All this conversation had taken place beside a strawstack on the farm where Billy Whiskers had been born. As he and Nannie stood beside it chewing the full wheat heads that had escaped the threshing machine, Billy had thought out the plan of crossing the continent on foot just to be doing something.
“Hi, there, Stub, you and Button come over here a minute! I have something to tell you.”
“From the way Nannie’s eyes are sparkling, I bet it is something exciting,” said Stubby.
“If so, hurry and tell us and relieve our feelings,” implored Button. “I hope to goodness it has action in it, for I can’t stand this monotonous life much longer with nothing to do but eat our three good meals a day.”
“You will find that what I have to propose to you has action in it. It has nothing but action. It is to take a short walk of three thousand nine hundred miles or so from here to where the Pacific Ocean laps the shores of Southern California.”
On hearing this, Stubby began to run round after his tail for joy.
“Hurrah for you!” exclaimed Button. “I am with you!” and he started to chase the chickens around the barnyard.
After they had run off some of their excitement, the two quieted down and Stubby came back and wanted to know when Billy proposed starting.
“This very night,” replied Billy. “There is no time like the present. Besides, the roads are in excellent condition for traveling as we have just had a rain that has laid the dust. It is full moon, too. We will wait until the family have all gone to bed, then we will give a hasty good-by to all our friends on the farm and start. And I think we better go across the field and down through the woods at the back of the farm buildings than along the road, as we would surely meet some farmer who would know us and tell Mr. Windlass in which direction he had seen us going.”