wanted to eat him! And he wished that Benjamin would
go away and get a good meal somewhere before he came back again.

XVII

KITTY DID!

As the hours sped by and the moon at last crossed the sky and dropped
out of sight, Kiddie Katydid saw that there was going to be trouble.

He was worried about Benjamin Bat. Early in the evening Benjamin had
begun to abuse Mr. Frog. And he was so busy doing that that he wouldn't
take the time to go away and snatch even a bite to eat.

Naturally, Benjamin's temper grew worse as the night lengthened. And
Kiddie Katydid had to admit to himself that he would be most unwise if
he did any jumping or flying just then. For Benjamin Bat was in so
fierce a humor that he was ready to snap at anybody who was smaller than
he was. All the tiny flying folk gave him a wide berth. And it began to
look as if he were going to spoil the night's fun.

But all the while Mr. Frog never once lost his temper. Even when
Benjamin Bat called him a long-legged, flat-headed, paddle-footed
meddler, Mr. Frog only smiled and turned a few somersaults backward.

"What's the matter with you?" Benjamin Bat asked him at last. "Can't you
speak?"

"Certainly! Certainly!" Mr. Frog said then. "I've been trying to think
of some way to prevent so much quarreling. It hardly seems fair to
Kiddie Katydid--this uproar right in his dooryard. And since you are the
one that's making the greatest disturbance, I'd suggest that you go
away and leave us to enjoy the rest of the night in peace."

"I'll do nothing of the kind!" Benjamin Bat screamed. "This is _my_
party. I thought of it in the first place. And I'm going to stay here
until dawn."

"Very well! Then the rest of us will leave at once," Mr. Frog told him.
And calling good-by to all his friends, Mr. Frog flopped himself briskly
away.

The smaller folk, too, vanished as if by magic. Though Benjamin Bat
watched sharply, he didn't even see Freddie Firefly when he slipped
away.

"That's strange!" thought Benjamin. "He must have put out his light, to
fool me. But I don't care, because Kiddie Katydid is hidden somewhere in
this tree. And I'm going to find him--for I'm terribly hungry."

So Benjamin began flying in and out among the maple branches. Nobody but
he could have twisted and turned in such a helter-skelter fashion. It
made Kiddie Katydid almost dizzy just to watch him. But Kiddie didn't
take his eyes off Benjamin, because he intended to jump--and jump f