Free Frogs' Legs for Dinner? by George Edward Stanley Page A

Gerald was sitting on the floor. He was licking cookie dough off a wooden spoon.
    Mrs. Cooke came to the kitchen door.
    â€œ
Bonjour
, everyone!” she said. “Katie Lynn, my cooking show is on television. I thought you and I could watch it. Maybe the French Chef will have a new recipe that we can make together.”
    Katie Lynn turned to Grandma. “Can you and Tina double up while I’m gone?” she asked.
    â€œCertainly, dear, if you take Gerald with you!” said Grandma.
    Katie Lynn and Gerald followed Mrs. Cooke back into the living room. The French Chef’s face filled the television screen. He had a big droopy mustache and was wearing a tall chef’s hat.
    Mrs. Cooke beamed at the TV. “Isn’t he wonderful?” she asked.
    â€œI think he looks goofy,” Gerald said.
    Katie Lynn silently agreed.
    â€œZee secret to good cooking eez using your imagination,” said the French Chef. “Today, we are going to cook snails.”
    Katie Lynn gasped. “Did he say snails?”

    â€œYes,” said Mrs. Cooke. She had a dreamy look on her face. “The French eat a lot of snails.”
    Suddenly, Katie Lynn’s stomach felt funny.
    The television camera zoomed in on the snails. They were climbing up the sides of a big glass bowl. Katie Lynn was sure they were trying to escape.
    â€œOh, wow!” Gerald said. “This is neat!” He was staring at the TV with bug eyes. But Katie Lynn closed hers. She couldn’t watch anymore.
    Finally, Mrs. Cooke said, “That’s what we’re going to eat tonight!”
    Katie Lynn opened her eyes.
“What?”
she said.
    â€œSnails,” said Mrs. Cooke.
    Mrs. Cooke left for the market, and Katie Lynn went back to the kitchen.
    She didn’t feel so good.
    â€œWell, what are we having for dinner?” asked Grandma.
    â€œSnails,” Katie Lynn replied weakly.
    â€œOh, no!” Grandma gasped.
    â€œOh, yes,” said Katie Lynn. “Mom’s gone to the market to get them.”

Watch Out for Snails!
    Katie Lynn ate some cookies to take her mind off the snails. Then she went back to baking with Grandma and Tina. Gerald was still in the living room, watching reruns of
The French Chef.
    Finally, Katie Lynn said, “We only need one more batch and Mr. Chesterfield’s cookies will be ready.”
    Just then, Mrs. Cooke burst into the kitchen. “I’m back!” she announced. Sheheld up a paper bag. “They had some
wonderful
snails at the market!”
    â€œThey’re alive!” screamed Tina.
    â€œOf course they’re alive, Tina,” said Mrs. Cooke. “They’re
supposed
to be alive.”
    â€œMom!” cried Katie Lynn. “Some of them are crawling on your dress!”
    Mrs. Cooke looked down. “Oh, my goodness! You’re right. How in the world did they get out?” She plucked the snails off her dress and put them back inside the paper bag.
    Katie Lynn shivered. She hoped no snails ever crawled on
her
clothes!
    Mrs. Cooke took a big bowl out of the cupboard and dumped the snails into it.
    The snails started crawling up the sides.
    They’re trying to escape
, Katie Lynn thought,
just like the ones on television.

    Katie Lynn went back to mixing together the cookie ingredients while Mrs. Cooke got the snails ready to cook.
    Suddenly, Tina screamed, “There’s a snail in my cookie dough!”
    Katie Lynn looked at Tina’s dough. “No, there isn’t, Tina. That’s just a chocolate chunk.”
    â€œBut there are some on the floor,” said Grandma. “Be careful not to step on them.”
    Tina started jumping up and down. “I don’t want them crawling on me!” she screamed.
    â€œStop it, Tina!” shouted Katie Lynn. “You just squashed two of them!”
    â€œOh! Oh! My new shoes!” cried Tina. Now she was hopping around even more. “They’re ruined! They’re