University of Virginia Library

15. XV
THE BUSHYTAILS ARE RESCUED

WHERE did we leave off? Oh, I remember now. Billie and Johnnie Bushytail and Jennie Chipmunk were shipwrecked on a desert island, weren't they? Well, they were very unhappy, indeed, all wet through; but then, you see, the sun and the wind, which, as it happened very luckily, was in the south that day, dried out their coats of fur. They were not like children, who, when they fall in the water, have to change everything they have on. The squirrels didn't have to change a thing.

“Well,” asked Billie, when he was pretty dry, “how are we going to get off this island?

We never can swim to shore, as it's too far. It's your fault, Johnnie, for wanting to come sailing; isn't it, Jennie?”

“It is not,” declared Johnnie. “You wanted to sail as much as I did.”

“Then it's Jennie's fault,” insisted Billie, who wanted to blame some one.

“No, it isn't,” replied his brother, “It's the fault of the wind.”

“Well, I knew it wasn't mine,” went on Billie. “But no matter about that; how are we going to get home? There are no trees here, to get bark from to make boats.”

“No trees! I should say not!” exclaimed Johnnie. “This is a desert island; nothing grows here.”

“How do you know it is a desert island?” asked Jennie, who was beginning to smile again. She was always curious, was Jennie.

“I know,” answered Johnnie, “because

there is nothing on it but a desert, and, besides, that's the only place you can be shipwrecked — on a desert island. It's in all the books.”

“Don't tell me that!” cried a hoarse voice right close to them, and who should come hopping along but a frog. “Don't tell me it's in all the books,” he said. “Whenever I hear that it makes me shiver,” and, sure enough, the frog began to shiver.

“Why does it make you shiver?” asked Billie.

“What is your name?” inquired Johnnie at the same time.

“I will answer you both at once,” spoke the frog. “My name is Bully, and the reason I shiver when I hear about something being in all the books is that once a blue heron told me that. He said it was in all the books that cranes, storks and herons ate frogs, mice and

so forth. Then he tried to eat me, but I hopped away. Do you know Sammie and Susie Littletail?”

“We have heard of them,” answered Jennie.

“Well, they are great friends of mine,” went on the frog. “Sammie and I used to jump together. He knows about the blue heron. But how comes it that you are here?”

“We are shipwrecked,” answered Johnnie. “Perhaps you can help us to get to the mainland from this desert island.” Then he told Bully the frog how it all happened, and he didn't leave out a single thing, not even about getting wet in the water.

“Well, I can't carry you over, because I'm not big enough, or I would,” said Bully, the frog.

“Must we stay here forever?” asked Jennie,

and she stopped the smiling which she had started when she saw the frog.

“No,” said Bully, as quick as a cat can wink her eye. “You won't have to stay here. I have thought of a plan. I must find a spider.”

So they hunted around until they found a spider, though the squirrels couldn't imagine how that was going to help them. The spider was spinning her web, and when she saw the shipwrecked ones, and the frog, she asked them if they had seen any flies, as thee were very scarce on the desert island.

“We will tell you where there are some if you will spin a long web to reach to the mainland,” said Bully.

“What for?” asked the spider.

“Well, then, Billie and Johnnie and Jennie can walk across it over the water.”

“Oh, my goodness me and a bushel of elephants!”

cried the spider, just as cross as could be. “I never could spin a web strong enough to hold up those boys. Perhaps Jennie Chipmunk could walk on it, but not Johnnie or Billie. Oh, my goodness me and a peck of monkeys! No, indeed.”

“Maybe Jennie can cross over and get help,” suggested Billie.

“No,” said Jennie, “I will not leave you on this desert island all alone.”

“But we will have Bully and the spider for company,” said Johnnie. But that did not matter. Jennie would not go. Then the frog said he did not see what could be done, and they all felt pretty miserable, even the spider. When all at once who should come sailing along but Mrs. Quack-Quack. Who was she? Why, of course, I forgot to tell you; she was a lovely white duck. When she saw the shipwrecked ones she took them all

upon her broad back, and before you could say the longest word in the dictionary she had them safely on the main shore. And, oh, how glad they were! Now what would you like to hear about to-morrow night, if you don't go sleigh-riding? How would a story do about Johnnie and Billie going to a picnic?