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diff --git a/old/54995-0.txt b/old/54995-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 54e81ce..0000000 --- a/old/54995-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5736 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Uncle Wiggily's Fortune, by Howard R. Garis - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Uncle Wiggily's Fortune - -Author: Howard R. Garis - -Illustrator: Louis Wisa - -Release Date: June 28, 2017 [EBook #54995] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK UNCLE WIGGILY'S FORTUNE *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Barry Abrahamsen and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Books project.) - - - - - - -Illustration: Frontispiece - - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S - FORTUNE - - - - - BY - - HOWARD R. GARIS - - Author of "Sammie and Susie Littletail," "Johnnie and Billie - Bushytail," "Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg," "Joie, - Tommie and Kittie Kat," "Uncle Wiggily's - Travels," "Those Smith Boys," Series, - "The Island Boys," Series, etc. - - - ILLUSTRATED BY LOUIS WISA - - - R. F. FENNO & COMPANY - 18 EAST SEVENTEENTH STREET - NEW YORK - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - CHILDREN'S BOOKS - - By HOWARD R. GARIS - - THE BEDTIME STORIES SERIES - - EIGHT COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS - _Price 75 cents each, postpaid_ - - SAMMIE AND SUSIE LITTLETAIL - 31 Rabbit Stories - - JOHNNIE AND BILLIE BUSHYTAIL - 31 Squirrel Stories - - LULU, ALICE AND JIMMIE WIBBLEWOBBLE - 31 Duck Stories - - JACKIE AND PEETIE BOW WOW - 31 Dog Stories - - BUDDY AND BRIGHTEYES PIGG - 31 Guinea Pig Stories - - JOIE, TOMMIE AND KITTIE KAT - 31 Cat Stories - - CHARLIE AND ARABELLA CHICK - 31 Chicken Stories - - - =THE UNCLE WIGGILY SERIES= - EIGHT COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS - _Price 75 cents each, postpaid_ - - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S ADVENTURES - 31 of the Old Gentleman Rabbit Stories - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S TRAVELS - 31 more of the Old Gentleman Rabbit Stories - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S FORTUNE - 31 other of the Old Gentleman Rabbit Stories - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S AUTOMOBILE - 31 different Old Gentleman Rabbit Stories - - =THOSE SMITH BOYS SERIES= - FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS - _Price 75 cents each, postpaid_ - - THOSE SMITH BOYS - THOSE SMITH BOYS ON THE DIAMOND - - =THE ISLAND BOYS SERIES= - FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS - _Price 75 cents each, postpaid_ - - =THE ISLAND BOYS= - - (_Other volumes In preparation_) - - - COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY - R. F. FENNO & COMPANY - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S - FORTUNE - - --- - - STORY I - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE FOX - - -Once upon a time, not so very many years ago, there lived an old -gentleman rabbit named Uncle Wiggily Longears. He was a nice, quiet -sort of a bunny, and he had lots of friends among other rabbits, and -squirrels, and ducks, and doggies, and pussy cats, and mice and lambs, -and all sorts of animals. - -Most especially there was a muskrat lady, named Miss Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy, -who liked Uncle Wiggily very much. She made a crutch for him, when he -had the rheumatism. She gnawed it out of a cornstalk for him, and -painted it red, white and blue with raspberry jam. - -Well, Uncle Wiggily was a funny old rabbit gentleman. He was always -having adventures--which means things happening to you, such as -stubbing your toe, or getting lost or things like that. - -I have told you some of his adventures in a book before this one, and -also about how he traveled all around looking for his fortune, so he -would be rich. But he didn't find it for some time, though many things -happened to him. - -The last thing that happened, in the book before this one, was that he -tore his nice coat, and a good tailor bird kindly mended it for him. -And he stayed at her house for some time, bringing up coal, and -sweeping the sidewalk, and things like that to be useful; for Uncle -Wiggily was very kind. - -He used to sleep in a hollow stump, near the nest of the tailor bird, -and one night it rained so hard that he had to go to bed and pull the -dried leaves up over him to keep warm. All night it rained, and in the -morning Uncle Wiggily got up, and he was hoping it had cleared off, so -he could travel on and seek his fortune, and get rich. - -Out of bed hopped Uncle Wiggily. In one corner of the stump was his -valise in which he carried his lunch and clean clothes and the like of -that. - -The day before, a bad wolf had chased Uncle Wiggily, catching him and -tearing his coat, so that now the rabbit gentleman was quite stiff and -sore. Still he managed to move about. - -"Oh, dear me!" he exclaimed as he looked out of a hole in the stump, -and saw the big rain drops still pattering down, "this is a very poor -day for me to find my fortune. Still, I can't stay in on account of -the weather, so I will get my breakfast and travel on." - -He had some carrot and lettuce sandwiches in his valise and he ate -these and then looked out to see if the rain had stopped, but it had -not, I am sorry to say. - -"Well," Uncle Wiggily said. "I don't like to get wet, but there is no -help for it. I'll start out." Then he happened to think of something. -"I know what I'll do!" he exclaimed. "I'll get the largest toadstool I -can find, and use it for an umbrella." - -Out he ran and soon he had picked a big toadstool that made as fine an -umbrella as one could wish. Then, strapping his satchel to his back, -where it would be out of the way, the old gentleman rabbit hopped off, -holding the toadstool umbrella over his head, and limping along on his -barber-pole crutch. And as he went over the meadows and through the -woods he sang this little song, and sometimes when one sings it just -at the right time, why it stops raining almost at once. But it has to -be sung at the proper time. Anyhow this is the song: - - "Splish-splash! Drip-dash! - How the raindrops fall! - When the weather gets too wet, - It isn't nice at all. - - "Mr. Rain, oh, please go 'way! - For my feet are wet. - And you're splashing on my nose. - What? You can't stop yet? - - "Won't you please be nice to me-- - Make your raindrops dry. - I am sure you could do this - If you'd only try. - - "Dry raindrops are very nice, - And if they would fall, - We could walk in showers, and - Not get wet at all." - -Well, as soon as Uncle Wiggily had sung this song, he looked up -quickly from under his toadstool umbrella to see if it had stopped -raining, but it hadn't, and he got a drop right in his left eye, which -made him sneeze so hard that his spectacles fell off. And they dropped -right into a mud puddle. - -"Ha, hum!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit, "this is a pretty -kettle of fish!" Of course, he didn't mean that there was a kettle of -fish in the mud puddle, but that was his manner of talking, because he -was so surprised. "A very pretty kettle of fish, indeed!" cried the -old gentleman rabbit, "and speaking of fish, I guess I'll have to fish -for my spectacles." - -So what did he do but use his red-white-and-blue-striped-barber-pole -crutch for a fishing pole, and he dipped it down in the mud puddle and -in a little while up came his glasses wiggling on the end of the -crutch just like an eel. - -"That is good luck!" said the rabbit, as he wiped off the mud and -water and put on his spectacles, and he was just going to put his -toadstool umbrella over his head again when he found out that the rain -had stopped and he didn't need it. - -Then he left the toadstool hanging on a berry bush by the mud puddle -to dry, so that whoever came along next time would have an umbrella -all ready for the rain. - -"Well, now that the sun is coming out I must be on the watch for my -fortune," said the old gentleman rabbit to himself. And he peered -first on one side of the road and then on the other, but not a sign of -his fortune could he see. - -Then, all of a sudden he saw something shining golden yellow in a -field close by. - -"Ah, that must be a pile of yellow gold!