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Page 6
"Rikli! what a fearful noise! come here to me! what has happened now?"
The girl screamed louder and hid her face in the skirts of her mother's
dress.
"Now, just look at the innocent cause of this ridiculous disturbance,
mother," said Fred. "Only this pretty, dear little froggy, that I
caught, and was holding out for Rikli to admire. Just let me read you
this description, and you will see how exactly it agrees with Mr. Frog
himself. Look, mamma, look!" and Fred opened his hand and showed a small
green frog.
"Stand still, and be quiet, Rikli," said her mother to the crying girl,
"and, Fred, why do you persist in showing the silly child these
creatures, when you know how much she is afraid of them?"
"She was the only person near," answered Fred. "But do listen to this,
mamma." Fred opened his book, and began to read:--
"'The green or water frog, _esculenta_, is about three inches in length,
grass-green, with black spots. His eyes have a golden color, and the
toes of his hind legs are webbed. His voice, which is often heard on
warm summer nights, sounds _Brekekex!_ He passes the winters hidden in
the mud and slime. He feeds upon'--"
At this moment a carriage was heard approaching. "It is the lady with
the sick child," said Mrs. Stein, putting Fred aside rather hastily, for
he tried to detain her. He followed her, crying out:--
"Do listen, mamma; you do not know what he eats. He eats--"
The carriage was at the door. Hans came from the stable, and Kathri, in
her best white apron, from the kitchen, to lift out the sick girl and
carry her into the house. Fred and Rikli stood back by the hedge, as
still as mice, watching the proceedings.
First, a lady alighted from the carriage, and beckoned to Kathri, who
came forward, lifted out the pale child, and carried her up the steps
into the house. The lady followed with Mrs. Stein.
"That girl is a great deal bigger than you are, if mother did say that
she was only eight or nine years old," said Fred to Rikli. "She is more
nearly Emma's age, and what do you suppose she would think to hear you
screaming as you did just now? I don't think she'd like you for a
friend."
"Well, at any rate, she wouldn't always have centipedes and frogs and
spiders in her pockets, as you have, Fred," retorted Rikli; and she was
about to add some farther excuse for her screams, when Fred opened his
hand to see how his frog was getting on, and lo! the little creature
made one big jump right towards Rikli's face! With a piercing cry, the
child flew into the house, but was instantly stopped by Kathri, with:
"Hush! hush! When there is that sick little girl in there, how can you
make such a noise?"
"Where is aunty?" asked Rikli; a question that the maid answered before
it was fairly uttered, for it was asked hundreds of times in that
household every day.
"In the other room. The sick girl is in here, and you mustn't go in,
your mother says. And as for screaming like a pig, you mustn't do that
either, in a respectable house," added Kathri, on her own account.
Rikli hastened into the room where her aunt was, to tell her about
Fred's horrid frog, and how it had jumped almost into her very face. Her
aunt was listening to Oscar, the eldest brother, who was talking
earnestly.
"You see, aunty," he was saying, "that if Feklitus does not object, we
can put the two verses together; then ours could go here, and the other
there, and both would be used. Won't that do?"
"Yes, that will be very nice indeed," said his aunt in a tone of
conviction; "that will remove all difficulties; and the verses are
really very suitable, as such verses ought to be."
"You will help Emma with the embroidery, won't you, aunty? You know she
will never finish the banner by herself. She is always up to so many
pranks, and she cannot keep at one thing half an hour at a time."
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