“Matters went on in this way for several days, and at last some of the birds began to ask about the Diddypawn. ‘Had anybody seen him?’ or ‘Did anybody know how he was getting on?’
“This was passed around among the birds, until at last it came to the ears of Brother Turkey Buzzard. He stretched out his wings and gaped, and said that he had been thinking about taking his family and calling on the Diddypawn. So that very day, Brother Turkey Buzzard, his wife and his children and some of his blood kin, went down to the dead island, to call on the Diddypawn. They went and stayed several days. The rest of the birds, when they came home to roost, could see the Turkey Buzzard family sitting in the dead trees; and after so long a time they came back, and went to roost with the rest of the birds. Some of them asked how the Diddypawn was getting on, and Brother Turkey Buzzard made this reply:—
“‘The Diddypawn needs neither feather nor fin,
He’s been falling off, till he’s grown quite thin,
He has lost all his meat and all of his skin,
And he needs now a bag to put his bones in.’
“This made Brother Owl hoot a little, but it wasn’t long before all the birds were fast asleep.”
Mr. Rabbit never knew how the children liked the story of the Diddypawn. Buster John was about to say something, but he saw little Mr. Thimblefinger pull out his watch and look up at the bottom of the spring.
“What time is it?” asked Mrs. Meadows, seeing that Mr. Thimblefinger still held his watch in his hand.
“A quarter to twelve.”