Charlotte’s Web 9 “Wilbur’s Boast”
Chapters 1-9
Chapter 9
Wilbur’s Boast
A spider’s web is stronger than it looks. Although it is made of thin, delicate strands, the web is not easily broken. However, a web gets torn every day by the insects that kick around in it, and a spider must rebuild it when it gets full of holes. Charlotte liked to do her weaving during the late afternoon, and Fern liked to sit nearby and watch. One afternoon she heard a most interesting conversation and witnessed a strange event.
"You have awfully hairy legs, Charlotte," said Wilbur, as the spider busily worked at her task.
"My legs are hairy for a good reason," replied Charlotte. "Furthermore, each leg of mine has seven sections - the coxa, the trochanter, the femur, the patella, the tibia, the metatarsus, and the tarsus."
Wilbur sat bolt upright. "You're kidding," he said.
"No, I'm not, either."
"Say those names again, I didn't catch them the first time."
"Coxa, trochanter, femur, patella, tibia, metatarsus, and tarsus."
"Goodness!" said Wilbur, looking down at his own chubby legs. "I don't think my legs have seven sections."
"Well," said Charlotte, "you and I lead different lives. You don't have to spin a web. That takes real leg work."
"I could spin a web if I tried," said Wilbur, boasting. "I've just never tried."
"Let's see you do it," said Charlotte. Fern chuckled softly, and her eyes grew wide with love for the pig.
"O.K.," replied Wilbur. "You coach me and I'll spin one. It must be a lot of fun to spin a web. How do I start?"
"Take a deep breath!" said Charlotte, smiling. Wilbur breathed deeply. "Now climb to the highest place you can get to, like this." Charlotte raced up to the top of the doorway. Wilbur scrambled to the top of the manure pile.
"Very good! " said Charlotte. "Now make an attachment with your spinnerets, hurl yourself into space, and let out a dragline as you go down!"
Wilbur hesitated a moment, then jumped out into the air. He glanced hastily behind to see if a piece of rope was following him to check his fall, but nothing seemed to be happening in his rear, and the next thing he knew he landed with a thump. "Ooomp!" he grunted.
Charlotte laughed so hard her web began to sway.
"What did I do wrong?" asked the pig, when he recovered from his bump.
"Nothing," said Charlotte. "It was a nice try."
"I think I'll try again," said Wilbur, cheerfully. "I believe what I need is a little piece of string to hold me." The pig walked out to his yard. "You there, Templeton?" he called. The rat poked his head out from under the trough.
"Got a little piece of string I could borrow?" asked Wilbur. "I need it to spin a web."
"Yes, indeed," replied Templeton, who saved string. "No trouble at all. Anything to oblige." He crept down into his hole, pushed the goose egg out of the way, and returned with an old piece of dirty white string. Wilbur examined it.
"That's just the thing," he said. "Tie one end to my tail, will you, Templeton?"
Wilbur crouched low, with his thin, curly tail toward the rat. Templeton seized the string, passed it around the end of the pig's tail, and tied two half hitches. Charlotte watched in delight…
