"Don't you think you ought to stop flashing your light?"

"Do you mean--" asked Freddie--"do you mean that I ought to keep it
glaring steadily all the time?"

"Oh, no!" Benjamin Bat replied hurriedly. "I mean that you ought to put
it out for a while."

"Why should I do that?" Freddie Firefly wanted to know.

"To please Farmer Green, of course," Benjamin replied glibly. "Don't you
know that a light always draws mosquitoes? And it can't be very pleasant
for Farmer Green to have half the mosquitoes in the neighborhood
crowding into his dooryard."

"What would be the use of my putting out my light, when all my relations
are flashing theirs?" Freddie asked.

"Well, maybe they'd follow your example," Benjamin Bat suggested. "And
just think what a good turn you'd be doing Farmer Green!"




XVIII

PLEASING FARMER GREEN


Now, when Benjamin Bat spoke of his doing Farmer Green a good turn,