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+Project Gutenberg's The Tale of Daddy Longlegs, by Arthur Scott Bailey
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: The Tale of Daddy Longlegs
+       Tuck-Me-In Tales
+
+Author: Arthur Scott Bailey
+
+Illustrator: Harry L. Smith
+
+Release Date: May 13, 2007 [EBook #21426]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TALE OF DADDY LONGLEGS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Joe Longo and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+                      THE TALE OF
+                     DADDY LONGLEGS
+
+
+
+                   _TUCK-ME-IN TALES_
+                 (Trademark Registered)
+
+                          BY
+                  ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
+
+                      AUTHOR OF
+                   SLEEPY-TIME TALES
+                 (Trademark Registered)
+
+               THE TALE OF JOLLY ROBIN
+               THE TALE OF OLD MR. CROW
+               THE TALE OF SOLOMON OWL
+               THE TALE OF JASPER JAY
+               THE TALE OF RUSTY WREN
+               THE TALE OF DADDY LONGLEGS
+               THE TALE OF KIDDIE KATYDID
+               THE TALE OF BUSTER BUMBLEBEE
+               THE TALE OF FREDDIE FIREFLY
+               THE TALE OF BETSY BUTTERFLY
+               THE TALE OF BOBBY BOBOLINK
+               THE TALE OF CHIRPY CRICKET
+               THE TALE OF MRS. LADYBUG
+               THE TALE OF REDDY WOODPECKER
+               THE TALE OF GRANDMOTHER GOOSE
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: The Ant Soldiers Rushed at Daddy (_Page_ 85)]
+
+
+
+
+                   _TUCK-ME-IN TALES_
+                 (Trademark Registered)
+
+                      THE TALE OF
+                         DADDY
+                        LONGLEGS
+
+                          BY
+                  ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
+
+                       Author of
+                  "SLEEPY-TIME TALES"
+                 (Trademark Registered)
+
+                    ILLUSTRATED BY
+                    HARRY L. SMITH
+
+
+                       NEW YORK
+                    GROSSET & DUNLAP
+                      PUBLISHERS
+
+         Made in the United States of America
+
+
+
+
+                   Copyright, 1918, by
+                    GROSSET & DUNLAP
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+ CHAPTER                             Page
+
+      I. THE STRANGE TRACKS             1
+     II. THE NEW NEIGHBOR               7
+    III. MR. CROW IS DISPLEASED        12
+     IV. THE CONTEST                   16
+      V. TOO MANY QUESTIONS            21
+     VI. MRS. LADYBUG'S PLAN           27
+    VII. TRYING TO HELP                31
+   VIII. IN NEED OF NEW SHOES          37
+     IX. LOCKED IN                     42
+      X. A RIDE BY MOONLIGHT           47
+     XI. THE BIG WIND                  53
+    XII. GOOD NEWS ON A BAD DAY        58
+   XIII. A DANGEROUS BUSINESS          62
+    XIV. ONE WAY TO STOP A HORSE       67
+     XV. A CALL ON A NEIGHBOR          72
+    XVI. BOASTFUL TALK                 76
+   XVII. DADDY IS ATTACKED             81
+  XVIII. THE ANT ARMY                  85
+    XIX. DADDY ESCAPES                 90
+     XX. LOST--A JACKKNIFE!            95
+    XXI. JUST A NOTION                 99
+   XXII. WHY DADDY WAS CHANGED        105
+  XXIII. A NEW NAME FOR DADDY         111
+   XXIV. A BRIDEGROOM                 115
+
+
+
+
+THE TALE OF DADDY LONGLEGS
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+THE STRANGE TRACKS
+
+
+THERE was great excitement in the neighborhood of Farmer Green's house.
+Rusty Wren had found some strange tracks. And nobody knew whose they
+were.
+
+Now, when they were puzzled like that the field- and forest-folk usually
+went straight to Mr. Crow for advice. But this time it happened that the
+old gentleman had gone on an excursion to the further side of Blue
+Mountain, where Brownie Beaver lived. And there seemed to be no one
+else at hand who was likely to be able to explain the mystery.
+
+Being quite old, Mr. Crow was very wise. And people often sought his
+opinion, though later they fell into the habit of consulting Daddy
+Longlegs upon matters they did not understand. But this was before
+Daddy was known in Pleasant Valley.
+
+Upon hearing Rusty Wren's news a good many of his neighbors hurried to
+the place where Rusty had noticed the strange tracks.
+
+"They were there in the dust of the road," Rusty Wren explained to his
+friends. "I could see them plainly, I assure you. And there's no doubt
+that a large company crossed the road right here."
+
+"Why can't we see the tracks now?" several people wanted to know.
+
+"A horse and wagon passed this way and spoiled the footprints," Rusty
+said.
+
+"They couldn't have been very big," somebody remarked.
+
+"Well----no!" Rusty Wren admitted. "I shouldn't call them big. But they
+certainly weren't as small as the footprints of an ant."
+
+When they heard that, some of Rusty's friends looked relieved.
+
+"We don't need to worry, anyhow," a number of them said to one another.
+
+But there was one that was disappointed. That was Reddy Woodpecker.
+
+"Why, the strangers--whoever they are--are too small for me to fight!"
+he cried. "And here I've wasted all this time for nothing at all!" He
+looked so angrily at Rusty Wren that Rusty felt very uneasy. He
+certainly didn't want Reddy Woodpecker to fight him!
+
+Luckily Reddy did not attack Rusty. But he went away grumbling. And
+Rusty Wren couldn't help feeling a bit worried.
+
+"Never mind what that rowdy says!" little Mr. Chippy advised Rusty
+Wren--after the quarrelsome Reddy Woodpecker had gone away. "I'm glad
+you told me about those strange tracks. I live near-by, in the wild
+grapevine on the stone wall; and I shall watch for more tracks--and
+those that make them, too."
+
+"Let me know when you learn anything new!" said Rusty Wren. And Mr.
+Chippy said that nothing would please him more than to do just that.
+
+Well, the very next day Mr. Chippy's son, Chippy, Jr., knocked at Rusty
+Wren's door (which was right beneath Farmer Green's chamber window) and
+told Rusty that he was wanted by the roadside at once.
+
+So Rusty flew straight to the stone wall, where he found little Mr.
+Chippy all aflutter. Mr. Chippy dropped quickly into the road, pointing
+to some tiny marks in the dust.
+
+"Are those like the tracks you saw?" he asked.
+
+"Yes--the very same!" cried Rusty Wren. "And now you can see for
+yourself that there must have been a crowd."
+
+To his surprise Mr. Chippy shook his head.
+
+"There was only one person----" he said--"one person with eight legs!"
+
+"Why do you think that?" Rusty Wren asked him doubtfully.
+
+"I don't think it. I _know_ it!" Mr. Chippy replied. "I've seen the
+person six times to-day with my own eyes."
+
+"What does he look like?" Rusty Wren inquired.
+
+"Like nobody else I ever saw!" Mr. Chippy exclaimed. "His legs are long
+and thin; and his body is very small. And though his mouth makes me
+think of a pair of pincers, he seems quite friendly and harmless."
+
+"What's his name?" asked Busty Wren.
+
+"I don't know," said Mr. Chippy. "But there's only one name that fits
+him. I've already called him by it. And he seemed to like it, too."
+
+"What's that?" Rusty persisted.
+
+"Daddy Longlegs!" said little Mr. Chippy.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+THE NEW NEIGHBOR
+
+
+ALL the neighbors began to call him "Daddy Longlegs." And anyone might
+naturally think that he had lived in Pleasant Valley a great many years.
+But it was not so. Late in the summer Daddy Longlegs had appeared from
+nobody knew where.
+
+Although people often inquired where his old home was, he always
+pretended that he didn't hear them--and began to talk about the weather.
+
+And as for Daddy Longlegs' new home in Pleasant Valley, nobody knew much
+about that either. No matter how curious anyone might be, it did him no
+good at all to ask Daddy Longlegs where he lived. When prying persons
+put that question to him, Daddy Longlegs always waved his eight legs in
+every direction and answered "Over there!"
+
+Of course such a reply told nothing to anyone. And it led to a good many
+disputes among Daddy Longlegs' neighbors. No two could ever agree as to
+which of Daddy's legs really pointed toward the place where he dwelt.
+
+Anyhow, the wily gentleman was frequently seen scrambling about the
+stone wall by the roadside, near Farmer Green's house. And little Mr.
+Chippy, who made his home in the wild grapevine that grew on the wall,
+always claimed that Daddy Longlegs was a neighbor of his.
+
+"He's a good neighbor, too," Mr. Chippy told his friends. "He's very
+quiet and he never quarrels. And he's always pleasant and ready for a
+chat. It's too bad that he's deaf. I've asked him at least a dozen times
+how old he is; but he never seems to hear me."
+
+Old Mr. Crow, who liked nothing better than prying into other people's
+affairs, slowly shook his head at that. And coughing slightly he
+remarked in a hoarse voice that there must be _reasons_ why Daddy
+Longlegs wouldn't tell where he came from, nor where he was living,
+nor how old he was.
+
+But Mr. Crow wouldn't say what he thought might be the reasons. Although
+he was a wise bird, there were some things he didn't know.
+
+Now, in a way Mr. Crow was right. Daddy Longlegs had the best of reasons
+for keeping some facts to himself. In the first place, he had never
+lived anywhere except in Pleasant Valley. In the second place, he was
+scarcely more than two months old when people began to notice him in the
+neighborhood of the stone wall. And in the third place, since he was
+somewhat timid he thought it just as well if people didn't know where he
+made his home.
+
+He was--as his friends often said--an odd person. For instance, he had
+always _looked_ old, from the very first. And when everyone began to
+call him "Daddy" it was only to be expected that he would not care to
+let people know that he was not even a year old--instead of ninety or a
+hundred, as they supposed. Besides, probably nobody would have believed
+the truth. So he never told his age.
