It was no wonder that Mrs. Robin needed help. And seeing GrandfatherMole one morning, she explained her difficulty to him, asking if hewouldn't be so kind as to capture angleworms for her.
"Why, certainly! Certainly!" said Grandfather Mole.
And Mrs. Robin breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that her troubleswere ended.
"Will you begin to help me at once?" she asked Grandfather Mole.
"I'm sorry that I can't do that," he told her. "You see, I haven't hadmy breakfast yet. So of course I must catch a few angleworms formyself."
Mrs. Robin was a bit disappointed. But she told Grandfather Mole that itwas all right--that she knew a person of his age ought not to go withouthis breakfast.
So Grandfather Mole went back into the hole through which he had latelycome up, first saying however that he would return after he hadbreakfasted.
Mrs. Robin then set to work herself, to find what she could to feed herclamoring family. Though she hurried as fast as she could, by the timethe morning was almost half gone her children were still hungry; and toMrs. Robin's distress Grandfather Mole had not yet showed himself again.
Mrs. Robin had been watching for him. And she had about given him up indespair when all at once he rose out of the ground.
"Good!" she cried. "Now you can help me, for you must have had yourbreakfast by this time."
"Yes, I have!" said Grandfather Mole. "I've just finished. But I alwaysbegin my luncheon at this hour. So if you don't mind I'll go down intomy galleries and hunt for a few angleworms; and when I've had a goodmeal I'll come back here."
Well, what could Mrs. Robin say? She nodded her head; and she hoped, asGrandfather Mole vanished, that perhaps he would eat only a lightluncheon.
But he never reappeared until mid-afternoon. And since he announced thenthat he was ready to begin his dinner Mrs. Jolly Robin saw that shecould expect no help from him whatsoever.
She was terribly upset. But there was nothing she could do except totell her husband that he would have to spend all his time catchingangleworms for the family. And since he was glad enough to do that, Mrs.Robin managed to feed her children all they needed. Even the youngCowbird in her nest had all he wanted.
And Mrs. Robin remarked that it was lucky her husband hadn't such aterrible appetite as some people's--meaning Grandfather Mole's, ofcourse.
VII
TWO WORM-EATERS
THERE was one special reason--among others--why Grandfather Mole didn'tlike to show himself above ground in the daytime. This reasonwas--hawks! And there was something else that made him dislike to appearat night, too. This something else was--owls!
But of the two, Grandfather Mole disliked hawks the more, because theycould see so far, while he (poor old fellow!) couldn't even see the endof his own nose, though goodness knows it was long enough! Since HenryHawk could sit in a great elm far up the road and see him the moment hestuck his head out of the ground, while Grandfather Mole couldn't evensee the tree, it was not surprising that Grandfather Mole preferred tostay below while Henry Hawk was awake and on watch.
Down in his galleries and chambers where it was dark as a pocketGrandfather Mole enjoyed himself thoroughly. It was lucky he was fond ofworms and grubs. If he hadn't been it would be hard to say what he couldhave found to eat--unless it was dirt. There was plenty of that where hespent his time. But luckily he didn't have to eat it. He did enjoydigging in it, however. So it is easy to see that the way he livedsuited him perfectly.
Not every one, of course, would have felt as Grandfather Mole did aboutangleworms, and grubs and dirt, or dampness, or the dark. Many of hisbird neighbors, for instance, liked the same things to eat that he did.But most of them--except such odd ones as Solomon Owl, and Mr.Nighthawk, and Willie Whip-poor-will--loved the bright sunshine.
Spending a summer in Pleasant Valley was a small gentleman of the wellknown Warbler family, who had so great a liking for worms that he wasknown as the Worm-eating Warbler. This tiny person spent little or noneof his time in the tree-tops, but chose to stay near the ground. Andmore than once he had seen Grandfather Mole in Farmer Green's garden. Hehad heard somehow of Grandfather Mole's tastes and habits. And he wasinclined to believe that it was Grandfather Mole that was to blame forthe scarcity of worms in the neighborhood. It must be confessed that hefelt none too kindly towards Grandfather Mole. He thought that it wouldbe a good thing if somebody could persuade that odd, old chap to stay ontop of the ground, instead of lurking most of the time down below wherehe could catch the worms right where they lived.
