Night after night the two met in the farmyard. But nothing seemed further from Freddie Firefly’s thoughts than lending his brilliant greenish-white light to Chirpy Cricket, or to any one else.
But Chirpy simply couldn’t keep his eyes off that wonderful flash-light when Freddie Firefly was in the neighborhood. People began to notice that he even stopped fiddling sometimes, to stare at Freddie Firefly.
At last Chirpy Cricket made up his mind that if he was ever going to borrow the light he would have to ask Freddie for it. Several nights passed before he could think of a good reason for using it. But after a while he thought of a fine one. So he went straight to Freddie Firefly.
“I’m going to see Miss Christabel Cricket home after the music is over tonight,” Chirpy said, “and I’ve been wondering if you’d be willing to do me a favor.”
“Why, certainly!” Freddie Firefly told him.
“Will you loan me your light?” Chirpy asked him. “You know there’ll be no moon when it’s time to go home. And your light would be a great help to me, for Miss Christabel lives beyond the barnyard fence.”
For just a few moments Freddy Firefly appeared greatly surprised. To tell the truth, Chirpy’s request almost took his breath away. And while he recovered himself he forgot to flash his light—a most unusual oversight.
But Freddie was no person to disappoint a friend. Besides, he had just said, “Why, certainly!”
Really, there was nothing for him to do but to say the same thing again.