+
+Indeed, there were some who claimed that Daddy Longlegs must be much
+more than only a hundred years old. They thought that his queer,
+tottering walk alone was enough to show his great age.
+
+But it is not strange that his walk seemed a bit uncertain. When a
+person has eight feet it is to be expected that he will have a little
+trouble managing them. It is to be expected that he will sometimes find
+himself trying to walk off in several different directions at the same
+time.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+MR. CROW IS DISPLEASED
+
+
+DADDY LONGLEGS had such pleasant manners that it was no time at all
+before his neighbors agreed that he was a good old soul. And everybody
+was glad to claim him as a friend.
+
+At least, everybody but Mr. Crow! Mr. Crow soon found that people were
+asking Daddy's advice on all sorts of questions (because they thought he
+was very old--and therefore very wise). And Mr. Crow at once became so
+jealous that he didn't know what to do. He began making unkind remarks
+about his new rival, saying that no matter how old a person might be,
+if he had a small head and eight long legs it was not reasonable to
+believe that he could have much of a brain. Whenever anybody mentioned
+Daddy's name, Mr. Crow would _haw-haw_ loudly and mutter something about
+"old Spindley Legs!"
+
+Mr. Crow had spent many summers in Pleasant Valley. And during that time
+he had advised thousands of his neighbors. Indeed, he often boasted that
+if he had a kernel of corn for every bit of advice he had given away, he
+never would have to wonder where he was going to get his next meal.
+
+When some friend of Mr. Crow's repeated that speech to Daddy Longlegs,
+he observed that Mr. Crow must be very wise.
+
+"No doubt----" he added in his thin, quavering voice--"no doubt Mr.
+Crow's help would be worth a kernel of corn to anybody who was in
+trouble. If his advice was good, no one would object to paying for it.
+And if it proved to be bad, no one would miss a kernel of corn."
+
+It happened that Daddy Longlegs' comment soon reached the ears of old
+Mr. Crow. And it made that gentleman furious.
+
+"This is the first time anybody has suggested that my advice is not
+always first-class!" he croaked. "Here's this long-legged upstart
+interfering in my affairs. I must teach him a lesson!" Mr. Crow
+declared.
+
+Well, that very afternoon he challenged Daddy Longlegs to a contest.
+
+"I intend to prove," said Mr. Crow, "that my advice is always good; and
+that yours is always bad."
+
+"Very well!" Daddy Longlegs answered. "But I advise you to go home at
+once, Mr. Crow. You're very hoarse. And I'm sure you ought to be in
+bed."
+
+Now, the old gentleman was always hoarse. And since he disliked to have
+anyone mention his infirmity, his eyes snapped angrily.
+
+"I advise you----" he roared----"I advise you to keep your advice to
+yourself."
+
+Of course that was a rude speech. But Daddy Longlegs did not take
+offense at it. He straightway told Mr. Crow that he ought to wear
+rubbers. And Mr. Crow was so enraged that he couldn't speak for as much
+as half an hour.
+
+It was understood that the contest between Daddy and Mr. Crow would take
+place the following morning. And when that time came a big crowd had
+gathered upon the stone wall to see the fun.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+THE CONTEST
+
+
+"MY cousin, Jasper Jay, has kindly consented to ask us some questions,"
+Mr. Crow informed Daddy Longlegs. "And he will decide which of us makes
+the wiser answers."
+
+Buster Bumblebee, who was watching and listening, said:
+
+"That's hardly fair, it seems to me."
+
+But old Mr. Crow quickly told him that he was a stupid fellow and that
+he'd better keep still. And since a good many other people had
+frequently said the same thing to that young gentleman, Buster began to
+think there might be some truth in it. So he said nothing more.
+
+Meanwhile Daddy Longlegs beamed upon all the company. And Mr. Crow
+looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Then he said to Daddy, "I
+suppose you've no objection to this plan?"
+
+"It suits me very well," Daddy replied.
+
+"I thought it would," said old Mr. Crow with a smirk. And turning to his
+cousin, Jasper Jay, he remarked in a low voice that Daddy Longlegs was
+even duller than he had imagined.
+
+Then Jasper Jay announced that he would put the first question. And
+after he had heard Mr. Crow's opinion he would listen to Daddy
+Longlegs'.
+
+"When is the best time to plant corn?" Jasper then asked Mr. Crow, while
+the whole company craned their necks and strained their ears--for of
+course they didn't want to miss anything.
+
+Mr. Crow made no answer for a few moments. He appeared to be thinking
+deeply. But at last he looked up and said:
+
+"The best time to plant corn is as early as possible."
+
+A good many of those present exclaimed at once that that was a good
+answer. And a few clapped their hands.
+
+"What's your opinion?" Jasper Jay then asked, turning to Daddy Longlegs.
+
+Daddy Longlegs took off his hat, mopped his narrow forehead with his red
+bandanna, and then slowly nodded his head three times.
+
+"My answer is exactly the same as Mr. Crow's," he piped in his queer,
+thin, high voice.
+
+At that a look of displeasure passed quickly over the faces of the two
+cousins. And when little Mr. Chippy called on Jasper Jay to decide
+which was the better answer, Jasper looked really worried.
+
+"It's a tie this time," he said somewhat sourly. And while everybody was
+shouting, he and Mr. Crow withdrew to one side and whispered, which some
+considered to be rather bad manners.
+
+Soon Jasper and Mr. Crow returned to the eager throng. And Jasper now
+looked as brazen as ever.
+
+"I'll put the next question," he announced. "And Daddy Longlegs may
+answer first.... How many kernels of corn make a meal!"
+
+There wasn't a sound--except for Buster Bumblebee's buzzing--as Daddy
+Longlegs moved forward a few steps and held his hand behind his ear.
+
+"Speak louder!" somebody said to Jasper. "You know he's hard of
+hearing."
+
+So Jasper Jay repeated the question. But Daddy Longlegs only looked at
+him blankly.
+
+It was quite clear that he couldn't understand a single word that Jasper
+said.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+TOO MANY QUESTIONS
+
+
+"THIS is strange!" old Mr. Crow exclaimed, looking very hard at Daddy
+Longlegs. "You heard the first question easily enough. But now you seem
+deaf as a post."
+
+And all the time Daddy Longlegs merely smiled at Mr. Crow. He made no
+comment at all.
+
+"Don't you know what I'm saying?" Mr. Crow bawled in his loudest tones.
+
+"It _is_ a pleasant day," said Daddy Longlegs. "But I'm afraid there's
+going to be a heavy gale to-morrow."
+
+"This is certainly peculiar," Mr. Crow grumbled. And then little Mr.
+Chippy hastened to explain that Daddy Longlegs was often like that. He
+would appear to hear you perfectly one moment. And then--if you happened
+to ask him his age, or where he came from--you might find him unable to
+understand a single word that you said.
+
+"It's most unfortunate," said old Mr. Crow. "I see nothing to do but
+reply to the question myself. And then my cousin, Jasper Jay, will
+decide which has given the better answer--Daddy Longlegs or I."
+
+"Ah! But you can't do that!" cried Daddy Longlegs suddenly. "Jasper Jay
+said you were not to answer this question until after I had. And you
+know you mustn't break the rules of the contest."
+
+Old Mr. Crow's mouth fell open, he was so astonished.
+
+"Why, he can hear again!" he exclaimed. And after staring at Daddy
+Longlegs for a while he beckoned to Jasper Jay. And again the two
+cousins moved a little distance away and began whispering.
+
+When they returned both were smiling broadly. And mounting the stone
+wall once more, Jasper said that he would put another question to Daddy
+and Mr. Crow, and that they must both answer it at the same time. Then
+he cautioned Daddy Longlegs to speak up good and loud, because Mr. Crow
+had a strong voice.
+
+"I'd suggest----" said Daddy Longlegs----"I'd suggest that Mr. Crow
+speak as softly as possible, because my voice is weak."
+
+"That's only fair!" all the company agreed, nodding their heads to one
+another. But Mr. Crow appeared peevish.
+
+"Everybody's against me," he grumbled. "I almost believe----" he said,
+turning to his cousin----"I almost believe they're all in league with
+Farmer Green."
+
+"If you are not sure, why don't you ask Farmer Green himself?" Daddy
+Longlegs inquired.
+
+"I will!" cried Mr. Crow in a loud voice. "I'll ask him the next time I
+see him."
+
+"Then you can ask him now," said Daddy Longlegs, "for here he comes,
+with a gun on his shoulder."
+
+The words were hardly out of Daddy's mouth when old Mr. Crow began to
+beat the air furiously with his broad wings. He rose quickly--but not
+too high--and made for the woods as fast as he could fly.
+
+"Now, that's strange!" Daddy Longlegs quavered. "I don't see how he's
+going to talk with Farmer Green when he's half a mile away from him."
+
+And everybody else said the same thing.
+
+"He's gone off and left the contest unfinished," little Mr. Chippy
+observed. "So there's nothing Jasper Jay can do except to declare that
+Daddy Longlegs is the winner--and the wisest person in Pleasant Valley."
+
+"I couldn't very well do that," Jasper objected. "You're forgetting
+Solomon Owl."
+
+"Well, Daddy's wiser than old Mr. Crow, anyhow," Mr. Chippy retorted.
+And since almost everybody said that was true, Jasper Jay didn't quite
+dare object.
+
+But it was plain that he didn't agree with the company. And he stamped
+his feet and clashed his bill together and shook his head as if he were
+much displeased.
+
+He, too, began to believe--with his cousin, Mr. Crow--that Daddy
+Longlegs and all the others were on Farmer Green's side.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+MRS. LADYBUG'S PLAN
+
+
+DADDY LONGLEGS' neighbors took an even greater interest in him, after
+his contest with Mr. Crow. And much to Daddy's distress they tried
+harder than before to pry into his private affairs.
