The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-10-29
Toads Do Fa,.ny Thines.

mo one knows the funny things
toads will do" said Q leading citizen
of this village, writes q Hawley. Pa,
correspondent to the NeIO Fork Sun.
''On q recent cloudy day, after q hard
rain, there was q cool breeze blowing.
I was looking over my garden when
heard 3 peculiar sound. Looking in
the direction from which it came,
saw two tOads in an open space in the
garden. One was quite large, and the
other was at least 3 third smaller.
They were both standing on their hind
feet facing each other. The large toad
had its fore feet on each side of the
smaller toad's shoulders. The small
toad had his left fore foot on the large
ones right leg. As they stood in that
way they uttered strange cultural
sounds, as if they were discussing
some subject between themselves.
Suddenly the small toad thrust its
right forefoot. or hand, against the
large ones stomach, and the next in
slant the latter threw the former to the
ground, and q lively Wrestle was going
on. During the struggle on the
ground the skins of both toads burst
open on the back, and l supposed
was about to see the interesting pro-
cess of toads taking off their old coats,
rolling them up in little balls, and
swallowing them, as naturalists say
they do. did witness the process of
shedding the skin, but something much
more singular than the swallowing in
cident occurred. AS said. the day
was quite raw and cold, and after the
toads had rubbed their skins in 3 conf
cal way toward their heads until they
had both pulled themselves clear of
them, each one began to SILVER very
perceptibly with the cold. Suddenly
the small toad hoped quickly to
where the skin of the big one lay, and
picking it up in his mouth, hoped
away several feet. The big toad looked
after the purloiner of his cast-off
clothing, and gave two or three APP
pealing croaks, but made no attempt
to recapture the stolen goods. When
the small toad saw that he was not
followed, he deliberately set to work
him some time to do 1t, but he finally
accomplished his purpose, and went
masQuerading around in the misfit gar
ments exactly like a clown in q circus
wearing the big. baggy costumes that
some Of them appear in. The little
fellow seemed to enjoy the novelty OF
the situation, and hoped around the
large toad in the most tantalizing man.
ner. The big toad was shivering like
a person chilled through and through,
and by and by picked up the skin oi
the small toad. and began to force il
on his body. The process was a hard
one, but after several moments of un-
ceasing effort he stood habilitated in
the cast-off garments of his diminutive
companion. If the effect of the big
skin on the little toad had been conf
cal, that of the little skin on the big
toad was much more so. The sleeves
on the coat, SO to speak, only came
halfway down the arms, and the legs
of the trousers covered the frogs legs
as though they had been Knicker.
bockers. The body of the garment
was so tight that the toad could not
work either his legs or his arms, and
he stood there the picture of comical
despair. Bye and bye he began tc
swell himself up. and that apparently
stretched the tight apparel, for he wal
able to move away slowly. He fol
lowed the small toad into the bushe!
in a dignitied manner, and both dis
appeared. What the outcome of thi.
curious exchange of clothing was
never knew"