"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