+
+But those curious busybodies learned very little. In fact there was only
+one of them who really found out anything about Daddy that was worth
+knowing.
+
+Little Mrs. Ladybug, who was somewhat of a gossip, discovered in some
+way that Daddy Longlegs was a harvestman. And she lost no time in
+spreading the news far and wide. She even travelled as far as the big
+poplar, to tell Whiteface, the Carpenter Bee, what she had heard.
+
+"A harvestman, eh?" said the Carpenter, thrusting his hands into the
+pockets of his apron. "If that's so, why doesn't he go to work?" And
+without waiting for an answer he dodged quickly inside his house. He was
+building an addition to his home; and naturally he was quite busy. He
+knew, too, that Mrs. Ladybug was a terrible talker.
+
+"I declare, I hadn't thought of that!" Mrs. Ladybug exclaimed. And then
+she hastened to the stone wall to find Daddy Longlegs and learn the
+answer to the Carpenter's question.
+
+Mrs. Ladybug soon spied Daddy, coming from the orchard near-by. And
+since she saw him before he saw her, he had no chance to hide. He was
+sorry; for he _just knew_--from the look in her eye--that she was going
+to ask him a question. And sure enough, she did!
+
+"You're a harvestman," she began, quite out of breath from hurrying.
+"Why don't you go to work?"
+
+"What can I do?" Daddy inquired with a blank look.
+
+"Do!" she exclaimed. "I should think Farmer Green would be glad to have
+your help in harvesting his crops. He's mowing his oats now. And there's
+no one to help him except the hired man--unless you count Johnnie, and
+_he_ spends most of his time at the swimming-hole."
+
+Daddy Longlegs thanked Mrs. Ladybug politely for her suggestion. But he
+said that he was not acquainted with Farmer Green. And he disliked
+working for strangers. And he thought he would spend the rest of the
+summer making friends with his neighbors.
+
+"Next year," he told her, "I may make some arrangement with Farmer Green
+to work for him regularly."
+
+But that answer did not satisfy little Mrs. Ladybug in the least.
+
+"You'd be far better off with something steady to do," she insisted. And
+she said so much that just to get rid of her Daddy Longlegs promised to
+see Farmer Green at once and offer his services.
+
+He was sorry, as soon as she had gone, that he had agreed to do that.
+But being a person of his word he never once thought of not keeping his
+promise, though he wished he had simply put his hand behind his ear and
+not answered Mrs. Ladybug's question at all.
+
+But it was too late, then, to do that.
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+TRYING TO HELP
+
+
+IT was true that Farmer Green had almost more work than he could do just
+then, even with the aid of the hired man and Johnnie. And he often
+wished that he might find somebody else to help him.
+
+"I'd hire anybody I could find that had two legs," he remarked to his
+wife as he started away from the house after finishing his dinner. "I
+want to get the oats harvested before there's a rain. And I don't like
+the looks of the sky to-day."
+
+Now, Daddy Longlegs reached the farmhouse just in time to hear what
+Farmer Green said. And he spoke up at once--as loudly as he could.
+
+"I'd be willing to work for you," he said. "I'm a harvestman. And you
+ought to be glad to hire me, for I have eight legs instead of only two."
+
+Perhaps Daddy's voice was too thin and high for Farmer Green to hear.
+Anyhow, he paid not the slightest heed to Daddy's offer, but strode off
+across the farmyard while his caller cried "Stop! Please stop!" at the
+top of his lungs.
+
+Then Daddy heard a noise, which he was sure was thunder--though it was
+only Farmer Green calling to the hired man to hurry.
+
+"Well, I've tried to go to work, anyhow," Daddy Longlegs assured
+himself. "And if the oats get wet Farmer Green can't blame me."
+
+He went back to the stone wall then. And seeing Mr. Chippy perched on
+the wild grapevine, Daddy told him what had happened. "Farmer Green must
+be deaf at times, the same as you are," little Mr. Chippy observed. "If
+I were you I'd write him a letter."
+
+Daddy Longlegs pretended not to hear Mr. Chippy's suggestion. The truth
+was, being only a few months old Daddy did not know how to write. But of
+course he did not care to have Mr. Chippy know that.
+
+Well, while he pondered upon the situation Daddy Longlegs changed his
+mind about working for Farmer Green. In the beginning he had not wanted
+to help with the harvesting. He had taken up Mrs. Ladybug's suggestion
+only to keep her quiet. But now, having found that going to work for
+Farmer Green was no easy matter to arrange, Daddy Longlegs began to
+long to do the very thing he had wished to avoid.
+
+At last he decided that he would go over to the oat field at once and do
+what he could to help with the harvesting--without saying anything more
+to anybody.
+
+"Farmer Green can't help but be pleased," he thought, as he started off
+across the farmyard in the same direction in which Johnnie Green's
+father had gone when he called to the hired man to hurry.
+
+Daddy had not gone far before he met Buster Bumblebee. "How far is it to
+the oat field?" Daddy asked him.
+
+"Oh! It's not ten minutes' journey," said Buster. "I've just come from
+the clover-patch myself; and that's twice as far."
+
+Daddy Longlegs thanked him. And then he turned and tottered on again.
+For a long time he walked as fast as he could. It seemed to him that he
+must have been travelling at least half an hour. But he saw not the
+slightest sign of the oat field, though he climbed a fence and peered
+across the rolling meadow.
+
+Then he happened to catch sight of Chirpy Cricket hopping through the
+grass. And Daddy called to him and asked him how far it was to the oat
+field.
+
+"It's a good half-day's journey from here," said Chirpy Cricket
+cheerfully. But Daddy Longlegs did not feel the least bit cheerful when
+he heard that.
+
+"For the land's sake!" he exclaimed. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?
+Buster Bumblebee told me a long time ago that it was only a ten-minute
+trip."
+
+"Ah! So it is--for him!" said Chirpy Cricket. "You must remember that
+he flies very fast. But I have to hop along much more slowly. And as for
+you, at the pace you were travelling before you stopped to speak to me
+you wouldn't reach the oat field before to-morrow morning! No--not even
+if you walked all night!"
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+IN NEED OF NEW SHOES
+
+
+DADDY LONGLEGS couldn't help feeling discouraged when Chirpy Cricket
+told him that he wouldn't be able to reach the oat field before the next
+morning.
+
+"I declare," he said, "if I had known it was such a long journey I
+wouldn't have tried to go there to help Farmer Green with his
+harvesting. I've already walked so far that my shoes are all worn out.
+And I can neither go on nor go back until I get some new ones." He
+looked very doleful--for he didn't know what to do. But Chirpy Cricket
+laughed merrily--as was his custom.
+
+"Cheer up!" he cried. "You're in luck! Jimmy Rabbit has a shoe shop in
+this very meadow. Just follow me and I'll show you where it is!"
+
+So off they went. And soon they arrived at the shoe shop, in front of
+which they found Jimmy Rabbit all smiles and bows.
+
+"Here's a friend of mine who needs some new shoes," Chirpy Cricket
+announced.
+
+"Come right in!" cried Jimmy Rabbit. "Any friend of Chirpy Cricket's is
+a friend of mine too. And if I can't fit your feet with shoes it won't
+be my fault. Only yesterday I sold a pair of shoes to old Mr. Crow. And
+his feet are enormous, as every one knows."
+
+"Well, I want more than just _one_ pair," Daddy Longlegs piped up. "I
+want four--making eight shoes in all. And I flatter myself that my feet
+are very small," he added.
+
+Jimmy Rabbit looked a bit surprised at that remark. He was not
+accustomed to seeing eight-legged people in his shop. But he made no
+comment, though he couldn't help staring at his new customer.
+
+Meanwhile Chirpy Cricket had hopped away, after telling Daddy that he
+was leaving him in good hands. And then Jimmy Rabbit went to work
+briskly. He began setting shoes of all sorts and sizes before Daddy
+Longlegs. And soon he was not only placing them in front of Daddy, but
+on both sides of him--and behind him as well.
+
+Jimmy Rabbit was so spry, and most of the shoes were so big, that in no
+time at all Daddy Longlegs was completely surrounded by a wall of shoes,
+which rapidly grew higher and higher.
+
+"Stop! stop!" cried Daddy Longlegs. But Jimmy Rabbit was so busy that he
+didn't hear him. And he kept piling more and more shoes around his tiny
+visitor, until Daddy Longlegs was lost in a small mountain of big,
+little, and medium-sized shoes of many different colors.
+
+Not till then did Jimmy Rabbit pause for breath. And when he saw that
+his customer had disappeared he was more than surprised.
+
+"Where can he have gone?" Jimmy exclaimed. "I didn't see him go out. He
+was sitting right here only a moment ago. And now he's certainly not in
+my shop."
+
+Even at that very moment Daddy Longlegs was frantically crying "Help!
+help!" But his thin, weak voice was quite muffled by the great heap of
+shoes that buried him.
+
+After waiting for a few minutes Jimmy Rabbit closed--and locked--his
+door, and went skipping off to Farmer Green's garden, where the cabbages
+grew.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+LOCKED IN!
+
+
+POOR Daddy Longlegs! Buried as he was under dozens of shoes--all of them
+many times bigger than he was--he couldn't help being alarmed when he
+heard Jimmy Rabbit walk out of the shoe shop and lock the door behind
+him.
+
+Daddy wished that he had told Mrs. Ladybug in the beginning that he
+wouldn't help Farmer Green with his harvesting. Then he would never have
+started on his long journey to the oat field and worn out his shoes. And
+if he hadn't worn out his shoes, of course he would never have visited
+Jimmy Rabbit's shoe shop and got himself into such terrible trouble.