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. -"Now my fortune is made!" and he hopped over to the field. But alas! -and alack-a-day! Instead of being gold the pile of yellow things were -carrots. - -"Well, it might be worse!" said the rabbit. "At least I can eat -carrots. I wonder if whoever they belong to would mind if I took -some?" - -"I wouldn't mind a bit!" exclaimed a voice. "Take as many as you like, -Uncle Wiggily," and up jumped Mr. Groundhog, who owned the carrots. -"Take all you can eat and fill your valise," said Mr. Groundhog. - -"Thank you very kindly," replied the rabbit, so he ate several carrots -and filled his satchel with more, and then he and Mr. Groundhog talked -about the weather, and things like that, until it was time for Uncle -Wiggily to hop on again after his fortune. - -But he didn't find it, and pretty soon it came on toward night, and -the old gentleman rabbit looked for a place to stay while it was dark. - -"I think this will do," he said, when he came to a small stone cave. -"I'll just crawl in here with my carrots and my crutch," and in he -crawled as nicely as a basket of shavings. - -Pretty soon Uncle Wiggily was fast, fast asleep, and he never thought -the least mite about any danger. But danger was close at hand just the -same. - -Hark! What's that creeping, creeping along under the bushes? Eh? -What's that? Why, my goodness me sakes alive and a piece of pie! It's -the fuzzy old fox! Yes, as true as I'm telling you, the old red fox -had seen Uncle Wiggily go into the cave, and now he was snooping and -snipping up to catch him if he could. - -"Oh, I'll soon have a fine time!" said the fox in a whisper, smacking -his lips. Into the cave he crawled, and in the darkness he happened to -knock over Uncle Wiggily's crutch, which was standing in a corner. -Quickly the old gentleman rabbit awakened when he heard the noise. Up -he jumped and he cried out: - -"Who's there?" - -"I'm the fox," was the answer, "and I came to catch you." - -But do you s'pose Uncle Wiggily was afraid? Not a bit of it. He ran to -his valise and he took out a pawful of carrots with their sharp -points, and before that fox could even sneeze the rabbit threw one -carrot at him and hit him on the nose, for Uncle Wiggily could see in -the dark. - -Then he threw another carrot and hit the fox on the ear, and then he -threw still another one and he hit him on the two eyes, and that fox -was so frightened and surprised that he jumped out of the second-story -window of the cave house and sprained his toenail. Then he ran back to -his den and didn't bother Uncle Wiggily any more that night, and the -rabbit slept in peace and quietness, and dreamed about Santa Claus and -ice-cream popcorn balls. - -But Uncle Wiggily had another adventure next day. I'll tell you about -it in a little while, when, in case some one sends me a mud pie with a -cherry on the top, the story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the -bird's nest. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY II - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE BIRD'S NEST - - -"Now, I must be very careful to-day," said Uncle Wiggily to himself as -he got up after sleeping in the stone cave, as I told you he did in -the story before this one. "I must be very careful so that fox won't -catch me." - -So, very carefully and cautiously, he crept to the window of the stone -cave house, and looked down, but the red fox was not there. The sun -was brightly shining and the old gentleman rabbit could see the big -dent made in the soft ground, where the fox had landed when he jumped -out of the window and sprained his toenail. - -"My! that certainly was a narrow escape for me," thought Uncle -Wiggily. Then he fried some of Mr. Groundhog's carrots for his -breakfast and, putting some of them in his valise for his lunch, off -he started once more to seek his fortune. - -He hadn't gone very far before he came to a place where he heard a -funny buzzing sound. It was just like a small saw-mill away off in the -woods, where the men saw logs into boards in order that houses may be -built. - -"Oh, my suz dud and a piece of red paper!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "I -must be careful or I might get my nose cut off in that saw-mill." So -he was very careful, and, after he had listened a while longer, he -wasn't quite so sure that it was a saw-mill that he heard, for he -could hear a little voice crying: - -"Oh, dear. I'll never get loose! I'm caught fast! Oh, if some one -would only help me!" - -"Ha! That is some one in trouble!" said the rabbit. "I'm going to see -if I can't help them." So he bravely kept on through the woods, and -the buzzing sound became louder, until, all at once, the old gentleman -rabbit saw a nice, good bumble bee caught in the web of a big, black -spider. - -The bee was all tangled up in the web, and it was his wings fluttering -to and fro and up and down that made the buzzing sound. - -"Ha! Can't you get loose?" asked the rabbit. - -"Indeed he can't!" cried the big, black spider lady, as she sat all -hunched up in a corner of her web, waiting for the bee to get more -tangled up and all tired out, so she could bite him. "He'll never get -away from me," said the spider lady, sassy-like. - -"Oh, ho! We will have to see about that!" exclaimed the rabbit. "I am -afraid you are mistaken, Mrs. Spider. I am very sorry to have to spoil -your cobweb, but I must help my friend, the bumble bee." And with that -Uncle Wiggily took his crutch, and broke the web away from the bee's -legs and wings so that he was loose and could fly away. - -"I never can thank you enough, Uncle Wiggily," said the bee to the -rabbit, "and if ever I can do you, or any of your friends, a favor I -will. Don't forget to call on me." - -"And if ever I can bite you, I will, Mr. Rabbit," said the spider in -her crossest voice, as she set to work to mend her cobweb net so that -she might catch some one else. Oh! but she was angry, though perhaps -we can't blame her. - -Well, Uncle Wiggily didn't worry much about what the spider said, as -he knew he was going to travel on for a long distance after his -fortune, and he didn't think she would come after him, and she didn't. - -On and on hopped the old gentleman rabbit, sometimes going slowly and -sometimes fast, and once in a while he would go up a hill, and then, -again, he would go down. And so it went on. When it wasn't one thing -it was another. But he didn't find his fortune anywhere. - -Pretty soon, when it was nearly noon, Uncle Wiggily began to feel -hungry, so he looked for a nice place where he might sit down and eat -his lunch. He saw a shady tree, and he walked toward that, and, just -as he did so, he happened to look up, and there, hanging from a -branch, was a sort of brown-colored round object, that looked like a -small bag. - -"Ha! I think I know what that is!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "That is -the nest of a stingery hornet, and if I go too close I'll get stung. -I'll just keep away, and go somewhere else to eat my lunch." - -Uncle Wiggily started off, but at that moment he heard some voices -calling. And this is what they said: - -"Oh, dear! How hungry we are! Oh, when will mamma come back! Oh, if we -only had something to eat!" - -"Hum! I hope those hornets don't see me, and come out to bite me," -said the rabbit. - -And, would you ever believe it? the next moment those who had been -calling must have seen Uncle Wiggily, for a voice exclaimed: - -"Oh, good Mr. Rabbit won't you please come here? We can't get out, and -our mamma has gone to the store for something to eat, and she hasn't -come back; and we're so hungry. Please help us!" - -"No indeed, I will not!" said Uncle Wiggily firmly. "I don't want to -be unkind," he said, "but I am afraid you will sting me, you little -hornets!" - -"Why, the idea!" cried all the voices at once. "We are not hornets, we -are only little birdies, and this is a bird's nest." - -"Why, bless my whiskers!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "I believe I have -made a mistake." Then he put on his glasses, and surely enough he saw -that the brown object like a bag was a nest, and it was full of little -birds who could not yet fly very much, for their wings were not strong -enough. - -"Now, will you help us?" the birdies asked the rabbit. "Help us, -please do; for we won't hurt you!" - -"Bless my whiskers! Of course I will!" Uncle Wiggily cried, and he at -once opened his valise and gave them all they could eat. - -"Now I will go look for your mamma," he said. Off he started, but he -had not gone very far before he heard the birdies in the nest crying: - -"Help! Help! Help!" Uncle Wiggily looked back, and there was a great, -big, ugly snake crawling up the tree to get the little birds. - -"Oh, I must stop that!" exclaimed the rabbit, and back he started to -hop to the nest. But he was quite a distance off, and he saw that he -could not get back in time to drive off the snake. "Oh, what shall I -do?" he cried. "If only the bumble bee would come along now and sting -that snake the crawly creature would run away!" - -And, would you ever believe it if I didn't tell you? At that moment -along buzzed the bee and he saw the snake and stung him so that the -snake was glad to jump away, and not hurt the little birdies. Then -Uncle Wiggily and the little birds thanked the bee, who buzzed off to -find some apple blossom honey. And pretty soon the mamma bird came -home from the store, and she was very grateful to the rabbit for -taking care of her little ones. - -The reason she was away so long was because a boy threw a stone at her -and made her spill the bread she had for her birdies. So she had to go -back to the store for more. - -"If you stay with us for a few days we will help you look for your -fortune," said the mamma bird, and Uncle Wiggily did stay, and he had -an adventure. - -I'll tell you about it on the next page, when, in case the popcorn -ball doesn't roll off the table and bump the kittie's nose, the story -will be about Uncle Wiggily and a big rat. