Out ran the chipmunks

LITTLE DOG READY

How He Lost Himself in the Big World

by MABEL F. STRYKER

With Illustrations by HUGH SPENCER

NEW YORK
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
1923

COPYRIGHT, 1923
BY
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

September, 1923

PRINTED IN
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO ALL CHILDREN
AND GROWN-UPS
WHO LOVE DOGS

CONTENTS

LITTLE DOG READY

CHAPTER I

HOW READY LOST HIS HEAD

He was a little black and white dog with a shaggy coat and a waggy tail. He had very polite eyes which were always watching people to find out what they would like to have him do. Whenever people were kind enough to tell him what they wanted, he would always do it for them if he possibly could, and that is why he was named “Ready.”

Ready loved his little master Dick more than any one in the world, and Dick never wanted Ready out of his sight; and that is how this story came about.

It was a very sad day for Dick and Ready when Dick fell from the apple tree and broke his arm. Have you ever broken your arm? If you have, you know how much it hurts, and how still you have to be. Even then the pain won’t go away. Of course Dick wanted Ready with him every single minute of the day and night.

But in the middle of the second night Ready felt that he really must stretch his legs while Dick was asleep. He would not have thought of letting his master know that he was in great need of a little run, but now that Dick was asleep—and he put his nose against Dick’s good arm to be quite sure that he was—Ready stepped out of the open window into the big world.

All would have gone well if Ready had not met Big Yellow Dog

I suppose all would have gone well if Ready had not met Big Yellow Dog. Big Yellow Dog had always snubbed Ready frightfully, but even Big Yellow Dogs have their good moments, and this must have been one of them.

Big Yellow Dog said, “Good evening,” and almost stopped.

This turned Ready’s head. It would have turned any dog’s head. Did you ever have your head turned? You will some day, and when it happens, try hard to look where you are going, for you are always going wrong.

Of course Ready did not know this, and when Big Yellow Dog said pleasantly, “Come along,” Ready went. Faster and faster ran Big Yellow Dog. Faster and faster ran Ready, although he felt that his legs were getting shorter and shorter.

Suddenly Ready lost sight of Big Yellow Dog altogether, and then he felt very tired. He sat right down on the pavement, for he knew now that his head had been turned. Of course he tried to turn it back again, but he was so tired that he only made it worse.

Faster and faster ran Ready

Then he tried to run home, but of course he ran in the wrong direction, and when you run home in the wrong direction, a most unpleasant thing happens—you don’t get there at all.

Ready ran on and on until he came to a house which he thought was his. You see he was quite sleepy by this time, and when you have a sleepy turned head you may as well give up.

He wondered why the windows were all closed, but even before he had finished saying, “How queer that the windows are not——” he was fast asleep on the doormat. He did not wake up until he heard some one talking.

“Oh, see this darling little dog!” said a young lady, looking down at him.

Then all the family came to look down at him and to say, “How cute!” and “What a dear!”

Now Ready, as you remember, was a very polite little dog; so of course he wagged his waggy tail and said in his best dog language, “How do you do?”

“How do you do?”

This seemed to delight everybody, and they gave him breakfast at once. Ready greatly enjoyed his breakfast, and he thought there would be no harm in staying a few minutes with such very pleasant people. But that is where he made his second bad mistake, as you will see.

He really should have run away from them as fast as his little legs could carry him, for all at once the young lady said, “I am going to keep this little dog forever.”

“But you can see by his collar,” said her mother, “that he belongs to some one else.”

I had forgotten to tell you that Ready wore a nice little silver collar and on it was written:

“HIS NAME IS READY BECAUSE HE ALWAYS IS SO.”

“It does not say where he belongs,” said the young lady with a pout, “and I want him.”

“He will not want to stay,” said the mother.

“Then I will tie him up and make him stay,” said the young lady, quite crossly.

Now any one could see with half an eye that the young lady was going to have her own way. Even Ready felt that without understanding young-lady language. If he had known what dreadful things she was saying, of course he would have run right out of the door.

But he did not know; so he only wagged his tail, hoping that would make her feel a little better. He thought that he must do something in return for his good breakfast.