+
+He soon saw that he might call for help until his voice was cracked
+worse than ever without its doing him the least bit of good. So he
+stopped shouting and began to climb out of the pile of shoes that
+surrounded him. And he was very glad, then, that he had eight long legs
+to help him. But when he found himself free of the shoes he seemed but
+little better off than before. There he was, a prisoner in the shoe
+shop! And the daylight was fast fading.
+
+If Daddy Longlegs had been half as wise as his neighbors believed him he
+wouldn't have stayed in his prison two minutes. But after trying the
+door and the two windows and finding that he couldn't open them he made
+up his mind that there was nothing for him to do except to wait until
+Jimmy Rabbit came back the following day.
+
+And there was the chimney all the time! Daddy Longlegs could have
+crawled up it just as easily as Santa Claus could have crept down it!
+But because he had never left anybody's house or shop by way of the
+chimney, Daddy Longlegs never once thought of doing such a thing.
+
+And his thinking that Jimmy Rabbit wouldn't come back until the next
+morning shows that Daddy knew very little about the ways of his
+neighbors. Almost anybody else would have been sure that Jimmy Rabbit
+would keep his shoe shop open at night, because he was always wider
+awake after dark. And many others of the field-people were exactly like
+him in that respect.
+
+Daddy Longlegs had been sleeping soundly for some time--inside the toe
+of a shoe--when the sound of voices awakened him. At first he kept very
+still. Being naturally a timid person he did not want to show himself
+until he was sure he was safe from harm.
+
+And then, before he realized what was happening, he felt himself picked
+up--shoe and all--and he heard Jimmy Rabbit say, "Try on this shoe,
+Peter Mink!"
+
+Since there was no doubt--the next instant--that Peter Mink was
+thrusting his foot into Daddy's hiding-place, there was only one thing
+for Daddy to do. Knowing that he was in great danger of being crushed,
+he withdrew into the very tip of the shoe. And luckily for him, Peter
+Mink's toes did not quite reach him.
+
+After that Daddy Longlegs could hear nothing more; nor did he know what
+was happening. But to make a long story short, Jimmy Rabbit gave Peter
+Mink another shoe--for Peter's other foot--and bowed his customer
+politely out of his shop.
+
+After that Jimmy Rabbit promptly locked the door again. But this time he
+locked himself _in_ instead of _out_. You see, he never felt safe in
+Peter Mink's company.
+
+Naturally, Jimmy locked Daddy Longlegs out of the shop, too, though he
+didn't know it.
+
+And there Peter Mink stood in the moon-lit meadow, with his new shoes on
+his feet, and with Daddy Longlegs hidden in the toe of his right shoe.
+
+But no matter if it _was_ the right shoe, Daddy Longlegs thought it was
+all wrong.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+RIDE BY MOONLIGHT
+
+
+IT was not exactly a pleasant ride that Daddy Longlegs had in the toe of
+Peter Mink's shoe. Not only was it dark pocket inside the shoe, but it
+was so cramped that Daddy was most uncomfortable. And what was still
+worse, he hadn't even the faintest idea where he was going.
+
+Sometimes Daddy was almost sure that Peter Mink was carrying him around
+Blue Mountain. And at other times he thought that Peter must be
+following Swift River--to see where it went, perhaps. Anyhow, Daddy
+suffered such a pitching and tossing and tumbling and jouncing as he
+had never known in all his life.
+
+Then at last, to Daddy's great relief, Peter Mink kept quite still for a
+long time.
+
+That was when Peter burrowed into a haystack to take a nap. And since it
+was then many hours past Daddy Longlegs' regular bedtime, he went to
+sleep too. But he awoke with a great start when Peter Mink crawled out
+of his shelter about dawn. And at first Daddy couldn't imagine what was
+happening. But after he had been bounced about a bit he remembered the
+terrible accident that had happened to him in Jimmy Rabbit's shoe shop
+in the meadow.
+
+Suddenly Peter Mink stopped. And to Daddy Longlegs' great delight Peter
+began to take off his shoes.
+
+Yes! Peter Mink removed his shoes. And then he removed himself. That is
+to say, he dropped his shoes carelessly upon the ground (for that was
+his way!) and took himself off.
+
+Daddy Longlegs waited until Peter Mink had stolen away. And then he
+dashed out of the shoe much faster than he had entered it the evening
+before.
+
+Yes; the evening before! For now it was the following morning--and broad
+daylight.
+
+Daddy Longlegs stretched his eight legs, first one after another, and
+then all together. He was so glad to escape from his cramped quarters
+that he had little thought for anything except the joy of being free
+once more.
+
+Then he remembered all at once that he was lost. And that was enough to
+start his eight legs to shaking beneath him in a very unpleasant
+fashion. Daddy Longlegs was frightened. Anybody could have seen that.
+
+After a few moments he looked about him, wondering which way he had
+better go. And as he gazed at his surroundings he saw--not far off--a
+familiar looking object.
+
+At first Daddy could scarcely believe his eyes. And he looked steadily
+at what he saw, as if he half expected it would fly away and vanish.
+
+But the object did nothing of the kind. And how could it, anyhow?
+Because it was Farmer Green's house that had caught Daddy Longlegs'
+eye.... And there stood the great barn too, a little way off! And there
+was the bridge across Swift River!
+
+Without knowing what he was doing, Peter Mink had brought Daddy
+Longlegs almost home. And then he had taken off his shoes because he
+wanted to go for a swim in the duck pond, in the hope of catching an eel
+for his breakfast.
+
+Well, Daddy Longlegs lost no time in making his way back to the stone
+wall by the roadside. And the first person he met there was no other
+than little Mrs. Ladybug, who seemed delighted to see him and asked him
+how he liked working for Farmer Green.
+
+"Yes! It's a fine day," said Daddy Longlegs. "The rain is holding off.
+And it looks as if Farmer Green was going to get his oats harvested
+without their being wet, after all."
+
+"I see you're deaf to-day," Mrs. Ladybug observed in a pitying tone.
+"It's a shame. And Farmer Green ought to be very grateful to you for
+your help."
+
+"He hasn't said a word to me," Daddy Longlegs told her. And Mrs.
+Ladybug declared she couldn't understand it.
+
+But there were many other things, too, that she didn't understand. She
+had heard that Daddy was a harvestman. But she didn't know that some
+people called him by that name merely because he was seen in Pleasant
+Valley about the time Farmer Green harvested his crops. As for working
+in the fields, Daddy Longlegs knew no more about that than did that fat
+drone, Buster Bumblebee. And Farmer Green would have laughed heartily at
+the idea of either of them helping him.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+THE BIG WIND
+
+
+FOR several days after his unlucky journey across the meadow, when he
+tried to reach the field where Farmer Green was harvesting his oats,
+Daddy Longlegs did not wander far from the stone wall.
+
+But one day Rusty Wren told him that his cousin, Long Bill Wren, was
+going to give a party at his house in the reeds on the bank of Black
+Creek. And although he had not been invited to the party, Daddy Longlegs
+thought it would be pleasant to go to it.
+
+Accordingly he started off at once, though the party was not to take
+place until the afternoon of the following day. But Daddy Longlegs knew
+that he was a slow walker--and Black Creek was a long distance away.
+
+Now, it was a fine, beautiful morning when Daddy set forth on his
+journey. And he travelled steadily all day long without meeting with an
+adventure of any sort.
+
+When night came he crept inside an old fallen tree-trunk. And he went to
+sleep feeling very happy, because he was thinking what a good time he
+was going to have at the party the next afternoon.
+
+But when morning came, and Daddy Longlegs crawled out of the hollow tree
+to continue his journey, he had a great disappointment. The moment he
+thrust his head out of his hiding-place he knew that he was in trouble.
+And he saw at once that he would have to miss Rusty Wren's cousin's
+party, because he certainly couldn't go on, with the weather as it was.
+
+Yet the sun was shining brightly. And there was scarcely a cloud to be
+seen in the sky.
+
+A person might naturally wonder, then, what Daddy Longlegs could have
+found to worry him. It wasn't raining. And it certainly wasn't snowing,
+because it was not much later than midsummer.
+
+Nevertheless Daddy Longlegs looked upon the fields with a most mournful
+face.
+
+"I can't travel in this terrible wind!" he muttered. "If I had known
+there was going to be such a blow I would never have left home."
+
+And now you know what Daddy's trouble was. With his small body raised so
+high in the air by his long, thin legs he always found it hard to walk
+when the wind was blowing a gale. The strong gusts buffeted him about so
+that he pitched and tossed like a chip on the mill pond when its surface
+was ruffled. And Daddy had learned quite early in his life to seek some
+sheltered spot on windy days, venturing forth only when the air was
+calmer.
+
+Of course it was never any too pleasant, to be obliged to lie low like
+that, when there were a hundred things he wanted to do. But it was much
+worse to be caught far away from home in a terrible gale. Not only was
+there no knowing how long he would have to stay hidden in the fallen
+tree before he dared begin his long homeward journey, but he had no one
+with whom he could talk. And it had always been Daddy's custom to spend
+gusty days as agreeably as possible by gossiping with his neighbors.
+
+Besides, there was the party on the bank of Black Creek! Daddy Longlegs
+knew right away that it was useless for him to try to attend it. And so
+it was no wonder that he felt unhappy.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+GOOD NEWS ON A BAD DAY
+
+
+FOR a long time Daddy Longlegs lay inside the hollow, fallen tree and
+looked out upon the wind-swept fields. If the stone wall hadn't been so
+far away he would certainly have tried to return home. But the weather
+was altogether too dangerous. He knew it would be risky to attempt so
+long a journey.
+
+As he sat looking out of the chink in the old tree, through which he had
+crept inside it, Daddy suddenly saw a reddish, brownish flash flicker
+past the opening.
+
+"Goodness!" he exclaimed. "I wonder what that was!" And in another
+moment the same bright patch of color again whisked across the hole.
