The Mystery of the Man in the Tall Black Hat Read Free Page A

sunshine and left it while they looked for a place to build the pond. After some debate they decided to build it behind the woodshed where it would get the morning sun and would be partly shaded from the afternoon heat.
    They found scraps of lumber piled where Mr. Mitchell had stored them after assorted building projects. They chose several pieces of two-by-two and two-by-four. Hammers, a saw, and nails were on Mr. Mitchell’s workbench.
    Then began the measuring and cutting of the wood into the proper lengths. Finally the framework was nailed together and attached firmly to the outside woodshed wall.
    Mrs. Mitchell helped them locate a piece of heavy plastic that she had used for a drop cloth when painting the kitchen. By doubling it they decided it was heavy enough for a lining for their pool. They fastened the plastic to the framework with large-headed roofing nails.

    Barney stood back, crossed his arms across his chest, and grinned his approval. “I’ll run and get the can of polliwogs,” he volunteered. He was around the corner of the woodshed before Tod could stop him.
    “Don’t dump them in yet,” he ordered when Barney returned. “We’ve got to carry water to fill up the pond first.”
    Tod got his mother’s mop pail in which to carry water from the faucet at the edge of the garden. He and Barney took turns filling and carrying the pail and emptying the water into the plastic liner. Barney puffed loudly as he bounced back and forth across the yard between the garden and the woodshed. When they decided they had enough water, Tod allowed Barney to empty the polliwogs and frog eggs into the pool. The tiny black creatures hit the water with a plop and began to dart rapidly about. The boys pushed the mass of frog eggs into a corner of the pool.
    “We can put the barrel in place tomorrow and then fill it with water,” suggested Tod. “The pool won’t dry out in just one day.”
    The boys were watching the darting of the polliwogs when Tricia appeared from around the corner of the woodshed. Behind her was Donna Craig. They had been friends since first grade, and now they were entering junior high together in September.
    “Hey, neat!” exclaimed Tricia as she dropped to her knees to get a closer look at the polliwogs.
    “Don’t mess around with them!” Tod ordered.
    “We won’t hurt your old fish!” Donna dropped down beside Tricia.
    “Don’t pay any attention to him. He just likes to be bossy.”
    “Besides, they aren’t fish,” scoffed Tod. “They’re polliwogs. Some people call them tadpoles.”
    “Are those eggs supposed to hatch?” asked Tricia.
    “Sure. That’s the whole idea. I found some pictures in the encyclopedia. See those little black things in the eggs?” Four heads bent over the pool as Tod explained. “When they get bigger they’ll come out of the eggs and start swimming around. As they grow, they get legs on the back—close to their tails. Later on they’ll develop front legs. Before you know it their tails will disappear and you’ve got frogs.”
    “What happens to their tails?” asked Barney. “Do they just drop off?”
    “I don’t think so, Barney. I think they absorb their tails.”
    “Look! Look!” Tricia shouted. “The little black things in the eggs are wiggling!”
    Four pairs of eyes peered into the pool.
    “Just like evolution!” exclaimed Barney.
    “Evolution?” Tricia glared at Barney. “How could it make you think of evolution?”
    “You know—how they start out as little fish and then turn into frogs,” Barney explained.
    “Life didn’t just happen, Barn. God planned it that way,” Tod said quietly.
    “Did you ever hear of dolphins?” Donna broke in.
    When the others agreed they had, Donna continued. “I have a book that says their ancestors used to live on land like animals. They had four legs and hair. With their snouts and little ears, they probably looked something like pigs.”
    “That’s just somebody’s goofy idea,” scoffed