But he couldn"t have heard her. Anyhow, he was out of sight in no time, leaving Mrs. Ladybug almost bursting with the questions that had sprung to her lips.
"He might have waited a second," she muttered. "But if he has traveled a long way no doubt he"s eager to get to his journey"s end."
Luckily Mrs. Ladybug had kept her eyes open when talking with the gentleman in the striped yellow coat. And as he turned to leave her she looked closely at his carpetbag. On one side of it she read, in big letters:
P. BUG COLORADO
VII
A HANDSOME STRANGER
LITTLE Mrs. Ladybug was too excited to work. Ever since meeting the stranger in the orchard she had been able to think of nothing but him.
Perhaps if she hadn"t happened to notice his carpetbag, with the words, "P. Bug, Colorado," upon its side, she might not have been so stirred up.
Anyhow, Mrs. Ladybug kept wondering what business had brought the stranger to Pleasant Valley. She wished she could find out what he was going to do in the potato patch. She wanted to ask him why he chose to have black stripes on his yellow coat, instead of spots. How long had he been traveling? When did he expect to leave the farm? There was no end to the questions that Mrs. Ladybug burned to put to him.
Meanwhile she told the news to everybody she saw. For Mrs. Ladybug dearly loved to spread choice morsels of gossip. It pleased her mightily to tell her neighbors something they didn"t know.
People listened to her story with great interest. They were eager to learn all about the stranger, whom Mrs. Ladybug declared to be very handsome.
Mrs. Ladybug made her news last as long as possible in the telling. She made her neighbors wait a bit for every fact, so they would enjoy it to the full. And whenever she stopped anyone and told him about the newcomer, Mrs. Ladybug kept the best part until the last. She always ended her remarks by saying, with a most important air, "His name is Mr. P. Bug. And he comes from Colorado."
That never failed to impress her listeners--which was exactly what Mrs.
Ladybug wanted.
Since n.o.body asked her how she knew the traveler"s name, and where he came from, Mrs. Ladybug did not trouble herself to explain that she had read both name and place upon his old-fashioned carpetbag.
There was one thing that puzzled her slightly, when she paused to think about it. How did it happen that the elegant stranger carried a most unfashionable bag?
Mrs. Ladybug soon settled that question to her own satisfaction.
"He"s like me!" she decided. "Mr. P. Bug is a hard worker and he doesn"t care for show. He"s a plain person. No doubt he put on that yellow coat to travel in, because it"s his best. But he"ll wear overalls, perhaps, if he starts to work in the potato patch--as I suspect he will."
At last, however, Mrs. Ladybug met with a rude shock. She was telling her news to Peppery Polly b.u.mblebee, one of the workers in the hive ruled by Buster b.u.mblebee"s mother, the well-known Queen. And to Mrs.
Ladybug"s amazement, when she related the name of the stranger, and the place he came from, Peppery Polly laughed in her face.
"Mr. P. Bug is not from Colorado," said Peppery Polly b.u.mblebee. "He has never been off this farm."
Well, Mrs. Ladybug was staggered. She gasped. She clung to a leaf to keep from failing.
"I don"t believe that!" she cried, as soon as she could speak. "I"ll find Mr. Bug himself and learn the truth from him."
VIII
SEEKING THE TRUTH
MRS. LADYBUG was determined to know the truth about Mr. P. Bug, the newcomer. And as soon as she had fully recovered from the rude blow that Peppery Polly b.u.mblebee dealt her, she set out for Farmer Green"s garden and the potato patch.
For some time Mrs. Ladybug flew back and forth above the potato vines.
It was not an easy matter to find so small a person as Mr. Bug in so big a field. But she discovered him at last. And she was somewhat surprised to see him still in his elegant yellow coat, with the black stripes.
For Mrs. Ladybug had expected him to be hard at work, in overalls.
To be sure, Mr. P. Bug did appear to be busy about something or other.
He was so busy that he scarcely so much as glanced at Mrs. Ladybug when she spoke to him, mumbling "Good morning!" in answer to her greeting, but not taking the trouble to doff his cap.
"He"s at work anyhow," thought Mrs. Ladybug. "He"s helping Farmer Green." Then she alighted on the potato vine where Mr. Bug was clinging.
"Don"t you remember me?" she asked.
He shook his head. His mouth seemed to be full of something--Mrs.
Ladybug wasn"t sure what.
"Don"t you recall speaking to me one time?" she persisted.
After swallowing, he answered.
"I can"t say I do!"
"I"m the person that told you how to get to this potato patch," Mrs.
Ladybug explained. "When you met me in the orchard, on your way from Colorado, you stopped and asked me to direct you to Farmer Green"s potato patch."
For a moment or two Mr. Bug seemed puzzled--especially when Mrs. Ladybug mentioned Colorado. But by the time Mrs. Ladybug had finished speaking, he nodded.
"So I did!" he exclaimed. "I had forgotten all about that. Though now that you speak of it, I do remember meeting a very talkative dame dressed in a polka dot. Possibly I spoke to you about my settling in the potato patch for the summer?"
"No!" said Mrs. Ladybug. "But I thought I"d find you here. You seemed in a great hurry to reach this place."
"So I was!" said Mr. P. Bug. "And I"m glad I came. This is the finest potato patch in the whole valley--so I have been told."
"You must have seen a good many others on your journey from Colorado,"
Mrs. Ladybug ventured. "It"s a long way from there to here, I suppose."
"I suppose it is," Mr. P. Bug murmured. He seemed to be a bit impatient, as if he were in haste to return to his work and didn"t care to talk any longer.
"I suppose you were weeks on the road," Mrs. Ladybug went on. "Are you going back to Colorado after you"ve finished helping Farmer Green with the potato crop?"
"Colorado!" he blurted. "I don"t know where that place is. I"ve never been there in all my life."