+
+Then Daddy Longlegs heard a sound as of some one scratching upon the
+tree-trunk. And being of a very curious nature, he crawled half through
+the hole and peered out to see what was happening. Daddy Longlegs was
+all ready for a fright. He was so upset, on account of being caught away
+from home on a windy day, that he was unusually jumpy and fidgety.
+But--as it often happens at such times--he met with a pleasant surprise.
+For there sat Sandy Chipmunk, with his long tail curled over his back,
+and something very like a smile on his bright face.
+
+Knowing that Sandy Chipmunk never harmed anybody that minded his own
+affairs, Daddy Longlegs spoke to him at once.
+
+"It's a bad day, isn't it?" he called.
+
+Hearing that tiny voice, which seemed to come from inside the fallen
+tree, Sandy Chipmunk was so startled that he leaped high into the air;
+and when he came down again upon all fours he found himself staring
+straight into Daddy Longlegs' beady eyes.
+
+"Oh! It's you, eh?" cried Sandy Chipmunk. And he looked decidedly
+foolish, because he knew that he had no reason to fear anybody as mild
+as Daddy Longlegs.
+
+"It's a bad day, isn't it!" said Daddy Longlegs once more.
+
+"I'm sorry I can't agree with you," Sandy replied. "I think it's the
+finest weather that ever was."
+
+"You don't mean to say you like this wind?" Daddy Longlegs cried. "Why,
+I don't see how you dare to be out in it!"
+
+"Oh, it's nothing when you're used to it," Sandy Chipmunk answered
+lightly.
+
+"I shall never get used to the wind, I'm afraid," Daddy told him sadly.
+"It blows me about so terribly." And he went on to explain how he had
+started on a long journey the day before, and how he didn't dare go
+on--nor turn around and go home, either.
+
+"Well, well!" Sandy Chipmunk exclaimed. "You seem to be in a fix. But
+why don't you _ride_ home?"
+
+"Ride?" Daddy Longlegs shrilled. "On what, I should like to know?"
+
+"On Farmer Green's wagon!" Sandy told him promptly. "I happen to know
+that Johnnie Green and his grandmother drove to the miller's this
+morning to have a sack of wheat ground into flour. And they'll be coming
+back home this afternoon."
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+A DANGEROUS BUSINESS
+
+
+SANDY CHIPMUNK did not tell Daddy Longlegs how he had been tied up in
+the sack of wheat and had had a ride in the wagon himself. He did not
+like riding in wagons. And he had been so glad to escape from the sack
+and jump into the bushes by the roadside that he had stopped to dance on
+Daddy's tree before scampering back home.
+
+His suggestion took Daddy Longlegs by surprise. At first he felt a bit
+timid about riding in a wagon. But Sandy Chipmunk assured him it was not
+half as bad as it was said to be.
+
+"Is it far to the road?" Daddy asked him.
+
+"Not if you hurry," Sandy told him. "If you start now you surely ought
+to be able to reach the road by the time old Ebenezer passes this
+field."
+
+"Ebenezer! Who's he?" Daddy inquired.
+
+"Oh! He's the horse that draws the wagon you're going to ride in," Sandy
+Chipmunk explained.
+
+Daddy Longlegs thought deeply for a few minutes--or as deeply as anybody
+could who had so small a head as he. And then he said:
+
+"I'll try your plan, for I want to go home. But it's very dangerous for
+me to do so much walking on such a windy day as this."
+
+"Come on!" cried Sandy. "I'll show you the way to the road." And having
+started Daddy in the right direction, he hastened off to the road
+himself, to wait for the wagon.
+
+Sandy waited by the roadside for a long, long time. And while he was
+lingering there, Daddy Longlegs was battling with the wind and having
+hard work to keep his feet. But by hurrying along fences, and dodging
+behind bowlders and bushes and every other sort of shelter that he could
+find, Daddy managed to reach the roadside at last, where he arrived
+quite out of breath.
+
+"Hurrah!" Sandy Chipmunk shouted, as soon as Daddy joined him. "Here you
+are--and you're just in time! For there's the wagon rattling down the
+next hill. And old Ebenezer (that's the horse, please remember!) he'll
+climb this rise as fast as he can, because he's in a hurry to get
+home."
+
+"He can't be half as anxious to reach home as I am," Daddy Longlegs
+remarked. "And if he doesn't go his fastest after I'm aboard the wagon I
+hope Johnnie Green will whip him hard."
+
+"Johnnie can't do that," said Sandy Chipmunk. "His father won't let him
+have a whip."
+
+"Well, he could cut a switch, I should think!" Daddy Longlegs exclaimed.
+
+But Sandy shook his head.
+
+"Johnnie's grandmother wouldn't let him do that," he replied. "But you
+don't need to worry. You'll get home soon enough."
+
+Soon the two watchers saw the old horse Ebenezer come jogging up the
+road. And then Sandy Chipmunk said something that sent Daddy Longlegs
+into a flutter of excitement.
+
+"Here they come!" cried Sandy. "You'd better stand right in the middle
+of the road, so you'll be sure to stop them."
+
+And the mere thought of doing such a dangerous thing as that made Daddy
+Longlegs turn quite pale.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+ONE WAY TO STOP A HORSE
+
+
+EVERY one of Daddy Longlegs' eight knees began to shake, when Sandy
+Chipmunk told him to stand in the middle of the road, in order to stop
+the old horse Ebenezer, who was pulling the wagon in which Johnnie Green
+and his grandmother were riding.
+
+"I can't do that!" Daddy shrieked, shrinking away from the dusty road.
+"I'm so small that they wouldn't see me and the first thing I'd know I'd
+be run over.... You'll have to stop the wagon for me--you're so much
+bigger than I am."
+
+But Sandy Chipmunk said he didn't like to speak to Johnnie Green, on
+account of a little trouble he had had with Johnnie's father over a
+letter.
+
+"Can't you wave your tail at him?" Daddy Longlegs besought him. "That
+wouldn't be _speaking_ to him, you know. Wave your tail at Johnnie Green
+until he stops the horse; and then you can run away, if you want to. And
+while the horse is standing still I'll scramble into the wagon, without
+anybody seeing me."
+
+Now, Sandy Chipmunk was a good-natured person. And he saw that unless
+the wagon was stopped, Daddy Longlegs was going to be terribly
+disappointed. So he told Daddy that he would do what he could to help
+him.
+
+Then Sandy leaped nimbly to the edge of the watering-trough at one side
+of the road and began waving his tail backwards and forwards, like a
+flag.
+
+"That's right!" Daddy Longlegs shouted approvingly. "But I wish you'd
+wave a little harder. I'm afraid they won't see you."
+
+So Sandy Chipmunk redoubled his efforts. And he wagged his tail so hard
+that before he knew what was happening he had lost his footing, slipped
+off the edge of the trough, and found himself floundering in the water.
+
+Daddy Longlegs was watching the wagon so anxiously that he never noticed
+what was happening to his friend. But he observed that Johnnie Green
+began to laugh. And pointing toward the watering-trough Johnnie cried,
+"Oh! look, Grandma--look!"
+
+The old horse Ebenezer, too, seemed interested in what was going on.
+Anyhow, he swerved to the right and walked straight up to the trough.
+And the wagon came to a halt.
+
+That was Daddy Longlegs' chance. He hurried to one of the rear wheels.
+And in spite of the wind he clambered quickly up and hid himself in a
+corner of the wagon-box.
+
+Meanwhile Sandy Chipmunk, spluttering and choking, managed to pull
+himself out of his unexpected bath and frisked out of sight among the
+sumacs that fringed the road.
+
+"Well, I stopped the wagon, anyhow!" he said to himself as he scampered
+away.
+
+And that was just where he was mistaken. The old horse Ebenezer wanted a
+drink. That was why he had paused at the trough. He thrust his muzzle
+deep into the cool spring-water and drank so long that Johnnie Green
+began to be worried, for fear he would burst.
+
+But old Ebenezer wouldn't budge until he had drunk his fill. When he was
+ready (and not before) the wagon went rumbling up the road again, taking
+Johnnie Green and his grandmother home to the farmhouse--and likewise
+bearing Daddy Longlegs back to the stone wall, where little Mr. Chippy
+lived in the wild grapevine.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+A CALL ON A NEIGHBOR
+
+
+DADDY LONGLEGS was delighted to be at home again. And Mr. Chippy--as
+well as other neighbors--remarked that they had never seen him so happy
+and cheerful.
+
+Perhaps one reason for Daddy's good spirits was the fact that the wind
+no longer blew and he could venture abroad without being buffeted about.
+
+He was so relieved by the change in the weather that it seemed to him
+there could be no danger anywhere.
+
+Little did Daddy Longlegs dream that a great army was even then making
+plans to capture him. And still less did he imagine that he was going
+to meet with a real adventure before the day was done.
+
+Daddy Longlegs had so many pleasant ideas in his head that there was no
+room in it for any thought of danger. He had found that his neighbors
+considered him a hero, because he had ridden in Farmer Green's wagon. A
+good many of Daddy's friends rushed at once to the stone wall, to talk
+with him--as soon as they heard the news. And naturally he began to feel
+quite important.
+
+"Weren't you frightened?" people asked him. "Weren't you afraid that the
+horse would run away?"
+
+"Oh, no! I wasn't the least bit scared, though I admit it was a
+dangerous feat," Daddy Longlegs told them. Then he would strut and
+swagger about, trying to appear as if there wasn't a braver person than
+he in all Pleasant Valley. And he talked about his wild ride to
+everybody that would listen to him.
+
+At first Daddy's friends enjoyed hearing about his adventure. But he
+boasted so much about his bravery that his listeners soon grew tired of
+hearing him talk. And instead of his having many callers, it was not
+long before Daddy Longlegs found that nobody came near him, even to say
+howdy-do.
