bit
anxiously.

"Certainly--to be sure!" said Long Bill. "But I'm not so
surprised--though I understand that you usually attend a
singing-party about this time o' day."

"Yes!" said Mr. Frog. "But I'd much prefer to come to yours."

"My what?" inquired Long Bill Wren, as a puzzled look appeared upon
his face.

"Your party, of course!" Mr. Frog replied with a wide smile.

Now, Rusty Wren wished he had not called at Mr. Frog's shop at all.
If he had only come straight to his cousin's house, he thought that
he would have spared himself--and his cousin, too--a good deal of
trouble. And, since he didn't know what to say, he kept still for a
few moments and let the others do all the talking.

Meanwhile, Long Bill hopped briskly outside his house, and joined
them on the ground.

"My party!" he cried. "Why, I know of no party here! Somebody has
made a mistake. I haven't given a party for a year--just a year ago
to-day.... I invited you at that time," he told Rusty Wren, "but
you didn't come. And I never received any word from you about the
matter."

"That's strange!" said Rusty. "This is the first I ever heard of
the affair."

"I engaged Mr. Crow to take your invitation to Jolly Robin in the
orchard and ask him to give it to you," Long Bill informed his
bewildered cousin.

"That's just the way this invitation reached me yesterday!" Rusty
explained.

"Ah! I see it all now," said Long Bill. And he began to laugh
merrily. "Mr. Crow's poor memory is to blame for your mistake. He
forgot to deliver the message last year. And he happened to
remember it only yesterday. So the news reached you just twelve
months too late."

Although Long Bill Wren continued to laugh heartily, neither Mr.
Frog nor Rusty could manage even a faint smile. Having expected a
merry time and plenty to eat, they were both disappointed.

But Mr. Frog soon said that so far as he was concerned, he still
had a singing-party that he could attend, so he didn't feel sad
very long. And, after all, Rusty was glad to see his cousin, Long
Bill Wren. They had a pleasant chat together for almost an hour.
And Long Bill invited Rusty to stay to dinner.

Rusty thanked him and said, no! he must hasten home, because he had
to go to bed early, on account of having to awaken Farmer Green at
dawn the next morning.

When he returned to the old cherry tree Rusty had to answer a good
many questions. His wife wanted to know what had kept him so long,
and what Mr