The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-19

it feels to be polliwogI Well, if you had seen Tad, :" that little fat wiggle-wog skimming about in the green pond in the pasture, and if you could have known how happy he was you would almost want to be a polliwog your self.
 Of course Tad had little poliwog troubles, as all tadpoles do. You see, he was the oldest polliwog in the pond and all the other polliwogs were jeal- ous of him because they knew he would be a toad before they would. Tad might have put on airs and called them babies, but he was very quiet little fellow; and, besides, he didn't have anybody to sym mpathize with him.
 You will be funny looking toad" they said, as they crowded about him in the warm water, your front legs haven't even started yet
 Tad didn't answer back; not that he was afraid, but he thought 1t wouldn't do any good. Their teasing made him unhappy at times, for there were so many to tease him. They were all jealous of him because his hind legs had started to grow and theirs hadn't even begun to bud. They leased Tad so much that finally he decided to tell old Mother Toad about it. Now old Mother Toad was very old and very wise. She didn't talk much and she looked so solemn that all the little polliwog children were afraid of her. Tad was afraid, too, and when he told her how all the other polliwogs leased him she just blinked her big golden-circled eyes, that made her look as if she came from another world, and didn't even say word.
 What shall I do about it?" asked Tad, growing quite uneasy.
 "Smile-r-r-r-up! Smile." gurgled old Mother Toad so suddenly that Tad dropped to the bottom like little ball of lead. When he recovered his senses she was gone. But he remem- bered what she said After that when ever the other polliwogs leased him he just smiled and didn't answer them.
 Look at him. they cried. 'He will be a deformed frog. His hind legs are fully grown and his front ones haven't even started" Tad felt like saying mean things to them, but he remembered what old Mother Toad had said and only smiled. He wanted to smile, anyway, he felt so strong inside of his chest. But sometimes when the other polliwogs leased him so much he tried to think that old Mother Toad's words were only her usual chirruping croak and that it wouldn't matter if he did look cross and say mean things to them. But still he kept on smiling.
 One day when Tad came up among the crowds of polliwogs near the shore they got the greatest surprise of their lives. They couldn't believe their own eyes. Tad had put front leg out through the gill hole at the side of his head. You see. Tad had been breath ing the water into his mouth and out through his one gill hole, the same as all polliwogs do. Now as this gill hole was filled with little fat leg, of course. Tad had to be an air breather instead of a water breather That is, he was changed from a water animal to a land animal.
 The shock was really too much for the other polliwogs. Here they had been teasing him about not having any front legs. when all the time one oi them had been growing, tucked away under his gill. No wonder Tad had felt SO chesty. But the jealous little polliwogs soon became accustomed tc seeing Tad's three legs and they