XIII
HOW DRUMMER THE WOODPECKER CAME BY HIS RED CAP
Drummer the Woodpecker was beating his long roll on a hollow tree in theGreen Forest. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! Drummerthought it the most beautiful sound in the world. After each long rollhe would stop and listen for a reply. You see, sometimes one of hisfamily in another part of the Green Forest, or over in the Old Orchard,would hear him drumming and would hasten to find a hollow tree himselfand drum too. Then they would drum back and forth to each other for thelongest time, until all the other little people would scold because ofthe racket and would wish they could stop their ears. But it was music,real music to Drummer and all the members of his family, and Drummernever was happier than when beating his long roll as he was doing now.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat! Suddenly Drummer heard ascratching sound inside the hollow tree. Once more he beat the long rolland the scratching sound grew louder. Then he heard a voice just alittle way above him.
"Do Ah hear some one knocking?" asked the voice.
Drummer looked up. There was Unc' Billy Possum's sharp little facesticking out of his doorway, and Unc' Billy looked very sleepy and verycross and at the same time as if he were trying very hard to be politeand pleasant.
"Hello, Unc' Billy! Is this your house? I didn't know it when I began todrum. I wasn't knocking; I was drumming. I just love to drum," repliedDrummer.
"Ah reckons yo' do by the noise yo' have been making, but Ah don't likebeing inside the drum. Ah'm feelin' powerful bad in the haid just now,Brer Drummer, and Ah cert'nly will take it kindly if yo' will findanother drum," said Unc' Billy, holding his head in both hands as if hehad a terrible headache.
Drummer looked disappointed and a little bit hurt, but he is one of thebest-natured little people in the Green Forest and always willing to beobliging.
"I'm sorry if I have disturbed you, Unc' Billy," he replied promptly."Of course I won't drum here any longer, if you don't like it. I'll lookfor another hollow tree, though I don't believe I can find another asgood. It is one of the best sounding trees I have ever drummed on. It'ssimply beautiful!" There was a great deal of regret in his voice, as ifit were the hardest work to give up that tree.
"Ah'll tell yo' where there's another just as good," replied Unc' Billy."Yo' see the top of that ol' chestnut-tree way down there in the holler?Well, yo' try that. Ah'm sure yo' will like it."
Drummer thanked Unc' Billy politely and bobbed his red-capped head as hespread his wings and started in the direction of the big chestnut-tree.Unc' Billy grinned as he watched him. Then he slowly and solemnly winkedone eye at Peter Rabbit, who had just come along.
"What's the joke?" asked Peter.
"Ah done just sent Brer Drummer down to the big chestnut-tree to drum,"Unc' Billy replied, winking again.
"Why, that's Bobby Coon's house!" cried Peter, and then he saw the jokeand began to grin too.
In a few minutes they heard Drummer's long roll. Then again and again.The third time it broke off right in the middle, and right away aterrible fuss started down at the big chestnut-tree. They could hearDrummer's voice, and it sounded very angry.
"Ah reckon Brer Coon was waked up and lost his temper," chuckled Unc'Billy. "It's a bad habit to lose one's temper. Yes, Sah, it cert'nly isa bad habit. Ah reckons Ah better be turning in fo' another nap, BrerRabbit." With that Unc' Billy disappeared, still chuckling.
Hardly was he out of sight when Peter saw Drummer heading that way, andDrummer looked very much put out about something. He just nodded toPeter and flew straight to Unc' Billy's tree. Then he began to drum. Howhe did drum! His red-capped head flew back and forth as Peter never hadseen it fly before. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! Drummer hardly paused for breath. There was toomuch noise for Peter, and he kicked up his heels and started for theSmiling Pool, and all the way there he laughed.
"I hope Unc' Billy is enjoying a good nap," he chuckled. "Drummercertainly has turned the joke back on Unc' Billy this time, and I guessit serves him right."
He was still laughing when he reached the Smiling Pool. Grandfather Frogwatched him until he began to smile too. You know laughter is catching."Ha, ha, ha! Ho, ho, ho!" laughed Peter and held his sides.
"What is the joke?" demanded Grandfather Frog in his deepest voice.
When Peter could get his breath, he told Grandfather Frog all about thejoke on Unc' Billy Possum. "Listen!" said Peter at the end of the story.They both listened. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! The long roll of Drummer theWoodpecker could be heard clear down to the Smiling Pool, and Peter andGrandfather Frog knew by the sound that it still came from Unc' Billy'shouse.
