o get rid of her Daddy Longlegs promised to
see Farmer Green at once and offer his services.

He was sorry, as soon as she had gone, that he had agreed to do that.
But being a person of his word he never once thought of not keeping his
promise, though he wished he had simply put his hand behind his ear and
not answered Mrs. Ladybug's question at all.

But it was too late, then, to do that.

VII

TRYING TO HELP

IT was true that Farmer Green had almost more work than he could do just
then, even with the aid of the hired man and Johnnie. And he often
wished that he might find somebody else to help him.

"I'd hire anybody I could find that had two legs," he remarked to his
wife as he started away from the house after finishing his dinner. "I
want to get the oats harvested before there's a rain. And I don't like
the looks of the sky to-day."

Now, Daddy Longlegs reached the farmhouse just in time to hear what
Farmer Green said. And he spoke up at once--as loudly as he could.

"I'd be willing to work for you," he said. "I'm a harvestman. And you
ought to be glad to hire me, for I have eight legs instead of only two."

Perhaps Daddy's voice was too thin and high for Farmer Green to hear.
Anyhow, he paid not the slightest heed to Daddy's offer, but strode off
across the farmyard while his caller cried "Stop! Please stop!" at the
top of his lungs.

Then Daddy heard a noise, which he was sure was thunder--though it was
only Farmer Green calling to the hired man to hurry.

"Well, I've tried to go to work, anyhow," Daddy Longlegs assured
himself. "And if the oats get wet Farmer Green can't blame me."

He went back to the stone wall then. And seeing Mr. Chippy perched on
the wild grapevine, Daddy told him what had happened. "Farmer Green must
be deaf at times, the same as you are," little Mr. Chippy observed. "If
I were you I'd write him a letter."

Daddy Longlegs pretended not to hear Mr. Chippy's suggestion. The truth
was, being only a few months old Daddy did not know how to write. But of
course he did not care to have Mr. Chippy know that.

Well, while he pondered upon the situation Daddy Longlegs changed his
mind about working for Farmer Green. In the beginning he had not wanted
to help with the harvesting. He had taken up Mrs. Ladybug's suggestion
only to keep her quiet. But now, having found that going to work for
Farmer Green was no easy matter to arrange, Daddy Longlegs began to
long to do the very