+
+He endured his loneliness as long as he could, though he found it hard
+not to talk when he had so much to say. And feeling, at last, that he
+was in danger of choking over the babble that surged up from within him,
+Daddy Longlegs decided that he would go and call on Rusty Wren, who
+lived in the cherry tree near Farmer Green's bedroom window.
+
+"Rusty will be glad to know of my ride in the wagon," Daddy thought.
+"And besides, I'd like to hear about his cousin's party, which I missed
+on account of the big wind." So off Daddy Longlegs started, the moment
+the idea popped into his head. He was the least bit uneasy, perhaps, for
+fear Rusty Wren might not be at home, in which case he would have nobody
+to talk to except Rusty's wife. And everybody knew that she was a person
+of uncertain temper.
+
+But Daddy found Rusty perched on the tin roof of his house (his house
+was made of a maple-syrup can). And the first thing that Daddy Longlegs
+said to him was this: "Is your wife at home?"
+
+That may seem a strange question. But Rusty Wren appeared to know what
+his caller meant. Anyhow, Rusty said, "No!" in such a cheerful tone that
+Daddy Longlegs knew they could have a good chat without being
+disturbed.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+BOASTFUL TALK
+
+
+"I SUPPOSE you've heard of my great adventure?" Daddy Longlegs began, as
+soon as he learned that Rusty Wren was alone--that is, alone except for
+his six growing children inside the house. "No doubt you know all about
+my daring deed?"
+
+"Why, no!" Rusty Wren replied, looking at his caller with no little
+wonder--for he had always believed Daddy Longlegs to be one of the
+mildest and most timid of all the field-people. "What have you been
+doing?" Rusty asked.
+
+"Something that you've never done!" Daddy Longlegs told him proudly. "I
+took a ride in Farmer Green's wagon yesterday, after the old horse
+Ebenezer!"
+
+"Yes! yes! Go on!" Rusty urged him. "What happened to you?"
+
+"What happened to me!" cried Daddy Longlegs. "I should think that
+_riding in a wagon_ was adventure enough for anyone, without any other
+sort of danger added to it."
+
+But Rusty Wren didn't agree with him.
+
+"Riding in a wagon is nothing," he declared. "Farmer Green rides in one
+almost every day. And as for it's being dangerous, there's only the
+danger that you'll be late arriving at the place where you're
+going--especially if you have to depend on old Ebenezer to take you.
+He's several thousand times my size; yet I can fly further in a day than
+he can trot in two weeks."
+
+Well, Rusty's scoffing remarks made Daddy Longlegs quite peevish. He had
+come to Rusty's house in order to boast. And of course he was
+disappointed when he found that Rusty Wren did not think him a hero at
+all.
+
+"We'll say no more about the matter," Daddy observed stiffly. "I can see
+that you are jealous. And I always make it a rule not to dispute with
+jealous people."
+
+Rusty Wren couldn't help feeling somewhat ashamed. He realized that
+perhaps he had not been very polite to his caller. "I meant no harm," he
+ventured "And if you want to change the subject, I've no objection."
+
+"Very well!" Daddy Longlegs replied. "Let's talk about your cousin's
+party at Black Creek. I was sorry not to be present at it. But the high
+wind prevented me from travelling that day."
+
+Then it was Rusty Wren's turn to look disappointed.
+
+"There wasn't any party," he said. "Old Mr. Crow was mistaken. My
+cousin's party took place exactly a year earlier. So Mr. Crow was twelve
+months late with his news."
+
+When he heard that, Daddy Longlegs couldn't help laughing right in Rusty
+Wren's face.
+
+"I don't see any joke," Rusty snapped. "I can tell you that it's a good
+deal of a disappointment to have your mind all made up for a party, and
+then find that there is none."
+
+"Perhaps you're right," said Daddy Longlegs. "Anyhow, I'm glad now that
+there was a wind that day, because the wind prevented my walking all the
+way to Black Creek for nothing."
+
+"Well, there's no wind now to keep you from walking anywhere you want
+to go," said Rusty Wren slyly. He hoped that Daddy Longlegs would take
+the hint--and leave, for he did not care to talk with him any longer.
+Besides, it was time for Rusty to feed his six growing children.
+
+Soon, to Rusty's relief, Daddy Longlegs began to creep down the trunk of
+the cherry tree.
+
+If he had known what was in store for him he might not have left just
+then.
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+DADDY IS ATTACKED
+
+
+WHEN Daddy Longlegs went to call on Rusty Wren he did not know that a
+whole army had planned to capture him. But it was true, nevertheless,
+that a plot had been hatched against him. Now, right beneath the big old
+cherry tree where Rusty had his home there lived a colony of ants. And
+it was Rusty's habit--and his wife's, as well--to enjoy an occasional
+meal (or a light luncheon) by capturing and eating such ants as were not
+spry enough to keep out of harm's way.
+
+Such actions only served to make the Wren family heartily disliked by
+every member of the ant colony. But there was nothing the ants could do
+except to try to be careful. And they were so angry that since they were
+powerless to harm the Wrens, they were quite ready and eager to vent
+their spite on Rusty's smaller friends.
+
+That was the reason why they had determined to attack Daddy Longlegs at
+the very first opportunity.
+
+Yes! The members of the ant colony had made up their minds to capture
+Daddy the next time he should visit Rusty Wren. And the ant army of
+fierce fighters was all prepared for a terrible battle. Each day
+sentinels took their posts and stayed on watch, ready to give the alarm
+the moment Daddy Longlegs came hobbling through the grass near the foot
+of the cherry tree.
+
+And when, at last, Daddy fell into the trap, on the day that he visited
+Rusty to boast about his wagon ride, the news of his arrival spread like
+wildfire.
+
+The ants had not said a word to Daddy as he passed their home and
+climbed up the cherry tree. They allowed him to go unharmed. But while
+he was high up in the tree chatting with Rusty Wren, ants hurried back
+to their stronghold from every direction. And in a surprisingly short
+time the whole army was ready and waiting--waiting for Daddy Longlegs to
+descend to the ground.
+
+When he had finished his call, Daddy Longlegs left the cherry tree and
+started homeward. But he had not gone more than a few inches when the
+ant army sprang out of the ground as if by magic.
+
+The soldiers were all around Daddy before he realized what was
+happening. And then he saw that it was too late for him to turn back
+and try to escape by climbing the tree again.
+
+Being a timid person, he took fright at once. And looking up toward
+Rusty Wren's house he cried, "Help! help!" in a terror-stricken voice.
+
+But Daddy's shrieks brought no answer. Rusty Wren had flown away to find
+food for his hungry children. The ant sentinels had seen him leave. And
+they knew that they had nothing to fear from that quarter.
+
+As the army closed in around him, Daddy Longlegs thought that he had
+never been in such danger in all his life before. The army was so near
+him that he could have seen the whites of the soldier's eyes--if they
+had had any whites.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+THE ANT ARMY
+
+
+URGED on by their leaders, the ant soldiers dashed upon meek, frightened
+Daddy Longlegs. On all sides they crowded about him. And as he looked
+down at his swarming enemies and saw how fiercely they rushed at him,
+his knees began to tremble just as they did when a strong wind was
+blowing.
+
+Poor Daddy stood helplessly waiting for the worst to happen. He expected
+any moment to feel himself pulled down and thrown upon the ground. But
+strange to say, in spite of the uproar and the mad charge of Daddy's
+enemies, nothing of the kind occurred. Soon it became clear that the ant
+army was in some sort of trouble. Although the leaders drove the
+soldiers at Daddy Longlegs with frantic cries, the army merely surged
+backwards and forwards around him.
+
+And Daddy had not received as much as a slap on the wrist from a single
+one of the attacking party.
+
+Seeing that his forces were making no headway against the enemy, General
+Antenna, who commanded the entire army, called to one of the captains.
+
+"What's the trouble, Captain Kidd?" the General demanded. "Our soldiers
+don't seem to be doing any damage."
+
+Of course, you must click your heels together when a General speaks to
+you. And naturally that took Captain Kidd some time to do, because it is
+no easy matter to click your heels together when you have six feet.
+
+Perhaps it was only to be expected that General Antenna should quickly
+become impatient.
+
+"Why don't you answer?" the General shouted. "We'll lose the battle if
+we're not careful!"
+
+Then Captain Kidd had to stop and salute the General. And that took
+time, too. For how could anyone touch his cap when he had lost it
+somewhere?
+
+Luckily, General Antenna soon saw what was the matter, and said:
+
+"Here--take my cap!" And the General promptly clapped a gold-braided cap
+upon the Captain's head.
+
+Then Captain Kidd was able to salute. And after that--and not
+before--the brave officer was ready to answer the General's inquiry.
+
+Yes! Captain Kidd was all ready to reply. But by that time the Captain
+had quite forgotten what the question was.
+
+Fortunately, General Antenna remembered--and repeated--it.
+
+"What's the trouble?"
+
+"Oh, yes!" said the Captain. "The trouble is this: Our soldiers can't
+reach the enemy. Daddy Longlegs is so tall that they can't touch
+anything except his feet!"
+
+Taking a careful look at the battle-field, the General saw that it was
+so. But still the commander of the army was not dismayed.
+
+"Can't you tip him over?"
+
+"We've tried to already," replied Captain Kidd. "But he has too many
+legs for us."
+
+"Can't your soldiers stand on one another's shoulders?"
+
+"It's no use," the Captain answered. "We've tried that too."
+
+General Antenna began to look somewhat worried, knowing that if the army
+couldn't win the battle before Rusty Wren came home, all would be lost.
+For no army of ants could stand and fight such a monster as he.
+
+"I have it!" the General cried at last. "I've thought of the very
+thing.... Bring some stepladders!"