"Chug-a-rum! That reminds me," said Grandfather Frog. "Did you ever hearhow Drummer came by his red cap?"
"No," replied Peter. "How did he?" There was great eagerness in Peter'svoice.
"Well," said Grandfather Frog, settling himself in a way that Peter knewmeant a story, "of course Drummer over there came by his red cap becauseit was handed down in the family, but of course there's a reason."
"Of course," said Peter, quite as if he knew all about it.
Grandfather Frog rolled his great, goggly eyes and looked at Petersuspiciously, but Peter looked so innocent and eager that he went onwith his story.
"Of course, it all happened way back in the days when the world wasyoung."
"Of course!" said Peter.
This time Grandfather Frog took no notice. "Drummer's grandfather athousand times removed was just a plain little black and white birdwithout the least bit of bright color on him. He didn't have anysweeter voice than Drummer has to-day. Altogether he seemed to hisneighbors a no-account little fellow, and they didn't have much to dowith him. So Mr. Woodpecker lived pretty much alone. In fact, he livedalone so much that when he found a hollow tree he used to pound on itjust to make a noise and keep from being lonesome, and that is how helearned to drum. You see, he hadn't any voice for singing, and so he gotin the habit of drumming to keep his spirits up.
"Now all the time, right down in his heart, Mr. Woodpecker envied thebirds who had handsome coats. He used to wish and wish that he hadsomething bright, if it were no more than a pretty necktie. But he neversaid anything about it, and no one suspected it but Old Mother Nature,and Mr. Woodpecker didn't know that she knew it. Whenever he got towishing too much, he would try to forget it by hunting for worms thatbored into the trees of the Green Forest and which other birds could notget because they did not have the stout bill and the long tongue Mr.Woodpecker possessed.
"Now it happened that while Old Mother Nature was busy elsewhere, agreat number of worms settled in the Green Forest and began to bore intothe trees, so that after a while many trees grew sickly and then died.None of the other little people seemed to notice it, or if they did,they said it was none of their business and that Old Mother Nature oughtto look out for such things. They shrugged their shoulders and went onplaying and having a good time. But Mr. Woodpecker was worried. He lovedthe Green Forest dearly, and he began to fear that if something wasn'tdone, there wouldn't be any Green Forest. He said as much to some of hisneighbors, but they only laughed at him. The more he thought about it,the more Mr. Woodpecker worried.
"'Something must be done,' said he to himself. 'Yes, Sir, something mustbe done. If Old Mother Nature doesn't come to attend to things prettysoon, it will be too late.' Then he made up his mind that he would dowhat he could. From early morning until night he hunted worms and dugthem out of the trees. He would start at the bottom of a tree and workup, going all over it until he was sure that there wasn't another wormleft. Then he would fly to the next tree. He pounded with his bill untilhis neck ached. He didn't even take time to drum. His neighbors laughedat him at first, but he kept right on working, working, working everyhour of the day.
"At last Old Mother Nature appeared very unexpectedly. She went allthrough the Green Forest, and her sharp eyes saw all that Mr. Woodpeck
erhad done. She didn't say a word to him, but she called all the littlepeople of the Green Forest before her, and when they were all gatheredaround, she sent for Mr. Woodpecker. She made him sit up on a dead limbof a tall chestnut-tree where all could see him. Then she told just whathe had done, and how he had saved the Green Forest, and how great a debtthe other little people owed to him.
"'And now that you may never forget it,' she concluded, 'I herewith makeMr. Woodpecker the policeman of the trees, and this is his reward to beworn by him and his children forever and ever.' With that she calledMr. Woodpecker down before her and put on his head a beautiful red cap,for she knew how in his heart he had longed to wear something bright.Mr. Woodpecker thanked Old Mother Nature as best he could and thenslipped away where he could be alone with his happiness. All the rest ofthe day the other little people heard him drumming off by himself in theGreen Forest and smiled, for they knew that that was the way he wasexpressing his joy, having no voice to sing.
"And that," concluded Grandfather Frog, "is how Drummer whom you knowcame by his red cap."
"Isn't it splendid!" cried Peter Rabbit, and then he and GrandfatherFrog both smiled as they heard a long rat-a-tat-tat-tat roll out fromthe Green Forest.
XIV
HOW OLD MR. TREE TOAD FOUND OUT HOW TO CLIMB