CHAPTER XII
BILLY WHISKERS' FAMILY START FOR CHICAGO
Two weeks from the time the old crow took the message from Billy, hedelivered it to Nannie early one morning when she had just awakenedfrom a sound sleep on the top of a straw stack. It was her usualresting place, for from this vantage point she could get a view of allthe country roundabout as the stack stood on the top of a high hill.Here she spent most of her time night and day when Billy was away,looking for him to return. From here she could see not only thecountry roads, but also the railroad as well as the meadows andwoodland. Consequently from whichever direction Billy might come shewould be the first to see him. It was from this very lookout she hadseen him when he returned from his western trip, from his Panamaexpedition and from across the ocean and far-away Constantinople. Youmust not forget that Billy was a traveled goat.
This particular morning she awoke at sunrise, but seeing a heavy misthid the sun, she tried to go to sleep again as it foretold a hot day.But just as she was dropping off to sleep, she heard a crow cawdirectly over her head, and she thought it queer that the crows wouldbe stirring so early. Again she closed her eyes to sleep, but the callwas repeated and it sounded so much nearer than at first that sheopened her eyes once more. Lo and behold! directly in front of her ona dead limb of a tree sat a big, black crow.
"Don't you know me, Mrs. Billy Whiskers?" cawed he.
"It isn't--it _can't_ be our old friend and messenger Black Wings!"
"That is just who it is! You have good eyes, Mrs. Whiskers, torecognize me after all these years, especially as they say I havegrown stouter."
"That you surely have, but any one having once seen your sharp, shrewdeyes would never forget them or the saucy turn of your head. You can'tbe here to give me another message from my beloved husband, can you?"
"That is just my business--to deliver a message from him, to tell youthat he, Stubby and Button are all well and happy and, best of all,that none of them lost so much as an eye or a leg in the War. Which isquite remarkable, I think, as they were in the thick of the fight morethan once, and were also torpedoed by a submarine. But just wait untilyou see them! They themselves will tell you about their warexperiences."
"Oh, how happy you have made me, Mr. Black Wings, by bringing me themessage that the husband I adore is safe and sound and in this countryonce again! I don't believe I can ever stand it to have him go awayfrom me again. I have died a thousand deaths in imagining him woundedand left to die on the battlefield, or, worse yet, blown to atoms by ashell. Come with me while I tell Billy Junior and Daisy the goodnews."
And Nannie slipped off the straw stack and went to where Billy Junior,his wife Daisy, and their Twins were asleep at the foot of a haystackin the barnyard.
"Why, mother! Are you ill?" asked Billy Junior when he awoke and sawher standing over him.
"No, dear. But I have such good news for you that I could not wait foryou to awaken, but had to come and tell you. Hurry and get your eyesopen and see who is here!"
"Not father, surely?"
"No; but an old friend who has brought news of him."
Billy Junior rubbed his face against his fore leg to get the sleep outof his eyes, so he could see who was there. At first he looked andlooked, but he saw no one. He was looking on the ground, and BlackWings was perched on the tongue of an old farm wagon not ten feetaway. When he saw the blank expression on Billy Junior's face, hecawed to show him where he was.
"Black Wings!" Billy exclaimed when he saw him. "How glad I am to seeyou once again! You should be called White Wings instead of BlackWings as you always bring such bright, cheerful news. Mother says youhave good news for us. I can guess that it must be from father."
"You are right; it is. He is sound and well, and is coming to see youjust as fast as his four legs can carry him. And Stubby and Button arewith him. He sent me on ahead to tell you that he would like to haveyou, your mother, wife and the Twins join him in Chicago. You willhave plenty of time to get there as they are away down East yet, inthe state of New York. But though they are farther away from Chicagothan you are, they can travel faster than you can, having the Twinswith you."
"But how shall we ever be able to find him in such a large city asChicago?" asked Nannie.
"He has instructed me to tell you to meet him in Lincoln Park, forshould you arrive first, that will be an interesting place to wait asthere are all the wild animals to talk to and plenty of good greengrass in the Park to eat, and cool, clear water to drink as it borderson Lake Michigan."
"What are you talking about?" asked one of the Twins. "Going on ajourney? We want to go too!"
"We both want to go!" piped up the other Twin. "We haven't been offthis old stupid farm for ages, and I am crazy to go on a journey andtalk to all the little lambs and goats along the road."
"Keep still, children! Don't you see Mr. Black Wings is telling uswhat Grandfather wants us to do?"
"Oh, I bet it is something bully if _he_ is planning it," said oneTwin.
"Bet your sweet life it is!" chimed in the other.
"Children, how many times must I tell you not to use such language?"said their mother. "If you don't behave, we will leave you at home."
"You can't do that. Grandfather told you to bring us and he would bedisappointed if you did not."
"Hush! Don't be impertinent!"
"You have all been to Chicago so will know the way," remarked BlackWings.
Just then a rooster flew up on the wagon to crow that it was daylightand time for all the barnyard animals and fowls to be up and lickingtheir coats or preening their feathers, which is what they do eachmorning instead of washing their faces as little boys and girls do.
"Mr. Chanticleer," called Nannie, "won't you crow out an invitation toall the animals and fowls to come to the spring at the foot of thebarnyard as soon as they are up, to meet Mr. Black Wings? He has justcome with a message from Billy, my husband, that he has landed inAmerica safe and sound and is on his way here with our old friendsStubby and Button."
"With pleasure. Mrs. Whiskers! And I will crow my loudest and longest,for nothing in this world would give me more happiness than to welcomeour old chum and friend back to the farm."
"Mother," said Mr. Winters, the owner of the farm, "that rooster willsplit his throat if he doesn't stop crowing so loud and long. Hedoesn't generally keep it up so long. If he continues to crow likethat in the mornings when I wish to sleep, we will roast him forSunday dinner."
About an hour later when Mr. Winters went to the farmyard, as he dideach morning, to take a look around before breakfast, he was surprisedto see all the animals congregated around the spring. Even the pigs,chickens, ducks and turkeys were there.
"Strange they should all be so thirsty this morning," he pondered. "IfI had given them salt last night, I might have thought it was that butthey haven't had any for days. Heigho! there goes an old crow, thefirst I have seen around here for ages."
When the animals saw Mr. Winters they all separated and wandered offin a careless manner. As soon as Mr. Winters had returned to thehouse, you could have seen, had you been looking, three big goats andtwo young ones hurrying down the lane that led from the barnyard tothe main road to Chicago, with a big, black crow flying over them.