The Tale of Major Monkey | Page 8

thoughtful.
"I shall not care to be in it unless I can be a general," he announced at last.
"Why, certainly!" said Major Monkey. "Certainly you shall be a general, Mr. Crow."
Mr. Crow swelled himself up and looked as important as he could.
"Get everybody to come to the edge of the woods, near the pasture, early to-morrow
morning," Major Monkey commanded.
"Aren't you going to do any of the work?" Mr. Crow demanded. "I thought generals didn't
have to do anything except look wise."

"It's easier for you to get about than it is for me. But as soon as we have our army
together I'll take entire charge of it," Major Monkey informed him.
Mr. Crow was satisfied. After all, it wouldn't really be work, he told himself, to fly
around and tell the people the news. In fact, the more he thought about the plan the better
he liked it.
So he bade Major Monkey good-by and hurried away.
When Mr. Crow had flown out of sight the Major rolled over and over on the ground.
And then he climbed a tree and swung by his tail from a limb, while he made an odd,
chuckling sound.
"A general!" he said. "General Crow! Why he never wore a uniform in all his life!"
On the following morning the field-and forest-folk began gathering at the edge of the
woods near the pasture almost before it was light. And when Major Monkey left his snug
bed in the haystack and went to the meeting-place he found an eager throng waiting for
him.
Old Mr. Crow was flitting about, talking in a loud voice, and ordering people around to
his heart's content.
"Silence!" Major Monkey commanded, as soon as he arrived. Mr. Crow opened his
mouth to speak. But Major Monkey cut him off short.
"The first thing a soldier has to learn is to obey," he barked.
"But I'm a general!" Mr. Crow protested.
"Well, these are general orders; so you'll have to obey 'em," said Major Monkey glibly.
And poor old Mr. Crow didn't know what to say to that.
But he couldn't help looking rather grumpy.

X
The New Army
"Now, then--fall in!" Major Monkey shouted to the whole company of field-and
forest-folk.
But nobody had the slightest idea what he meant.
"You don't suppose he expects us to fall in the brook, do you?" Tommy Fox asked his
nearest neighbor. If there was anything that Tommy disliked, it was getting his feet wet.

Major Monkey soon saw that nobody knew what to do.
"Form a long line, two deep!" he directed.
And then there was trouble, because everyone wanted to be in the front rank (as Major
Monkey called it) in order to see everything.
After a good deal of jostling and squirming on the part of the company, and much loud
talk on the part of Major Monkey, the new army at last stood stretched out in a double
line along the pasture-fence.
Major Monkey seemed much pleased as he walked up and down in front of his soldiers.
And then he happened to glance up.
There was Mr. Crow, perched on a limb over his head.
"Here, you!" the Major shouted. "Didn't you hear me say 'Fall in?'"
"Certainly!" said Mr. Crow. "But I'm a general, you know."
"Well, what of that?" the Major snapped. "So are all these people generals! You didn't
think--did you?--that I'd have anybody in my army that wasn't at least a general?"
For a wonder, Mr. Crow said never a word. He was angry. But he didn't want to be left
out of the army. So he decided that he had better obey. And he flapped down and took his
place just in front of the front rank.
"You mustn't stand there!" Major Monkey said to him severely. "You're late falling in.
There's no place left for you. So you'll have to stand behind all the others."
That was just a little more than old Mr. Crow could bear.
"I'll do nothing of the sort!" he squawked. "And I must say that this is shabby treatment
to receive from an old friend."
Major Monkey certainly didn't want any trouble right at the beginning. So he hastened to
soothe Mr. Crow's wounded feelings.
"Look here," he said to the old gentleman, "if I were you I shouldn't care to be a common
general."
"What else can I be?" asked Mr. Crow with a hopeful gleam in his eye.
"You can be the cook," the Major suggested. "There are dozens of generals; but you'd be
the only cook, you see."
Mr. Crow rather liked that idea.
"I accept your offer," he said somewhat stiffly. And then he marched down the line and

took his place behind it.
Major Monkey breathed a sigh