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                          [Illustration]

                          [Illustration]


                         HOW FRECKLE FROG
                           MADE HERSELF
                              PRETTY



                               _By_
                        CHARLOTTE B. HERR


                            _Designs_
                           FRANCES BEEM



                     Published in the Shop of
                       P. F. VOLLAND & CO.
                          CHICAGO U.S.A.

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                    THIS LITTLE STORY IS TOLD
                     AND THE LITTLE PICTURES
                      WERE DRAWN FOR A GOOD
                        LITTLE CHILD NAMED

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                          COPYRIGHT 1913
                        P F. VOLLAND & CO
                        CHICAGO, U. S. A.

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[Illustration]

HOW FRECKLE FROG MADE HERSELF PRETTY


Once upon a time there was a little girl named Marian, and she
had a doll called Big Mary. Marian loved Big Mary, and meant to
be very good to her. But sometimes she was not.

Santa Claus had brought Big Mary one snowy Christmas night, and
he had brought also a great many pretty clothes for her to wear.
There were three dresses, a warm red one for winter, and a white
one, very thin, for summer, and still another, of beautiful blue
silk with lace on it, for best.

Then, also, there were little skirts, and tiny stockings, and
pretty little shoes with shiny buckles and real heels, and there
was a pink parasol, and, best of all, a dear little muff, made of
soft white fur, to keep Big Mary's hands warm in cold weather.

At first little Marian loved to dress Big Mary in all these
pretty things, and she would put on first the warm red dress, and
then the thin white one, and then the one of blue silk with the
beautiful lace. And she would raise the big parasol and put it
over Big Mary's head. But she hardly ever gave Big Mary the
little white muff to hold, because that was for very, _very_
best. Little Marian's own mamma had said so.

But when Marian's birthday came, grandma gave her a doll's trunk,
and after that the days were not so pleasant for Big Mary. It was
so much fun to pack the trunk that little Marian often took off
all the clothes Big Mary had on to put them away in the trunk.
Many a time poor Big Mary had to sit for hours all undressed, and
she would shiver and shake, until at last one time when little
Marian had left her lying all night on the floor without any
clothes on, she took a dreadful cold and became very ill.

Then little Marian was very sorry for what she had done, and she
put Big Mary to bed and sent for Dr. Prince. When the doctor came
he looked at Big Mary's tongue, and felt her pulse. And then he
shook his head and looked very grave. He said that Big Mary must
take some medicine every day, and must sit out in the fresh air,
and always wear her best clothes all the time; for she was a very
sick doll indeed.

So little Marian dressed Big Mary in the blue silk trimmed with
lace, because that was her very best dress, and she raised the
pink parasol and put it over her head and she gave Big Mary the
white muff to hold, because that was for very, _very_ best. Then
she carried Big Mary out to the gray rock in the back yard where
the nasturtiums grow, to sit in the fresh air all day long.

Now little Miss Freckle Frog lived under the big rock. She was
ugly, as all frogs are, but she loved pretty things, perhaps
because she was not pretty herself. But although she was not
pretty, she was a kind-hearted little body, and all her friends
liked her.

[Illustration]

Every day when Big Mary sat in the sunshine, Freckle Frog crept
out from under the rock, and hid in the grass, and watched her.
She thought Big Mary was wonderful, but she thought that the blue
silk dress and the pink parasol were more wonderful still, and
the little soft muff,--that was the most wonderful of all! And
poor little Freckle Frog wished that she had a blue silk dress
with lace, and a pink parasol like Big Mary. But most of all she
wished that she had a little soft muff.

Now it happened, too, that it was just about the time for Mr.
Robin Redbreast to give his big party in the orchard, and little
Freckle Frog had been invited, and more than that, her own
cousin, Billy Bullfrog, had promised to sing, and of course she
wished to look just as nice as she could.

So early one fine day, she went to see the Morning Glory Ladies
who live near the back porch and always wear such beautiful
dresses, and she said to them:

"Oh, dear Morning Glory Ladies, your dresses are always so
beautiful! But have you seen Big Mary's blue silk trimmed with
lace? It is more beautiful still, the loveliest dress in the
whole world! Would you mind making me one like that to wear to
Robin Redbreast's party? My cousin, Billy Bullfrog, is to sing,
and I wish so very much to look just as nice as I can. I am not
one bit pretty like Big Mary, but clothes always help a great
deal, you know. Would you mind lending me one for the party?"

[Illustration]

But the Morning Glory Ladies were angry because they had not been
invited, and they would not help her.