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY III - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND A BIG RAT - - -When Uncle Wiggily had fed the little birds in the nest, after he and -the bumble bee had saved them from the snake, as I told you in another -story, the mamma bird said she could not do enough for the old -gentleman rabbit. - -"I will have my little ones sing a song for you," she went on. "Come -now, birdies, sing for Uncle Wiggily." - -So this is the song the little birds in the nest sang: - - "Uncle Wiggily is good, - Uncle Wiggily is kind, - And we hope with all our hearts, - That his fortune he may find. - - "Gold and silver, diamonds, too, - Ice-cream cones and candy sticks, - And we hope that he can buy, - Two red monkeys who do tricks." - -"Oh! that is a very nice song, birdies," said the rabbit, as he took -off his hat and made a low bow. "But," he went on, "I don't know as I -care for red monkeys who do tricks. What in the world would I do with -them?" - -"Why, you could give them to us and they would amuse us when our mamma -was away," said a little bird who had some feathers sticking crossways -in her tail. - -"Yes, I suppose I could give you the monkeys," went on the old -gentleman rabbit, "but I hardly expect to find any in my -travels--especially red ones." - -"Won't you stay to supper with us?" asked the mamma bird, "and we -would also be pleased to have you stay all night. Oh, no!" she -suddenly exclaimed. "I don't see how you can stay all night." - -"I can if you want me to," said Uncle Wiggily, for he thought perhaps -the bird was afraid the snake might come back in the darkness, and the -old gentleman rabbit made up his mind that if the crawly creature did -sneak up, he would hit it with his crutch. - -"Well, of course we'd like to have you stay," said the mamma bird, -slowly, "but the truth of the matter is that I have no place for you -to sleep. You see, our nest is so small; and besides, I never knew of -a rabbit in a nest, except at Easter time." - -"Of course," agreed Uncle Wiggily, "I never thought of that. However, -it is very kind of you, and I'll travel on until I find a hollow -stump, or some place like that where I can sleep." - -"Oh, mamma!" exclaimed a little boy birdie, "why can't Uncle Wiggily -make a tent, and sleep in it right near our nest? He can pretend that -he is camping out." - -"The very thing!" cried the rabbit. "I'll do it. But of what can I -make a tent?" - -"We can give you the sticks and the cloth," said the mamma bird, so -she showed Uncle Wiggily where there were some nice long sticks, like -fishing poles, and some old sheets from a bed that no one wanted. - -"That will make a fine tent!" said Uncle Wiggily, "and I'm sure I will -sleep in it very nicely." - -So he set to work to make the tent. First he stuck one stick in the -ground, and then he stuck another stick in, and then still another, -until he had about seven sticks sticking around in a circle. Next the -mamma bird pulled them together at the top, just like the Indians' -tents in the Wild West show, and then she and all the other little -birdies tied them with blades of grass for strings, and helped put the -cloth around to cover up the sticks. - -Then, if you'll believe me, and I hope you do, there was the tent, -pointed on top and round at the bottom, just like those chocolate -drops with white cream inside that are so nice and soft. - -"Ha! this is a very fine tent indeed!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "Now -I'll move my valise and crutch inside, and I'll feel right at home." - -"And we'll help you make your bed," said the little birds, and away -some of the strongest of them flew around, gathering up in their bills -dozens of soft leaves, and soon they had made as fine a bed, almost, -as baby's crib. - -Then supper was ready. And now, let me see, what did they have for -supper? Oh, I know! There was some rose leaf pie, and some violets -with sugar on, and some bird seed boiled in molasses, and for Uncle -Wiggily there was the loveliest turnip cake, with carrot frosting on -top, that you have ever seen. Oh! it was most delicious, and it makes -me hungry even to typewrite about it, and I'm sure you would like it -if you had some. - -"Now it's bedtime for you birdies," said the mamma, and she sang them -a little lullaby and soon their eyes were tightly shut. - -"Yes, and I guess I had better get in my tent," said the rabbit, so in -he crawled beneath the cloth that was stretched over the poles, down -upon the bed of leaves he lay, and soon he too was fast, fast asleep. - -Well, along about in the middle of the night Uncle Wiggily was -awakened by hearing something scratching on the side of the tent. - -"Ha, hum! I wonder what that can be?" he asked. "Perhaps it is the bad -snake coming back. If it is I must get ready with my crutch." - -So he reached out in the darkness to get hold of the crutch and just -then he saw a light flickering. And a moment later something big and -black, with long whiskers, and long sharp teeth, came right inside the -tent. And Uncle Wiggily saw that it was a big rat, and that rat had a -bottle, and in it were a lot of flickering lightning bugs, and that -was the lantern the rat carried, so that he could see in the dark. - -"Oh, hello! So you're in here, eh?" asked the rat as he waved his -whiskers to and fro at Uncle Wiggily. "Well, I'm disappointed." - -"Why so?" asked the rabbit, as he got his crutch and stood ready to -hit the rat in case he sprang forward to use his sharp teeth. "Why are -you disappointed?" - -"Because I thought the birds were in here," said the rat. "I mean to -take them all off to my den and make them sing me to sleep. But since -you are here, I'll begin on you first, and then I'll go out and pull -down the birds' nest." - -"Oh, no, you can't do that," said Uncle Wiggily firmly. - -"Why not?" asked the rat, surprised-like. "Who will stop me?" - -"I will!" bravely cried Uncle Wiggily, and with that he raised his -crutch, and he tickled that rat right on the end of his long tail. And -the rat was so surprised that he thought he had been struck by a -policeman's club. So he jumped around, and, as he did so, Uncle -Wiggily threw a piece of cherry pie at him, and it was all soft and -squashy like, and the juice ran down in the rat's eyes, and so blinded -him that he couldn't see to bite the rabbit, or even a piece of -cheese. - -"Now, you get right out of this tent, and don't you dare to harm the -birds!" cried the old gentleman rabbit, and that rat went right out, -taking his long thin tail with him, but forgetting his lightning bug -lantern, which he left on the ground. - -So Uncle Wiggily looked out to make sure that the rat didn't go near -the birds' nest and the bad creature didn't, but he scurried back to -his hole in the rocks, feeling quite savage-like and more disappointed -than ever. - -Next the rabbit took the cork out of the rat's bottle-lantern and he -let the poor lightning bugs go, and they were very thankful. And then -the rabbit stretched out on the leaves again, and went to sleep until -morning and nothing more disturbed him. - -Now if the knives and forks don't jump up and down on the table, and -upset the sugar bowl, so that it scares the vinegar bottle, I'll tell -you next about Uncle Wiggily on a raft. - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily and the Big River Rat - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY IV - - UNCLE WIGGILY ON A RAFT - - -"Well, I think I will be traveling along now," said Uncle Wiggily to -the bird family the next morning after he had had the adventure with -the rat. "I must have another try at finding my fortune. And, perhaps, -since you sang such a nice song for me yesterday, you little birds -will sing another as I am leaving." - -"Of course they will," said their mamma, so she gave a few trills and -chords to start them off, and the birdies sang this: - - "Dear old Uncle Wiggily, - We wish that you could stay - And live near our nest always, - To drive the rats away. - - "But if you now must leave us, - Then we will wish for you, - That you may have much happiness - Whatever you may do." - -"I'm sure that's very nice," said the rabbit, "and now I'll bid you -good-bye and travel on." - -"But you must take some lunch with you," said the mamma bird, and she -gave him some more cherry pie to make up for the piece he had thrown -at the rat. - -Uncle Wiggily went on and on, and pretty soon he came to a place in -the woods where there was a tall tree. And some distance up from the -ground there was a hole in this tree trunk. - -"Ha, hum!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, "perhaps there may be gold in that -tree hole. Now if I could only climb up to see, I might find my -fortune." - -Well, you know how it is with rabbits. They can't climb a tree even as -well as a girl can, and, of course, Uncle Wiggily had to remain on the -ground. - -"If only Johnnie or Billie Bushytail were here now," thought the -rabbit, "those squirrel boys could climb the tree for me. But I know -what I'll do, I'll tie a stone to a string, and I'll put some molasses -on the stone and throw it up into the hole in the tree. Then, if there -is any gold there, it may stick to the molasses on the stone, and I -can pull some down." - -So he did this, and he made the string fast to the stone, and was all -ready to throw it up when he happened to remember that he had no -molasses. - -"How careless of me! What shall I do?" he exclaimed. And a voice -answered: - -"I will give you some molasses, Uncle Wiggily." - -The old gentleman rabbit looked around, and there was a nice, green -grasshopper, and, as she had some molasses with her, she put quite a -lot on the stone. Then the rabbit threw it up at the hole in the tree, -but a most surprising thing happened. - -For, instead of being gold in the hole there were two unpleasant old -owls there, and when the molasses-covered stone popped in on them it -awakened them from their sleep, for owls sleep in the day time, and -fly about at night, you know. - -"Who threw that stone?" cried one owl. - -"I don't know," answered the other owl, and she gnashed her sharp -beak, "but whoever it was I'm going to bite him!" - -"Oh, run! Run for your life, Uncle Wiggily!" cried the grasshopper, as -the two owls stuck their heads out of the hole in the tree. "Hop -away!" - -So Uncle Wiggily hopped off, and the grasshopper hopped also, and the -two owls flopped down after them. But the savage birds could not see -very well in the day time, and one went ker-bunk into a tree, and the -other went ker-thump into a briar bush, and they were all tangled up, -and so Uncle Wiggily and the grasshopper got safely away. - -"Well, I didn't get any fortune that time," said the rabbit -sorrowfully as he hopped down a hill. "But perhaps I may find it -soon." - -The next place he came to was a big river, and, as he stood on the -bank and looked across, it seemed to Uncle Wiggily that he could see a -big field of gold on the other side. - -"I must get over there," he said to himself, "and I am sure I will -find my fortune. But how am I going to do it? That river is too wide -for me to jump across, and it is too wide for me to swim. If I only -had a boat I would be all right." - -The old gentleman rabbit looked around for a boat, but none was at -hand. Then he happened to think of something that Sammie and Susie -Littletail once did. - -"That's what I'll do!