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Updated: June 21, 2025
Daddy Longlegs had the best of reasons for keeping some facts to himself. In the first place, he had never lived anywhere except in Pleasant Valley. In the second place, he was scarcely more than two months old when people began to notice him in the neighborhood of the stone wall.
"Hold on a minute!" called Longlegs, and tried to make his voice sound pleasant, a difficult thing to do, because, you know, his voice is very harsh and disagreeable. "The truth is, I haven't had a mouthful of breakfast and to be hungry is apt to make me cross. Where did you say Grandfather Frog is?"
And then everybody but Buster cried out that "Grandfather Graybeard" was a fine name for Daddy Longlegs. And many remarked that Daddy would be greatly pleased when he heard the news. "Thank you!" said Mr. Chippy, making a low bow with his hand on his heart. "And now if it is the pleasure of the meeting I will go back to the stone wall at once and tell Daddy Longlegs what we have decided to do."
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 thing he had wished to avoid. At last he decided that he would go over to the oat field at once and do what he could to help with the harvesting without saying anything more to anybody.
Anyhow, the wily gentleman was frequently seen scrambling about the stone wall by the roadside, near Farmer Green's house. And little Mr. Chippy, who made his home in the wild grapevine that grew on the wall, always claimed that Daddy Longlegs was a neighbor of his. "He's a good neighbor, too," Mr. Chippy told his friends. "He's very quiet and he never quarrels.
Daddy Longlegs crowed hoarsely his delight, the peacock tried his musical powers by shouting Ne-onk! ne-onk! and Duck Waddler quacked away more ridiculously than ever. Just then the mocking-bird ruffled his brown neck-feathers and began to sing. All the melody of all the song-birds of the South seemed to be bottled up in that one little bosom.
As he sat looking out of the chink in the old tree, through which he had crept inside it, Daddy suddenly saw a reddish, brownish flash flicker past the opening. "Goodness!" he exclaimed. "I wonder what that was!" And in another moment the same bright patch of color again whisked across the hole. Then Daddy Longlegs heard a sound as of some one scratching upon the tree-trunk.
Meantime the second stork had reached the ground. It first scraped its bill with its claw, stroked down its feathers, and then advanced towards the first stork. The two newly made storks lost no time in drawing near, and to their amazement overheard the following conversation: 'Good morning, Dame Longlegs. You are out early this morning! 'Yes, indeed, dear Chatterbill!
And then Solomon Owl spoke: "If you want to know what's the matter with Daddy Longlegs why don't you go and ask him?" Everybody exclaimed at once that that was a splendid plan. And thanking Mr. Owl for his excellent advice, the party hurried away. When they reached the stone wall, later, they found Daddy Longlegs sunning himself. He seemed glad to see his callers.
What a farce to see the great bulky fellows go to scale with their saddles strapped to their backs, as if to illustrate the impossibility of putting a round of beef upon a pudding plate! But the weighed-in ones are mounting. See, there's Jack Spraggon getting a hoist on to Daddy Longlegs! Did ever mortal see such a man for a jockey?
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