!" Daddy Longlegs shouted approvingly. "But I wish you'd
wave a little harder. I'm afraid they won't see you."

So Sandy Chipmunk redoubled his efforts. And he wagged his tail so hard
that before he knew what was happening he had lost his footing, slipped
off the edge of the trough, and found himself floundering in the water.

Daddy Longlegs was watching the wagon so anxiously that he never noticed
what was happening to his friend. But he observed that Johnnie Green
began to laugh. And pointing toward the watering-trough Johnnie cried,
"Oh! look, Grandma--look!"

The old horse Ebenezer, too, seemed interested in what was going on.
Anyhow, he swerved to the right and walked straight up to the trough.
And the wagon came to a halt.

That was Daddy Longlegs' chance. He hurried to one of the rear wheels.
And in spite of the wind he clambered quickly up and hid himself in a
corner of the wagon-box.

Meanwhile Sandy Chipmunk, spluttering and choking, managed to pull
himself out of his unexpected bath and frisked out of sight among the
sumacs that fringed the road.

"Well, I stopped the wagon, anyhow!" he said to himself as he scampered
away.

And that was just where he was mistaken. The old horse Ebenezer wanted a
drink. That was why he had paused at the trough. He thrust his muzzle
deep into the cool spring-water and drank so long that Johnnie Green
began to be worried, for fear he would burst.

But old Ebenezer wouldn't budge until he had drunk his fill. When he was
ready (and not before) the wagon went rumbling up the road again, taking
Johnnie Green and his grandmother home to the farmhouse--and likewise
bearing Daddy Longlegs back to the stone wall, where little Mr. Chippy
lived in the wild grapevine.

XV

A CALL ON A NEIGHBOR

DADDY LONGLEGS was delighted to be at home again. And Mr. Chippy--as
well as other neighbors--remarked that they had never seen him so happy
and cheerful.

Perhaps one reason for Daddy's good spirits was the fact that the wind
no longer blew and he could venture abroad without being buffeted about.

He was so relieved by the change in the weather that it seemed to him
there could be no danger anywhere.

Little did Daddy Longlegs dream that a great army was even then making
plans to capture him. And still less did he imagine that he was going
to meet with a real adventure before the day was done.

Daddy Longlegs had so many pleasant ideas in his head that there was no
roo