XX
AN INVITATION
Rusty Wren"s cousin, Long Bill, lived in the reeds on the bank of Black Creek. Although everybody called him "Long Bill," like Rusty Wren he was actually short and chubby. His bill, however, was much longer than Rusty"s. You see, he belonged to one branch of the Marsh Wren family; and they all had bills like that.
Long Bill Wren always claimed that his real name was William; but people generally smiled when he made that statement.
It was not often that Rusty met this cousin of his, for Rusty seldom ventured so far from home as Black Creek. And being very fond of water, Long Bill did not care to spend any of his valuable time in Farmer Green"s dooryard.
Of course, there was the duck pond not far away--and the river, too. But the only water really close to Rusty"s home was the watering-trough. And that was entirely too small to please Long Bill Wren. So no one ever saw him around the farm buildings.
For a long time Rusty had neither seen nor heard of his cousin, when one day Jolly Robin knocked at his door.
"I won"t come in," said Jolly (of course he couldn"t have, anyhow--being far too big to get through Rusty"s door!). "I won"t come in, for I merely want to give you a message. Old Mr. Crow came to the orchard to-day and he asked me to deliver an invitation from your cousin who lives near Black Creek."
"That"s Long Bill!" Rusty Wren exclaimed.
Jolly Robin nodded. "He"s going to have a party," he explained.
"And he wants you to come to it."
"When will it take place?" Rusty asked eagerly.
"To-morrow!" said Jolly Robin.
"It"s rather short notice," Rusty Wren observed.
"Mr. Crow has been keeping the message for you for some time,"
Jolly Robin explained. "He said he thought it would be more of a surprise if you didn"t know about the party too soon."
"We"ll be there, anyhow," Rusty"s wife interrupted behind her husband"s back. She had been listening with a good deal of interest to Jolly"s message.
"But you"re not invited," Jolly Robin told her. "This is a men"s party--so Mr. Crow says."
"You may tell old Mr. Crow that my husband won"t be able to be present," Mrs. Rusty Wren snapped. "He"s going to be very busy to-morrow, for he promised to help me with my house-cleaning."
Rusty Wren looked worried. But he said nothing more just then. He wanted to go to his cousin"s party. But he did not like to argue with his wife, especially in the presence of a neighbor.
Soon Jolly Robin said he must go back to the orchard, because he had to take care of his children while his wife went out to make a call.
Mrs. Rusty did not urge him to stay. And, since she seemed upset over something, Rusty thought it just as well if their visitor did not linger there too long.
"I was just going to the orchard myself to hunt for insects," said Rusty. "So I"ll go with you."
Mrs. Rusty shot a quick look at him.
"Remember! You"re going to be busy at home to-morrow!" she warned him.
"Yes! yes!" he said. And he seemed in a bit of a hurry to get to the orchard--it couldn"t have been _to get away from home_.
XXI
OFF TO BLACK CREEK
As soon as they reached the orchard, Jolly Robin exclaimed, "There"s old Mr. Crow now, over there on the fence! He"s come back to get your answer and take it to Long Bill Wren. I"ll have to tell him you"re sorry--but you"re going to be too busy to-morrow to go to the party."
"Tell him----" said Rusty Wren--"tell him that _although_ I expect to be busy, I am going to my cousin"s party just the same."
Jolly Robin stopped and sat down on a branch of an apple tree, he was so surprised. "My dear sir!" he cried. "You seem to have forgotten that your wife said you wouldn"t be able to accept Long Bill"s invitation."
"My wife----" said Rusty Wren--"my wife sometimes makes mistakes.
And this is one of them. I wouldn"t miss my cousin"s party for anything. And I don"t intend to, either."
"Good!" cried Jolly Robin. "I"m glad to see that you don"t let your wife manage your affairs, though I _have_ heard differently about you, for some people say that----" He stopped abruptly and looked carefully around. Whatever it may have been that he was about to say, for some reason he did not care to have his wife hear it. And he happened to think that perhaps Mrs. Robin might be near-by.
"I don"t care what people say," Rusty Wren told him. "When my cousin gives a party it would be a shame if I couldn"t go to it."
"I quite agree with you," said Jolly Robin. "And now I"ll go and give old Mr. Crow your answer."
"One moment!" Rusty Wren exclaimed. "What time will my cousin"s party begin?"
"Five o"clock!" Jolly Robin replied. "And it will last till sundown."
The next morning Rusty Wren helped his wife so spryly that long before midday the house-cleaning was finished. Although she tried her best, Mrs. Rusty could think of no more tasks for her husband to do--except to feed the children. That was a duty that would not be finished until they were old enough to leave home and shift for themselves.
On this day Rusty Wren dropped so many dainties into their gaping mouths that his wife had to tell him that she didn"t dare let the youngsters have anything more to eat until the next day.
"And now you ought to stay in the house and have a good rest until just before sunset," she told Rusty. "You"ve worked very hard ever since dawn. And I know you"re tired."
But Rusty declared that he much preferred to be out of doors enjoying the fine weather.
His wife looked at him sharply when he said that. All day long neither of them had mentioned the party which Rusty"s cousin, Long Bill Wren, was going to give at five o"clock that afternoon.
"I think," said Rusty, as he moved about uncomfortably under his wife"s gaze, "I think that since I"ve a little time to spare I"d better go and see Mr. Frog, the tailor. You know you"ve been telling me that my Sunday coat is beginning to look shiny--and I suppose I really ought to have a new one."
Mrs. Rusty said that it was true--he did need a new coat. And she a.s.sured her husband that she would be delighted to have him go to the tailor"s.
Now, she did not know that Mr. Frog had moved. She thought his shop was on the banks of Broad Brook. But that was just another mistake of hers. And if she had known where his tailoring parlors were then located, she would certainly have raised a good many objections to Rusty"s visiting them on the day of his cousin"s party. For Mr.
Frog"s shop was on the banks of Black Creek, where Long Bill Wren spent his summers.