The Tale of Brownie Beaver, Page 4

  After that he was ready to believe everything Jasper Jay told him. SoJasper related some wonderful news. And it would hardly be fair foranyone not present at the time to say that it wasn't perfectlytrue--every word of it.

  The Chain Caught on a Bush and Tripped Him]

  XVI

  LOOKING PLEASANT

  After Jasper Jay left Brownie Beaver, on that day when Jasper toldBrownie that the photographer had made a flashlight picture of him,Brownie could hardly wait for it to grow dark. He had made up his mindthat he would go back to that same tree, which was still not quitegnawed through; and he hoped that he would succeed in having hispicture taken again. Like many other people, Brownie Beaver felt thathe could not have too much of a good thing.

  There was another reason, too, for his going back to the tree. If thelight flared again and the click sounded in the bushes, Brownieintended to go right into the thicket and get his picture beforeanybody else could carry it away with him. (You can understand howlittle he understood about taking photographs.)

  Well, the dark found Brownie back at the tree once more. And he beganonce more to gnaw at it. He tried to look pleasant, too, because hehad heard that that was the way one should look when having hispicture taken.

  He found it rather difficult, gnawing chips out of the tree andsmiling at the same time. But he was an earnest youngster and he didthe best he could.

  Brownie Beaver kept wishing the flashlight would go off, because--whatwith smiling and gnawing--his face began to ache. But no glare oflight broke through the darkness.

  It was not long before Brownie had gnawed away so many chips that thetree began to nod its head further and further toward the ground. AndBrownie wished that the flash-light would hurry and go off before thetree fell.

  But there was not even the faintest flicker of light. It was mostannoying. And Brownie was so disappointed that for once he forgot tobe careful when he was cutting down a tree. He kept his eyes on thebushes all the time, instead of on the tree--as he should have done.And all the time the tree leaned more and more.

  At last there was a _snap!_ Brownie Beaver should have known whatthat meant. But he was so eager to have his picture taken that hemistook the _snap_ for the _click_ that he had first heard almost aweek before.

  He thought it must be the click of a camera hidden in the bushes. Andhe stood very still and looked extremely pleasant. Now, Brownie Beavershould have known better. But like most people, for once he made amistake. What he really heard was the tree snapping. And before hecould jump out of the way the tree came crashing down upon him andpinned him fast to the ground. He saw a flash of light, to be sure,and a good many stars. But all that only came from the knock on hishead which the tree gave him.

  XVII

  BROWNIE ESCAPES

  When the tree crashed down upon Brownie Beaver and held him fast, itwas some time before he came to his senses. Then he did not know, atfirst, where he was nor what had happened to him. But at last heremembered that he had been cutting down a tree not far from the pondand he saw that it must have fallen upon him.

  Of course, the first thing that occurred to him was to call for help.But just as he opened his mouth to shout, another thought came intohis head. _Perhaps some man might hear him--or a bear!_ And BrownieBeaver closed his mouth as quickly as he had opened it.

  Then he tried to squirm from under the tree-trunk. But he couldn'tmove himself at all. Next he tried to push the tree away from him. Buthe couldn't move the tree either.

  For a long while Brownie Beaver struggled, first at one impossiblething, and then at the other. And all the time the tree seemed to growheavier and heavier.

  Finally, Brownie stopped trying to get free and began to feel hungry.

  You can see that he must have been worried, because there was thetree, with plenty of bark on it which he could eat. But he nevernoticed it for a long time.

  At last, however, he happened to remember that in the beginning he hadstarted to cut down that very tree so he could reach the bark and eatit.

  Then Brownie Beaver had a good meal. And just as he finished eating,another thought came into his head. _Why shouldn't he gnaw rightthrough the tree?_

  Since there seemed to be no answer to that question, he began to gnawbig chips out of the wood. And in a surprisingly short time he had cutthe tree apart just where it pressed upon him.

  Then, of course, all he had to do was to get up and walk away.

  When he reached the village he found that all his neighbors had beenlooking everywhere for him.

  "That is," Grandaddy Beaver explained, "we looked everywhere exceptnear the tree where you had that adventure a few nights ago. I saidyou wouldn't be there, for I advised you to keep away from that spot,as you will recall."

  Now, Brownie Beaver said nothing more. He knew that it was anunheard-of thing for one of the Beaver family to be caught by a fallingtree. To have everyone know what had happened to him would be a gooddeal like a disgrace.

