Billy Woodchuck looked still more doubtful.
"Who is there?" he asked once more.
Meanwhile Mr. Crow had been thinking rapidly--for he was a quick-wittedold scamp.
"I'll tell you!" he cried. "There's Grandfather Mole!"
Although Billy Woodchuck brightened considerably--for Mr. Crow's ideasmade him more hopeful--he observed that he didn't know Grandfather Mole."I've heard of him, however," Billy told Mr. Crow. "He lives in FarmerGreen's garden. But you know I never go there. I stick to the fields. Idon't like to get too far from home."
"For once, then," said old Mr. Crow, "I should break my rule--if I wereyou--and visit the garden. Find Grandfather Mole and have a talk withhim!"
So Billy Woodchuck decided that he would take Mr. Crow's advice. Andthough he hated to leave the clover-patch he set out that very afternoonto find Grandfather Mole and ask him if he wouldn't like to help dig awinter home in the pasture. But before starting on his journey BillyWoodchuck waited until Mr. Crow came back and told him that GrandfatherMole had just appeared above ground.
Billy Woodchuck hurried off across the pasture as fast as he couldscamper. And in a short time he reached Farmer Green's garden. He wassomewhat out of breath, because there had been plenty of good things toeat all summer long and he was round as a ball of butter.
Luckily he arrived just in time. Grandfather Mole had been on the pointof creeping down into one of his many underground halls when he heard astrange voice say, "Stop a moment, please! I've something important tosay to you."
It was a pleasant voice. If it hadn't been, Grandfather Mole wouldn'thave waited an instant. He turned his head toward the place where thevoice came from and said, "What is it, stranger? And talk fast, becauseI'm busy. I have some digging to do down below."
XXIII
SEEING A SAMPLE
GRANDFATHER MOLE'S remark made Billy Woodchuck smile.
"I'm a very busy person. I've some digging to do down below,"Grandfather had said.
"You're just the one I need to help me!" Billy Woodchuck exclaimed, forhe had heard somewhere that if you want a thing done, you should get abusy person to do it.
"I hope you don't want me to catch angleworms for you," Grandfather Moletold him. "The neighbors are always asking me to do that. And I'vedecided that I can't do it. Somehow I can't help eating 'em myself."
Billy Woodchuck assured him that he had no use at all for angleworms.
"What I want," he explained, "is a good digger to help dig a new housefor me."
"Is anybody else going to help too?" Grandfather Mole inquiredcarefully.
"No--only myself!" Billy said.
"Then I'm sorry; but I can't work for you," Grandfather Mole announced.And he had already turned away, as if the business were ended, whenBilly Woodchuck stopped him again.
"Perhaps"--said Billy--"perhaps I can find one or two others besidesmyself."
"You've missed my point," said Grandfather Mole. "I don't want anybodyelse to help--not even you! For I won't share the fun of digging withany one."
Well, Billy Woodchuck could hardly believe his own ears.
"You shall have things all your own way!" he cried. "I won't scratch aspeck of dirt, I promise you!"
"That's different," Grandfather Mole remarked. "That's more like it. Andif you're a person that keeps his promises we shall not have a bit oftrouble."
"You can depend on me," Billy Woodchuck told Grandfather Mole. "Whileyou're working for me I'll spend all my time in the clover-patch.... Andnow," he added, "I'd like to see a sample of your digging."
"Come right this way!" Grandfather Mole directed. And Billy Woodchuckfollowed, and looked carefully at the small hole that Grandfather Molepointed to with an air of pride. "Here's one of my doorways," heannounced.
With his head on one side, Billy Woodchuck inspected it.
"It's well made," he said, "but of course it's entirely too small for myhouse. If you work for me you'll have to dig bigger than that."
That speech did not please Grandfather Mole. "Small doorways are theonly kind to have," he declared. "I wouldn't make a bigger one foranybody--not even for Farmer Green himself."
Billy Woodchuck soon saw that Grandfather Mole was a stubborn oldfellow. No matter what he said, he couldn't get Grandfather Mole tochange his opinion. And at last Billy Woodchuck gave up all hope ofhaving Grandfather Mole dig for him.
"A door like yours would be of no use to me," he said dolefully. "Inever could squeeze through it."
"My goodness!" Grandfather Mole cried. "How big are you, anyhow?" Itmust be remembered that he couldn't see his caller.
"I'm big enough," said Billy Woodchuck, "to put you in my pocket,almost."
Grandfather Mole turned pale at the mere thought of such a thing.
"I--I'd no idea I was talking to a monster," he stammered. "I don'tbelieve I want to dig for you, after all." And saying a hasty goodafternoon, he popped through his doorway and vanished at BillyWoodchuck's feet.
Greatly disappointed, Billy Woodchuck turned homewards. "I'd have beenin a pretty fix if he had finished my house, and I had tried to move myfurniture into it," he muttered. "It's lucky I asked to see a sample ofGrandfather Mole's work," said Billy Woodchuck.
