Buddy Jim
"I didn't look behind me"]
BUDDY JIM SEES MADAME MINK
_'Twas a misty, moisty morning And the big clouds overhead Looked like balloons all weighted down With tons and tons of lead, The trees held up their dusty leaves For a freshening drink of rain, "It's plain to see," said Buddy Jim, "It's going to rain again."_
Even Robin Redbreast knew it, and sang his "cheer up" song from thetopmost bough of the old elm tree, as much as to say, "What's a littlewetting, anyway?" And the chickens knew it and went singing dolefullyabout because they didn't like wet weather; and Mother Duck and hertwelve yellow ducklings knew it, and went about quacking merrily andlooking happy because they _did_ like it; and Buddy Jim knew it anddidn't care either way; he liked the rain or he liked the shine. Butfirst, he thought he would go and see what Old Bob the Gardener wasdoing.
He found Bob in the tool house, reeling up some fascinating-lookingfishing lines.
Old Bob looked up as Buddy Jim entered, smiling in his cheery way, andthe little boy thought that as long as Bob smiled that way he didn'tcare how much it rained.
"Like to go fishing with me, over to Long Lake, Son?" asked Bob. "Ipromised you I'd take you fishing some day, and this is going to be agood day for the fish to rise."
"_Would_ I?" said Buddy Jim. "Thanks for asking me, Bob, and I'll beready in no time."
"Be ready in half an hour from now," said Old Bob the Gardener, "andask Mary the cook to put us up some lunch, because we shall be gone allday. I'll go and harness old Maud."
By the time that Old Bob the gardener was at the door with Maud and thebuggy, Buddy Jim was ready.
He looked exactly _like_ a little fisherman in his yellow slicker, andlong rubber boots, with his old felt hat turned down. Mother laughed asshe kissed him "goodbye" and wished him luck.
It was great fun riding along the road through the woods, and listeningto the rain falling on the leaves. But there wasn't a thing in sightexcept a flock of crows.
"Have you aways lived around here, Bob?" asked Buddy Jim.
"Sure," said Old Bob the gardener, "ever since I was a baby; right overin that field yonder was where I used to go to school; the school houseis gone now, and there's nothing left to mark the place except a clumpof lilac bushes that I helped the teacher to set out one spring day,when I wasn't a mite bigger than you are now."
"I remember that day well," he went on. "I was late getting the bushesplanted and so I took a short cut through these woods and just as I gotabout where we are now, who should come from behind a big hemlock treebut old lady Black Bear, thin as a rail from her long winter sleep, andlooking hungry."
"My!" said Buddy Jim, his eyes wide open. "_What_ did you _do_?"
"I'm afraid I was rude to the lady," said Old Bob, "because I did noteven wish her 'good evening,'--I ran for home just as fast as my legscould carry me."
"Did she run after you?" breathlessly asked Buddy Jim.
The old man laughed. "I couldn't truthfully say," said he, "I didn'tlook behind me."
"I _think_ I should have done the same thing," said Buddy Jim.
"And I wouldn't blame you, Son," said Old Bob the gardener, "but herewe are, hook, line, _and_ sinker, and we will soon find out if Mr. andMrs. Perch are at home."
As soon as old Maud was hobbled and turned loose to graze, Buddy Jimand Old Bob the gardener launched the old flat-bottomed boat at thelanding, and began fishing.
Bob "baited" the hooks, and they both cast off. Old Bob the gardenercaught the first fish, a beautiful big perch, and in no time at allBuddy Jim had one also.
It was such good fishing that they soon had all they wanted, and OldBob the gardener said that they would go ashore now. But Buddy Jimbegged so hard for just one more cast that Old Bob said, "all right,"and stooped to put the fish in the basket.
A startled exclamation from Buddy Jim made him turn, just in time tocatch the little chap as he was going head first out of the boat.
"Here, Son," said the old man as he pulled him back into the boat,"aren't you wet enough yet?"
"O, Bob," panted the little fellow, "I've got a bite--and I _think_it's a whale--he pulls so--help me land him." So together they pulledhim in--about two feet of wiggly, _snaky-looking_ fish!
"What is it, Bob?" asked Buddy Jim. "I don't _like_ him--he isn'tpretty!" "It's an eel," said old Bob the gardener, laughing, "do youwant to keep him or shall I throw him overboard?"
"'Deed I _do_ want to keep him," said Buddy Jim, proudly, "I want toshow him to Mother."
"All right," said Old Bob the gardener, "but he can't go in the basketwith the regular fish. And now we'll go ashore and cook some of ourcatch for our luncheon."
"How can we make a fire, Bob?" asked Buddy Jim. "Everything's wet."
"That's easy," said Bob, "I'll go over in the woods and gather somebirch bark, and you may pick up some small twigs that will dry quickly,and pile them on that flat rock by the water's edge."
It took only a few minutes for Buddy Jim to gather a big pile of thesmall dead twigs and branches, and then he sat down on another rock tolook at his big eel and think about the fun it had been to land him.
There was no sound at all except the gentle splashing of the rain, whenBuddy Jim heard soft footsteps, and then voices. "Now, isn't that ashame?" said a voice. "Some one has been catching our fish again, rightout of our own lake!"
"Ssh, Children," said an older voice, "keep quiet--some one may hearyou. They have gone away and left the basket open, and I will go andget the fish back again. Just wait here and keep quiet."
Buddy Jim kept quiet, because he very much wished to know which LittleNeighbor it was; so quiet indeed, that Mrs. American Mink came fullyinto sight before she saw him. Buddy Jim knew her at once, because herpicture was in one of his Nature books; and he knew also that she isvery fond of fish to eat.
She was very much surprised when she saw Buddy Jim and immediatelytried to look just like a bit of brown earth, but Buddy Jim spoke, andshe knew she had been seen.
"How do you do, Little Neighbor," said he, "and what can I do for you?"
"You can go away from here, and stay away, and not come catching myfish," said Mother Mink, very crossly. "How _do_ you think I can make aliving for my children, if you come and take the food away from me?"
Buddy Jim laughed. "Don't be impolite, Little Neighbor," he said. "Thefish belong to us all, but I'm willing you should have your share."
"I'm going to _take_ my share whether you are willing or not," saidMother Mink, and without saying "thank you," she grabbed Buddy Jim'sbig eel and ran away with it!
Buddy Jim looked after her in astonishment! No other Little Neighborhad ever been so impolite.
Just then Old Bob the gardener came back with a load of birch bark.Buddy Jim's throat felt a little choky, but he was brave about it.
"Mrs. Mink called to see me while you were away, Bob," he said, "andshe took my big eel away with her."
"Well, well!" said Old Bob the gardener, "wasn't she bold? She musthave had young ones with her. But don't you care, Son, Mary wouldn'thave cooked him anyway. She thinks eels aren't fish."
"I _wanted_ to show him to Mother," said Buddy Jim, "He was such a bigone."
"We'll go out again right after lunch," said Old Bob the gardener, "Iknow where there's a pickerel hole, and a pickerel is a _regular fish_!"