  But there are plenty of people who would think they had done somethingquite clever if they had gnawed through a tree with their teeth--thoughthat was something that never once entered Brownie Beaver'shead.

  XVIII

  MR. FROG'S QUESTION

  "Why don't you get some new clothes?"

  It was Mr. Frog that asked the question; and he asked it of BrownieBeaver, who was at work on top of his house. Mr. Frog had been hidingamong the lily-pads, watching Brownie. But Brownie hadn't noticed himuntil he stuck his head out of the water and spoke.

  At first Mr. Frog's question made Brownie a bit peevish.

  "What's the matter with my clothes?" he asked hotly.

  "There's nothing the matter with them--nothing at all," said Mr.Frog--"except that they are not as becoming to you as they might be.Of course," he added, as he saw that Brownie Beaver was frowning, "youlook handsome in them. But you've no idea how you'd look in clothes of_my_ making."

  Brownie Beaver felt more agreeable as soon as Mr. Frog had told himwhat he meant.

  "Do _you_ make clothes?" he inquired.

  "I'm a tailor," Mr. Frog replied. "And I've just opened a shop at theupper end of the pond."

  "What's the matter with my tail?" Brownie snapped. He was angry again.

  Then Mr. Frog explained that a tailor made suits.

  "We've nothing to do with _tails,"_ he said--"unless it's coat-tails."

  "What about cattails?" Brownie asked. "You're pretty close to someright now. So you can hardly say you have nothing to do with them."

  Mr. Frog smiled.

  "I see you're a joker," he said. "And it really seems a pity," he wenton, "that a bright young fellow like you shouldn't wear the finestclothes to be had anywhere. If you'll come to my shop I'll make you asuit such as you never saw before in all your life."

  "I'll come!" Brownie Beaver promised. "I'll be there at sunset."

  And he went. Mr. Frog was waiting for him, with a broad smile on hisface. Any smile of his just had to be broad, because he had such awide mouth.

  "Come right in!" Mr. Frog said. "I'll measure you at once." So BrownieBeaver stepped inside Mr. Frog's shop to be measured for his new suit.

  It was all over in a few minutes. Mr. Frog scratched some figures on aflat stone. And then he went into the back room of his shop.

  He stayed there a long time. And when he came into the front partagain he found Brownie Beaver still there.

  "What are you waiting for?" Mr. Frog asked. He seemed surprised thatBrownie had not left.

  "I'm waiting for my suit, of course," Brownie Beaver said.

  "Oh! That won't be ready for three days," Mr. Frog told him. "I haveto make it, you know."

  Brownie thought that Mr. Frog must be a slow worker; and he told himas much.

  But Mr. Frog did not agree with him.

  "I'm very spry!" he claimed. "On the jump every minute!"

  As Brownie started away, Mr. Frog called him back.

  "I'd get a new hat if I were you," he suggested. />
  "What's the matter with this hat?" Brownie wanted to know. "It's abeaver hat--one my great-grandfather used to wear. It's been in ourfamily a good many years and I'd hate to part with it."

  "You needn't part with it," Mr. Frog said pleasantly. "Just don't wearit--that's all! For it won't look well with the clothes I'm going tomake for you."

  Then Brownie Beaver moved away once more. And again Mr. Frog stoppedhim.

  "I'd buy a collar if I were you," he said.

  "What's the matter with this neckerchief?" Brownie Beaver demanded."It belonged to my great-grandmother."

  "Then I'd be careful of it if I were you," Mr. Frog told him. "Andplease get a stiff white collar to wear."

  "Won't it get limp in the water?" Brownie asked, doubtfully.

  "Get a celluloid one, of course," Mr. Frog replied. "That's the onlykind of collar you ought to wear."

  So Brownie Beaver left the tailor-shop. And he was feeling quiteunhappy. He had always been satisfied with his clothes. But now hebegan to dislike everything he had on. And he could hardly wait forthree day to pass, he was in such a hurry for Mr. Frog to finish hisnew suit.

  XIX

  THE NEW SUIT

  Three days had passed. And as soon as he had finished his breakfastBrownie Beaver hastened to the tailor-shop of Mr. Frog, who had beenmaking him a suit of clothes.

  Much to Brownie's disappointment, he found that Mr. Frog's door waslocked. But he sat down on the doorstep and waited a long time. And atlast Mr. Frog appeared.