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, "I'll make a raft." So -he got some planks and boards and sticks, and he laid them crossways -one upon the other, and tied them together with strong pieces of wild -grape vine. Then he had a raft on which he could sit and push himself -across the river, almost as well as if he had a rowboat. - -"Now, I'll put my valise on board, and hop on myself, and away we'll -go!" he cried, and he was very much pleased with the raft that he had -made. Into the water he shoved it, and in the middle of the raft he -placed his valise. Then he got on, and shoved off, using his crutch -for a pushing pole. - -Out into the middle of the river went Uncle Wiggily on the raft, and -he was having a fine sail. Then all at once he felt hungry, so he -stopped pushing the raft, opened his valise and took out a piece of -cherry pie. - -Well, as true as I'm telling you, just as he was eating it he heard a -swirling noise in the water behind him and a savage voice cried out: - -"Ha! Now I have you! Give me that piece of cherry pie or I'll upset -the raft and you'll get all wet!" - -Uncle Wiggily looked around, and there, swimming right up to him was a -big, snicky-snooky water rat--a second cousin to the rat that got into -Uncle Wiggily's tent the night before. - -"Give me that pie!" cried the rat, as she put her claws on the raft. -"Give it to me." - -"No, indeed, I will not," replied Uncle Wiggily, as politely as one -can speak to a rat. - -Then the bad creature tried to climb up on the raft, but the rabbit -took his crutch and put it down in the water and pushed along on the -bottom of the river, sending the raft along very swiftly. - -"Oh, I'll get you yet!" cried the rat, as she swam on after the raft. -Faster and faster she swam, and faster and faster did Uncle Wiggily -push, until he was all tired out, and he felt sure he would be caught -and carried away by the bad rat. And then a voice in the air overhead -suddenly cried out: - -"Take your handkerchief, Uncle Wiggily, and make a sail out of it. -Then the wind will blow you along so fast that the rat can't catch -you. Make a sail!" - -And Uncle Wiggily did so. He stuck the crutch up for a mast on the -raft, and then he fastened his largest red handkerchief to the crutch. -And the wind caught it, and blew upon that red handkerchief sail and -the raft skimmered over the river so fast that the bad rat was left -far, far behind, and so couldn't catch the rabbit. - -It was the kind mamma bird who had called to the rabbit gentleman to -tell him what to do. - -And in a little while Uncle Wiggily was safe on the other shore and he -hopped off the raft and ran toward the field that looked as if it was -filled with gold. - -Whether he found any or not, and what happened to him, I'll tell you -on the next page, when the story will be about Uncle Wiggily in a -boat--that is if our puppy dog doesn't sit down in the fly-paper and -get so stuck up so he can't gnaw a bone when he goes to the kitten's -party. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY V - - UNCLE WIGGILY IN A BOAT - - -When Uncle Wiggily got to the edge of the yellow golden-colored field -after jumping off the raft, as I told you in the story before this -one, the old gentleman rabbit rubbed his eyes, and then rubbed them -again, for he wasn't quite sure of what he saw. - -"Why!" he exclaimed, as he put on his spectacles in order to see -better. "I have made quite a mistake. This isn't a field of gold at -all, it is only a field of golden rod, which is a flower." - -"Ah, if it is golden rod, perhaps if you wait long enough it will turn -into chunks of gold," said a little voice down on the ground, and, -glancing there, Uncle Wiggily saw a little ant with a tiny loaf of -bread on her back. "Why don't you wait for that to happen, Mr. -Rabbit?" she asked. - -"Oh, it would never happen," said Uncle Wiggily. "This golden rod is a -flower, and it will always remain a flower. I am disappointed once -more about finding my fortune. I thought when I saw this shining -yellow color from my raft, after I got away from the rat, that I had -found the gold for which I am looking. But, never mind, this flower is -very pretty," and he picked a bunch of it and smelled of it. - -And some of the yellow dust of the posy-blossom got up the rabbit's -twinkling nose, and he sneezed so hard that his glasses fell off. But -the ant kindly picked them up for the old gentleman though he had to -reach over to take them from her, as she was so small that she hardly -came up to the rabbit's knee. - -"Well, I must get home to my little ones," said the ant with a loaf of -bread. "I hope you have good luck, Uncle Wiggily." - -"Thank you very kindly," spoke the rabbit, and then he put a golden -rod flower in his button-hole and hopped on to look for his fortune. - -Pretty soon, not so very long, in a little while, the rabbit came to a -nice smooth rock which was long and slanting, just like a hill down -which you slide on your sleds in the winter time. Only, of course, -there was no snow or ice now, as it was summer. - -"Ha! Now if I was a little younger, and didn't have the rheumatism, -I'd slide down that rock!" exclaimed the rabbit. "I wish Sammie and -Susie Littletail were here, for they would enjoy this very much. And -so would Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, the squirrel brothers, not to -mention the puppy dogs." - -Then the rabbit looked at the nice, smooth rocky slide, and all of a -sudden he heard a voice singing: - - "Lumps of pudding and pieces of pie - My mamma gave me when I was a boy, - And for those things I used to cry-- - For lumps of pudding and pieces of pie!" - -"Hum! I wonder who that can be?" asked Uncle Wiggily, and then he -heard some one laugh and shout, and a great big boy, about as big as -two barrels of molasses, burst out of the bushes. - -"Why, it's the giant's little boy!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily in great -surprise. - -"Yes, that's who I am!" cried the boy who was as large as two barrels -of molasses, and a can of condensed milk besides. "How are you, Uncle -Wiggily? Have you found your fortune yet?" - -"No," said the rabbit a bit sadly, "I have not." - -"Never mind," spoke the giant's little boy, "come on and have a slide, -it's lots of fun," and with that the big boy threw himself down on the -smooth rock, just as if he were on a sled, and away he whizzed down -the hill as nicely as a cake of soft soap slips into the bathtub. - -"I believe I will try it!" exclaimed the old rabbit gentleman, so, -taking a firm hold of his crutch and valise he sat down on the smooth -rock, and away he whizzed down after the boy who was as big as two -barrels of sweet molasses and an ice-cream cone also. - -Faster and faster went the rabbit, and faster and faster went the -giant's little boy, until, all of a sudden, the boy slipped off the -stone and landed in a big pile of hay, and wasn't hurt at all. - -"I wonder if that's what will happen to me?" thought Uncle Wiggily, -and he was just looking to see where he would land, and he was hoping -it would be in a feather bed, when, as quickly as you can catch an -alligator, if ever there's one to catch, the old gentleman rabbit slid -off the rock, and down he came, plump on top of a big toadstool, and -he wasn't hurt a bit; only sort of jounced up and down like. - -"My! That was a fine slide," he said. Then he looked up and he saw -that he was right on the shore of a little lake, and close at hand was -a rowboat with oars in, and on the boat was a sign which read: - - - "PLEASE TAKE A RIDE IN ME ON - THE LAKE." - - -"Ha! That is very polite of some one," said the rabbit. "I believe I -will take a ride in the boat. And perhaps I may find my fortune in -it." - -Then he looked more carefully, and he saw that there was a box in the -boat, and on the box was a sign which read: - - - "PLEASE DO NOT OPEN THIS - BOX." - - -"Hum! Perhaps there is gold in there. But I won't open it to see until -some one tells me I may," thought the rabbit. - -So he got into the boat, and he stuck the oars through the oarlocks, -which are places made for them, then he dipped the wide part of the -oar into the water and pulled on the handle part and, my land sakes, -flopsy-dub! Uncle Wiggily was rowing as nicely as you please. - -Well, he rowed on and on, until he was out in the middle of the lake, -and then, all of a sudden, he heard a funny noise inside the box. It -was a sort of scratching, growling noise, and before the rabbit could -do anything, the top of the box flew open and out stepped a little -black bear. Oh, but Uncle Wiggily was frightened! - -"Ah, ha! Now I have you, just where I want you, Mr. Rabbit," said the -bear. "This