Poor Little Freckle Frog felt very badly to think she had hurt
their feelings. She almost cried about it. But just then Little
Black Spider, who was a good friend of hers, peeped out from
under a leaf and said:

"I wouldn't mind them. They are a conceited lot anyway. It is a
hot day, too, and they are apt to be cross on hot days. I will
spin you all the lace you want."

And so he did. He wove it all that day in his web, and the next
morning he brought her a long piece of the loveliest spider-lace
as fine as a cobweb. Little Freckle Frog was very grateful to
him.

[Illustration]

"But what shall I do for a parasol?" she asked.

"Oh, I'll tell you!" called a soft little voice, and when she
looked up she saw a tiny white butterfly resting on a flower.

"I know where there is the dearest little mushroom. It kept the
rain off of me the other day, and it is just as soft and pink as
Big Mary's parasol."

So she showed Freckle Frog where to find the mushroom, and it was
very soft and pink, just as she had said, and Freckle Frog was
very happy about it.

"Now if I only had a muff," she sighed, "I could look just as
beautiful as Big Mary at the party!"

Just then there was a great noise in the tree near the rock and
Robin Redbreast himself flew out from among the leaves, but right
at her feet dropped a little white caterpillar. He was so
frightened that he curled himself up into a ball and lay very
still. He made Big Mary laugh, but Freckle Frog had a bright
idea.

[Illustration]

"Oh what a splendid muff you would make!" she cried. "Would you
mind if I wear you to the party just this once?"

The poor little caterpillar uncurled himself.

"If you will promise to take care of me and not let Robin
Redbreast eat me," he answered, "I shall be only too glad to be
your muff."

So Freckle Frog went to the party and wore the cobweb lace, and
carried the mushroom parasol, and held the soft little white
caterpillar for a muff. She even bought a sweet-pea bonnet to
please the Morning Glory Ladies.

Then Robin Redbreast said she looked better than anybody else at
his party, and Big Mary, who was well enough by that time to go
also, said so, too.

[Illustration]

Now Robin Redbreast, as you must know, always had his parties
just at twilight. He himself was always in better voice then,
he said, and so he felt sure that Billy Bullfrog and all the
other singers must be, too. Then the world was lovelier at that
time than it was through the long, hot day, when sensible people
like birds and frogs, and sometimes even babies and dolls, took
naps and did not stir out at all. At twilight one could always
depend upon the sky to grow very soft and pink, and the fairies
never failed to hang the leaves with dewdrops, all to make his
parties beautiful! The cherries tasted better then, too, and
later still, when it began to grow dark, the katy-dids would play
if any one cared to dance. So Robin Redbreast always gave
beautiful parties, but even he had never given so beautiful a one
before.

Little Freckle Frog was very happy. Every one admired her
beautiful lace, and she told them all how kind Little Black
Spider had been. And by and by, when it came to be time for
refreshments, she ate a whole cherry. She never had tasted one
before, but as she told Mr. Sparrow, who had brought it to her,
she really never had dreamed how delicious a big red cherry could
be. Then, when the katy-dids began to play, she danced with her
cousin, Billy Bullfrog, until it was time to go home.

[Illustration]

There was only one thing that troubled her, and that was that the
Morning Glory Ladies were still angry with her. For Little
Freckle Frog wanted to be friendly with everybody.

But at last another idea came into her head. She would give a
party herself, just as beautiful a one as Robin Redbreast's, and
have it early in the morning so that the Morning Glory Ladies
could come.

[Illustration]

So that very evening, before she went home, she told Big Mary all
about it, and Big Mary promised to help all she could. Robin
Redbreast said that he would surely come, and so did Billy
Bullfrog and all the rest. Freckle Frog invited Little Black
Spider, too, and even the little white caterpillar. "And you
needn't be a muff this time," she said, "but just eat cherries,
and have a good time."

Then, early the next morning, before any one else was up, she
went to invite the Morning Glory Ladies, for they are always
good-natured then, and never frown and scowl at people until the
sun is hot.

"Please, dear Morning Glory Ladies," said Freckle Frog, "will you
come to my party? I want you more than any one else."

Then the Morning Glory Ladies fluttered with joy, for they loved
parties, and they smiled and answered her: "Yes, indeed, we shall
come, Little Freckle Frog, and wear our best dresses, too."

Then at last Freckle Frog was perfectly happy, and she laughed to
herself and said:

"It really doesn't matter about my being pretty any more, for
every one likes me now!"

[Illustration]

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