Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-08-07
BIG TOAD AND BIG WORM.
The Former Won the Struggle Through
IA Truly Strange HIove.

Some people out Pontiac way saw
very funny thing one evening last
summer. There had been hard rain
for two or three days and the earth
1yorms had come up to the surface,
MS they always do at such times.
Crawling along on the, beaten path
was what might have been the grand
father of all angleworms He was
Dld and tough and big, and, moreover,
as will appear later, he was brainy-
Gor an angleworm. 1t seemed when
hA stretched himself out to his full
length as though he must be foot
long, and as big around az ones little
finger.
Just then the bright eyes of a mon
tter toad caught sight of the snake-like
worm, and their owner opened the at
tack with a good deal Of confidence,
and an air that indicated that the ne
gotiation of big angleworms was the
Dne thing he understood. Never was
a toad more sadly disappointed. He
apparently thought he could swallow
q foot of angleworm as easily as he
could a fly. He began at one end of
the worm, and got pretty fair start
before the worm appreciated his posi-
tion; then he began to squirm and
wiggle, and before the toad realized
it the worm was again on the ground
and crawling away. But he didn't get
far. The big toad returned with
''do or die" air, and the performance
was repeated.
1t was evident that the angleworm
was too big mouthful for the toad
that is, it was evident to every one but
the toad. Over and over he tried to
swallow his victim, but he couldn't
gulp the big worm all at once, and as
soon as he had an inch or two of worm
safely stored away he had to let so
and get n fresh hold. He couldn't do
this SO quickly but that the worm
would squirm out. 1t was like the
frog in the well who climbed up one
foot and fell back two. The worm
seemed made of India rubber, and it
looked much to the bystanders as
though it would escape. Bets were
made on the result, and the worm was
Il hot favorite. But the bettors failed
to appreciate the resources of a hun
CRY toad. The struggle had been go
ing on, nip and tuck, for some twenty
minutes. Both combatants were as
fresh as when they started, though the
worm showed the best staying quali-
ties. The toad was getting impatient,
and once or twice showed signs of los
ing his head: but on the whole he
maintained an apparently hopeless
contest that gave his friends some
cheer. One sweet girl even went so
far as to bet chocolates to gloves that
the nasty toad would devour the hor-
rid worm. In the next round the
worm was an easy winner, and the
sweet girl tried to hedge.
Right here the toad tumbled to him.
self and took time to plan the strategy
of his next move. If toad ever
thinks that one did. The air with
which he returned to the attack en-
couraged the chocolate girl, and she
was rash enough to offer to double the
bet The toad didn't give away his
plan at first, but tackled his stunt in
the same old fool way he had been
trying all along, but this time he man.
aged to fairly get a hold on his vic
tim and swallow bit of him. The
worms friend called 1t foul tackle.
Right here the toad showed what man.
ner of toad he was. His difficulty all
along had been that of the man who
held the bear by the tail-he didn't
dare to let go to get a fresh hold.
Holding the section of the worm he
had by his teeth, or what answers for
a toad's teeth, he reached up with
his paw and gripped his own throat
and with 1t the end of the worm he
mad begun to swallow. Holding it
fast he caught another grip with his
teeth and slowed away another half
inch or more of struggling angleworm.
The worm fought well, but ii was no
use. The superior brain and strategy
OF the toad would surely win. The
worm still wiggled bravely and scored
some minor successes, but in the end
the last Of that worm disappeared
within the jaws of the toad, and the
spectators tried to decide whether the
sweet girl would have paid had she
losr.-Detroit Free Press.