as the hours sped by and the moon at last crossed the sky and dropped out of sight, kiddie katydid saw that there was going to be trouble.
he was worried about benjamin bat. early in the evening benjamin had begun to abuse mr. frog. and he was so busy doing that that he wouldn't take the time to go away and snatch even a bite to eat.
naturally, benjamin's temper grew worse as the night lengthened. and kiddie katydid had to admit to himself that he would be most unwise if he did any jumping or flying just then. for benjamin bat was in so fierce a humor that he was ready to snap at anybody who was smaller than he was. all the tiny flying folk gave him a wide berth. and it began to look as if he were going to spoil the night's fun.
but all the while mr. frog never once lost his temper. even when benjamin bat called him a long-legged, flat-headed, paddle-footed meddler, mr. frog only smiled and turned a few somersaults backward.
"what's the matter with you?" benjamin bat asked him at last. "can't you speak?"
"certainly! certainly!" mr. frog said then. "i've been trying to think of some way to prevent so much quarreling. it hardly seems fair to kiddie katydid—this uproar right in his dooryard. and since you are the one that's making the great[81]est disturbance, i'd suggest that you go away and leave us to enjoy the rest of the night in peace."
"i'll do nothing of the kind!" benjamin bat screamed. "this is my party. i thought of it in the first place. and i'm going to stay here until dawn."
"very well! then the rest of us will leave at once," mr. frog told him. and calling good-by to all his friends, mr. frog flopped himself briskly away.
the smaller folk, too, vanished as if by magic. though benjamin bat watched sharply, he didn't even see freddie firefly when he slipped away.
"that's strange!" thought benjamin. "he must have put out his light, to fool me. but i don't care, because kiddie katydid is hidden somewhere in this tree. and i'm going to find him—for i'm terribly hungry."
so benjamin began flying in and out among the maple branches. nobody but he could have twisted and turned in such a helter-skelter fashion. it made kiddie katydid almost dizzy just to watch him. but kiddie didn't take his eyes off benjamin, because he intended to jump—and jump fast and far—in case benjamin should spy him.
now, although the bat family was able to see in the dark as well as farmer green's cat could, benjamin failed to find kiddie katydid anywhere. crouching motionless upon a leaf, and dressed all in green, kiddie katydid was almost invisible. but if he had moved the least bit, benjamin bat would have found him out.
looking only for a tiny green figure among the green leaves, benjamin bat paid no attention to the grayish branches of the tree. he was really strangely careless. quite unsuspected by him, while he was wrangling with mr. frog, the cat had crept out of the woodshed and stolen softly into that very tree, where she lay motionless along a limb. she had come out upon an early morning hunt for birds.
she was a fierce old cat. there was nothing, almost, that she wasn't ready and willing to fight. even old dog spot had learned to shun her. and now she waited patiently until benjamin bat should come within reach of her quick paws.
that stupid, blundering fellow bumped squarely into her at last. and how he escaped is still a mystery. the old cat always claimed that when she found benjamin wasn't a bird she was so surprised that she let him go. and as for benjamin himself, he never would discuss his adventure with anybody. kiddie katydid was the only other one who saw what happened. but he was so frightened at the time that he only knew that benjamin bat tore away toward the swamp as if a thousand cats were following him. and people do say that for some time afterward, kiddie katydid shrilled a slightly different ditty. it was kitty did, kitty did; she did, she did!
but when mr. frog mentioned that news, with a laugh, to benjamin bat, over in the swamp, benjamin only said, "stuff and nonsense!"
yet he looked most uncomfortable.