And one day the Worm-eating Warbler spoke to Grandfather Mole when hehappened to see him come out of a hole.
"Why don't you live up here where you can get plenty of fresh air andsunshine?" he asked. "Don't you know they'd be good for your health?"
Grandfather Mole turned his head toward the speaker. That was as near ashe could come to staring at him, since he couldn't see him. GrandfatherMole did not like the Worm-eating Warbler's remarks in the least!
"Why don't you"--he inquired--"why don't you come down into the groundand enjoy the close, damp air and the darkness? They'd be good for yourhealth. I've thrived down below all my life; and I'm considerably olderthan you, young sir!"
Grandfather Mole's retort struck the Worm-eating Warbler dumb. He couldthink of nothing more to say. So he flew off and hid in some raspberrybushes. And he couldn't help saying to himself what a strange world itwas and what strange persons there were in it.
VIII
LOSING HIS BEARINGS
IT often happened, when Grandfather Mole came up from his home underFarmer Green's garden, that he turned straight around and went backagain. Sometimes, to be sure, he ran about a bit in a bewildered way,before he disappeared. For he never felt at home in the world above; andhe was always uneasy until he felt the darkness closing in around him.
So nobody thought it strange when Grandfather Mole came tumbling upamongst the turnips one day and began running blindly around the garden,zig-zagging in every direction. Nobody that saw him paid much attentionto him. But at last Rusty Wren, who had come to the garden to look forworms, noticed that Grandfather Mole was quite upset over something. Hedidn't seem to have any notion of going back into the ground, but kepttwisting this way and that, with his long nose turning here and turningthere, in a manner that was unmistakably inquiring.
"What's the matter?" Rusty Wren finally asked him, for his curiositysoon got the better of him.
But Grandfather Mole didn't appear to hear. Perhaps he didn't want toanswer the question.
"Have you lost something?" Rusty Wren cried.
But Grandfather Mole never stopped to reply. He never stopped runningto and fro. And Rusty Wren became more curious than ever. It was plain,to him, that something unusual was afoot. And he wanted to know what itwas. "Can't I help you?" he asked in his shrillest tones, flying closeto Grandfather Mole and speaking almost in his ear--only GrandfatherMole had no ears, so far as Rusty Wren could see. "Can't I help you?"
"Yes, you can!" Grandfather Mole answered at last. "If you wish to helpme, for pity's sake go away and keep still! I don't want the wholeneighborhood to come a-running. The cat will be here the first thing weknow."
Rusty Wren felt sure, then, that Grandfather Mole was in trouble. And ifhe was worried about Farmer Green's cat, why didn't he dig a hole forhimself at once, and get out of harm's way?
Since Rusty Wren didn't know, he asked Grandfather Mole--in little morethan a whisper. But Grandfather Mole only shook his head impatiently, asif to say that digging a hole wouldn't help him this time.
Meanwhile some of Rusty Wren's friends had come up to see what was goingon. And talking in low tones, so that they wouldn't attract the cat'sattention, they agreed with him that there was some mystery aboutGrandfather Mole. But not one of them knew what it could be.
"He's lost something!" Rusty Wren declared.
"There's no doubt of that," Jolly Robin chimed in.
"What can it be?" little Mr. Chip
py piped in his thin voice.
"I know!" Rusty Wren exclaimed abruptly. "It's his bearings! GrandfatherMole has lost his bearings!"
IX
GOOD NEWS FROM BELOW
WHEN Rusty Wren decided that Grandfather Mole had lost his bearings andthat that was the reason why he was running about the garden in a mostpeculiar fashion, the rest of the birds began to wonder whether theyoughtn't to help Grandfather Mole find them, since he was blind.
The Worm-eating Warbler, however, who was none too friendly towardsGrandfather Mole, said that he had his doubts as to Grandfather Mole'sblindness.
