Mother West Wind 'Why' Stories
Page 14
XIV
WHY FLITTER THE BAT FLIES AT NIGHT
"It must be fine to fly," thought Peter. "I wish I couldfly."]
Flitter the Bat made Peter Rabbit's head dizzy. Peter couldn't helpwatching him. He just had to. It seemed so wonderful that Flittercould really fly, that whenever he saw him, Peter had to stop andwatch. And then, as he saw Flitter twist and turn, fly high, fly low,and go round and round, Peter's head would begin to swim and growdizzy, and he wondered and wondered how it was that Flitter himselfdidn't grow dizzy.
"It must be fine to fly," thought Peter. "I wish I could fly. If Icould, I wouldn't spend all my time flying around the way Flitterdoes. I'd go on long journeys and see the Great World. I'd fly way,way up in the blue, blue sky, the way Ol' Mistah Buzzard does, where Icould look down and see all that is going on in the Green Forest andon the Green Meadows. And I'd fly in the daytime, because there ismore going on then. I wonder, now, why it is that Flitter never comesout until after jolly, round, red Mr. Sun has gone to bed behind thePurple Hills. I never see him in the daytime, and I don't even knowwhere he keeps himself. I never thought of it before, but I wonder whyit is that he flies only at night. I believe I'll ask Grandfather Frogthe very next time I see him."
Now you know that once Peter Rabbit's curiosity is aroused, it justhas to be satisfied. No sooner did he begin to wonder about Flitterthe Bat than he could think of nothing else. So he watched until theway was clear, and then he started for the Smiling Pool as fast as hecould go, lipperty-lipperty-lip. He hoped he would find GrandfatherFrog sitting as usual on his big green lily-pad, and that he would begood-natured. If he wasn't feeling good-natured, it would be of no useto ask him for a story.
When Peter reached the Smiling Pool he was disappointed, terriblydisappointed. The big green lily-pad was there, but there was no onesitting on it. Somehow the Smiling Pool didn't seem quite like itselfwithout Grandfather Frog sitting there watching for foolish greenflies. Peter's face showed just how disappointed he felt. He was justgoing to turn away when a great, deep voice said:
"Chug-a-rum! Where are your manners, Peter Rabbit, that you forget tospeak to your elders?"
Peter stared eagerly into the Smiling Pool, and presently he saw twogreat, goggly eyes and the top of a green head, way out almost in themiddle of the Smiling Pool. It was Grandfather Frog himself, havinghis morning swim.
"Oh, Grandfather Frog, I didn't see you at all!" cried Peter, "If Ihad, of course I would have spoken. The fact is, I--I--"
"You want a story," finished Grandfather Frog for him. "You can't foolme, Peter Rabbit. You came over here just to ask me for a story. Iknow you, Peter! I know you! Well, what is it this time?"
"If you please," replied Peter politely and happily, for he saw thatGrandfather Frog was feeling good-natured, "why is it that Flitterthe Bat flies only at night?"
Grandfather Frog climbed out on his big green lily-pad and madehimself comfortable. Peter sat still and tried not to show howimpatient he felt. Grandfather Frog took his time. It tickled him tosee how hard impatient Peter was trying to be patient, and his big,goggly eyes twinkled.
"Chug-a-rum!" said he at last, with a suddenness that made Peter jump."That's very good, Peter, very good indeed! Now I'll tell you thestory."
Of course he meant that Peter's effort to keep still was very good,but Peter didn't know this, and he couldn't imagine what GrandfatherFrog meant. However, what he cared most about was the story, so hesettled himself to listen, his long ears standing straight up, and hiseyes stretched wide open as he watched Grandfather Frog. The lattercleared his throat two or three times, each time as if he intended tobegin right then. It was one of Grandfather Frog's little jokes. Hedid it just to tease Peter. At last he really did begin, and the veryfirst thing he did was to ask Peter a question.
"What is the reason that you stay in the dear Old Briar-patch whenReddy Fox is around?"
"So that he won't catch me, of course," replied Peter.
"Very good," said Grandfather Frog. "Now, why do you go over to thesweet-clover patch every day?"
"Why, because there is plenty to eat there," replied Peter, lookingvery, very much puzzled.
