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."