The young lady grew crosser and crosser and finally stamped her foot. This made Ready decide to leave at once, for there is no knowing what may happen to dogs or dishes when any one begins to stamp a foot!

Ready stood up and said his prettiest good-bye, which was three little barks and then one long one, with tail wagging all the time, of course.

In a second he would have been out of the house, but the young lady caught him by the collar and held him.

Then—I cannot tell you how it hurts me to say this—they tied him. Yes, they did! They tied him to an old hook and kept him there for nearly a week! They took him out for a breath of air for a few minutes each day and then put him back in his stuffy prison.

They tied him

CHAPTER II

READY A PRISONER

Of course if Ready had been a dog of the world, he might have found ways to escape. He might have snapped at people or howled all night. Then the father of the family would surely have let him out, for fathers hate to be disturbed at night.

But Ready had always been taught that snapping and growling are very wicked; so he only moaned a little and shed a few dog tears when no one was looking. You see it is a disgrace to a dog’s doghood to be found in tears.

Of course he was not the least bit hungry. How could any dog be hungry shut up all day in a stuffy old room? And then nothing takes away a dog’s appetite so quickly as sad thoughts.

Shed a few dog tears when no one was looking

At first he did not eat anything, and then he began to have a very queer feeling in his legs. They were such wobbly and uncertain legs that they frightened Ready. He remembered going once to a dog lecture where the speaker had said:

“Fellow dogs, beware of unreliable legs! There is nothing left in life for a dog if his legs go back on him.”

Ready remembered that this great dog doctor had given him a number of prescriptions. This was one of them:

FOR RAPID RUNNING LEGS

Eat carefully, exercise regularly, and don’t ever be cast down.

When Ready thought of these words, he began to eat a little each day and to run around the room for exercise after each meal. Then he tried very hard to cast out his sad thoughts. He would put himself to sleep saying over and over, “I think to-morrow I will get out. To-morrow I am going to be free.”

Whenever the young lady talked to him, Ready tried in all kinds of ways to tell her that he must get to his little master as soon as possible.

First he would lie down at her feet and look up beseechingly in her eyes. After that he would run to the door, wagging his tail all the time. Then he would come back and beg. Oh, how hard he would beg her to let him go!

“Please let me go back to my little master”

But she never once understood him—never once noticed he was saying, “Oh, dear young lady, please let me go back to my little master. He is very ill and needs me. Don’t you see that I belong to him? I will do anything in the world for you that an honorable little dog can do, if you will only let me go.”

Perhaps the saddest of all his prison days was the time he really thought she was going to release him. He had wagged his tail especially hard that morning at the door. She had put on her hat saying, “Come on, then.”

Oh, how happy he was and how hard he tried to thank her! Then came the dreadful minute when she fastened a silver chain to his collar.

At first he broke down completely and moaned and moaned. Then he thought: “Perhaps if I walk by her side very nicely it will soften her heart; and then there is always a chance when out in the great beautiful open world.”

So he walked quite contentedly by her side and waited patiently while she stopped to chat with some other young ladies. But when she said boastingly, “Do you see my beautiful new dog?” he simply could not stand it. Do you know what he did? He growled, and his growl had a bit of a snap in it, too. This made the young lady very cross, and she decided to take Ready home at once.

When they reached the door, Ready’s eyes would have melted a heart of stone. He knelt to her, he moaned to her, he begged so prettily on his hind legs, but the young lady would have none of it. She pushed him rudely into the dark room and slammed the door.

I think that was the saddest moment of Ready’s prison life. But in spite of everything, Ready never once gave up the hope of getting his chance to escape, and that is why it came.

The saddest moment of Ready’s prison life

CHAPTER III

FREEDOM

It happened this way. One evening the young lady and her mother had gone to one of those long-lasting parties which do not begin until nearly every one in the world has gone to sleep. The maid was out too, probably to another party. The fat old cook was so sleepy that she forgot to fasten Ready to the hook and cord after she had opened the window. Wasn’t that lucky?

Ready pretended to be asleep until he heard her slow step on the stairs. Then, quick as a wink, he was out of the window and in the yard.

The shortest cut to the street was a dash through the flower bed, and Ready started to go that way. Then he remembered that really nice dogs were always polite to flowers. Now the only way a dog can be really polite to flowers is to keep away from them; so Ready turned and ran around the path.

