IN WHICH THE ANIMALS SEND A MESSAGE TO THE PRETTY LADY
“And that,” finished Diggeldy Dan, “is the story of the Pretty Lady
with the Blue-Blue Eyes.”
It was on the fifth day after she of whom Dan spoke had brought him the
message from Too-Bo-Tan and, with all the animals of Spangleland
gathered about him, the old clown had been telling them of her and the
blue bird.
“Yes,” nodded Camel, “she is the Fairy of the Circus. I have heard my
father describe her.”
“But I like the other name best,” spoke up Seal. “‘The Pretty Lady with
the Blue-Blue Eyes!’ When my family and I go into the great white tent
to perform, we often catch a glimpse of the riders as they pass on their
way from the rings. They are much like that—all pretty ladies with
mounts like the White-White Horse.”
“I wish we could see her,” mused Leopard.
“Let’s send her a message,” suggested Ostrich.
“But how?” queried Kangaroo. “We’ve no one to send and, even if we had,
where in the world should we send him?”
“Diggeldy Dan,” said Lion, “what have you to suggest?”
“Well,” answered Dan, “I know this much: and that is that the Pretty
Lady went away toward the west. I like to believe that she makes her
home in the sunset.”
“Why, if that’s the case, then that’s not far from here,” broke in
Elephant.
Even while Elephant was speaking, Giraffe came forward and picked up the
chalk. Then, striding to the side of a cage, he scrawled on its face:
“Not far at all—looking through eaves space in tent—this very
evening—saw sun set just back of hill—’bout a mile from here—Giraffe.”
“Not more than a mile!” cried Tiger, “Only a mile!” Then he paused and
looked rather foolish. For how were they to reach over even a mile.
“I know, I know, I know!” shouted Monkey, dancing up and down.
“Balloons, balloons, balloons! That’s the way! That’s the—”
“Hold on there, Monkey,” interrupted Lion. “Not so fast and, for
goodness’ sake, don’t get so excited. Besides, I, for one, know of no
balloons in this vicinity.”
“No, no, I don’t mean truly big balloons,” explained Monkey. “Wait a
minute and I’ll show you!” And away he dashed down the menagerie tent
and was back in a twinkling, waving a great cluster of toy balloons over
his head.
“Monkey,” admitted Lion, as he took the balloons, “I must confess that
your head is ofttimes much longer than mine. Of course, you mean—”
“To write our message, tie it to the balloons and get the east wind to
carry it over the hill to the place where Giraffe saw the sun go down,”
finished Monkey.
And then the excitement that followed! The writing of the message fell
to Diggeldy Dan and, after no end of changes—all, of course, for the
better—there appeared these words written on a corner that had been torn
from the great circus poster:
“Dear Pretty Lady with the Blue-Blue Eyes,
At Sunset House, just over the hill:
“We all want you to visit us. We all promise to be very quiet.
“Please come at half-past twilight, to-morrow.
(Signed) “Animals of Spangleland,
“By: Diggeldy Dan, Secretary.
“P. S.—Please bring back the balloons, because they are just
borrowed.
“P. S.—The White-White Horse is invited, too.”
The message completed, Diggeldy Dan produced a piece of string from one
of his wonderful pockets and, aided by Monkey, tied all the sticks of
all the balloons tightly together and then fastened the letter to the
tip of the sticks.
“Now, then,” said Lion, “we are ready to let loose the balloons. You,
Elephant, take hold of the sticks with your trunk. You, Puma, will leap
to the top of your cage and hold open the eaves of the tent with your
paws so that Elephant can thrust the balloons through the space and hand
them to the wind as it comes out of the east.”
“I can make out the curve of a hill to the west,” called Puma, who had
jumped from the ground to the roof of the cage. “Only I can’t get quite
high enough to see over the top.”
“I’ll be the lookout,” cried Monkey, “that is, if Giraffe will lend me
his head and step over near the eaves of the tent.” And, as Giraffe
nodded assent, up the long neck he scampered and was soon perched aloft,
holding tight with both hands to Giraffe’s pointed ears.
“All right, up there?” called Lion from below.
“All ready,” answered Monkey, “and here comes the east wind around the
side of the tent.”
“Cast off, then, Elephant,” commanded Lion. “Let go the balloons!”
At the very same moment, Elephant gave a great “swish” with his trunk
and away went the balloons through the space at the eaves.
“There they go!” shouted Monkey. “Up, up, up! Goodness, how they’re
sailing! Oh! they’ve caught in a tree! No, they haven’t! Now the east
wind has them again! Once more they’re off! They’re going higher and
higher! And they’re bound straight for the hill! Yes, straight for the
brow of the hill!”
And so, from his perch, Monkey described every inch of the flight until,
to the great relief of the animals who were grouped down below, he
announced that the balloons had passed over the hill.
Indeed the word came in good time, for just then there followed a quick
shout from Dan, crying, “Get back to your places as fast as you can!”
Then came a wild scurrying to right and to left.
“Now, I’ll bid you good night,” said Diggeldy Dan, when the very last
door had been locked. “And to-morrow we’ll learn if we were right when
we guessed that the one we have written makes her home in the west.”