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XXII TOMMY TIT MAKES GOOD HIS BOAST "DEE, dee, dee,
chickadee! See
me! See me!" Tommy Tit the Chickadee kept saying this over and over, as
he
flew from the Green Forest up through the Old Orchard on his way to
Farmer
Brown's dooryard, and his voice was merry. In fact, his voice was the
merriest,
cheeriest sound to be heard that bright, snapping, cold morning. To be
sure
there were other voices, but they were not merry, nor were they cheery.
There
was the voice of Sammy Jay, but it sounded peevish and discontented.
And there
was the voice of Blacky the Crow, but it sounded harsh and unpleasant.
And
there was the voice of Chatterer the Red Squirrel, but Chatterer was
scolding
just from habit, and his voice was not pleasant to hear. So every one who heard
Tommy Tit's
cheery voice that cold winter morning just had to smile. Yes, Sir, they
just
had to smile, even Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow. They just couldn't
help
themselves. When Tommy reached the stone wall that separated the Old
Orchard
from Farmer Brown's dooryard, his sharp eyes were not long in finding
Peter
Rabbit, and Happy Jack the Gray Squirrel, and Chatterer hiding in the
old wall
where they could peep out and see all that happened in Farmer Brown's
dooryard.
Looking back through the Old Orchard, he saw what looked like a little
bit of
the blue, blue sky flitting silently from tree to tree. It was Sammy
Jay. Over
in the very top of a tall maple-tree, a long way off, was a spot of
black.
Tommy didn't need to be told that it was Blacky the Crow, who didn't
dare come
any nearer. Tommy fairly bubbled over
with joy.
He knew what it all meant. He knew that Peter Rabbit and Happy Jack and
Chatterer and Sammy Jay and Blacky the Crow had come to see him make
good his
boast to Chatterer that he would eat from the hand of Farmer Brown's
boy, and
that not one of them really believed that he would do it. He tickled
all over
and cut up all sorts of capers, just for pure joy. Finally he flew over
to the
maple-tree that grows close by Farmer Brown's house. "Dee, dee, dee,
chickadee! See
me! See me!" called Tommy Tit, and his voice sounded cheerier than ever
and merrier than ever. Then the door of Farmer
Brown's
house opened, and out stepped Farmer Brown's boy and looked up at Tommy
Tit,
and the look in his eyes was gentle and good to see. He pursed up his
lips, and
from them came the softest, sweetest whistle, and it sounded like
"Phoe-be." Peter Rabbit pinched
himself to be
sure that he was awake, for it was Tommy Tit's own love note, and if
Peter had
not been looking straight at Farmer Brown's boy, he would have been
sure that
it was Tommy himself who had whistled. "Phoe-be," whistled
Farmer
Brown's boy again. "Phoe-be," replied Tommy
Tit, and it was hard to say which whistle was the softest and sweetest.
"Phoe-be," whistled
Farmer
Brown's boy once more and held out his hand. In it was a cracked
hickory nut. "Dee, dee, dee! See me!
See me!"
cried Tommy Tit and flitted down from the maple-tree right on to the
hand of
Farmer Brown's boy, and his bright little eyes twinkled merrily as he
helped
himself to a bit of nut meat. Peter Rabbit looked at
Happy Jack,
and Happy Jack looked at Chatterer, and all three acted as if they
couldn't
believe their own eyes. Then they looked back at Farmer Brown's boy,
and there
on his head sat Tommy Tit. "Dee, dee, dee, chickadee! See me! See me!" called Tommy Tit, and his voice was merrier than ever, for he had made good his boast. |