how the water dashed!
And old anu young, the frogs fed shuddering.
SPRAYING and awed they fed,
Pell nell, heels over head.
Under the roots and weeds; in every place
Where frog could hide they hid
The safest things they did,
But with a higher regard for speed than
grace.
The huge log helpless lay,
FlOated a little way
And then lay still upon the pools still breast;
To weed or frog wave,
But silent was, and silent took its rest.
At length. as hour by hour
Passed and no evil power
Was by this Monarch to his people shown,
They peeped from their hiding places
With big eyed, curious faces,
And CT awled out one by one, more trustful
grown
Crawled out from rush and reed;
and most daring deed
Was done by one, than all his neighbors
bOlder;
with stroke of pompous pride
He swan to the Monarch's side,
And leaped with agile legs upon his shoulder.
Then such a vaulting, skipping,
As they began there! dripping
And swarmlng up they came, till the great
Held one continuous row
VI nl&lCS-SuC0 a snow.
On every inch of bark there sat frog!
They capered and they danced;
Turned summcrscts and pranccd;
Stood on their heads, and flung their heels in
PcIka and waltz and Jig
They Joined in, little and big,
With all their hearts as if no King were there.
At last, dissatisfied
With 50 much play, they cried;
" What is a. King for, if he can not rule?
Give as, oh, Father lOye,
A Sovereign who will pr We
worthy our honor. fit for this fair pool"
Enraged was Jove at this;
He murmured: so it is!
Never content always for something new!
The same unhappy song
Some fault IN all-somc wrong!
Ill send StOrk to them that's what I'll do -
Forthwith from a far height
bird came into sight
White, borne upon its great wings easily,
Like rainleSS summer cloud:
And they bchcld and bowed,
And bent before him each plant knee.
His long neck, long red bill,
And his legs longer still,
ShOd with red sandals, touched their frogly
AS beautiful beyond
All else within the pond,
A hero they with awe might reverence.
Long live the Kiug!" he heard
On all sides trilled and chirred.
And what did he? He cast a sdelOng eye
Down at the nearest bog.
Where little fat green frog
Was quavering praises to him, shrill and high.
All, what did he but pick
1t up in his bill so quick
That the little freckled fellow never knew;
Then, with a turn of his head,
That bill so long and red
Gobbled at one fell mOuthful number two.
Not only two but three
Were swallowed instantly
His appetite was good, without lack;
Twas sad road t. take
d
For none who entered there ever came back.
And So from day to day
This ruler ate his way
Right through their ranks, big, middle sized
and small:
Hop as they would, fee. spring,
This greedy, graceful King
Could far OuU-walk, Out-reach, out-eat them
all.
1t must be manifest
That such a relish and Zest
As this he showed for frogs was a fearful
thing;
So they in fright fmplorod
The log might be restored
Or oven they'd gladly do without King.
"Ah, friends!" groaned one old chief,
How have we come TO grief.
One simple humble truth we should have
known:
IT'S best to leave the state
Of greatness to the great;
And, weiEtO-do, let well enough alOne!"
This was long, long ago
How long do not know.
q" And did the StOrk eat all the frOgs?" you |
Perhaps-unIess some ono
Glanced that way with gun,
And scared his hungry Majesty away
- CjdrG boty Bates, in Vide Ai0d1'e.