"Well, now you've answered your own question," grunted GrandfatherFrog. "Flitter flies at night because he is safest then, and becausehe can find plenty to eat."
"Oh," said Peter, and his voice sounded dreadfully disappointed. Hehad found out what he had wanted to know, but he hadn't had a story.He fidgeted about and looked very hard at Grandfather Frog, but thelatter seemed to think that he had told Peter what he wanted to know,and that was all there was to it. Finally Peter sighed, and it wassuch a heavy sigh! Then very slowly he turned his back on the SmilingPool and started to hop away.
"Chug-a-rum!" said Grandfather Frog in his deepest, story-tellingvoice. "A long time ago when the world was young, thegreat-great-ever-so-great grandfather of Flitter the Bat first learnedto fly."
"I know!" cried Peter eagerly. "You told me about that, and it was asplendid story."
"But when he learned to fly, he found that Old Mother Nature nevergives all her blessings to any single one of her little people,"continued Grandfather Frog, without paying the least attention toPeter's interruption. "Old Mr. Bat had wings; something no otheranimal had, but he found that he could no longer run and jump. Hecould just flop about on the ground, and was almost helpless. Ofcourse that meant that he could very easily be caught, and so theground was no longer a safe place for him. But he soon found that hewas not safe in the air in daytime. Old Mr. Hawk could fly even fasterthan he, and Mr. Hawk was always watching for him. At first, Mr. Batdidn't know what to do. He didn't like to go to Old Mother Nature andcomplain that his new wings were not all that he had thought theywould be. That would look as if he were ungrateful for her kindnessin giving him the wings.
"'I've got to think of some way out of my troubles myself,' thoughtold Mr. Bat. 'When I'm sure that I can't, it will be time enough to goto Old Mother Nature.'
"Now of course it is very hard to think when you are twisting anddodging and turning in the air."
"Of course!" said Peter Rabbit, just as if he knew all about it.
"So Mr. Bat went looking for a place where he could be quiet all byhimself and think without danger of being gobbled up for some one'sdinner," continued Grandfather Frog. "He flew and he flew and hadalmost given up hope of finding any such place when he saw a cave. Itlooked very black inside, but it was big enough for Mr. Bat to flyinto, and in he went. He knew that Mr. Hawk would never come inthere, and when he found a little shelf up near the roof, he knew thathe was safe from any four-footed enemies who might follow him there.It was just the place to rest and think. So he rested, and while herested, he thought and thought.
"By and by he noticed that it was growing dark outside. 'My goodness!If I am going to get anything to eat to-day, I shall have to hurry,'thought he. When he got outside, he found that Mr. Sun had gone tobed. So had all the birds, except Mr. Owl and Mr. Nighthawk. Now Mr.Nighthawk doesn't belong to the Hawk family at all, so there wasnothing to fear from him. Then Mr. Bat had a very pleasant surprise.He found the air full of insects, ever so many more than in thedaytime. By being very smart and quick he caught a few before it wastoo dark for him to see. They didn't fill his stomach, but they kepthim from starving. As he flew back to the cave, a great idea came tohim, the idea for which he had been thinking so hard. He would sleepdays in the cave, where he was perfectly safe, and come out to huntbugs and insects just as soon as Mr. Hawk had gone to bed! Then hewould be safe and would not have to complain to Old Mother Nature.
"At first old Mr. Bat, who wasn't old then, you know, had hard work tocatch enough insects before it grew too dark, but he found that everynight he could see a little longer and a little better than the nightbefore, until by and by he could see as well in the dusk as he used tosee in the daytime. Then he realized that Old Mother Nature had oncemore been very good to him, and that she had helped him just as shealways helps those who help
themselves. She had given himnight-seeing eyes, and he no more had to go hungry.
"Mr. Bat was very grateful, and from that day to this, Bats have beencontent to live in caves and fly in the evening. You ask Flitter if itisn't so."
Peter grinned. "He never stays in one place long enough for me to askhim anything," said he. "I'm ever so much obliged for the story,Grandfather Frog. It pays to make the best of what we have, doesn'tit?"
"It certainly does. Chug-a-rum! It certainly does!" repliedGrandfather Frog.