"Then what made you say we worked like Beavers?" asked the Master Workman. "Why, that's what folks always say about people who are very 'ndus'trous," said Buddy, stumbling a bit over the big word. "Why did your crew jump in the water as soon as they saw me?"
"Wouldn't you get out of sight if you saw an enemy coming?" asked the Master Workman. "'Course I would," answered Buddy, "but I'm not your enemy." "Well," said the Master Workman, "you are very small, but of course you've got somebody grown up with you. What are you doing down here if you did not come to hunt us?"
"Old Bob the gardener brought me down, to camp out all night," said Buddy. "And you need not be afraid of us at all. My father owns all this land around here, and he never allows any Little Neighbor to be disturbed."
"That's good news," said the Master Workman, and just then Buddy heard Old Bob the gardener calling him. So he said goodbye, and ran back to camp. "What are you trying to do, Buddy?" asked the old chap, laughing, "lose yourself in the woods?" "I couldn't get lost just following the stream," said Buddy. "I could always follow it back. I found old Mr. Beaver and his crew working down there fixing up their houses for winter."
"Well, let's have supper now and get to bed," said Old Bob the gardener.
Buddy meant to stay awake all night. He wanted to tell the boys at home how it felt to sleep outdoors. He saw the stars come out one by one, and the slender new moon began sailing in the sky like a little silver boat almost before the sun had gone to bed.
In a tree top near by, a big old owl wanted to know "who, who, who?" and he could hear the sleepy twitter of the chick-a-dee birds.
He was glad he was there. Then he snuggled closer under the blankets, and the Little Neighbors came softly and tiptoed up and looked at him, and then tiptoed softly away again. They were sorry too, that he was going back to the city tomorrow! But they were sure he would return with the springtime, and then how glad would they all be to welcome him back.
For Buddy Jim was the right kind of a boy! And they appreciated him! And were glad to be his Little Neighbors.