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+DADDY ESCAPES
+
+
+THAT was a fine idea of General Antenna's--that plan of bringing
+stepladders, so that the ant army might climb up on them and reach Daddy
+Longlegs, whom they were attacking.
+
+And Captain Kidd told the General on the spot that it was a most happy
+thought.
+
+"Then do as I tell you, at once!" the General ordered pompously.
+
+"I can't!" said Captain Kidd, who was terribly frightened, because the
+General was sure to be angry.
+
+"_Can't!_" cried General Antenna fiercely. "_Can't!_ What do you mean,
+madam?" (Perhaps you did not know that Captain Kidd was a lady, as were
+also the General and the whole army, too!)
+
+Captain Kidd's voice broke as she stammered an answer to General
+Antenna's rude demand.
+
+"I know of only one stepladder in Pleasant Valley," she explained. "It
+belongs to Farmer Green. And it's so heavy that the whole army couldn't
+move it."
+
+At that a shudder passed over General Antenna's fat body.
+
+"Then we're as good as lost!" she shrieked. "Daddy Longlegs will defeat
+us. And I'll never hear the last of it."
+
+And right there on the edge of the battle-field General Antenna shed so
+many bitter tears that Captain Kidd had to move aside slightly, to keep
+her feet from getting wet.
+
+"Don't weep!" cried the Captain in a husky voice. "It's not your
+fault--really!"
+
+"Whose is it, then?" asked the General brokenly.
+
+"Why, Farmer Green is to blame, of course!" Captain Kidd replied. "If he
+hadn't made his stepladder so big we might have used it and won the
+battle just as easily as not."
+
+"That's so!" the General agreed, drying her tears on a lace
+handkerchief. "And from this time forth, Farmer Green and I are deadly
+enemies!"
+
+Meanwhile the battle still raged furiously. But Daddy Longlegs had not
+received a single wound. And perceiving, at last, that he was quite
+unharmed, he took heart again.
+
+Finally it occurred to him that the ant army was totally unable to reach
+him, borne high in the air as he was by his long legs. And as his fear
+left him, he could think of no reason why he should stay where he was
+any longer.
+
+Accordingly he pulled himself together and began to walk away. He moved
+right through the ant army; and the soldiers were powerless to stop him.
+
+Just then General Antenna happened to glance over the battle-field. And
+her sad look at once gave way to one of great joy. She even gave Captain
+Kidd a hearty slap on the back--much to that lady's distress (because it
+knocked her cap awry).
+
+"Look!" cried the General. "We've won the battle after all; for the
+enemy is retreating! Daddy Longlegs is running away!"
+
+Hurrying off then, General Antenna joined her army, and told her
+soldiers that they had shown themselves to be very brave, and that as a
+reward they might each have an extra drink of milk that night with their
+supper.
+
+There was great rejoicing in the ant colony that evening. And General
+Antenna caused the news of the victory to be carried throughout Pleasant
+Valley.
+
+But when he heard it, after he reached home, Daddy Longlegs laughed
+merrily.
+
+"Why, they never touched me!" he exclaimed.
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+LOST--A JACKKNIFE!
+
+
+JOHNNIE GREEN couldn't find his new jackknife anywhere. Since it was the
+third knife Johnnie had lost that summer, anyone might think that he
+wouldn't have cared much, being so used to losing jackknives.
+
+But Johnnie had been particularly proud of that knife. It had two
+blades, a small saw, a corkscrew, a gimlet, a leather-punch, and a hook
+for pulling a stone out of the hoof of the old horse Ebenezer.
+
+Johnnie had worked in the hayfield on many hot days to earn enough to
+buy that knife. So it was no wonder that he wanted to find it. He
+hunted for it carefully--in the woodshed (where he had gone for an
+armful of wood), in the barn (where he had helped milk the cows that
+morning), and under the big oak in the dooryard (into which he had
+chased the cat). And not finding his knife in any of those places, he
+went into the pantry, for he remembered getting some jam and cookies
+there between breakfast and dinner-time.
+
+The jackknife was not in the pantry. Johnnie even looked for it inside
+the cookie-jar. And failing to find the knife there, he consoled himself
+by taking three more cookies. Then he slipped out of the house and sat
+down behind the stone wall to enjoy his lunch.
+
+All the time he was munching his cookies Johnnie Green was trying to
+recall exactly what he had done and where he had been since he jumped
+out of bed that morning. If there was any place he had forgotten, he
+intended to go there at once and look for his lost jackknife.
+
+Having swallowed the last crumb of his goodies, Johnnie leaned back
+against the stone wall and closed his eyes in thought. He wondered if
+there wasn't some out-of-the-way nook he had visited that day.
+
+As he sat there, something tickled his ear. Then it tickled his
+cheek--and finally his nose.
+
+Johnnie Green couldn't help sneezing. And opening his eyes, whom should
+he see but Daddy Longlegs, standing on the tip of his nose.
+
+"My goodness!" Daddy exclaimed when Johnnie Green sneezed. "I didn't
+think the wind was going to blow to-day. But there's an awful blast!
+I'd better hurry home at once."
+
+He had scarcely turned to go back where he came from when Johnnie sat
+up; and seizing his visitor quickly--but carefully--Johnnie removed him
+from his perch and held him, a captive, in his hands.
+
+When he stepped from a stone to Johnnie's head Daddy Longlegs had no
+idea that he was not walking on another stone. Who would have expected
+to find the head of a boy lying motionless against a wall?
+
+As soon as he recovered from his surprise, Daddy Longlegs struggled to
+escape. But his captor guarded him with great pains.
+
+"You don't think I'm going to let you get away, do you?" Johnnie Green
+asked him.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+JUST A NOTION
+
+
+IN common with all the other youngsters that went to school in the
+little red school-house, Johnnie Green thought that Daddy Longlegs and
+every one of his relations had a strange power.
+
+Yes! Johnnie believed that if you happened to be lost in the woods, you
+would need only to find Daddy Longlegs--or one of his cousins--and he
+would point out the way home for you, if you asked him. Or if you wanted
+to recover something you had lost, you could surely find it with the
+help of any one of Daddy Longlegs' family.
+
+So that was the reason why Johnnie Green was glad to see Daddy just at
+that time. Having lost his new jackknife, Johnnie was determined that
+Daddy should tell him where to find it.
+
+"Now, you listen to me!" Johnnie commanded, frowning severely at Daddy.
+"I've dropped my knife somewhere and you must point towards it if you
+want me to let you go.
+
+"I'll tell you what it's like," he continued, "so you won't make any
+mistake. It has two blades, and a saw, and a corkscrew, and a gimlet,
+and a leather-punch, and a hook to use on a horse's hoof. It's the best
+knife I've ever owned. And I'd be pretty angry if you sent me off the
+wrong way to find a jackknife that wasn't nearly so good."
+
+Now, Daddy Longlegs was angry himself. He thought that Johnnie Green
+had no business to make him a prisoner. And as for knowing where the
+lost knife was, he hadn't the faintest idea where it could be.
+
+"I can't tell you anything about your old jackknife!" Daddy cried. (It
+was really a new knife, as Johnnie had explained to him. But you must
+remember that Daddy Longlegs was in a terrible temper.)
+
+Unfortunately Daddy's voice was entirely too tiny for Johnnie Green to
+hear. And meanwhile Daddy continued to tug and twist, trying to free
+himself from Johnnie Green's grasp. His eight legs kept reaching out in
+all directions for firmer footholds.
+
+Silly Johnnie Green thought that he was trying to point the way to the
+missing knife!
+
+"Stop!" Johnnie cried. "Take your time and don't get excited! If you
+keep motioning with all your legs at once you can't expect me to
+understand what you mean."
+
+Soon after that Daddy became quieter, though it was only because he grew
+tired from his efforts to escape. But he was so angry and so worried
+that one of his legs kept twitching; and it felt so queer that Daddy
+Longlegs had to stretch it again and again.
+
+"Ah! That's better!" Johnnie Green exclaimed then. "Now you're pointing
+plainly enough. I know now that you're trying to tell me to walk right
+towards the sweet apple tree if I want to find my knife. And I'm obliged
+to you, Mr. Daddy Longlegs! Thank you very much!"
+
+Then Johnnie let go his prisoner, who crept quickly into a crevice of
+the stone wall, where he stayed for a long time.
+
+As for Johnnie Green, he scrambled spryly over the wall and began to
+move in a bee line toward the sweet apple tree. He walked slowly and
+searched the ground with great care. But he saw no sign of his precious
+knife.
+
+Beneath the sweet apple tree Johnnie paused mournfully.
+
+"He was only fooling me!" he exclaimed. "That old Daddy Longlegs played
+a trick on me!"
+
+Johnnie just couldn't help feeling disappointed. And he just couldn't
+help feeling hungry as well. Luckily there were apples on the old tree.
+So he began to shin up into its branches.
+
+And then all at once he saw his beautiful knife sticking into the
+tree-trunk right before his eyes.
+
+Johnnie remembered then that he had visited the sweet apple tree soon
+after breakfast that very day, when he had happened to feel hungry. And
+he had stuck the knife there himself and gone off and forgotten it.
+
+With a shout of joy he gripped its horn handle and pulled it out.
+
+"Old Daddy Longlegs knew what he was about after all!" he shouted.
+
+And Johnnie Green never guessed that his finding his jackknife was
+nothing but an accident. Daddy had never even seen it. And if he had, he
+wouldn't have known what it was.
+
+But after that Johnnie was more convinced than ever that Daddy Longlegs
+had a strange power.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+WHY DADDY WAS CHANGED
+
+
+IT was after his adventure with Johnnie Green that Daddy Longlegs'
+neighbors first noticed something queer about him.
