"There's one!"
"Where?" asked the scientist eagerly.
"Right there, by that stone. I saw it jump. Oh, girls, I'm going to
run!"
"And she said she wasn't afraid of them!" cried Nellie.
The professor cautiously approached with his net outstretched. With a
long stick he turned the boulder over, and made a quick movement with
his net, imprisoning something beneath it.
"I've got it!" he cried. "I have the horned toad!"
Holding his captive down beneath the net, he leaned forward on his
knees, to get a better view. Over his face came a look of
disappointment.
"It's only a harmless lizard," he said, "and not one of the web-footed
variety, either. That's too bad. I thought I had my toad."
"I'm glad, Professor," said Rose. "Oh, no," she added quickly, "I'm
sorry for you, but I'm glad it wasn't a horned toad so close to me."
The professor raised the net and the lizard scurried away, probably
very much frightened, and wondering what all the excitement was about.
"Let's go over this way," suggested Ned.
"That looks as if it might be a good place for toads," and he pointed
to where there was a clump of trees.
"Can you tell where horned toads like to stay?" asked Olivia.
"No," replied Ned, in a low voice, "but it's shady over there, and
this sun, beating down on the sand, is very hot. I wanted to get where
it's cool, and, anyhow, there's just as liable to be horned toads
there as anywhere. If he doesn't find a toad he'll find something else
that will make him nearly as happy, so it's all the same.
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