One
evening, a few days after the writing had appeared in Charlotte's web, the
spider called a meeting of all the animals in the barn cellar.
"I shall begin
by calling the roll. Wilbur?""Here!" said the pig.
"Gander?""Here,
here, here!" said the gander.
"You sound like
three ganders," muttered Charlotte. "Why can't you just say 'here'?
Why do you have to repeat everything?""It's my
idio-idio-idiosyncrasy," replied the gander.
"Goose?"
said Charlotte.
"Here, here,
here!" said the goose. Charlotte glared at her.
"Goslings, one
through seven?""Bee-bee-bee!" "Bee-bee-bee!"
"Bee-bee-bee!" "Bee-bee-bee!" "Bee-bee-bee!"
"Bee-bee-bee!" "Bee-bee-bee!" said the goslings.
"This is getting
to be quite a meeting," said Charlotte. "Any body would think we had
three ganders, three geese, and twenty-one goslings.
Sheep?""He-aa-aa!" answered the sheep all together.
"Lambs?""He-aa-aa!"
answered the lambs all together.
"Templeton?"No
answer.
"Templeton?"No
answer.
"Well, we are
all here except the rat," said Charlotte. "I guess we can proceed
without him. Now, all of you must have noticed what's been going on around here
the last few days. The message I wrote in my web, praising Wilbur, has been
received. The Zuckermans have fallen for it, and so has everybody else.
Zuckerman thinks Wilbur is an unusual pig, and therefore he won't want to kill
him and eat him. I dare say my trick will work and Wilbur's life can be saved.
"Hurray!"
cried everybody.
"Thank you very
much," said Charlotte. "Now I called this meeting in order to get
suggestions. I need new ideas for the web. People are already getting sick of
reading the words 'Some Pig!' If anybody can think of another message, or remark,
I'll be glad to weave it into the web. Any suggestions for a new
slogan?""How about 'Pig Supreme'?" asked one of the lambs.
"No good,"
said Charlotte. "It sounds like a rich dessert.""How about
'Terrific, terrific, terrific'?" asked the goose.
"Cut that down
to one 'terrific' and it will do very nicely," said Charlotte. "I
think 'terrific' might impress Zuckerman.""But Charlotte," said
Wilbur, "I'm not terrific.""that doesn't make a particle of
difference," replied Charlotte. "Not a particle. People believe
almost anything they see in print. Does anybody here know how to spell
'terrific'?""I think," said the gander," it's tee double ee
double rr double rr double eye double ff double eye double see see see see
see.""What kind of an acrobat do you think I am?" said Charlotte
in disgust. "I would have to have St. Vitus's Dance to weave a word like
that into my web.""Sorry, sorry, sorry," said the gander.
Then the oldest sheep
spoke up. "I agree that there should be something new written in the web
if Wilbur's life is to be saved. And if Charlotte needs help in finding words,
I think she can get it from our friend Templeton. The rat visits the dump
regularly and has access to old magazines. He can tear out bits of
advertisements and bring them up here to the barn cellar, so that Charlotte can
have something to copy.""Good idea," said Charlotte. "But
I'm not sure Templeton will be willing to help. You know how he is--always
looking out for himself, never thinking of the other fellow.""I be I can
get him to help," said the old sheep. "I'll appeal to his baser
instincts, of which he has plenty. Here he comes now. Everybody keep quiet
while I put the matter up to him!"The rat entered the barn the way he
always did--creeping along close to the wall.
"What's
up?" he asked, seeing the animals assembled.
"We're holding a
directors' meeting," replied the old sheep.
"Well, break it
up!" said Templeton. "Meetings bore me." And the rat began to
climb a rope that hung against the wall.
"Look,"
said the old sheep, "next time you go to the dump, Templeton, bring back a
clipping from a magazine. Charlotte needs new ideas so she can write messages
in her web and save Wilbur's life.""Let him die," said the rat.
"I should worry.""You'll worry all right when next winter
comes," said the sheep. "You'll worry all right on a zero morning
next January when Wilbur is dead and nobody comes down here with a nice pail of
warm slops to pour into the trough. Wilbur's leftover food is your chief source
of supply, Templeton. You know that. Wilbur's food is your food; therefore
Wilbur's destiny and you destiny are closely linked. If Wilbur is killed and
his trough stands empty day after day, you'll grow so thin we can look right
through your stomach and see objects on the other side."Templeton's whiskers
quivered.
"Maybe you're
right," he said gruffly. "I'm making a trip to the dump tomorrow
afternoon. I'll bring back a magazine clipping if I can find
one.""Thanks," said Charlotte. "The meeting is now
adjourned. I have a busy evening ahead of me. I've got to tear my web apart and
write 'Terrific.'"Wilbur blushed. "But I'm not terrific, Charlotte.
I'm just about average for a pig.""You're terrific as far as I'm
concerned," replied Charlotte, sweetly, "and that's what counts.
You're my best friend, and I think you're sensational. Now stop arguing and go
get some sleep!"