192 The Toad-Boy.

holding him so that he could not possibly bite,
began to squeeze him.

“Now, you bad fellow,” said he, “I shall
squeeze you till you tell me what I want to
know.”

The Snake, who was much frightened, said:
“Twill.”

“ Then,” said the Boy, “when I was a Toad,
you told me how to become a Boy—but what
kind, you bad, bad Snake? A boy with the horrid,
green spotted face of a toad. Now, you must tell
me how to change this.”

“Go then,” gasped the Snake, “to the milk-
weed—break a piece—rub the white juice over
your face—and you will at once—have the face
of a real boy.”

So running quickly to the weed, first putting
down the Snake, and telling him to “crawl off,”
which he did, hissing angrily as he went, the Boy
broke off a piece of the milkweed, and rubbed it
well into his green face. Running now to a pond
near, he looked down and saw reflected in it, the
face of a dear little boy, and oh, how happy the