Billy sat on his stone in the back yard, his chin in his hand. He had
just gotten home from kindergarten and his mother had told him to go out
in the yard and play with his toys until dinner was ready.
But he was not playing with his toys. He had laid his tin-soldier on the
grass, though the little tin-soldier had been sleeping all morning and
felt like a march. He had stood his horse-and-wagon in the shade, though
the horse had been resting all morning and felt like a gallop. He had
braced his Teddy Bear against a tree, though the Teddy Bear had been
leaning against a chair all morning and felt like a romp. They all
looked reproachfully at Billy, but he did not notice them. He seemed to
be thinking deeply.
Suddenly he put his hand in his pocket. When he drew it out, it was a
little fist. When he opened the little fist, he gazed lovingly at a
piece of pink worsted, all crumpled up! He took an end of it in each
hand and stretched it out as long as he could reach. Then he crumpled
it up again and put it in his pocket.
[Illustration: "What's that in your pocket?"]
"What's that, Billy?"
Billy jumped. Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a
grasshopper sitting on a blade of grass.
"What's that in your pocket?" asked the grasshopper.
"Just a little piece of worsted," Billy replied, putting his hand in his
pocket again to be sure it was there.
"Where did you get it?" asked the grasshopper.
"At kindergarten," answered Billy.
"Teacher give it to you?"
Billy did not answer.
"Did she?" persisted the grasshopper.
"N--no," said Billy reluctantly while his face turned very red.
"Well, who did?" continued the grasshopper.
"Nobody! I found it on the floor!" replied Billy.
"Found it on the kindergarten floor," exclaimed the grasshopper, "and
brought it home with you?"
"Well," Billy defended himself, "'findin's keepin's!'"
"O Billy," cried the grasshopper, "if you lost your little tin-soldier,
and another little boy found it, wouldn't you want him to bring it back
to you?"
"Course!"
The grasshopper put his head on one side and looked at Billy. Billy
looked at the ground. Finally he spoke. "My teacher has so much worsted!
I don't know how many cards you could sew with all she has--all colors
too!"
The grasshopper put his head on the other side and looked at Billy.
Billy began to feel very uncomfortable.
"Why don't you take it back and tell your teacher all about it?" asked
the grasshopper.
"Take it back!" gasped Billy, "and give it to my teacher! I couldn't!
I'll take it back and put it on the the floor."
"Mercy on us!" exclaimed the grasshopper, jumping over to another blade
of grass, "Be a man! You will be happier after you have told her."
Now Billy knew that his teacher always stayed at kindergarten, after the
children had gone, to "straighten up" and his kindergarten was right
across the street. So he thought a moment and then jumped up. "You wait
here till I come back!" And away he ran as fast as his little legs would
carry him. But when he reached the kindergarten door, he stopped. His
teacher was sitting with her back to the door, arranging the worsted in
the large, linen worsted-case. She was humming a little song, too.
Billy's heart beat fast, for he loved his teacher and thought her the
most beautiful lady in all the world next to his mother. He started to
run away, but he remembered the grasshopper's words, "Be a man!" So he
put his little hand in his pocket and tip-toed into the room, right up
to his teacher.
"O," she said, "I thought you were a little mouse, Billy!" She laughed
as she said it but Billy looked very grave. He pulled his little fist
out of his pocket, held it toward her and opened it.
"I bwought this back to you! I found it on the floor."
"And took it home?" asked his teacher, her beautiful eyes wide open.
"Yes," answered Billy, "I didn't think you would want it."
"And when you got home, you thought I would want it?" she asked.
Billy nodded. The tears had come to his eyes, though he had tried to
keep them back.
"Thank you, Billy," she said in a low voice as she smoothed out the
crumpled worsted and put it in the case. It was a little soiled but she
did not seem to notice that. She put her arm around Billy and drew him
close to her. "I am glad you brought the worsted back, Billy," she said,
"for it shows me that you are a brave little man! It makes me love you
very much."
Billy looked up at her with shining eyes. "I love you too!" he declared.
She kissed his forehead. "Now run home to your dinner!" she said. Billy
ran as fast as he could until he saw the grasshopper. Then he stopped.
"You look very happy, Billy," said the grasshopper, "I guess you must
have told your teacher all about it!"
"I did," cried Billy, "but how did you know it would make me happy?
I did not think it would."
The grasshopper jumped over to another blade of grass, put his head on
one side, and sang,
"Oh, I am a grasshopper, very, very wise!
I know about everything underneath the skies!"
With that, he hopped such a big hop, Billy could not see where he went.
"Good-bye," called Billy and then he said to his sad little toys, "just
wait till I have had my dinner and helped my mother with the dishes and
I will come out and play with you!" and away he ran into the house, the
happiest little boy in the world.
* * * * *
O ho!
Little boys and girls who are good!
You've read these tales with me!
Their secrets you know
For you plainly show
That you're good
as good
can
be!