"If he can find angleworms in the dark he certainly ought to be able tofind his bearings in broad daylight," he sneered.
But Rusty Wren pointed out that nobody could _see_ bearings, anyhow--aremark that puzzled the Worm-eating Warbler more than a little. To tellthe truth, he had no idea what bearings were. And at last he admittedthat he didn't know.
"What are bearings, anyhow?" he asked Rusty Wren. "I don't understandwhat you mean."
"Oh, I mean that Grandfather Mole has lost his way," Rusty Wrenexplained. "He doesn't know how to get home."
The Worm-eating Warbler asked why Grandfather Mole didn't dig a new holefor himself, if he had lost the one he used when he came up in thegarden. And when he saw that Rusty Wren couldn't answer his question theWorm-eating Warbler said he had his doubts as to Rusty Wren's ideasabout Grandfather Mole.
"It's my opinion," he went on, "that Grandfather Mole has eaten all theworms that lived in the ground; and now he's hoping to find some in theair."
Although everybody laughed at such a notion, the Worm-eating Warblerdeclared that he had a right to his own belief. And when he added thathe hadn't seen an angleworm for two days there were a few of his birdcompanions that began to think perhaps there was some reason in hisremarks, after all.
But Rusty Wren declined to change his opinion.
"There's only one way to be sure; and that's to ask Grandfather Mole!"little Mr. Chippy cried.
"It wouldn't do any good," Rusty told him. "Grandfather Mole won'tanswer any questions. But he's in some sort of trouble. There's nodoubt of that."
They looked down at Grandfather Mole, who was still scurryingfrantically about the garden. If he heard their talk he did nothing tolet them know it. And they had begun to think that they would never knowhis secret when a person who looked somewhat like Grandfather Molethrust her head and shoulders out of a hole in the ground.
"That"--Rusty Wren whispered--"that is Grandfather Mole's daughter. Iknow, for I've seen her before." And listening sharply, the bird peopleheard her say, "Don't worry, Father! I've found them."
Grandfather Mole didn't wait for anything more. He didn't even waituntil he had found the opening in which his daughter had appeared. Hebegan to dig right where he stood. And he was out of sight in shortorder.
Although the bird people didn't know it, he was anxious to reach hisgrandchildren. He had them out for a stroll through his undergroundgalleries; and walking behind him they had taken a wrong turn whenGrandfather Mole didn't know it. After looking for them in vain downbelow he had feared that they might have found their way into the openair. And that was why he was running about in such a distractedfashion.
X
MRS. ROBIN'S WISH
IN order to provide enough food for her children--as well as for theyoung Cowbird that she was bringing up--Mrs. Jolly Robin had to workhard every day. Though her husband gladly did what he could to help her,he complained sometimes about the stranger in their nest.
"Our family is certainly big enough without him," he often remarked. "Weought to turn him out to shift for himself."
But Mrs. Robin wouldn't hear of such a thing.
"It's not his fault that his mother left him here--in the egg," shewould remind Jolly Robin. "If we set him adrift the poor child wouldstarve--unless the cat got him."
And then Jolly Robin would feel ashamed that he had even thought ofbeing so cruel to an infant bird, even if he was a Cowbird. So he wouldset to work harder than ever gathering worms and grubs and bugs; andbefore long he would find himself singing merrily, "Cheerily, cheer-up!"because it made him happy to know that he was doing somebody a goodturn.
Once in a while Grandfather Mole thrust his head out of the soil of thegarden, as if he were watching Mr. and Mrs. Robin at their task. Ofcourse he couldn't see what they were doing. But Mrs. Robin said that itgave her a queer turn to have Grandfather Mole stick his nose out ofthe ground at her very feet. And since he was too busy catchingangleworms for himself to help her and her husband, she wished he wouldkeep out of sight.
Sometimes Grandfather Mole would speak to Mrs. Robin, or her husband;for he could hear them talking. And when you hear anybody in a gardenexclaiming, "Oh, here's a big one! The children will like him, if I canever pull him loose!" you may know at once that the speaker is talkingabout an angleworm. There can be no mistake about it.
