Certain well-known instances of climax as exemplified in child stories will clarify for us its _surprise_ quality.
In one of the older plantation folk tales, Mr. Elephant and Mr. Frog are pictured as being good friends until Mr. Hare taunts them with their dissimilarity in size and says that Mr. Frog has boasted of the fact that Mr. Elephant is his “riding horse.” Then the story continues:
“Mr. Fox and Mr. Tiger and Mr. Lion all followed after Mr. Hare, crying: ‘Oho, oho, Mr. Elephant is little Mr. Frog’s riding horse.’
“Then Mr. Elephant turned around and he said in a very gruff voice to Mr. Frog:
“‘Did you tell them, grandson, that I was your horse?’
“And Mr. Frog said in a high, squeaky voice:--
“But all the time Mr. Frog was thinking of a trick to play on Mr. Elephant.
“The next day, Mr. Elephant and Mr. Frog started off for a long walk. Mr. Frog had heard of a place where the swamps were deep and muddy. Mr. Elephant knew a place where the bananas grew ripe and thick. And they spent a pleasant day. On the way home Mr. Frog hopped up close to Mr. Elephant, and he said in his high, squeaky voice:--
“‘Grandfather, I have no strength to walk. Let me get up on your back.’
“‘Climb up, my grandson,’ said Mr. Elephant.
“He put his trunk down for a ladder, and Mr. Frog climbed up. They had not gone very far when Mr. Frog hopped up close to Mr. Elephant’s ear, and he said:--
“‘I am going to fall, grandfather. Give me some small cords from the roadside that I may bind your mouth, and hold myself upon your back.’
“So Mr. Elephant stripped some small cords from a birch tree by the roadside, and handed them to Mr. Frog. Then Mr. Frog bound Mr. Elephant’s mouth, and they went on a little farther. It was not long, though, before Mr. Frog spoke again to Mr. Elephant.
“‘Grandfather,’ he said, ‘find me a small green twig that I may fan the mosquitoes from your ears.’
“‘I will, grandson,’ said Mr. Elephant, so he broke a small, green twig from the birch tree, and reached it up to Mr. Frog; and just then they came toward home.
“‘See Mr. Elephant,’ cried Mr. Lion, and all the others, ‘Mr. Elephant is Mr. Frog’s horse.’
“Mr. Elephant turned himself about, and he saw Mr. Frog on his back, holding the reins and the whip.