recovered from his surprise at Grandfather Frog's question.

"Chugarum!" exclaimed Grandfather Frog, and the scornful way in
which he said it made Jerry Muskrat feel very small. "Chugarum!
Of course you've got a big cousin in the North. Do you mean to
tell me that you don't know that, Jerry Muskrat?"

Jerry had to admit that it was true that he didn't know anything
about that big cousin. If Grandfather Frog said that he had one,
it must be so, for Grandfather Frog is very old and very wise, and
he knows a great deal. Still, it was very hard for Jerry to believe
that he had a big cousin of whom he had never heard.

"Did -- did you ever see him, Grandfather Frog?" Jerry asked.

"No!" snapped Grandfather Frog. "I never did, but I know all
about him. He is a great worker, is this big cousin of yours,
and he builds dams like this one we are sitting on."

"I don't believe it!" cried Billy Mink. "I don't believe any cousin
of Jerry Muskrat's ever built such a dam as this. Why, just look at
that great tree trunk at the bottom! No one but Farmer Brown or
Farmer Brown's boy could ever have dragged that there. You're crazy,
Grandfather Frog, just plain crazy." Billy Mink sometimes is very
disrespectful to Grandfather Frog.

"Chugarum!" replied Grandfather Frog. "I'm pretty old, but I'm not
too old to learn as some folks seem to be," and he looked very hard
at Billy Mink. "Did I say that that tree trunk was dragged here?"