[Illustration:
Mr. Squirrel and Mrs. Squirrel were invited and were glad to accept.
]
Mr. Peckerwood had been abroad early. Mrs. Rabbit was going to give a
dining and had commissioned him to invite her friends. Mrs. Rabbit had
baked up the entire turn of corn that Mr. Rabbit had taken to mill to
provide for Sunday’s dinner. Mr. Squirrel and Mrs. Squirrel were invited
and were glad to accept and promised to attend. Mr. and Mrs. Toad were
invited but were compelled to decline. In discussing the matter among
themselves Mrs. Toad observed: “We have lived long here in our own
simple way and have never gone in society. It was a hard struggle for a
time and no one thought of us or cared for us. We have always lived at
peace with our neighbors and we now have their good will; but, because
we have prospered, we have not changed our habits of life. We are
old-fashioned and we would be out of place in grand society if it is as
those who have been there picture it. Of course those present would be
very kind to us and do what they could to make us feel at home; but
their efforts would only make us sense the more keenly how unfitted we
are for such company. We are unused to gaiety and fine things and we
would be at a loss to know what to do and always fearful of making
mistakes. We had better remain as we are and where we are. Here we know
what to do and how to extract simple pleasure from our surroundings.
There, everything would be new and strange and untoward.”
Mrs. Toad said these things not without an effort. In spite of her, she
had a curiosity to see the fine sights in the upper and polite world.
Mr. Toad agreed with her and added: “They used to say every Toad,
however ugly, had a precious jewel in its head. Of late years this has
been disputed by the wise who call themselves scientists. You, my dear,
at least, vindicate the truth of the older claim. You have in your head
the precious jewel of sound sense and wise discretion.”
Mrs. Toad smiled and her desire to go vanished. The commendation of
those we love is always conciliating and soothing.
Mr. and Mrs. Frog were invited and Mrs. Frog accepted for the entire
family. She wanted Mr. Frog and the Baby Frogs to have a pleasant outing
and she was flattered by the thought that green dresses and white
stomachers would look uncommonly well. Frogs could not fly, but they
could swim and dive, and that is something the birds of the air cannot
do, she mused. She began at once preparing for the event.
Mr. Jaybird and Mrs. Jaybird were invited by mistake and they accepted
instantly and Mrs. Jaybird flew over to Mrs. Magpie’s home and told her
all about it and how she hated to go to the stupid function and be
bored, as she knew she would be; but, as Everybody who is Anybody is to
be there, she presumed she would have to attend. Mrs. Magpie received no
invitation; neither did Mr. Magpie, but Mrs. Magpie flew about and told
Everybody who is Nobody that _she_ would not attend such a meeting or
mix in with such company, and Everybody who is Nobody commended her
discrimination and solemnly declared that _she_ would not attend such a
meeting or mix in such company.
Mr. Beaver and Mrs. Beaver were invited, and Mrs. Beaver said that she
would attend to the R. S. V. P. later on. As soon as Mr. Peckerwood was
out of sight she came out of her house and slapped the water with her
flat tail, producing a sharp sound that could be heard a long distance.
Mr. Beaver, who was cutting into convenient lengths a tree he had felled
the day previous, so that he could roll it down the bank and use it in
strengthening the dam in front of his house, plunged into the water and
dived down to the door of his stronghold in alarm, thinking serious
danger impended and that the noise was the usual warning given by the
sentinels. He was met by Mrs. Beaver, whose face was lit up and smiling,
and who exclaimed: “What do you think! We have been invited to a dining
at Mrs. Rabbit’s and we are sure to have a good time. Everybody who is
Anybody will be there, and I don’t think we will have to take a back
seat for any of them. It is rather warm for furs, but it is late in the
season, and—furs are always furs.”
Mrs. Beaver was radiant and enthusiastic and she looked proudly at her
sleek coat, from which the water had almost disappeared.
Mr. Beaver looked at her for a while before he spoke, loth to lessen the
pleasure she found in anticipating so great an event, and then he kindly
but firmly said: “I do not like to differ from you. I dislike to.
Nevertheless, I do not think it is wise in us to attend Mr. Rabbit’s
dining. It is flattering to be invited to the tables of the great, but
it is unwise to accept attentions that cannot be returned. To return
such a compliment we are in no way prepared. To accept it would put us
under an obligation that we could not discharge, and we would be
carrying the burden of a debt we could not pay. Mr. Rabbit is wealthy.
He has a broad briar patch in which he is safe, and into which not even
Mr. Rattlesnake can enter. He has an abundance of clover and sweet
grasses and tender buds at his door and his home is spacious. But these
he neither created, produced nor builded. They were given him, and he
has no other interest in them save possession. With us, what we have we
produced by our own efforts. We cut down and hauled trees and fashioned
houses and dams. We are our own architect and builder. Unlike some
animals who claim to be much wiser than we and who design and build
houses for other people, while going homeless themselves, we provided
for ourselves and what we have is our own. So long as we guard it and
continue our custom of healthy, hard work, we will be happy. As soon as
we leave our narrow sphere we will meet trouble. Our bodies are covered
with rich fur that is seasonable enough, but our tails are covered with
scales, and strange company would not know how to take us. They could
not make flesh of one and fish of the other.” As he said this Mr. Beaver
felt much pleased with his own fluent rhetoric.
Mrs. Beaver, who had listened glumly, was silenced but not convinced.
She puffed up and said nothing. Her heart was set on going to the
dining, and no argument could change her. And the misery of it all was
her silence. Had she said something or done something; had she talked
back, or thrown a billet of wood at Mr. Beaver, it would have been a
relief to him. But she merely _looked_ and said nothing, and this was
killing.
Mr. Beaver returned moodily to his work, feeling that his philosophy was
weak and useless, and that there are times when it is better to be
unwisely happy than to be unhappily wise.
Mr. Chipmunk and Mrs. Chipmunk were invited. Mr. Swamp Rabbit and Mrs.
Swamp Rabbit were invited. Mr. Otter and Mrs. Otter were invited. Mr.
Mink and Mrs. Mink were invited. Mr. Groundhog and Mrs. Groundhog were
invited; but Mr. Groundhog excused himself, saying that he was afraid of
losing his shadow and becoming like the unfortunate Peter Schlemihl in
the story. Mr. and Mrs. Kildee, Mr. and Mrs. Redbird, Mr. and Mrs.
Sparrow, Mr. and Mrs. Dove, Mr. and Mrs. Quail were invited and Mr. and
Mrs. Humming-bird promised to look in on the company. Mr. and Mrs.
Thrush were invited, but announced that they could not sing, as they
were under contract, unless paid for it, or unless their manager, Mr.
Wildcat, was bidden as a guest, which, of course, could not be thought
of. All members of the Mocking-bird family were invited, and Mr.
Mocking-bird promised to bring his music, providing Mr. and Mrs. Linnet
were not of the party. Mr. Parrot and Mrs. Parrot and Mr. Goose and Mrs.
Goose were on the list to be invited; but they were later removed for
fear the one would repeat everything that was said and the other would
talk and gabble so much that nothing could be said. Mr. Rabbit suggested
inviting Mr. Stork and Mrs. Stork, old friends of the family, but Mrs.
Rabbit said that while they would be welcome as far as _she_ was
concerned, she knew that many of her friends who go much in society
would object.
On the day appointed all the guests attended and it was a goodly
company.