  After bidding Brownie Beaver good-morning, Mr. Frog yawned widely,remarking that he had been out late the night before, "at asinging-party," he said. "What can I do for you?" he asked BrownieBeaver.

  "You can let me have my new suit of clothes," Brownie told him.

  "You must be mistaken," Mr. Frog replied. "I don't remember you. I'mnot making any suit for you."

  At that Brownie Beaver became much excited.

  "Why--" he exclaimed--"I was here three days ago and you measuredme.... Don't you know me now?" he asked.

  "Sorry to say I don't," was Mr. Frog's answer.

  Brownie Beaver was desperate. He had looked forward eagerly to havinghis new suit. And he wanted it at once.

  "You advised me to get a new hat and a collar," Brownie reminded him.

  Mr. Frog smiled.

  "Ah! That's it!" he cried. "You're wearing them now; and it's nowonder I didn't recognize you. You look ten years younger."

  Brownie Beaver was puzzled.

  "I'm not ten yet," he said. "So if I look ten years younger, I mustappear very young indeed."

  "The new clothes will fix that," Mr. Frog assured him.

  "But you just told me you were not making a suit for me," saidBrownie.

  "Quite true, too!" answered Mr. Frog--"because it's all finished. So,of course, I'm not making it now."

  They had stepped inside the shop. And Mr. Frog carefully took somegarments off a peg and spread them before Brownie Beaver.

  "There!" he said with an air of pride. "The finest suit you ever saw!"

  "I'll slip it on," said Brownie.

  "Oh! I wouldn't do that!" Mr. Frog told him. "You might stretch it."

  But nothing could have kept Brownie Beaver out of his new suit. Hescrambled into it quickly, while the tailor stood by with a worriedlook upon his face.

  "The coat seems to be all right," Brownie remarked. "But there'ssomething wrong with the trousers. I can't see my feet!" He bent overand gazed down where his feet ought to have been. But they hadvanished. And an end of each trouser-leg trailed on the floor. "Thesetrousers are too long!" Brownie declared.

  "Then you stretched them, putting them on," Mr. Frog said. "I warnedyou, you know."

  "I was very careful," Brownie said. "I'm sure it can't be that."

  "Then your legs are too short," Mr. Frog told him glibly. "They lookto me to be _much_ shorter than they were when I measured you."

  "My legs--" Brownie Beaver exclaimed--"my legs are exactly the samelength they were three days ago! You've made a mistake, Mr. Frog.That's what's the matter with these trousers!"

  But Mr. Frog shook his head.

  "I made them according to your measurements," he insisted.

  "Let me see your figures!" Brownie Beaver cried.

  But Mr. Frog shook his head again.

  "I don't do business that way," he explained. "As soon as I'vefinished a suit I throw away the stone on which I've written themeasurements. It saves trouble, if there's any complaint afterwards."

  "Well!" said Brownie. "What can we do about this? I can't wear thetrousers as they are."

  "You'll have to get your legs stretched," Mr. Frog told him. "Just tiea stone to each foot and wear the trousers for a few days. As soon asyou see your feet, take off the stones.... It's simple enough." Hehelped tie some heavy stones to Brownie's feet. And then Brownie swamaway.

  Now, swimming with your feet weighted like that is no easy matter. ButBrownie managed to reach home. He stayed there, too, for the rest ofthe day, because it was hard for him to move about. And since he hadnothing else to do, he went to sleep.

  When he awoke, about an hour before sunset, he couldn't think at firstwhat made his feet feel so heavy. He thought he must be ill--until heremembered about the stones being tied to his feet.

  Then he looked down. And to his great surprise and joy there were hisfeet sticking out of his trousers, just as they ought to stick out!

  Brownie untied the stones. He had not supposed his legs would stretchso quickly as that. And he told himself that Mr. Frog was a goodtailor. He certainly knew his business. Now, as a matter of fact, Mr.Frog was a very careless person. He had thrown away Brownie'smeasurements _before_ he made his clothes, instead of _afterwards_.And he had made the new suit entirely by guesswork. It was onlynatural that he would make some mistake; and so he had cut thetrousers entirely too long.

  When he discovered that, he wanted to get Brownie out of his shop. Andwhat happened next was simply this: After Brownie's trousers were wetin the pond, they dried while he was sleeping. And while they weredrying they were shrinking at the same time.

  Though Brownie Beaver didn't know it, his legs had not stretched atall. They were exactly the same length they had always been.

  THE END