is the last of you. Burr-r-r-r!" - -Well, Uncle Wiggily was so frightened that he didn't know what to do, -for he surely thought his end had come. Then he happened to remember -that he had some cherry pie in his valise, and he knew that bears are -very fond of sweet stuff. - -"I know what I'll do," thought the rabbit. "I'll give the bear some -pie, and when he isn't looking I'll row toward shore, and perhaps I -can get away from him." So he quickly opened his satchel, took out the -pie and gave it to the bear most politely. - -"Ha! this is very good," said the bear in a grillery, growlery voice, -as he took the pie. "I will eat this first and afterward I'll attend -to your case!" - -And when the bear was eating the pie, and licking the sweet, red juice -off his clawy paws, Uncle Wiggily rowed toward shore. But he wasn't -yet quite near enough to jump out of the boat, so he gave the bear -another piece of pie and rowed a little closer to shore. - -The bear was so interested in eating the cherries from the pie, and -sucking the juice off his paws, that he never noticed what was going -on. But finally he glanced up, and when he saw how near the shore the -rabbit had rowed the boat the bear cried: - -"Ah! ha! So that's your trick, eh? Well, I'll scratch you, anyhow." - -And with that he made a spring for the rabbit, but Uncle Wiggily was -too quick for him. Grabbing up his crutch and valise, the rabbit -jumped out of the boat and landed on shore, and then the wind suddenly -sprang up and blew the boat and bear in it out into the middle of the -lake, and Uncle Wiggily was safe, I'm glad to say, for the bear -couldn't swim to shore that day on account of having no bathing suit. - -Then, hopping on, Uncle Wiggily looked all over for his fortune. But -he did not find it right away. And he had another adventure soon. What -it was I'll tell you almost immediately, which is very soon, when in -case the pink cow doesn't eat the chocolate pudding from off the back -stoop where the cook sets it to cool, the next story will be about -Uncle Wiggily at the seashore. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY VI - - UNCLE WIGGILY AT THE SEASHORE - - -One morning Uncle Wiggily was hopping along a dusty road. It was the -day after he had gotten away from the bad black bear in the boat, and -the old gentleman rabbit was thinking of what great danger he had been -in. - -"I must certainly be more careful," he thought, "and not get in every -boat I see. Why, just think of it! If that bear had eaten me up I -couldn't search for my fortune any more," and this so frightened Uncle -Wiggily that he looked all around and behind the bushes, fearing the -bear might, after all, have come ashore and be chasing after him. - -But no bear was there, for he had fallen out of the boat and caught -cold and had gone to bed, after drinking some hot honey lemonade. The -old gentleman rabbit felt better, when he saw there was no bear, but -it was so hot that he was thirsty, so he looked for a place to get a -drink. Pretty soon he saw a nice, cold spring, and he took three -drinks of water and part of another one. - -And just as the rabbit was drinking the last drop of water he heard a -funny noise out in the road, and, looking up, he saw a whole lot of -children going past. Some of them were barefooted, and some had little -tin pails and shovels in their hands, and some had red balloons and -some blue or green ones. Some of the children had on bathing suits and -a few had their little dresses tucked up as far as they could go, and -they were dancing along on their slim white legs, as happy as happy -could be. - -"Why, this certainly is very strange," thought the rabbit. "I wonder -where they can all be going? Perhaps it is to a circus parade. I must -go see, for I might meet my friend the elephant there. Oh, this will -be some fun! Is it a circus parade?" he called aloud. - -"No, it isn't a circus parade," said a voice at Uncle Wiggily's side, -and, looking down, the old gentleman rabbit saw the kind grasshopper -who had once given him some molasses. - -"If it isn't a circus parade, what is it?" asked the rabbit. - -"These children are going to the seashore to bathe and paddle in the -salty ocean waves," went on the grasshopper, "and some of them will -build sand houses, or dig wells for the water to fill up. Why don't -you go, Uncle Wiggily? Perhaps you may find your fortune there." - -"I believe I will," said the rabbit. "Won't you come along?" Well, the -grasshopper said he would, so off they hopped together, the -hoppergrass--I beg your pardon,--I mean the grasshopper--and the -rabbit. - -Pretty soon they heard the noise of the waves pounding on the sandy -shores, and they could smell the salt breeze and it made them hungry -for clam chowder and lobsters and crabs and things like that. Then -they saw ever so many more children running along and in a little -while they were at the seashore. - -"Well, now to look for my fortune," said the rabbit, as he watched the -waves rush up on the sand with a big noise and lots of foam, and then -they would tumble out to the sea again. "How do you think I had better -go about it, Mr. Grasshopper?" - -"If I were you I would dig in the sand," said the grasshopper. -"Sometimes men, who were called pirates, used to bury gold in the -sand, and perhaps there is some of their money left. You dig and I -will watch you." - -"But I have nothing with which to dig," said the rabbit. - -"Oh, you may take my shovel," said a little girl with her dress tucked -up high so that it would not get wet. "I am going in wading, so I -won't need it." - -"Thank you kindly," said the rabbit gentleman to the little girl, and -then she went in wading, and a wave splashed up all over her, no -matter if her dress was above her knees, and her mamma called to her -to be more careful, and not to get so wet. - -So Uncle Wiggily began to dig. Deeper and deeper he dug in the sand, -while the grasshopper watched him. And every few minutes Uncle Wiggily -would look down the hole to see if there was any gold among the grains -of sand, but there wasn't any. - -All around were children having lots of fun. One boy made a tunnel, -and then he played that some sticks of wood were steam cars and he -pushed them through the tunnel and puffed out his cheeks to pretend it -was the engine choo-chooing. - -And a little girl made a garden in the sand, with seaweed for flowers -and clam-shells for a house, and she and another little girl had a -play-party. Oh, it was great fun! - -Then a big boy stretched out on the sand, and another boy covered him -all up, from the tips of his toes to the tips of his nose, and he left -his nose out so the boy could breathe. Well, the grasshopper and Uncle -Wiggily looked at all this fun going on and they were happy as they -could be. And the rabbit kept on digging the hole down in the sand, -hoping he would soon come to the gold. - -And then all of a sudden, before you could count up to forty-'leven, -the hole which Uncle Wiggily was digging filled up with water, just -like a well. - -"Oh, my!" exclaimed the rabbit. "This is certainly bad luck. Now I -can't find any gold. What am I to do?" - -"I guess you'll have to dig another hole," said the grasshopper. "But -perhaps there is gold at the bottom of this one, after all. Let's get -a pail and dip out the water, then we may see the gold." - -So the little girl who had loaned the rabbit her shovel let Uncle -Wiggily take her pail to dip out the water. But the funny part of it -was that the faster he dipped out the water the more came in, until -there was enough for two wells. Then even the grasshopper helped dip -out the water with another little pail, but it did no good. - -The rabbit and the grasshopper were both so interested in what they -were doing that they didn't notice a big crab crawling up behind them, -and the first thing they knew Uncle Wiggily felt some one pinch him on -his little short tail. - -"Ha! What is that?" he cried, turning around quickly, and then he saw -the crab, with its big blue claws pinching him. - -"Ouch! Oh, my!" cried the rabbit. "Whatever shall I do?" - -"I'll help pull him off!" shouted the grasshopper, but he was not -strong enough, and the crawly crab still clung to the rabbit's tail. - -"Why are you pinching me?" asked the rabbit, as he tried to reach -around and pull off the crab, only he found he could not do it. - -"I am pinching you because you dug a hole down in my sandy beach," -said the crab, "and I'm going to hold on to you until you give me a -thousand pieces of cheese for my supper." - -"Oh, I can never get that many!" cried the rabbit. "Will no one help -me get away from this crab?" But all the children had run home to -dinner and there was no one to help the rabbit, until all of a sudden, -a big wave washed up, and almost covered Uncle Wiggily. - -He could just manage to breathe, and he sprang up on the beach to get -beyond the water, and the grasshopper hopped out of the way also. But -the wave was a good one after all, for as soon as the crab felt the -water sloshing up around him he let go of the rabbit's tail to swim -away, and that's how Uncle Wiggily was saved from the crab, even if he -didn't find any gold, and he was very glad his tail wasn't pinched -off. - -The old gentleman rabbit remained at the seashore for several days, -and he had many adventures. And, in case I find a peanut shell with a -red popcorn ball inside of it, the next bedtime story will be about -Uncle Wiggily and the big lobster. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY VII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE LOBSTER - - -"Where are you going to stay to-night, Uncle Wiggily?" asked the -grasshopper of the old gentleman rabbit, after the wave had rolled up -and washed away the crab that had hold of the bunny's tail, I told you -about last, you remember. "Are you going to stay at the seashore?" -asked the grasshopper, as he looked at his left hind leg and blinked -his two eyes, sort of thoughtful-like. - -"Oh, yes, I like it here very much," said Uncle Wiggily, "and I'm -going to stay, but as true as I live I don't know where I can sleep -to-night." - -"Couldn't you build a sand house, such as we see the children making?" -asked the grasshopper. - -"Oh, no, for in the night it might fall down on me, and the sand would -get in my ears. Or a big wave might roll up on the shore and wash me -out to sea. Oh, dear, isn't it a puzzle what to do when you are -seeking your fortune?" - -"Oh, don't feel so badly over it," begged the grasshopper. "We will -look around and see what we can find." - -"Where are you going to stay, Mr. Grasshopper?" asked the rabbit. - -"Who, me? Oh, I am going to crawl under a leaf and sing myself to -sleep as I always do; but for you, a leaf is hardly large enough." - -"Not unless it was a palm-leaf fan," spoke the old gentleman rabbit. -"But come on, we will look around." - -So they hopped up and down the beach where the ocean waves were -rolling along with a booming noise. All the children had gone in by -this time, as it was getting dark and rather lonesome. Uncle Wiggily -and the grasshopper looked, and they looked, and they looked still -more, but they could find no place for the rabbit to stay. At last the -old gentleman rabbit said: - -"Well, Mr. Grasshopper, you had better get along and look for the leaf -under which you are going to sleep, or else it will get so dark that -you can't find your way." - -"But what will you do, Uncle Wiggily? I don't like to leave you all -alone." - -"Oh, if it comes to the worst I can sleep out here on the sands, but I -don't like to do it, as the dampness will make my rheumatism worse. -But it can't be helped." - -Well, the grasshopper didn't want to go away and leave his friend, the -rabbit, all alone, but Uncle Wiggily finally persuaded him that it -would be best, so the little creature hopped off and found a nice -leaf. Then he curled up on the underside of it, where, in case it -rained, he would not get wet, and he sang himself to sleep. - -Well, now, I must tell you what happened to Uncle Wiggily. - -At first he was quite lonesome, as he walked along the beach looking -for a place to sleep, but then he looked up at the stars shining in -the sky above him, and he saw the moon just coming up from behind the -clouds, and it was shining on the ocean waves, making them look like -silver, and it wasn't quite so dark then. - -"I guess I will be all right," said Uncle Wiggily, bravely. "I'm not -going to be afraid, for I don't believe the alligator, or fox, or -bear, will come here. But I do wish I had some place where I could go -in out of the dampness." - -Then he suddenly thought of something. - -"I know what I'll do!" he exclaimed, as he came to a pile of driftwood -on the beach. "I'll make me a house of this wood, and put some seaweed -on top for the roof, and in that I'll sleep as nicely as if I were at -home." - -Well, it didn't take Uncle Wiggily long to do this, and soon he had -built as fine a little wood-and-seaweed house as heart could wish. -Then he crawled inside with his crutch and his valise, and ate a small -piece of cherry pie, and stretched out on some soft seaweed for his -bed. In a little while he was fast, fast asleep. - -Ha! But what is this funny animal crawling up along the sand with his -big claws like a pair of shears which the tinsmith or the plumber -uses? Eh? What's that? Why, as true as I live it's a big lobster that -crawled up out of the ocean to see what he could find to eat. - -Oh, Uncle Wiggily had better look out now, I tell you; hadn't he? But -the poor old gentleman rabbit is still fast asleep. - -The big lobster stuck out his bulgy eyes, and he moved them this way -and that way, and he even looked over his shoulder with them, and then -he saw the little house which the rabbit had made. - -"Ha! I must see what is in that!" the lobster exclaimed and he crawled -toward it. "Perhaps it is something good to eat, and I am very -hungry," he said. - -So the lobster looked in through the little window which Uncle Wiggily -had made, and he saw the rabbit fast asleep. - -"Oh, ho! Now for a good meal!" cried the lobster. Then he took one big -claw and he softly pulled away some of the boards which Uncle Wiggily -had used to make his house. That left a hole, and through this hole -the lobster stuck his other claw, and he caught hold of the rabbit by -his two ears. - -"Oh! who has me? Who is it? What are you doing? Oh, my poor ears! Let -go! Please let go!" - -That is how Uncle Wiggily cried as he suddenly awakened. - -"No, I will not!" exclaimed the lobster in a sort of a boiled-egg -voice. "I'm going to crawl off with you to the bottom of the ocean!" - -"Then this is the last of me and my fortune," thought the rabbit. "I -might as well say good-by." - -So the lobster pulled the rabbit right out of the wood-and-seaweed -house, holding him by the two long ears, and he started down the sandy -beach with him toward the rolling, tumbling ocean. Uncle Wiggily tried -to get away, but he couldn't. - -Well, if you'll believe me, the big lobster nearly had the rabbit in -the rolling, tumbling waves of the surf, when suddenly a flashing -lantern showed glimmeringly over the sand, and a voice exclaimed: - -"Shiver my timbers! If the big lobster hasn't caught a rabbit. Oh, ho! -And he's trying to drown him. That will never do. I will save him. Yo -ho! Heave ho!" - -Uncle Wiggily looked up and he saw a big, brown, life-saving man, who -was out taking a walk along the beach with a lantern to see if anybody -needed to be saved. And before that lobster could drag the rabbit into -the water that life guard just reached over and took the lobster up by -his back, where the crawly creature couldn't pinch, and the lobster -was so frightened that he let go of Uncle Wiggily's ears at once. - -"Now, hop away, Mr. Rabbit," said the life guard, kindly, and you may -be sure that Uncle Wiggily didn't waste any time hopping. "I'll attend -to this lobster," went on the big, brown man, and then the rabbit -hopped back to his wood-and-seaweed house, where he slept in peace and -quietness the rest of the night. And, as for the lobster, the man put -him in a pot and boiled him until he was as red as your coral -necklace, or your pink necktie, and that was the end of the lobster. - -So that's all to this story, if you please, but in case the -clothes-wringer doesn't squeeze all the rice out of the ice-cream -pudding, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily and the little clam. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY VIII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE CLAM - - -Uncle Wiggily awakened in his wood-and-seaweed house in the morning, -and he rubbed his sleepy eyes with his paws. Then he got up off his -seaweed bed and as he heard a noise he exclaimed: - -"Ha! That sounds like thunder. I wonder if we are going to have a -storm?" And, truly, there was quite a booming and rumbling racket -outside. Then the rabbit laughed at himself. - -"Why, how silly of me!" he exclaimed. "That is the waves pounding on -the beach. I forgot that I was at the seashore. Now I must look out -and see if there are any more lobsters waiting to catch me." - -Well, he was just peering out of the window, when there came a knock -on the door, and Uncle Wiggily jumped back. - -"My sakes alive and some baked beans!" he cried. "What's that?" - -"It is only I," said a small voice. "I'm your friend, the grasshopper. -How are you?" - -"Oh, I'm very well, thank you," replied the rabbit. "I'm coming right -out. I must tell you about the terrible time I had with the big -lobster last night." - -So Uncle Wiggily hopped out of the little house and told the -grasshopper all about it, and the grasshopper was so frightened that -he kept looking behind him all the while, for fear the lobster might -be coming after him. But we all know what happened to that lobster; -don't we? - -"What are you going to do now?" asked the grasshopper after a while, -when Uncle Wiggily was washing his face and paws, and combing out his -whiskers, which had some seaweed in them. - -"Oh, I am going to look for my fortune to-day," answered the rabbit. -"I may find it, for I have heard that often very valuable things are -cast up on the seashore by the waves. Yes, I think I shall find my -fortune to-day. But won't you have some breakfast, Mr. Grasshopper? I -have some cherry pie left, and a few lettuce and carrot sandwiches -with parsley trimmings." - -"Oh, I might have a bit of parsley," spoke the jumping insect, and he -ate quite a bit of it, while the rabbit ate the other things. Then -they both hopped along the beach, looking for a fortune of gold or -diamonds for the old gentleman rabbit. - -And, just as on the other day, there were children playing in the -sand, making little wells of water, and tunnels, and sandhouses, and -gardens, and castles and all things like that. But there was no chest -of gold, nor bag of diamonds, to be seen, though the two friends -looked in every place they could think of, and in some other places, -too. - -"I don't believe the seashore is a very good place to find your -fortune," said the rabbit, sadly, as he hopped along. And then he had -to stop to take some sand out of his left ear. - -"Perhaps if we ask some of the