Seeing that further urging was useless, Chirpy Cricket
left Buster and hurried away to find Jennie Junebug.
And to his delight, she said at once that she would
be much pleased to attend the torchlight procession.
She did wish, however, that he had invited her earlier,
because she would have liked a new gown for the occasion.
“Oh, come just as you are!” said Chirpy
Cricket.
“What! With my apron on?” Jennie
Junebug exclaimed.
Chirpy Cricket went off laughing. Buster Bumblebee
had caused him some disappointment. But now he
was feeling quite cheerful again.
As he went from place to place inviting his friends
to come to the torchlight procession that night, he
found that a good many felt as Buster Bumblebee did.
They declined to break their life-long rule of going
early to bed. But there were others, such as Mr.
Moses Mosquito, Kiddie Katydid, and Mehitable Moth,
who said at once that they were glad he asked them
and that they wouldn’t miss the fun for anything.
Meanwhile Freddie Firefly was just as busy as Chirpy
Cricket. And he had somewhat better luck.
For not only did fifty-five of his brothers and six
dozen of his cousins promise to take part in the procession—and
bring their lights, too—but at least three
hundred others, including some of Freddie’s
second and third cousins, agreed gladly to join in
the evening’s sport.
So before dark Freddie sent a message to Chirpy Cricket
by Greenie Grasshopper, telling him that he might
count on a big turnout of the Firefly family.
That was good news. And Chirpy Cricket felt so
happy that he began to sing earlier in the evening
than was his custom.
While it was still dusk he went to the stone wall
where the procession was to form. And of course
he had to wait there a long time before the first
of the Firefly family appeared.
Even for a person as cheerful as Chirpy Cricket, it
was hard to wait. But he consoled himself by
chirping his loudest.
“I suppose Freddie Firefly and all his relations
are very busy getting their lights ready,” he
thought.
At last, when it was quite dark, Freddie Firefly lighted
on a head of timothy grass close beside the stone
wall and began to flash his light right in Chirpy
Cricket’s face.
“Here I am, just as I promised!” he called.
AT THE STONE WALL
“Where’s the rest of your crowd?”
Chirpy Cricket asked Freddie Firefly, when they met
by the stone wall. “It’s getting darker
every minute. And the torchlight procession ought
to start right away.”
“They’re coming,” said Freddie.
“If you look sharp you can see them now, crossing
the meadow.”
Chirpy Cricket tried to see through the blackness
of the night. After gazing steadily for a few
moments he was able to make out a patch of twinkling
lights, which looked a good deal like stars, except
that they were too low. Since they kept growing
brighter, Chirpy Cricket knew that they must be moving
towards him, and that many of the Firefly family had
accepted his invitation.
