Chapter 3

Daddy Longlegs had so many pleasant ideas in his head that there was no room in it for any thought of danger. He had found that his neighbors considered him a hero, because he had ridden in Farmer Green's wagon. A good many of Daddy's friends rushed at once to the stone wall, to talk with him--as soon as they heard the news. And naturally he began to feel quite important.

"Weren't you frightened?" people asked him. "Weren't you afraid that the horse would run away?"

"Oh, no! I wasn't the least bit scared, though I admit it was a dangerous feat," Daddy Longlegs told them. Then he would strut and swagger about, trying to appear as if there wasn't a braver person than he in all Pleasant Valley. And he talked about his wild ride to everybody that would listen to him.

At first Daddy's friends enjoyed hearing about his adventure. But he boasted so much about his bravery that his listeners soon grew tired of hearing him talk. And instead of his having many callers, it was not long before Daddy Longlegs found that nobody came near him, even to say howdy-do.

He endured his loneliness as long as he could, though he found it hard not to talk when he had so much to say. And feeling, at last, that he was in danger of choking over the babble that surged up from within him, Daddy Longlegs decided that he would go and call on Rusty Wren, who lived in the cherry tree near Farmer Green's bedroom window.

"Rusty will be glad to know of my ride in the wagon," Daddy thought. "And besides, I'd like to hear about his cousin's party, which I missed on account of the big wind." So off Daddy Longlegs started, the moment the idea popped into his head. He was the least bit uneasy, perhaps, for fear Rusty Wren might not be at home, in which case he would have nobody to talk to except Rusty's wife. And everybody knew that she was a person of uncertain temper.

But Daddy found Rusty perched on the tin roof of his house (his house was made of a maple-syrup can). And the first thing that Daddy Longlegs said to him was this: "Is your wife at home?"

That may seem a strange question. But Rusty Wren appeared to know what his caller meant. Anyhow, Rusty said, "No!" in such a cheerful tone that Daddy Longlegs knew they could have a good chat without being disturbed.

XVI

BOASTFUL TALK

"I SUPPOSE you've heard of my great adventure?" Daddy Longlegs began, as 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?"