XXIV
FOLLOWING THE PLOUGH
A GOOD many of Grandfather Mole's neighbors sneered at him, and said hewas queer. Mr. Blackbird was one of these scoffers. Though he was a lazyscamp, he always managed to look sleek and well fed. And he liked thesame fare that Grandfather Mole did.
"You're a goose to work so hard for your food," Mr. Blackbird jeered onefine spring day as he sat on the garden fence and looked down atGrandfather Mole. "You ought to change your habits. Just look at me! Iget plenty to eat. And I do precious little digging for it, believe me!I tell you, there's a better way than yours!"
Naturally, Grandfather Mole couldn't look at Mr. Blackbird. But heraised his head in his odd fashion.
"What's that?" he inquired. "What's a better way than mine?"
But Mr. Blackbird was in no hurry to tell all he knew.
"Suppose," he said, "I should explain my method to you. You could followit for some weeks and live well without much trouble. And then--when thespring ploughing is finished--I should want you to supply me withangleworms for the same length of time. You know, you can't expect me togive away my secret for nothing."
"But I _like_ to dig," Grandfather Mole replied. "You may have noticedthat I am built for that sort of work."
What Grandfather Mole said was true. His drill-like nose, his powerfulfore-legs and big, strong feet all served to make him the fastest diggerin Pleasant Valley.
Mr. Blackbird regarded him with a sly smile. "You seem to be built for_eating_, too," he observed.
Grandfather Mole soon confessed that Mr. Blackbird's mention ofangleworms had made him so hungry that he was ready to promise to do asMr. Blackbird had proposed.
So Mr. Blackbird cried that it was a bargain.
"And now," he said, "listen carefully while I whisper the secret, for Idon't want everybody to hear it.... I follow the plough," he explained."It turns up a great quantity of angleworms. The only work I have to dois to pick 'em up with my bill."
Somehow Grandfather Mole did not appear as delighted as Mr. Blackbirdhad expected.
"How can I follow the plough when I can't see where it's going?" heasked.
"Silly!" Mr. Blackbird jeered. "You can find your way along a furrow,can't you?"
Grandfather Mole thought he could do that. "But you're forgetting HenryHawk!" he reminded Mr. Blackbird. "Farmer Green ploughs in the daytime.And Henry Hawk might see me."
"He wouldn't be likely to notice you if you crept along the bottom of afurrow," Mr. Blackbird assured Grandfather Mole. "Anyhow, I'll be there.And I'll warn you if Henry Hawk appears in the sky."
Grandfather Mole was relieved. And Mr. Blackbird told him to be readythe next morning.
XXV
STUBBORN AS EVER
FARMER
GREEN hadn't finished ploughing his first furrow before Mr.Blackbird and Grandfather Mole began breakfasting on the angleworms thatthe plough turned up.
Very soon Mr. Blackbird began to regret his bargain with GrandfatherMole, for Grandfather was even a greater eater than Mr. Blackbird hadsupposed. Mr. Blackbird began to be afraid that there wouldn't be wormsenough left for himself.
"This is a fine place to dig," he remarked to Grandfather Mole in whatseemed a careless way. But he watched Grandfather Mole narrowly, with agrin on his face, to see what the old chap would do.
And after that Grandfather Mole couldn't resist burrowing in the looseearth now and then. It pleased Mr. Blackbird to see him amuse himself inthat fashion, because while he was digging Grandfather Mole lost hischance at a good many angleworms. They found their way quickly down Mr.Blackbird's throat. And it was not long before he was in the best ofspirits.
Day after day while the spring ploughing went on, the strange pairfollowed the plough together. And since Grandfather Mole spent more thanhalf the time in digging, Mr. Blackbird felt that on the whole theirbargain had proved a good one.
When Farmer Green had finished the last furrow in the field Mr.Blackbird told Grandfather Mole that the ploughing had come to an end.
"And now"--he said--"now it's your turn to carry out your part of thebargain. I showed you where the food was plentiful; and it's time foryou to begin furnishing me twenty fat angleworms a day."
Grandfather Mole was amazed. There hadn't been a word said about the_number_ of angleworms he was to supply Mr. Blackbird.
"Twenty!" he exclaimed. "Nobody said 'twenty!'"
"That's so," said Mr. Blackbird. "It was forty."
Grandfather Mole was staggered. But he didn't dare object again, forfear Mr. Blackbird would double the number once more and make it eighty.
"Agreed!" he cried. "And I'll have them ready for you at midnightregularly."
"Midnight!" Mr. Blackbird repeated after him, in great surprise."Nothing was said about 'midnight!'"
"That's so!" Grandfather Mole admitted. "It was one o'clock in themorning." And in spite of everything Mr. Blackbird said, GrandfatherMole wouldn't change the time. Everybody knew that he was very stubborn.
"A hundred angleworms in the middle of the night wouldn't do me anygood," Mr. Blackbird complained. "I'm always asleep at that time."
