A BRIDEGROOM
DADDY LONGLEGS was taken entirely by surprise. It was rather early inthe morning. And he had not expected callers--at least not so many assuddenly appeared at the stone wall where he was usually to be found.
Luckily he was arrayed in his very best clothes. Indeed, he was quitesmartly dressed--for him. A bright yellow scarf, tied in a big bowbeneath his chin, made him look almost dandified. And he was wearing abottle-green coat, lined with pink.
"Goodness!" said Buster Bumblebee. "He looks like a bridegroom!" Buthis companions all told him to hush, and not to be disrespectful to hiselders.
"Good morning!" said Mr. Chippy to Daddy Longlegs. "We've come to tellyou some good news. We're going to call you by a different name. And wehope you'll like it."
"I hope so!" Daddy Longlegs echoed. "What is it, please?"
"It's 'Grandfather Graybeard'!" little Mr. Chippy informed him with anair of pride.
"Why, that's a beautiful name!" Daddy Longlegs cried, as a look ofpleasure crossed his face.
"I'm glad you think so," said Mr. Chippy. "It's only fair to tell youthat I thought of it myself."
And then he called for "three cheers for Grandfather Graybeard!"
They gave them with a right good will.
And after the sound had died away Mr. Chippy said something in a whisperto Daddy.
"What is it?" Rusty Wren demanded. "What's he talking about?"
"He thinks we ought to give three cheers for him," Daddy Longlegsexplained.
But before they had time to do that a large lady bustled out from thestone wall and walked straight up to Daddy Longlegs. She was one of hisown kind, too. The whole company agreed to that, afterwards; becausethey had all counted her feet. And she had eight.
"What's this?" the newcomer demanded. "What's going on here, I shouldlike to know?"
And Daddy Longlegs looked a bit uncomfortable as he explained that hehad a new name, and told her what it was.
"You haven't given your consent, I hope?" she said.
"I'm afraid I have," Daddy replied meekly.
"Then withdraw it at once!" she commanded sharply. "I don't like thisnew name at all."
Poor Daddy Longlegs looked as if he wished he might sink into the groundand vanish. But since he couldn't do that, he stammered that he was muchobliged to his friends for their kindness, but he really would have toinsist that they call him by his old name, and he hoped they wouldunderstand.
But they didn't understand even then. And the whole company stoodsilent, with their mouths open, and watched Daddy Longlegs follow thestrange lady away. She had beckoned to him. And he had started afterher without a word of protest.
His friends noticed that she was considerably bigger than he was.
Well, they might have been standing there yet if little Mrs. Ladybughadn't arrived just then, quite out of breath from hurrying. And ofcourse she wanted to know what had happened.
"For pity's sake!" she cried, after she had listened to the strangestory. "Do you mean to say you haven't heard the news? Didn't you knowthat Daddy Longlegs had a new wife? Naturally, a bride wouldn't careto have her young husband known as 'Grandfather Graybeard.'"
"Ah! But he's very old!" said little Mr. Chippy.
"How do you know?" Mrs. Ladybug inquired.
Mr. Chippy had to admit that he had no means of knowing.
And then Mrs. Ladybug looked very wise.
"I have reason to believe," she said "that Daddy Longlegs is a muchyounger person than we have always supposed."
THE END.
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