The little sound just kept on going and Grandpa couldn't figure out what it was. Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat.

Grandpa thought that it sounded like a clunky old car far off in the distance. But his house was high on a hill and he could see all of the roads for a very long way. And there was not a car to be seen. Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat.

Grandpa thought that it sounded like a clunky old airplane high in the sky. But he streched his neck as far as he could and looked over the whole sky. And there was not an airplane to be seen. Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat. The little sound just kept on going.

Then Grandpa thought that it might not be a big sound far away. He thought that it might be a very little sound very close. There was a bush beside Grandpa, and he thought that it might be coming from behind it. So he pushed back the bush and what do you think he saw?

Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat. Why, there was a rusty old tin can with a grasshopper standing right on top of it. And he was standng up on his hind legs dancing! He was wearing a black tophat, a green suit with a bright yellow shirt, and a red bowtie. And that's not all!

He was wearing shiny black dance shoes with metal taps on the bottom. That's what was making the rapity rapity sound. And he had a cane in his hand that he was tapping on the top of the rusty old tin can to make the tat tat tat sound. Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat.

Grandpa was so excited to see such a thing that he could have watched the grasshopper all morning. But after only a minute or so, a little bug flew up Grandpa's nose and it made him sneeze something awful. When he looked back down, the grasshopper was gone.

Grandpa looked for the grasshopper all morning, but never saw him again. In fact, he never saw him again all spring. Grandpa figured he must have scared him so bad that he went clear into the next county.

Then one lazy summer afternoon Grandpa was sitting on his porch swing. He was swinging back and forth, back and forth, when he began to whistle. As soon as he started whistling, Grandpa heard the little sound again! Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat.

Now, this time Grandpa didn't want to do anything to scare the grasshopper away, so he just kept whistling while he looked around to see where the grasshopper was. Finally Grandpa saw him just underneath the porch railing, dancing on the edge of the porch.

He was as cute as ever, and dressed in the same black tophat, green suit, bright yellow shirt, red bowtie and shiny black dance shoes. And he had his cane in his hand tapping on the porch just like he did on the top of the rusty old tin can.

Grandpa discovered that if he whistled faster, the grasshopper would dance faster. And if he whistled slower, the grasshopper would dance slower.

Finally, Grandpa decided to stop whistling and whisper to the grasshopper to see if it would talk to him. Well, the grasshopper didn't stop dancing for a second, but even while he danced he began to talk to Grandpa.

Grandpa and the grasshopper talked all afternoon. They talked about where the grasshopper went when Grandpa scared him with his big sneeze, and about all the things they had each done that spring. Grandpa and the grasshopper became very good friends.

And all the time that Grandpa and the grasshopper talked, the grasshopper never did stop dancing. Rapity tat, rapity tat, rapity rapity tat tat tat.