because
they had all counted her feet. And she had eight.

"What's this?" the newcomer demanded. "What's going on here, I should
like to know?"

And Daddy Longlegs looked a bit uncomfortable as he explained that he
had a new name, and told her what it was.

"You haven't given your consent, I hope?" she said.

"I'm afraid I have," Daddy replied meekly.

"Then withdraw it at once!" she commanded sharply. "I don't like this
new name at all."

Poor Daddy Longlegs looked as if he wished he might sink into the ground
and vanish. But since he couldn't do that, he stammered that he was much
obliged to his friends for their kindness, but he really would have to
insist that they call him by his old name, and he hoped they would
understand.

But they didn't understand even then. And the whole company stood
silent, with their mouths open, and watched Daddy Longlegs follow the
strange lady away. She had beckoned to him. And he had started after
her without a word of protest.

His friends noticed that she was considerably bigger than he was.

Well, they might have been standing there yet if little Mrs. Ladybug
hadn't arrived just then, quite out of breath from hurrying. And of
course she wanted to know what had happened.

"For pity's sake!" she cried, after she had listened to the strange
story. "Do you mean to say you haven't heard the news? Didn't you know
that Daddy Longlegs had a new wife? Naturally, a _bride_ wouldn't care
to have her young husband known as 'Grandfather Graybeard.'"

"Ah! But he's very old!" said little Mr. Chippy.

"How do you know?" Mrs. Ladybug inquired.

Mr. Chippy had to admit that he had no means of knowing.

And then Mrs. Ladybug looked very wise.

"I have reason to believe," she said "that Daddy Longlegs is a much
younger person than we have always supposed."

THE END

End of Project Gutenberg's The Tale of Daddy Longlegs, by Arthur Scott Bailey

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TALE OF DADDY LONGLEGS ***

***** This file should be named 21426.txt or 21426.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/2/1/4/2/21426/

Produced by Joe Longo and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in