+
+They knew that he was not the same. But strangely enough, no two of them
+could agree as to what had changed him. Chirpy Cricket said that he
+thought that Daddy was wearing a new coat, for his coat-tails seemed to
+flap differently when he walked. Buster Bumblebee claimed that Daddy had
+bought himself a new hat which tipped at an unusual angle. And little
+Mrs. Ladybug insisted that Daddy's odd look was due to nothing more or
+less than some new checked trousers. She remembered (she said) that he
+had always worn striped ones before.
+
+Those were the opinions of only three of Daddy's friends. It seemed as
+if everybody in Pleasant Valley had his own idea about the reason why
+Daddy was changed.
+
+Naturally, many disputes arose, because everyone declared that his own
+notion was the right one. And at last several excited persons went to
+old Mr. Crow and asked him to settle the trouble.
+
+But Mr. Crow would have nothing to do with the affair. He did not like
+Daddy Longlegs. And he said he preferred not to think about him at all.
+
+That was something of a setback for the company, until somebody said,
+"Let's go and ask Solomon Owl! There's no one in Pleasant Valley that
+looks so wise as he!"
+
+So they hurried off to the hemlock woods where Solomon Owl lived. He was
+at home. And he listened carefully to each of his callers--although they
+all talked at once.
+
+At last he shouted loudly for silence, though it was some time before he
+had it.
+
+"Hush! hush!" some of the quieter ones said. "We want to hear what wise
+Mr. Solomon Owl says."
+
+And then Solomon Owl spoke:
+
+"If you want to know what's the matter with Daddy Longlegs why don't you
+go and ask him?"
+
+Everybody exclaimed at once that that was a splendid plan. And thanking
+Mr. Owl for his excellent advice, the party hurried away.
+
+When they reached the stone wall, later, they found Daddy Longlegs
+sunning himself. He seemed glad to see his callers. And when they asked
+him what it was that made him appear different, he threw back his head,
+as far as he could, and laughed heartily.
+
+"Why--don't you know?" he said. "Can't you see I've lost a leg?"
+
+Daddy's news made everyone gasp. And for a few moments not a soul could
+speak. But the callers all stared at Daddy. And then each one of them
+began to count aloud: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven----"
+
+They were counting Daddy's legs. And after they had counted seven they
+all saw that his eighth leg was missing--that is, all but Buster
+Bumblebee. Being a blundering sort of person, he made a mistake and
+counted one leg twice. But the other callers soon set him right.
+
+"It's no wonder you look different," Daddy's friends began telling him.
+"How did you meet with such an awful accident?"
+
+"I lost my leg trying to escape from Johnnie Green," Daddy explained.
+"Either he pulled the leg off my body, or I pulled my body off the
+leg--I haven't been able to decide which way it happened."
+
+"You must miss your leg terribly!" several of the company cried.
+
+"Not at all!" replied Daddy Longlegs cheerfully, to the great surprise
+of all those present. "I have seven legs left; and that ought to be
+enough for anybody. I should think."
+
+But little Mrs. Ladybug couldn't help shuddering. "I think it's just too
+dreadful!" she cried. "Johnnie Green is a very careless boy."
+
+"Oh, he didn't mean any harm, I know," Daddy Longlegs assured her. "He
+tried not to injure me.... But I'll admit there's one thing that has
+caused me a good deal of annoyance."
+
+"What's that?" everyone asked.
+
+"I had to get a new pair of seven-legged trousers," Daddy Longlegs
+explained. "And if any of you has ever tried to find such a garment at
+short notice he will understand that I've been in great trouble."
+
+Then Daddy Longlegs wished his callers a pleasant afternoon and begged
+to be excused, on account of important business.
+
+And as they watched him walk briskly away his neighbors all agreed that
+for a person who had just lost a leg he seemed wonderfully spry.
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+A NEW NAME FOR DADDY
+
+
+DADDY LONGLEGS' neighbor, little Mr. Chippy, had an idea. And since he
+thought it a good one he at once arranged a meeting of a number of his
+friends who lived near him.
+
+Among those present were Buster Bumblebee, Betsy Butterfly, Rusty Wren,
+and several others. They met in Farmer Green's apple orchard. And they
+all arrived there early because everybody was eager to know what Mr.
+Chippy had to say.
+
+"My idea----" Mr. Chippy began----"my idea is this: since Daddy Longlegs
+is so changed, after losing one of his legs, we really ought to call
+him by a different name. Now that he has only seven legs--instead of
+eight--it doesn't seem polite to say anything about _legs_ in his
+hearing."
+
+As Mr. Chippy paused and looked about him the whole company agreed that
+his idea was an excellent one.
+
+"But I don't know where we're going to find a new name for him," said
+Buster Bumblebee, who never had many ideas of his own.
+
+"That's easy!" Mr. Chippy told him. "I've thought of a splendid name.
+And I'm perfectly willing to let you use it.... It's _Grandfather
+Graybeard_!"
+
+Most of the company clapped their hands when Mr. Chippy said that. But
+Buster Bumblebee spoke up and said that he didn't think much of that
+name, because Daddy Longlegs had no beard.
+
+"Well, for all you know he may decide to wear one, any day," Mr. Chippy
+replied.
+
+And then all the company applauded again--except Buster Bumblebee.
+
+"How do you know Daddy Longlegs is a grandfather?" he asked Mr. Chippy.
+
+"How do you know he isn't?" Mr. Chippy asked _him_.
+
+And then everybody but Buster cried out that "Grandfather Graybeard" was
+a fine name for Daddy Longlegs. And many remarked that Daddy would be
+greatly pleased when he heard the news.
+
+"Thank you!" said Mr. Chippy, making a low bow with his hand on his
+heart. "And now if it is the pleasure of the meeting I will go back to
+the stone wall at once and tell Daddy Longlegs what we have decided to
+do."
+
+To Mr. Chippy's surprise a murmur of dissent greeted his proposal.
+
+"What's the matter?" asked Mr. Chippy! "I thought you liked my idea."
+
+"So we do!" Rusty Wren replied. "But we think it would be better if we
+_all_ called on Daddy and explained to him about the change."
+
+"Very well!" little Mr. Chippy answered. "The more the merrier! I'll be
+the spokesman. And I will suggest that we start for the stone wall right
+now, for there's no time like the present, you know."
+
+Even Buster Bumblebee approved of Mr. Chippy's retort. And with that
+everybody started pell-mell for the stone wall.
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+A BRIDEGROOM
+
+
+DADDY LONGLEGS was taken entirely by surprise. It was rather early in
+the morning. And he had not expected callers--at least not so many as
+suddenly appeared at the stone wall where he was usually to be found.
+
+Luckily he was arrayed in his very best clothes. Indeed, he was quite
+smartly dressed--for him. A bright yellow scarf, tied in a big bow
+beneath his chin, made him look almost dandified. And he was wearing a
+bottle-green coat, lined with pink.
+
+"Goodness!" said Buster Bumblebee. "He looks like a bridegroom!" But
+his companions all told him to hush, and not to be disrespectful to his
+elders.
+
+"Good morning!" said Mr. Chippy to Daddy Longlegs. "We've come to tell
+you some good news. We're going to call you by a different name. And we
+hope you'll like it."
+
+"I hope so!" Daddy Longlegs echoed. "What is it, please?"
+
+"It's 'Grandfather Graybeard'!" little Mr. Chippy informed him with an
+air of pride.
+
+"Why, that's a beautiful name!" Daddy Longlegs cried, as a look of
+pleasure crossed his face.
+
+"I'm glad you think so," said Mr. Chippy. "It's only fair to tell you
+that I thought of it myself."
+
+And then he called for "three cheers for Grandfather Graybeard!"
+
+They gave them with a right good will.
+
+And after the sound had died away Mr. Chippy said something in a whisper
+to Daddy.
+
+"What is it?" Rusty Wren demanded. "What's he talking about?"
+
+"He thinks we ought to give three cheers for him," Daddy Longlegs
+explained.
+
+But before they had time to do that a large lady bustled out from the
+stone wall and walked straight up to Daddy Longlegs. She was one of his
+own kind, too. The whole company agreed to that, afterwards; because
+they had all counted her feet. And she had eight.
+
+"What's this?" the newcomer demanded. "What's going on here, I should
+like to know?"
+
+And Daddy Longlegs looked a bit uncomfortable as he explained that he
+had a new name, and told her what it was.
+
+"You haven't given your consent, I hope?" she said.
+
+"I'm afraid I have," Daddy replied meekly.
+
+"Then withdraw it at once!" she commanded sharply. "I don't like this
+new name at all."
+
+Poor Daddy Longlegs looked as if he wished he might sink into the ground
+and vanish. But since he couldn't do that, he stammered that he was much
+obliged to his friends for their kindness, but he really would have to
+insist that they call him by his old name, and he hoped they would
+understand.
+
+But they didn't understand even then. And the whole company stood
+silent, with their mouths open, and watched Daddy Longlegs follow the
+strange lady away. She had beckoned to him. And he had started after
+her without a word of protest.
+
+His friends noticed that she was considerably bigger than he was.
+
+Well, they might have been standing there yet if little Mrs. Ladybug
+hadn't arrived just then, quite out of breath from hurrying. And of
+course she wanted to know what had happened.
+
+"For pity's sake!" she cried, after she had listened to the strange
+story. "Do you mean to say you haven't heard the news? Didn't you know
+that Daddy Longlegs had a new wife? Naturally, a _bride_ wouldn't care
+to have her young husband known as 'Grandfather Graybeard.'"
+
+"Ah! But he's very old!" said little Mr. Chippy.
+
+"How do you know?" Mrs. Ladybug inquired.
+
+Mr. Chippy had to admit that he had no means of knowing.
+
+And then Mrs. Ladybug looked very wise.
+
+"I have reason to believe," she said "that Daddy Longlegs is a much
+younger person than we have always supposed."
+
+
+THE END
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's The Tale of Daddy Longlegs, by Arthur Scott Bailey
+
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