Quick as a wink he was out of the window

But in spite of this long way around, Ready was soon on the main road. He must make no mistake now. He must never let his head get turned again. Which was the right direction? The road looked so strange, so dark and lonely, that it was hard for a dog to tell anything about it.

Ready felt that he must not wait a moment; so he started. But he soon heard an owl hooting from a tree near by, “No, no, no!”

Then Ready turned and ran in the other direction. From some very far-away place he heard, “Quite right, Bob White,” and so he knew that all was well. Now he would soon come to his dear little master’s house.

On and on he ran, along the cool dark village street, until suddenly he saw in the distance the queer-shaped old oak tree that stood by the gray church at the corner. Ready was very happy, for he knew the way perfectly now. Many a race had he taken to this place with his Master Dick. Many a frolic they had had together under that old tree.

It took about three minutes more of hard dog running to bring him to the dear green house. He noticed that it looked very dark and lonely. Perhaps all the grown-ups had gone to the party too. He gave three crisp little joy barks which always meant to Master Dick, “Ready’s here.”

There was no answer at all. So Ready, with a heavy heart, decided to lie right down by the door and wait until morning.

You may be sure that he woke up very early indeed, in order to be up before Master Dick. He gave his three joy barks again and again, but no answer came.

Just then old Rover appeared. He was the oldest dog about that part of the town, and he knew everything.

Just then old Rover appeared

“Well, well, well,” he said to Ready. “They have been looking everywhere for you, but now you are too late!”

“Too late?” said Ready.

“Yes, too late,” said Rover severely. “The little master was so sick that they took him to the seashore yesterday.”

Then Ready was the saddest little dog in the world, and he looked so.

“It’s your own fault,” said Rover. “Why did you run away?”

At this Ready broke down altogether, tail and all, and sobbed out the whole story.

“Come, come,” said Rover at last, “be a dog and keep up your courage. Try wagging your tail a little, that always helps.”

So Ready wagged his tail and it did help a little speck. Then Rover gave him some breakfast and that helped a great deal.

After breakfast was over, Rover gave Ready letters of introduction to several traveling dog friends of his in the hope that they might happen to know Master Dick’s seashore home. But when night came a very tired and discouraged little Ready returned to the lonely house. You see, most of the traveling dogs had already left the city and the others had sent down word, “Too busy,” or “Not at home.”

It was the darkest hour of Ready’s life. Indeed, I do not know what would have happened next if a happy Robin had not been still awake, singing, “Cheer up.” When he saw sad little Ready, as quick as a wink he made this other verse to his evening song:

“Chance, chance, chance,

Everybody has a chance;

Cheer up, be Ready and wagging,

Cheer up, cheer up.”

Listening to Robin’s song of cheer

I cannot tell you how much this helped Ready. He wagged his tail at once and decided he would take a little run in the moonlight, so as to be on the lookout for chances.

As he ran along, he noticed a great many dogs going by. Dogs he had never seen, dogs old, dogs young, dogs middle-aged, all in a great hurry. He asked several of them where they were going, but few had time to answer him.

One said, “Aren’t you going?” and several mumbled something that he could not make out.

At last one very fat and panting dog stopped to rest a minute.

“Won’t you please tell me where you are going?” asked Ready.

“Why, don’t you know?” was the answer. “This is the 21st of June!”

Just then another dog came along. “Hurry up, you two, or you’ll be late,” he called out.

“Come on,” said the panting, fat dog.

Now Ready had had so much bad luck running about with strange dogs that he only shook his head and said, “I don’t know anything about it.”

“Don’t know anything about it? By my tail, you must be a stranger here,” said the panting, fat one. Ready afterwards called him “Paf” for short—“P” standing for panting and “F” for fat, you see.

“At midnight on the 21st of June, if it is moonlight, a wonderful thing happens. All the beasts, birds and flowers in this part of the world meet in an open space near the woods. They have music, dancing and refreshments. Then the Eagle, who is the king of the birds, grants a wish to any animal who has a clear record.