children they may be able to help us," -suggested the grasshopper. Well, they did this, but, though the -children were very kind, they hadn't seen any gold or diamonds, -either. - -"Then we'll ask some of the clams or starfish on the beach," said the -grasshopper, but the clams or starfish hadn't seen anything of the -rabbit's fortune, though they were very polite about it. - -"Oh, I know what let's do," exclaimed the grasshopper. - -"What?" asked Uncle Wiggily. - -"We'll go in bathing," went on the jumping insect, "and that will cool -us off, and perhaps down under the water we may find your fortune." - -"The very thing," cried Uncle Wiggily; "in bathing we shall go." - -Well, the old gentleman rabbit could swim a little bit, you know, and -the grasshopper could float on his back as nicely as a fat man can, -and together they had a very good time. It was so warm that the water -didn't make Uncle Wiggily's rheumatism any worse, I'm glad to say. - -Then, after a bit, the grasshopper said he thought he'd take a little -hop on the sand to dry off, and that left Uncle Wiggily alone in the -water. And now comes the second part of the story. - -The old gentleman rabbit was swimming slowly along, looking down under -the waves every once in a while to see if there was any gold on the -sand beneath, when, all of a sudden, he felt something grab hold of -his left hind leg. - -"Oh, my! I wonder if that's the bad lobster again?" cried the rabbit, -and then he saw a most curious fish, called the toggle-taggle, and -this fish had hold of him. - -"Oh, please let go of me!" cried the rabbit. - -"No, indeed, I will not," said the toggle-taggle, speaking under -water, and making a lot of bubbles come up from his breath. "I am -going to drag you off to my den beneath the rocks." - -"Oh, don't be so cruel!" begged the rabbit. "If you do that I can -never find my fortune, and I never can go back and see Sammie and -Susie Littletail again." - -"That makes no difference to me at all," said the toggle-taggle, -speaking in a thin, watery sort of voice, "no matter of difference at -all. Here we go!" and he started to drag poor Uncle Wiggily to the -bottom of the ocean, under the rocks. - -"Ha! I guess I'm not going as easily as that!" cried the rabbit, and -at once he began to swim as hard as he could toward land, and Uncle -Wiggily could swim pretty well when he tried, let me tell you. This -time he swam so hard that he pulled the toggle-taggle fish along with -him, and in a second or two Uncle Wiggily was out on the sand, but the -toggle-taggle still had hold of him. - -"Dry land or water is all the same to me!" cried the odd fish, and -then the rabbit saw that the toggle-taggle had legs, as well as fins -and a tail, and so he could walk on dry land. "Now you come with me!" -cried the bad fish, and he braced with his legs in the sand and was -pulling the rabbit back into the water again. - -"Oh, will no one help me?" cried Uncle Wiggily, for he was getting -weak. And just then a little voice whispered: - -"Turn him around, Uncle Wiggily, so I can get hold of his tail. Then -I'll pinch him and make him let go of you." - -"Uncle Wiggily looked, and there was a nice little clam on the sand -behind the toggle-taggle, and the clam had his two shells wide open, -ready to pinch the bad fish. Well, the rabbit at once began to push -the toggle-taggle toward the clam, and the fish didn't know what this -meant. But before he could say anything, his tail came right close to -the clam's open shells, and in an instant that brave clam shut his -sharp shells down very hard on the tail of the bad toggle-taggle and -held on tight. - -"Oh, who has me?" cried the fish, and he turned around to see what it -was, and with that of course he let go of the rabbit. And then Uncle -Wiggily gave a big hop and got safely away. And when the toggle-taggle -saw the clam he was so frightened (for he knew that he couldn't bite -through the hard shells) that the bad fish at once jumped back into -the ocean, taking the brave little clam with him. But the clam didn't -mind that--in fact, it was just where he wanted to go--so everything -was all right. - -"My! That clam saved my life, and I didn't get a chance to thank him!" -said Uncle Wiggily, somewhat sadly, as he sat away up on the beach. -"But I will the next time I see him." Then the grasshopper came back, -and had to hear all about what had happened. - -Then he and Uncle Wiggily went on looking for the fortune, and they -had some more adventures before they found it. - -So in the next story, if the doorknob doesn't drop off and fall into -the boiled eggs, making a big white and yellow splash, I'll tell you -about Uncle Wiggily and the starfish. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY IX - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE STARFISH - - -Let me see, where did we leave off? Oh, I remember, it was where the -red monkey jumped up on the elephant's back and tickled him with an -ice-cream cone, wasn't it? No, I beg your pardon, I'm wrong. I -promised to tell you about the old gentleman rabbit and the starfish. -So if you're all ready, and are sitting comfortably, I'll begin. - -It was the day after Uncle Wiggily had gotten away from the -toggle-taggle fish that walked, and the little clam had pinched the -bad creature on his tail. Uncle Wiggily was hopping along the sand at -the seashore beach, and he was looking all around for his fortune of -gold or diamonds, he didn't care much which it was, so long as he got -rich and could go back home. - -"I wonder what has happened to the grasshopper?" said the rabbit, for -he hadn't seen the jumping insect that morning. - -"Here I am," exclaimed the little chap, and with a hop he landed down -beside Uncle Wiggily on the sand. - -"Where have you been?" asked the rabbit. "I was beginning to think -that you had left me." - -"Not yet, but I am going to soon," replied the grasshopper. "You see, -there is going to be a big jumping race back where I live and the -hopper who jumps the farthest will get a bag of popcorn. And, as I -think I will go back home to jump, I came to say good-by. Afterward, I -will come here again and help you to look for your fortune." - -Well, Uncle Wiggily felt a little sad to have his friend, the -hoppergrass, go away, but there was no help for it. So they shook legs -with each other, the grasshopper gave a big spring and a jump and away -over the sea he sailed to take part in the hopping races at his home. - -"Well, now, I wonder what will happen to me to-day?" thought Uncle -Wiggily as he walked along the beach, looked down at the sand and -listened to the waves washing up on the shore. "Perhaps I may find a -bag of diamonds," he said. - -And just then, if you'll believe me, he looked ahead and there, on the -sand, was something that looked like a black bag, with a long, thin -handle on it with which to carry it. - -"Oh, ho!" exclaimed the rabbit, "I believe that is my fortune." He -hopped forward, intending to pick it up, when, all of a sudden, the -thing like a bag moved slowly along. - -"Hum! That's queer," said the rabbit, "I never heard of a bag that -could move. I must see what this is." So he went up a little closer -and he saw that it wasn't a bag at all. It was a queer creature with a -long sharp tail like an ice pick, or a black lead pencil, and it was -crawling along, but the funny part of it was that Uncle Wiggily -couldn't see any legs on which the animal walked. - -"Stranger and still more strange!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily; "what can -that be?" - -"If you please, I am a horseshoe crab," said a voice from under the -black shell, "and if you lift me up you can see my legs." - -"How shall I lift you up, Mr. Horseshoe Crab?" - -"By my long tail, like an ice pick," was the answer, and when the -rabbit did this, underneath a shell that was shaped somewhat like the -hoof of a horse, he saw the legs of the crab. They were all covered up -when the crab walked, so no one could step on his toes. - -"That is very fine," said the rabbit. "Perhaps you can tell me where -to find my fortune." - -"I'm sorry, but I can't," said the horseshoe crab, and then he crawled -on again, very slowly, and Uncle Wiggily hopped forward looking for -the bag of diamonds, or gold. - -Well, in a little while it got quite warm on the sandy beach, and the -old gentleman rabbit felt sleepy. He yawned and he twinkled his nose -like two stars on a frosty night, and then he said: - -"Oh, me! Oh, my! I think I'll lie down and take a little nap on the -sands." So he took some sticks and stuck them up in the beach, and -over them he put some seaweed to make a shady shelter, and down under -this he stretched himself out, very nice and comfortable. - -Well, the first thing you know Uncle Wiggily was fast asleep. And now -listen and see what happened to him. All of a sudden, up from the -ocean, on her thin, kinky legs came a big sea spider, a creature -something like a crab. She shot forward her big, bulgy eyes, and she -saw the rabbit under the seaweed shelter. - -"Ah, ha!" cried the sea spider to herself, "here is where I have a -good rabbit dinner." - -Slowly and softly she went on until she was quite close to the old -gentleman rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily never awakened. Then the sea -spider began to weave a web around the rabbit, just as a land spider -weaves a web around a fly that gets into her trap. Strand after strand -of the cobwebs did the sea spider throw around the sleeping rabbit, -until Uncle Wiggily was as tightly fast as if he had been tied with -ropes. - -"Now, I'll bite him and that will be the end of him," said