Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-09-01
For the Young Folks.
Topaz and His New Suit

| One bright. sunny morning Margie
was mnttied up warm and carried o,tt
upon the porch
oh it's nice out here. Nina" she
said. Please let me sit on the lowest
step to the ground
Isn't this beautiful thought Margie
| to herself. when Nina had gone; and
| She looked longingly about AZ the tail
grass and leafy trees as sac sat there
/ alone. Just then little voice said,
Gre, ere, down by her feet; and there
| was pair of bright eyes, black and
gold peeping out close by a grassy sod
near the pillar
oh, a hop-toad,' cried Margie.
| Again he said Gre for he was
/ busy Shutiling about and getting himself
! deeper IN the ground by working his feet
| about under him. y toad never digs as
a dog or rat or a worm does. hut he
| sits up and ShuitteS his hind teet beneath
him and gradually sinks out Of sight.
big Brother Joe came Saunteriug near.
'trot. Joey what will | name my hon
toad? called MarGie
call him Topaz. Margic. because his
/ eyes are 50 bright,
+ Margie watched Topaz in keoucst in
| tere>t aS lac slowly sank down out of the
warm sunshine into the moist. cool
ground The crumhly earth closed over
/ MS mead ANA he was gone.
But Marsie did moi forget her funny
little neishbor Each pheasant day she
! watched for him under the door steps.
ana they became acquainted.
Il am almost we'll now. Nina. 81 III
excuse You from playing with me- for
IN afraid Topaz viii not come ont. He
doeSn know you very well. And Nina
went away laughing
Topaz was always on the lookout for
strange insects and he was often ont in
broad daylight, though. like all toadS, he
was nocturnal. Usually ne sat with his
head Just out of the soft earth close by
the porch pillar. \ buzzing fly would
| llght down on 4 grass uladc close ny.
Pop, Where was MIR. Jack Fly \
| BLACK -Striped bug would come along
Pop. Where was Jim Potato Bug?
Margle took very long straw aud
poked toward Topaz the little brown
piece of malOSseS cake Nina brought her
Marge lay fiat on the grass, Nina
watching. The brown crumb came near
er and nearer. Topaz never winked.
Nearer It came. poked by the long straw.
until IT was about as far away as II new
slate pencil is long. Pop. Out came
Iopazs long white tongue and the
crumh was gone! It had stuck tight to
the plumb end of that slender tongue
all covered with ii sticky substance. and
~ &
that it seemed to vanish. Margic's hop
toad sat there, just as before
But Topaz concluded in Il moment or
two that he did not like niolasses cake;
he opened his mouth wide and stuck in
two fingers of his chubby foot and poked
the cake out contemptously. He
blinked both eyes ana hooked mournfully
as II to say, is that the best you can
give meE'
Il guess III watch him after this"
Margie concluded. She played about the
yaru and every day watched for Topaz
He doesn't look we'll His skin is dark
and he stays so still down in the ground
now. and doesn't hop ont evenings. |
wonder if he caught the measles from
me"
Hes getting Welt one day she
shouted gleefully and came running into
the house. Mamma and papa and
taele Harry. please come and see Topaz.
He is going to be bright brown and yell
low again, just as he used to be It's
beginning on his back now. Come aud
see"
Aud they all went ont 10 watch To
paz. There he was Squattng on the
soft dirt by the porch pillar, and, sure
enough, there was a bright streak down
the middle of his back. He kept shut
fling about and the streak got wider.
oh" cried Margie, isn't he pretty
brown and yellow Why his skin is
coming off,
Yes said Uncle Harry, once year
every toad changes his coat and gets u
bright new suit all at once. The old
suit got too black and dirty and | sup
pose it was so small that it split right
down the back. and now ne has one
front leg out of the old black sleeve
and he is drawing ont the other one. He
will soon have his clothes changed and
come out in his summer suit, And what
do you think he will do with the old
one. Margie? lie will eat it up.
OH cried Margie. don't let him,
hen choke
"Ha. ha" laughed Uncle Harry. Just
watch him; his old suit is off now
He is going to! Papa, don't please,
allow him to-
He knows, NIarcic, he knows best
what to do for himself saId mamma. !
better than we do
Yes. / suppose he does cried Mar
gle. thinking Of the molasSes cake.
And so they watched Topaz as he
quickly swallowed HIS old skin of last
year and then, bright and shining as a
new gold dollar. he cooIly proceeded 10
shuttle down into the soft dirt, ont of
sight.-W Washington Star