XIV

JENNIE JUNEBUG


On the day--or rather, on the night--when he first met Jennie Junebug,
Freddie Firefly was ill at ease. In fact it might be truthfully said
that he was quite upset.

One beautiful, warm, dark night early in the summer Freddie was hurrying
to join a big family party which was already gathering in the hollow
beyond the hill.

He was scooting along through the damp air, flashing his light at the
rate of about thirty-six times a minute, when a heavy body bumped into
him and knocked him head over heels upon the grass-carpeted ground.

It was no wonder that he felt upset. And he felt quite peevish, too, as
he picked himself up and looked about him to see what had happened.

The next moment he was flashing his light into the blinking eyes of an
enormous fat person, who seemed to be dazed, either by the shock of the
collision or by the light--Freddie Firefly couldn't tell which.

"Why don't you look where you're going?" Freddie cried impatiently. "You
knocked the breath out of me. And you almost broke one of my legs." The
next instant he was heartily ashamed of himself; for he saw, to his
surprise, that he was talking to a lady. "Oh! I beg your pardon!" he
cried. "Ex--excuse me! I hope you're not seriously injured?"