The Opelousas courier., 1898-09-10
Now. T feel sure that o must want

Now, feel sure hat You must want
to know who Freddy really was. Let
me tell you. Freddy was a toad.
Not q common, everyday hop-tcaa,
but O TONI of some distinction-a real
horned toad.
Freddy had spent oil his short life
in running about with his little
brothers and sisters on the warm sand
banks and among the understanding
orange groves of Southern California.
One day Freddy and l CHANGED to
meet. Perhaps Freddy was sorry,
but he was very polite about it, and
scrambled out Of my way in great
haste. As I wished to be soc;able, I
said q CHEEKY "Good-morning,,, and |
am sure Freddy was jnst as polite as
ever, and if I could nave understood
him would only hive said, please,
sir, l would be e. used this morning"
loved Free !; SO much from that
very nome ethat I wanted him to
live, 14tnget so I picked him up, and
p' ling him Il my pocket, [ carried
Him home.
When I took Freddy out from his
prison il fmy pocket, he played "'pos.
sum-" and O. few minutes he was
the deadest little live toad that you
eve saw; then he very slyly opened
the lids of one eye-just a crack-and
peeped out; lat when he saw me he
snapped themtogether again quicker
than you a say Jack Robinson
In q few seconds he slowly opened
them again, and this time kept them
open, and in q little while he had both
eyes wide, and was watching my moe
ments with great interest.
l filled q little box with sand, and,
placing it on the window seat, 1 put
Freddy into it. He stool perfectly
still for a few minutes, and then, look
ing around as much as to say, "Well,
it's time to go to bed" he began to
burrow at a great rate down into the
sand. The sand forms q great bed
blanket for Freddy and his little
brothers and sisters. The sun shines
all day upon it, and SO keeps it nice
and warm for them.
Freddy formed some very regular
habits. AT two o'clock every after
noon he would shake off his sand robes
and be as bright and as spry as a little
toad who was very hungry could be.
At four o'clock, if he had had all the
flies he wanted, he would begin to
grow drowsy, then there would be q
furry of sand in the box, and Freddy
had gone to bed.
1t was very curious to watch Freddy
catch a fly. He would come to the
little door cut in the side of his box,
md would stand there bobbing his
head from one side to the other; then
out he would run and up the wire
screen of the window. Here he would
wait for his prey. When he saw a fly,
he would watch it through his half
shut lids q few seconds, then his head
would dart forward and out would
flash his little pink tongue, and it was
goodbye, Mr.. Fly, for Freddy never
missed his aim.
Once Freddy ate twenty-five flies
at q meal. 1t made him i'll, and the
next day he did not come out at all,
and when he did come out he was q
very sober and sad-looking little toad.
But he had learned q lesson, and after
that he could not be induced to eat
more than ten or twelve at a time.
One morning a lady who had a sharp
and a rather d~isagreeable voice sat
down by the window where Freddy
had his box, and began to talk. In a
few minutes the sand was moving,
and Fred ly crawled out, looking very
sleepy and disguised at such a rude
awakening. He stayed out some
time, and then, as if disappearing OF
such unseemly hours, covered himself
up again in the sand.
I tiedFreddy out of-doors by fasten-
ing a silk cord to the fringe Of little
horns that surrounded his neck, some
what after the fashion of the pointed
collars that little boys aad girls some
times veal. But one day he cut the
cord with his sharp little horns, and
then it was goodbye, Mr.. Freddy.
Although I have often looked for
Freddy, and have since met many
other little horned toads-perhaps
some of his brothers and sisters
I have never met a little toad who
was always so polite and who dined
SO p~unctually at two p. m.