“The Eagle gives the wish to the beasts, instead of the birds and flowers, because nobody ever has anything against the flowers anyway, and they don’t care for new experiences. As for the birds, they have so many chances to travel and do interesting things that His Majesty, the Eagle, decided to go outside of his own family and give the wish to the four-footers. You see, they get around very little as they have no wings.

“Come on,” said the panting, fat dog

“The animals are not what they once were,” Paf went on, as they hurried along. “Last year no one could get it, and the year before only one had a chance even to try.”

“Do many want to try?” asked Ready.

“Not so many as there were in my young days,” said Paf. “It’s unpleasant being refused, you see, and having all the little things you have done and forgotten thrown in your face. I’d try myself to-night, but I had a bad time a few days ago with an old alley cat. It was all her fault of course, but I know she will be here to-night to complain of me if I should come forward.

“It is hard, these days,” Paf went on, “to get a clear record, since they allow all kinds of cats to vote, and even flowering vines and chickens can speak against us. So what is an animal to do? It used to be that an English sparrow’s vote counted nothing, but now these worthless creatures have as much to say as we do. Why, no cat has a chance because the mice are all invited. Times are sadly changed.” And poor Paf sighed.

They allow all kinds of cats to vote

CHAPTER IV

READY AT THE GREAT GATHERING

At last they reached the place, and it was a wonderful sight. All the four-footed animals sat on the ground in front. The birds were perched on the trees, and the flowers massed themselves around the Eagle’s throne.

Suddenly the birds all began to sing a beautiful song, and the flowers commenced to dance a soft swaying dance. Then the thrushes sang:

“Give place, give place to our noble king,

Whom we all do love and fear.

Bow low, bow low, every single thing,

And then set up a cheer.”

The Great Gathering

At this the flowers bowed their heads, the beasts all knelt, and the birds flew out to meet His Royal Majesty, the Eagle. Then the birds made themselves into two lines and the great Eagle flew between them.

He was a savage-looking bird indeed

He was a savage-looking bird indeed. He wore for the occasion a large crown of red feathers, and carried in one of his claws an enormous stick covered with rabbit’s fur, which had five large dog teeth at the end of it.

Everything and everybody clapped and bowed and cheered. Dogs wagged tails, chickens cackled, roosters crowed, birds sang, and flowers waved themselves.

The Eagle looked about fiercely, bowed slightly, and seated himself on his throne, which was on a little hill.

The entertainment began with a duet given by a wood thrush and a song sparrow. It was very pretty indeed. This was followed by a Virginia Reel given by the daisies and buttercups.

The orchestra was made up of thrushes, whippoorwills and woodpeckers

Then the Eagle rapped loudly with his terrible rod and said, “Every one may dance.” And every one did.

The orchestra was made up of thrushes, whippoorwills and woodpeckers. The woodpeckers beat time on the bark of the trees. Sometimes the robins and song sparrows joined. It all sounded very well indeed until some blue jays and roosters started in. Then an old crow commenced keeping time with his “caw, caw, caw.”

This was too much for the Eagle, who beat angrily on the oak tree with his rod and stopped the dance immediately. “Too much like a jazz band,” he shrieked. “We want real music here. Jays, roosters and crows be silent, or leave the dance hall. No cackling and cawing in my orchestra while I am King of Birds.”

You should have seen the dancing. The flowers kept pretty much to themselves and almost always waltzed.

The birds danced a two-step, flapping their wings to beat time and splitting their dances for a bit of a fly now and then.

Most of the four-footers “toddled.” Some did the old-time polka, because it used all of their legs evenly, beating four time, you see.

The birds danced a two-step

Ready saw that Paf wanted dreadfully to dance and was without a partner, so he asked him. They managed somehow to get about. In fact, many thought Paf’s quite awkward out-of-time step was something new, and several young chickens tried to copy it.

Then the Eagle raised his rod, and immediately the dancing and music stopped.

“Refreshments are coming next,” whispered Paf breathlessly.

Ready was glad to hear this, as he had had nothing to eat since breakfast, but Paf was mistaken this time. When all was quiet the Eagle said fiercely:

“Four-footers asking for wishes will now come forward. We may as well get this part of the program over at once, for from what I hear of the beasts this year, it will take a very short time.”

