_"We're going to the Country,"
Said little Buddy Jim.
And all his little play-mates said,
"How dull 'twill be, for him."
"It's like a great, big, vacant lot,
Just land and air and sky!"
"No boys! No games! Oh dear!" said Jim,
"Don't want to say Goodbye!"_
But he had to say "Goodbye," because all the other boys' Mothers were
calling them in to go to bed, and as Buddy Jim and his family were
going to get an early start for their trip to the country in their
automobile, there would be no time for saying farewells in the morning.
So all the boys ran home, shouting last messages to Buddy Jim as they
went. "Bring us a tame bull-frog," said one, and "I'd like a grey
squirrel to keep in a cage," said another.
As Buddy Jim heard the last door close behind the last small boy he
felt very lonely indeed; so he sat down on the porch swing to think it
over.
He could hear Daddy moving around in the house, getting everything
ready for the early morning start, and he knew that it would not be
very many minutes before he would be called in to go to bed; and he
wanted to get his thinking done first, so he had to do it quickly.
There was one thing that he was very sure of; he did _not_ want to go
away and leave all his play-mates behind. "Course," he thought, "there
would prob'ly be _some_ fun in the country,"--but he _knew_ that there
was loads and _loads_ of it in the city, base ball and three old cat,
and swimming in the lake, and chasing butterflies, and working in the
school gardens, helping Alex the crippled boy in the wheel chair to
train his bull-pups, and "Oh, Goodness' Sakes! So _many_ things! So
many _int'resting_ things to do."
"I don't _want_ to go," he murmured aloud. "There'll be no one to play
with; three whole months, and no one to play with! Not much fun to
think about! I'll prob'ly just fade away and _die_!" he wailed.
Then somebody laughed, "Ha, ha, ha!" To be sure, it was a queer,
squeaky little laugh, and Buddy Jim had never heard anything like it
before, but it sounded very jolly.
"Now I wonder," said Buddy Jim, "what _that_ was? It _sounded_ just
like somebody laughing! But there's no one here 'cept me."
"Hello, Buddy Jim," said the same squeaky little voice, "Hello! Can't
you see me? Here I am, up above you, in the corner of the porch
ceiling, hanging on a nail."
Buddy Jim peered up into the darkness above him, and sure enough he saw
a funny, fussy little body, hanging head downward, so that a pair of
little eyes, in a funny little fox-like face, were laughing down at him.
"Why!" said Buddy Jim in surprise, "Why! Who are you?"
"I? Oh! I'm just Reddy Bat, and when I heard you say that you were
sad because you were going to the Country to live this summer, I just
couldn't help laughing. I just laughed right out loud! Why, I'd almost
give my right wing to go to the Country to live."
"Then why don't you?" asked Buddy Jim. It's "not very far." "Can't"
said Reddy Bat, "Can't, I've got a family to support. Can't afford to
leave these good hunting grounds just for the pleasure of living in the
country."
"What do you hunt, here?" asked Buddy Jim, politely.
"Oh, flies and mosquitoes, and dragon flies, and bugs of all sorts,"
said Reddy Bat. "Don't you ever hear us swooping around after dark?"
"Now I come to think of it," said Buddy Jim, "I think I have. But I
thought you were some night bird. Anyway, do you really think there
will be any fun in the Country?"
"There will be if you make it," said Reddy Bat, "there never _is_ any
fun anywhere _unless_ one makes it for himself. But _I_ could have a
good time there. I've some cousins who live there, and if you happen to
meet them, just give them my best wishes, will you, like a good chap?"
"Why yes, I certainly will," said Buddy Jim, "if I _see_ them," he
added. "But maybe I won't see them! I've never seen you before in all
my life until now, you know."
Reddy Bat laughed again. "I know it," he said, "and I live right here
on your front lawn, in your own oak trees, and bring my family out for
supper and exercise every evening."
"Where do you leave your children when you come out?"
"Leave the _children_!" said Reddy Bat in surprise. "Leave the precious
_children_! Why, we wouldn't _think_ of such a thing. Mrs. Reddy Bat
always takes our children with her when we leave home. Why we would
not have an easy moment all the time we were away if we left _them_ at
home!"
"I think you are very tender-hearted," said Buddy Jim. "Most folks say
the Bats are ugly and not friendly." "Well," said Reddy Bat, "_I know_
we are _not_ very beautiful to look at, but I suppose we are very much
like other people; we try to defend ourselves when we are molested. But
if people treat _us_ kindly, we treat _them_ kindly."
"But, Reddy Bat," said Buddy Jim, "tell me what fun _is_ there in the
Country?"
"You'll see," laughed Reddy Bat, "living in the Country will make your
eyes open wide so that you _can_ see! And now Goodnight and Goodbye,
Buddy Jim. It's time for me to go to work and for you to go to bed."
And Reddy Bat unhooked the tip of his wing from the nail in the corner
of the porch roof, and flew past Buddy with a laugh and a whizz and was
gone!
Buddy Jim sat up and looked after him. He felt much happier! Just then
Daddy called, "Bedtime, Son!"
"Dad," said the little boy, "I b'lieve I'm going to like living in the
Country, after all!"
"Sure to, Son," said Daddy, and they gravely shook hands on it.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]