“That’s a good idea, too,” said
old Mr. Crow. “You may make my coat of
this!” He pointed to a piece of blue cloth with
yellow spots about the size of a dollar and a quarter.
“Good!” said Mr. Frog. Then he measured
Mr. Crow. And then he measured the cloth.
And then he scratched some figures on a flat stone.
“There’ll be thirteen spots on your coat
and that’ll make just thirteen that you’ll
owe me.”
“Thirteen what?” asked Mr. Crow.
“Ah! That’s the question!”
said Mr. Frog, mysteriously. “I’ll
tell you when your coat’s finished. And
you can pay me then. It’s what is known
as ‘spot cash,’” he added.
“Very well!” Mr. Crow answered. “And
I’ll come back—”
“To-morrow!” said the tailor.
When to-morrow came, Mr. Crow flew over to the pond
where Mr. Frog had his tailor’s shop. And
that spry gentleman slipped Mr. Crow’s new coat
upon him. While Mr. Crow stood stiffly in the
middle of the floor Mr. Frog pulled the coat here
and patted it there. He backed away and looked
at it, with his head on one side; and then he stood
on his head and looked at it, with his legs dangling
in the air.
“It’s a perfect fit,” he assured
Mr. Crow, finally. And then he caught up a needle
and thread and busied himself behind Mr. Crow’s
back for a long time.
“What are you doing?” Mr. Crow inquired
at last. “I’m getting tired of standing
still.”
“Just fixing it!” answered Mr. Frog.
“It’ll be finished in a minute.”
And it was. He stuck his needle into Mr. Crow,
to let him know it was done.
Mr. Crow jumped half way across the room. “Why
did you do that?” he asked hotly.
“I wanted to break my thread,” Mr. Frog
explained pleasantly. “It’s the quickest
way of breaking a thread that I know of.”
“You look out, or I’ll break something
else for you,” Mr. Crow squawked, for he was
thoroughly enraged. “And now,” he
added, “I’ll pay you what I owe before
leaving. I owe thirteen of something.”
Then Mr. Frog surprised him.
“I’ve decided not to take any pay,”
he announced. “I hear that thirteen is
an unlucky number.”
“Is that so?” Mr. Frog exclaimed.
“Perhaps it is. If you had stuck your needle
into me thirteen times it certainly would have been
unlucky for you.”
On the whole Mr. Crow was well pleased with his bargain.
He was glad that he had asked Mr. Frog to make a coat
for him. Indeed, if only the tailor had not stabbed
him with his needle, he would have returned to the
shop at once and ordered Mr. Frog to make him a pair
of trousers—with thirteen spots on them.
A TIGHT FIT
Now, a certain thing happened that made Mr. Crow change
his mind about staying North for the winter.
It had something to do with nuts, and Frisky Squirrel,
and Sandy Chipmunk. But that is another story;
and you may already have heard it.