Then he tapped his rod three times and said, “Ready!”

Little Ready started to his feet. This was certainly his great chance, but he wished, oh so much, that refreshments had come first, as his knees were weak from hunger and from pulling around Paf.

A rather handsome black dog arose and a large white cat. There was a terrible silence as they walked slowly around the Eagle’s throne. All eyes were turned upon them. The near-sighted ones put on glasses which they had brought for the occasion. The white cat, being the only lady of the party, was called first to the throne.

She had eaten their father, mother, and aunt all in one day

After asking her name, age, address and telephone number, the Eagle said, “This cat is before you. Has any one anything against her?”

Immediately a dozen English sparrows flew down to the throne and told a dreadful tale about her. They said that she had caught and eaten their mother, father and aunt all in one day.

A grape vine also bent forward with leaves outstretched, but the Eagle waved it back, saying in a terrible voice: “We have had evidence enough. White Cat, withdraw.” And White Cat scudded away.

Then the Eagle called the black dog, but an old hen stepped up at once and indignantly said, “Black Dog killed my fluffiest child when she was scarcely out of the shell.”

At this the Eagle took his rod and struck the black dog, saying in his great and dreadful voice, “How did you dare to come before me?”

Of course that was the end of the black dog, who ran away with his tail between his legs.

Then Ready knew that his time had come. If only his little legs would not give out! When the Eagle said sternly, “Next”, he arose and stood before him.

“Your name,” said the Eagle, pointing the dreadful rod directly at him.

“Ready,” he answered huskily.

Then he heard the blue jays laughing and the mocking birds saying “Ready” quite scornfully.

“Of course you are ready if you are ever going to be,” shrieked the Eagle. “Give your name at once, or withdraw immediately.”

“But my name is Ready. You can see it on my collar.”

“But my name is Ready. You can see it on my collar,” said Ready, and the excitement made his legs feel stronger.

“Look at his collar,” commanded the Eagle, and everyone did.

“It is true, Your Royal Highness,” said the Owl.

“Extraordinary!” said the Eagle.

“Extraordinary!” said all the animals, one after the other, and even the hens cackled, “extraordinary!”

“Your age,” said the Eagle.

“Eleven months, Your Majesty,” Ready answered bravely.

But when it came to address and telephone number, Ready gathered up all his courage and plunged at once into his sad little story.

Everyone was much interested. Several times the Eagle leaned forward and said, “Louder.” Then all the hens cackled, “Louder.”

Ready was much excited, though it hurt his throat to pitch his voice so high. You see he was not at all used to public speaking.

However, if you had been there, you would have known that he was making a good impression. It was noticed by many of the animals that the Eagle once put his handkerchief to his eyes.

There was a great silence when Ready finished speaking. Then the Eagle rose upon his throne, flapped his wings, and spoke in a strangely gentle voice.

He said, “The wish of this dog shall be granted at once.”

Everybody cheered wildly.

But the Owl, standing up and bowing low to the Eagle, said, “Your Majesty, I beg of you not to allow your feelings to carry you too far. Remember the rules of our great gathering here. Let us see if any one has anything against this animal.”

Now the Eagle had always a great respect for the Owl. Indeed, the time he had been obliged to go to Washington to have his picture taken for the new American dollar, the owl had taken his place at this meeting. So the Eagle said: “Very well, Ready is before you. Who speaks against him?”

It was very still for a minute. Ready’s heart beat fast as he feared he might have offended a chicken, a cat or something without knowing it, but no one answered and the cheering began.

Then again the Owl stepped forward. “I hate to seem so particular,” he apologized, “but I have just been re-reading the rules of our great gathering. It says:

All animals who are strangers in the neighborhood must be properly introduced and vouched for before any wishes can be granted them.

“Now, Ready was introduced by Paf, but he must be vouched for by some one else. By that I mean,” explained the Owl, “that some one must speak a good word for him.”

“I will speak for him”

At this Ready’s heart sank. Who indeed would speak for him? Who knew him here? Then he heard a voice saying, “I will speak for him. When he jumped out of the window the other night, he was in a great hurry. The shortest way would have been to step upon my lame shoulder, but he went the long way instead.”