"You'd better change your habits," Grandfather Mole replied. "You oughtto be glad to change your hours for sleep, if it would make thingseasier for you."
Now that was very like the sort of remark that Mr. Blackbird himselfhad once made to Grandfather Mole. But coming from Grandfather Mole thesuggestion did not please him. He even lost his temper. And he toldGrandfather Mole that he was the queerest person in all Pleasant Valley.
But that speech did not trouble Grandfather Mole.
"It's everybody else that's queer--and not I!" he declared.
THE END
SLEEPY-TIME TALES
(Trademark Registered.)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
AUTHOR OF THETUCK-ME-IN TALES and SLUMBER-TOWN TALES
* * * * *
COLORED WRAPPER AND TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN BY HARRY L. SMITH
* * * * *
This series of animal stories for children from three to eight years,tells of the adventures of the four-footed creatures of our Americanwoods and fields in an amusing way, which delights small two-footedhuman beings.
THE TALE OF CUFFY BEARTHE TALE OF FRISKY SQUIRRELTHE TALE OF TOMMY FOXTHE TALE OF FATTY COONTHE TALE OF BILLY WOODCHUCKTHE TALE OF JIMMY RABBITTHE TALE OF PETER MINKTHE TALE OF SANDY CHIPMUNKTHE TALE OF BROWNIE BEAVERTHE TALE OF PADDY MUSKRATTHE TALE OF FERDINAND FROGTHE TALE OF DICKIE DEER MOUSETHE TALE OF TIMOTHY TURTLETHE TALE OF BENNY BADGERTHE TALE OF MAJOR MONKEYTHE TALE OF GRUMPY WEASELTHE TALE OF GRANDFATHER MOLETHE TALE OF MASTER MEADOW MOUSE
* * * * *
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
* * * * *
TUCK-ME-IN TALES
(Trademark Registered)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
AUTHOR OF THESLEEPY-TIME TALES and SLUMBER-TOWN TALES
* * * * *
COLORED WRAPPER AND TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN BY HARRY L. SMITH
* * * * *
A delightful and unusual series of bird and insect stories for boys andgirls from three to eight years old, or thereabouts.
THE TALE OF JOLLY ROBIN
Jolly Robin spreads happiness everywhere with his merry song.
THE TALE OF OLD MR. CROW
A wise bird was Mr. Crow. He'd laugh when any one tried to catch him.
THE TALE OF SOLOMON OWL
Solomon Owl looked so solemn that many people thought he kneweverything.
THE TALE OF JASPER JAY
Jasper Jay was very mischievous. But many of his neighbors liked him.
THE TALE OF RUSTY WREN
Rusty Wren fought bravely to keep all strangers out of his house.
THE TALE OF DADDY LONG-LEGS
Daddy Long-Legs could point in all directions at once--with hisdifferent legs.
THE TALE OF KIDDIE KATYDID
He was a musical person and chanted all night during the autumn.
THE TALE OF BETSY BUTTERFLY
Betsy spent most of her time among the flowers.
THE TALE OF BUSTER BUMBLEBEE
Buster was clumsy and blundering, but was known far and wide.
THE TALE OF FREDDIE FIREFLY
Freddie had great sport dancing in the meadow and flashing his light.
THE TALE OF BOBBY BOBOLINK
Bobby had a wonderful voice and loved to sing.
THE TALE OF CHIRPY CRICKET
Chirpy loved to stroll about after dark and "chirp."
THE TALE OF MRS. LADYBUG
Mrs. Ladybug loved to find out what her neighbors were doing and to givethem advice.
* * * * *
GROSSET & DUNLAP, PUBLISHERS, NEW YORK
* * * * *
Sleepy-Time Tales(Trademark Registered)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
_Wrappers and illustrations in color.__Drawings by HARRY L. SMITH_
These little books for little people tell of the adventures of thefour-footed creatures of our American woods and fields in an amusingway which delights small two-footed human beings; and at the same time,in the shortcomings of Cuffy Bear and his neighbors, children are quickto recognize their own faults and to take home the obvious lessons.
Tuck-Me-In Tales(Trademark Registered)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
_Wrappers and illustrations in color.__Drawings by HARRY L. SMITH_
The stories of Jolly Robin, Old Mr. Crow and the other birds areas unusual as they are delightful, since this is almost the firsttime these feathered friends of the kiddies have appeared in print.These bird stories, like the Sleepy-Time animal stories, are basedupon actual natural history facts, but while the youngster eagerlylistens to them, a moral foundation, of deeper importance than thatin natural history, is being laid.
Slumber-Town Tales(Trademark Registered)
By ARTHUR SCOTT BAILEY
_Wrappers and illustrations in color.__Drawings by HARRY L. SMITH_
The kiddies will love these fascinating stories of Farmyard Folk,which tell of the daily doings of Muley Cow, Old Dog Spot, and theircompanions. These tales will show them that they have much in commonwith Henrietta Hen and the others, and will develop in them a wholesomerespect for those good friends.
Grosset & Dunlap, New York
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