When Grandfather Mole overheard Mrs. Robin making such a remark he wouldquite likely advise her to "try a smaller one."
Such a suggestion only made Mrs. Robin pull all the harder.
"Grandfather Mole wants all the big ones himself," she would splutteras soon as she and her husband were where Grandfather Mole couldn'tlisten to what she said. And then, probably, Jolly Robin would laugh andtell her not to mind, for there ought to be worms enough for everybody.
More than once, when Grandfather Mole had advised her to "try a smallerone," Mrs. Robin had declared afterward that she wished she could catchthe biggest angleworm in the whole garden, just to spite old GrandfatherMole and teach him that other people had their rights, as well as he.
"Well, well!" Jolly Robin always exclaimed with a laugh. "Well, well!Perhaps some day you will find the grandfather of all the angleworms!"
XI
SURPRISING GRANDFATHER MOLE
SOMEHOW Grandfather Mole heard that Mrs. Robin hoped to capture thebiggest angleworm in the garden. So the very next time he happened tofind her at work there he offered her another bit of unsought advice.And Mrs. Robin liked it no better than any other of Grandfather Mole'scounsels.
"Don't waste your valuable time looking for the biggest angleworm in thegarden!" he told her. "I've caught him already."
Well, for once Mrs. Robin almost said something tart to the oldgentleman. But she checked herself in time; not by biting her tongue,however, but by clapping her bill upon a fat bug that was trying to hideunder a potato-top. And away she flew to her nest, leaving GrandfatherMole to talk to the air, if he wished.
"She went off without thanking me," he muttered. To be sure, he hadn'tseen Mrs. Robin go, but he had heard the beat of her wings as she beganher flight. He didn't know that he had barely escaped a sharp scolding.
"What do you think Grandfather Mole has just said to me?" Mrs. Robinasked her husband, whom she found at the nest feeding their children.
Jolly Robin made three guesses. But none of them was right. So his wiferepeated Grandfather Mole's remarks. And as usual Jolly Robin laughed.
"I shouldn't pay any attention to what Grandfather Mole says," headvised his wife. "I should keep an eye out for big angleworms, if Iwere you. Grandfather Mole may be mistaken. He may have caught only thesecond biggest one."
What her husband said made Mrs. Robin feel better. And she declared thatshe would surprise Grandfather Mole yet.
Strange to say, the very next day Grandfather Mole spoke to Mrs. Robinagain and told her that "there was no use trying to surprise him, so sheneedn't waste her valuable time trying to do it."
This news made Mrs. Robin quite speechless. She couldn't think howGrandfather Mole had happened to learn of her remark, unless her husbandhad been gossiping with his friends. And if that was the case, Mrs.Robin didn't mean to let anything of the kind occur again. So she wenton searching for her children's breakfast and said nothing to any oneabout Grandfather Mole's latest bit of advice.
Mrs. Robin worked harder than ever that day. It
seemed to her husbandthat she had eyes for nothing but worms. Certainly she paid littleattention to him. So he couldn't help feeling pleased when she called tohim toward evening.
He flew quickly to her side. And he saw at once that she needed hishelp. For Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, onwhich she was tugging as hard as she could.
"I think it's the biggest one in the garden!" she managed to gasp. "Butit simply won't come up out of the ground."
"It must be the grandfather of them all!" Jolly Robin cried. And layinghold of the worm himself, he pulled with her.
Somehow there seemed a great commotion in the loose dirt at their feet,as they struggled to get the worm out of its hiding-place. And at last,to their great delight, they felt it--saw it--coming.
Then a shower of dirt flew into their faces and both Jolly Robin and hiswife tumbled over backward.
It was no worm that Mrs. Robin had found, but Grandfather Mole'shairless tail sticking out of the ground. Together they had dragged himto the surface.
And if Mrs. Robin hadn't found the grandfather of all angleworms, atleast she had found Grandfather Mole.
And she had given him a surprise, too.