[CHAPTER III] _The Child-Larks_
"Folks will be worried about us, Twink," said Chubbins.
"'Course they will," Twinkle replied. "They'll wonder what has becomeof us, and try to find us."
"But they won't look in the tree-tops."
"No."
"Nor think to ask the birds where we are."
"Why should they?" enquired Twinkle. "They can't talk to the birds,Chub."
"Why not? We talk to them, don't we? And they talk to us. At least, thep'liceman and the eagle did."
"That's true," answered Twinkle, "and I don't understand it a bit. Imust ask Mr. Bluejay to 'splain it to us."
"What's the use of a p'liceman in the forest?" asked Chubbins, after amoment's thought.
"I suppose," she replied, "that he has to keep the birds from beingnaughty. Some birds are just awful mischiefs, Chub. There's themagpies, you know, that steal; and the crows that fight; and thejackdaws that are saucy, and lots of others that get into trouble.Seems to me P'liceman Bluejay's a pretty busy bird, if he looks afterthings as he ought."
"Prob'ly he's got his hands full," said Chubbins.
"Not that; for he hasn't any hands, any more than we have. Perhaps youought to say he's got his wings full," suggested Twinkle.
"That reminds me I'm hungry," chirped the boy-lark.
"Well, we've got the basket," she replied.
"But how can we eat cake and things, witched up as we are?"
"Haven't we mouths and teeth, just the same as ever?"
"Yes, but we haven't any hands, and there's a cloth tied over the topof the basket."
"Dear me!" exclaimed Twinkle; "I hadn't thought of that."
They flew together to the basket and perched upon the edge of it. Itseemed astonishingly big to them, now that they were so small; butChubbins remarked that this fact was a pleasant one, for instead ofeating all the good things the basket contained at one meal, as theyhad at first intended, it would furnish them with food for many days tocome.
But how to get into the basket was the thing to be considered just now.They fluttered around on every side of it, and finally found a smallplace where the cloth was loose. In a minute Chubbins began clawing atit with his little feet, and Twinkle helped him; so that gradually theymanaged to pull the cloth away far enough for one of them to crawlthrough the opening. Then the other followed, and because the bigbasket was not quite full there was exactly room for them to standunderneath the cloth and walk around on top of a row of cookies thatlay next to a row of sandwiches.
The cookies seemed enormous. One was lying flat, and Chubbins declaredit seemed as big around as the dining-table at home.
"All the better for us," said Twinkle, bending her head down to nibbleat the edge of the cookie.
"If we're going to be birds," said Chubbins, who was also busily eatingas best he could, "we ought to be reg'lar birds, and have bills to peckwith. This being half one thing and half another doesn't suit me atall."
"The witch wasn't trying to suit us," replied Twinkle; "she was tryingto get us into trouble."
"Well, she did it, all right," he said.
It was not so hard to eat as they had feared, for their slender necksenabled them to bend their heads low. Chubbins' hat fell off, a minutelater, and he wondered how he was going to get it on his head again.
"Can't you stand on one foot, and use the other foot like a hand?"asked Twinkle.
"I don't know," said he.
"The storks stand on one leg," continued the girl. "I've seen 'em inpictures."
So Chubbins tried it, and found he could balance his little body on oneleg very nicely. For if he toppled either way he had but to spread hiswings and tail feathers and so keep himself from falling. He picked uphis hat with the claws of his other foot and managed to put it on byducking his head.
This gave the boy-lark a new idea. He broke off a piece of the cookieand held it in his claw while he ate it; and seeing his success Twinklefollowed his example, and after a few attempts found she could eat verycomfortably in that way.
Having had their luncheon--and it amazed Chubbins to see how verylittle was required to satisfy their hunger--the bird-children creptout of the basket and flew down to the twig beside their nest.
"Hello!" cried a strange voice. "Newcomers, eh?"
They were so startled that they fluttered a moment to keep fromtumbling off the limb. Then Twinkle saw a furry red head sticking outof a small hollow in the trunk of the tree. The head had two roundblack eyes, an inquisitive nose, a wide mouth with sharp teeth andwhiskers like those of a cat. It seemed as big as the moon to the shylittle child-larks, until it occurred to the girl that the strangecreature must be a squirrel.
"You--you scared us!" she said, timidly.
"You scared _me,_ at first," returned the squirrel, in a comic tone."Dear me! how came you birds to have children's heads?"
"That isn't the way to put it," remarked Chubbins, staring back intothe eyes of the squirrel. "You should ask how we children happened tohave birds' bodies."
"Very well; put the conundrum that way, if you like," said thesquirrel. "What is the answer?"
"We are enchanted," replied Twinkle.
"Ah. The tuxix?"
"Yes. We were caught in the forest, and she bewitched us."
"That is too bad," said their new acquaintance. "She is a very wickedold creature, for a fact, and loves to get folks into trouble. Are yougoing to live here?"
"Yes," answered the girl. "Policeman Bluejay gave us this nest."
"Then it's all right; for Policeman Bluejay rules the feathered tribesof this forest about as he likes. Have you seen him in full uniformyet?"
"No," they replied, "unless his feathers are his uniform."
"Well, he's too proud of his office to be satisfied with feathers, Ican tell you. When some folks get a little authority they want all theworld to know about it, and a bold uniform covers many a faint heart.But as I'm your nearest neighbor I'll introduce myself. My name'sWisk."
"My name is Twinkle."
"And mine's Chubbins."
"Pleased to make your acquaintance," said the squirrel, nodding. "Ilive in the second flat."
"How's that?" asked the boy.
"Why, the second hollow, you know. There's a 'possum living in thehollow down below, who is carrying four babies around in her pocket;and Mrs. Hootaway, the gray owl, lives in the hollow above--the one youcan see far over your heads. So I'm the second flat tenant."
"I see," said Twinkle.
"Early in the morning the 'possum comes growling home to go to bed;late at night the owl hoots and keeps folks awake; but I'm very quietand well behaved, and you'll find me a good neighbor," continued Wisk.
"I'm sure of that," said Chubbins.
As if to prove his friendship the squirrel now darted out of the hollowand sat upon a limb beside the children, holding his bushy tailstraight up so that it stood above his head like a big plume in asoldier's helmet.
"Are you hungry?" asked the girl.
"Not very. I cannot get much food until the nuts are ripe, you know,and my last winter's supply was gone long ago. But I manage to findsome bits to eat, here and there."
"Do you like cookies?" she asked.
"I really do not know," answered Wisk. "Where do they grow?"
"In baskets. I'll get you a piece, and you can try it." So Twinkle flewup and crept into her basket again, quickly returning with a bit ofcookie in her claw. It was not much more than a crumb, but neverthelessit was all that she could carry.
The squirrel seized the morsel in his paws, examined it gravely, andthen took a nibble. An instant later it was gone.
"That is very good, indeed!" he declared. "Where do these baskets ofcookies grow?"
"They don't grow anywhere," replied Twinkle, with a laugh. "The basketscome from the grocery store, and my mama makes the cookies."
"Oh; they're human food, then."
"Yes; would you like some more?"
"Not just now,"
said Wisk. "I don't want to rob you, and it is foolishto eat more than one needs, just because the food tastes good. But if Iget very hungry, perhaps I'll ask you for another bite."
"Do," said the girl. "You are welcome to what we have, as long as itlasts."
"That is very kind of you," returned the squirrel.
They sat and talked for an hour, and Wisk told them stories of theforest, and of the many queer animals and birds that lived there. Itwas all very interesting to the children, and they listened eagerlyuntil they heard a rushing sound in the air that sent Wisk scurryingback into his hole.