Now Ready knew that the largest geranium in the flower bed was speaking.

“I am an old flower,” she continued, “but it is the first time a dog has shown me any consideration.”

“Wonderful,” said the Eagle, waving his rod, “when he had so much provocation, too.”

“So much provocation,” sang the birds.

“Much provocation,” crowed the roosters, and cackled the hens.

“Much provocation,” barked the dogs.

Ready wondered what the large word meant, but felt it must be a friendly word because the Eagle looked so kindly at him.

“Enough,” commanded the King of Birds. “Ready, state your wish.”

By this time Ready’s legs had grown very weak. For one minute he felt that he must say, “I wish for food.” Then he remembered that this was his one great chance to get back to his Master Dick.

“I want to find my Master Dick’s seashore home,” he said in quite a loud voice.

Then his little legs gave right out and he fell fainting at the Eagle’s feet!

“Much provocation,” crowed the roosters

CHAPTER V

BAD NEWS

When Ready opened his eyes, he found himself in the loveliest little bed in the world. The animals by digging, gnawing, and scratching had made a large hollow place in the ground, and the birds had lined it with feathers. Even the flowers had given some of their leaves for the pillow.

You have no idea how comfortable it was. The Eagle’s trained nurse was giving Ready a teaspoonful of medicine every other minute. A special dog doctor was taking his pulse, and hundreds of birds were standing by waiting for orders. Ready really felt very comfortable.

A special dog doctor was taking his pulse

“He is better,” said the dog doctor, “but not yet on his feet.” Of course that was quite true, was it not?

“Is there anything you would like?” asked the trained nurse.

Ready raised his head and said anxiously, “May I still have my first wish granted, if I ask for anything else?”

“Certainly,” said the Eagle.

“Certainly,” said all the others.

“I very much want something to eat,” said Ready, falling back upon the pillows.

Such a commotion as there was then! Twenty blue-birds at once brought in a tray of liver. A course of bones followed, and a large dish of milk was served for dessert. Ready was a very happy dog indeed.

Then the Eagle said, “We will all have recess and refreshments.”

Twenty blue birds brought in a tray of liver

Now there was much moving about, eating, and talking. Every one came up to Ready and spoke to him. Many begged him to make week-end visits. Some asked him to house parties, and all the young dogs wanted his photograph.

At last the Eagle raised his rod and every one came to order. “We will now,” he said in a businesslike manner, “try to find Master Dick’s home at the seashore.”

Ready then told him all he knew about it, which, of course, was very little. It was a red house near the sea with a pine tree in front of it.

“That is quite enough,” said the Eagle, “I will send out my messengers to find it.”

The Eagle now called together his trusty messengers. There were five of them. A Blue Heron for watchfulness; a Crow for good judgment; a Swift for rapid flight; a Night Hawk for keen eyesight; and a little Sparrow for running the errands.

The Eagle talked to them all in a low tone for a few minutes, giving them directions and money for the journey.

Then the dance began, and who do you think was Ready’s partner this time? Why, the Eagle of course! It is a splendid thing to dance with the King of Birds, and a rare thing for a dog.

It seemed to be dog night, for the Owl, who had not danced for years, stepped out with a dog. The Owl knew only one dance, an old-fashioned hop waltz. The dog knew no dance at all. He jostled about on his hind legs.

They really looked so ridiculous that some gay young cat-birds laughed aloud, and called out, “Toddle, toddle, don’t just waddle.”

They were immediately cuffed by their elders

They were immediately cuffed by their elders for such bad manners, and made to sit out a whole dance in the dressing room, which was curtained off from the rest of the place by a row of young pine trees.

Telegram for the Eagle

Suddenly the dance was interrupted by the entrance of the young Sparrow, who had returned with a telegram for the Eagle.

Everything stopped at once and the Eagle’s grandson immediately flew to the top of the great oak tree, where his honored grandfather’s spectacles had been placed in an oriole’s nest for safe-keeping.

He returned in twenty seconds and found everybody waiting breathlessly.

The Eagle looked troubled after he had read the telegram. Then he and the Owl whispered silently together.

“Bad news,” cawed the crows.

“Bad news,” shrieked the blue jays.

“Bad news,” squeaked the field mice.

The noise was terrific, and the Eagle waved his rod angrily, crying, “Silence!”

“We are having trouble with the moths, butterflies and bats,” he continued sternly, hitting at a restless young pullet.

“You remember, that once we asked them to join our gathering, but the bats behaved so badly by bumping into everything that it broke up the dancing.

“Bad news,” cawed the crows and shrieked the blue jays

“The moths also were too silly for words. They almost stopped the orchestra by hitting them all the time. As for the butterflies, they went to bed as usual without even taking the trouble to send regrets.”

“Shameful, shameful!” hissed everybody.

“And so,” continued the Eagle, “we have never given them another invitation.”

“Why should we?” sang a king bird shrilly.

“Why should we?” squeaked and piped, barked and crowed, chirped and croaked, the whole company.

“But,” the Eagle went on, waving his rod for silence, “the bats did not like being left out, and now they refuse to carry my messages over their telegraph wires. They have formed a union against us, and I can get nothing through to the Sandpiper because it is over a wire which they control. The telegram reads:

“REFUSE TO SEND SANDPIPER MESSAGE UNLESS ADMITTED TO MEETING [TO-NIGHT].”

Of course no one understood a word of this message except the Owl, who kept a Book of Knowledge in his nest and always brought it with him in case it should be needed. He now explained that the message meant that they would not be able to get Ready back to Master Dick unless the moths and bats were allowed to come to the meeting that night.

The Owl kept a Book of Knowledge

He also explained that this telegram had been written by the oldest Bat in the world, who, for several years, had made his home in the attic of one of the offices of the Western Union Telegraph Company. That is where he had learned all the big words to put in telegrams, and also that no self-respecting telegram could have more than ten words in it.

The Owl explained this very clearly to everyone. He even pointed out the words in the telegram and they all counted them aloud: “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.”

“Your Majesty, I think there is but one thing to do,” said the Owl at last in a firm voice, “and that is to grant them admittance to-night.”

“We will put it to a vote,” said the Eagle, stepping up to his throne and rapping loudly for order. Then he shouted, “All in favor of getting Ready home by admitting these bats, moths and butterflies, say ‘Aye.’”

“Aye,” shouted everybody and everything.

Ready felt that he ought not to vote on such a delicate matter, but he could not help wagging his tail.

“Contrary ‘No,’” shrieked the Eagle.

Silence from everybody, for they were quite used to public meetings now, and the wiser birds and beasts always watched the foolish ones and cuffed them if they made a sound.

“The motion is carried,” said the Eagle. “The Owl will now send a telegram to admit them. The message will reach the Sandpiper and all will be right in ten minutes.”

The Owl, being a wise old bird, had the telegram prepared beforehand. It said:

ACCEPT TERMS. SEND MESSAGE TO SANDPIPER AND COME AT ONCE.

If you will count, you will see that this telegram has exactly ten words. Wasn’t that very clever of the Owl?

The ten minutes passed very quickly, as everybody was talking in little groups about telegrams. Many tried to write them. You could hear a group of young crows counting the words, “Caw, caw, caw.”

The oldest Bat in the world appeared

Suddenly, without a word of warning, the oldest Bat in the world appeared with four or five foolish moth millers. Of course no butterflies came.

The Bat flew immediately toward the Eagle and almost knocked off his glasses. Then, after running into the Owl, he batted about the dance hall. The millers followed, trying hard to imitate him.

The Bat next sat for a few moments on a rooster’s back and then hit a swallow who was flying across the floor. Finally, without a word of good-bye he was off again, with the millers flopping feebly after him.

Everybody was much relieved to have it all over. Indeed, most of the lady birds and beasts had been so frightened that they put their handkerchiefs over their heads.

The warblers started a song at once and soon everybody joined in.

“Zee, Zee, Zee,

Happy are we.

Gone are the Bats,

So remove your hats.”

The Eagle almost smiled as he announced: “Now the plans are made for Ready’s departure.” He did not even need to rap for silence, for everybody was so interested.

“My trusty messengers have just telephoned me that everything is all right,” the Eagle continued. “They have stopped for refreshments and rest at the Night Hawk’s house and will return shortly.