the sea -spider, and she was just going to do this when, all of a sudden, some -of the cobweb blew down and tickled Uncle Wiggily on the end of his -twinkling nose, and he woke up. - -"Ha! What's this?" he exclaimed, and then he found that he could not -move, for he was fast in the web. "What does this mean?" he asked. - -"It means that I have you!" cried the sea spider, wiggling her legs -like a trolley car. - -"Oh, please let me go," begged the rabbit. - -"Never! Never! Never!" exclaimed the spider. Then Uncle Wiggily tried, -and he tried, and he tried again, but he couldn't get loose from the -web. - -"Oh, will no one help me?" cried the rabbit. And just then, if you'll -believe me, the waves washed something up on the sand, close to where -the sea spider had Uncle Wiggily fast. And that something was a -curious little fish, shaped like a star. In fact, it was a starfish -with five sharp points to it. And that starfish heard Uncle Wiggily -calling. - -"I'll help you, Mr. Rabbit!" kindly exclaimed the fish. - -"Now, you get right away from here," cried the sea spider, for well -she knew that the sharp-pointed starfish could cut her cobweb in a -second. "Keep away or I'll bite you!" the spider said. - -"Oh, you can't scare me!" shouted the starfish. "I'm not afraid of -you, and I'm going to help Uncle Wiggily." So the starfish began to -roll over and over on the sand like a pinwheel, a hoop, or a wheel -that has no rim, and only spokes to it. Bumpity-bump on its five -points went the starfish, until it was close to Uncle Wiggily. - -Then right into the sea spider's cobweb rolled the sharp-pointed -starfish until, with his points, he had cut the web all to pieces and -set Uncle Wiggily free, as easily as you can eat bread and jam on -Saturday afternoon. - -"Now you get away from here!" cried the starfish to the spider, and he -threw sand at her until the crawly creature was glad enough to go back -into the ocean where she belonged. And the old gentleman rabbit -thanked the fish very much, and gave him a piece of lemon pie, because -he was all out of the cherry kind. - -"Now, I must hurry on to seek my fortune," said Uncle Wiggily, for the -day was cooler now. So on he hopped, and he had another adventure. - -In case the dishpan doesn't fall down off the nail, and smash the -watermelon all to pieces, so there's no supper for the little mouse -who lives under the ice-box, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily -and the slippery eel. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY X - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE EEL - - -My, how it did rain! The water just dripped down from the clouds as if -it came from a fountain turned wrong side up, and as Uncle Wiggily -walked along the seashore beach, with a toadstool held over him for an -umbrella he thought he had never seen such a storm. - -"But, I can't stay indoors, because it rains," he said to himself as -he started out that morning to look for his fortune. "That would never -do. A little water can't hurt me, and besides, with this toadstool -umbrella, it isn't as bad as it might be." - -So he hopped along, leaning on his -red-white-and-blue-striped-barber-pole crutch, and with his valise -strapped to his back, and holding the toadstool umbrella over his -head. And he felt so happy in spite of the rain that he sang a little -song. - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily and the Eel - -It went something like this, to the tune of "Hum tum-tum ti -tiddle-i-um:" - - "I feel so very happy, - No matter if it rains, - For I don't ride on trolley cars, - Nor yet on railroad trains. - - "Whenever I feel thirsty, - I take a drink of tea, - Or, if I can't find any, - Why, milk will do for me. - - "I haven't found my fortune, - Perhaps I never can, - But I can hop upon the beach, - And beat an old tin pan." - -And just then the gentleman rabbit saw an old tin pan lying on the -sand, and he went up to it and pounded on it with his crutch. Not hard -you understand--not so hard as to hurt it, but enough to make a noise -like a drum. - -"There, perhaps that will wake the people up," thought the rabbit for -the beach was very lonesome in the rainstorm, with no children -building sand houses, and no one in bathing. So Uncle Wiggily beat the -tin pan again, and made a great racket, and, all of a sudden something -glided out from under the pan. It was something long and thin, and it -had a long, thin tail. - -"Oh, my! It's the bad snake!" cried the rabbit, and he jumped back so -quickly that he dropped his toadstool umbrella and the rain came down -on the end of his twinkling nose. He was just about to hop away as -fast as he could when the long, thin creature, who had been under the -tin pan, exclaimed: - -"I'm not a snake." - -"No? Then pray tell what you are?" asked Uncle Wiggily quickly. - -"I am a slippery eel," was the answer. "Just see if you can hold me, -and that will show you how slippery I am." - -So Uncle Wiggily very politely took hold of the eel by the tail. But, -my goodness me, sakes alive and a piece of ice! In an instant that -slippery eel had slipped away. - -"What did I tell you?" the eel called to the rabbit, as he crawled -back toward the tin. - -"Well, you are certainly very slippery," said Uncle Wiggily. "I hope I -didn't squeeze you too hard." - -"Oh, pray do not mention it," said the eel, politely. "I am used to -being squeezed, and that's why I'm so slippery; in order that I may -get away easily." - -"I hope I didn't wake you up from your sleep under the tin pan," went -on the rabbit, who was very kind-hearted. - -"Pray do not mention that, either," said the slippery eel, who was -very polite. "It was time I awakened, anyhow. But, since you have been -so nice about it, if ever I can do you a favor please let me know." -Then he stood up on the end of his thin tail and made a low bow, and -slipped into the ocean. - -"Ha! That is a curious sort of chap," said Uncle Wiggily as he hopped -on. "I should like to meet him again, when I have more time to talk to -him. But now I must look for my fortune." So he went on looking along -the beach in the rain, but never a bit of his fortune could he find. - -Now, in a little while, something is going to happen. In fact it's -time for it now, so I'll tell you all about it. As Uncle Wiggily was -hopping along the beach, where some bushes grew close down to the -water, he thought he saw something shining in the sand. - -"Perhaps that may be a diamond," he said. "I'll dig it up." So he got -a nice pink shell with which to dig, and he set to work, laying aside -his toadstool umbrella, and not minding the rain in the least. - -Then, all of a sudden, up behind the bushes came sneaking the old -fuzzy fox. He had been looking all over for something to eat, but all -he could find were hard shell clams, and they were too rough on his -teeth, so he couldn't eat them. - -"Oh, but there is a soft, delicious morsel!" exclaimed the fox, as he -saw Uncle Wiggily digging in the sand, and the fox smacked his lips, -and sharpened his teeth on a stone. "Now I will have a good dinner," -he added. - -So he crept closer and closer to Uncle Wiggily, and the old gentleman -rabbit never heard him, for he was busy digging for his fortune. - -"Now the thing for me to do," thought the fox, "is to spring out on -him before he has a chance to move. And I think I can do it, because -his back is toward me, and he can't see." - -So the fox got ready to spring right on Uncle Wiggily and maybe carry -him off to his den in the woods, and the old gentleman rabbit didn't -know a thing about it, but kept on digging for his fortune. - -"Here I go!" said the fox to himself, and he crouched down for a -spring, just as your kittie does when she plays she is after a mouse. -Up into the air leaped the fox, right toward the rabbit. And then, -suddenly a voice cried: - -"Look out, Uncle Wiggily! Look out!" - -The rabbit glanced up, but he was down in the sand hole and he -couldn't get out quickly on account of his rheumatism. Right toward -him the fox was springing, and then, all at once, the slippery -eel--for it was he who had called to the rabbit--the kind eel wiggled -up out of the ocean. Up along the beach he crawled quickly, until he -was right in front of the rabbit in the hole. Then the eel stretched -out like a piece of rope and waited. - -And then the fox came down on his four feet, but, instead of landing -on Uncle Wiggily he landed right on the slippery eel, and that eel was -truly as slippery as a piece of ice. Right out from under him slipped -the feet of the old fuzzy fox, and down he fell. Slippery, sloppery, -slappery he went, sliding along on the eel until he slid all the way -off and plumped into the ocean, where he was nearly drowned, for the -water got in his nose and mouth and eyes. - -"Now, you can get away, Uncle Wiggily," said the eel, and the rabbit -kindly thanked the slippery creature, and grabbed up the shining thing -he had dug out of the sand, for he thought it was a diamond. Then the -fox slunk away, taking his wet and bushy tail with him, and Uncle -Wiggily was safe for that time, anyhow, and the eel wiggled along -after the old gentleman rabbit, who thought he had better look for a -good place to sleep. - -But he soon had another adventure, and I'll tell you what it was on -the next page, when, in case the parlor lamp doesn't go out to a -moving picture show and melt all the ice in the gas stove, the bedtime -story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the horseshoe crab. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XI - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE CRAB - - -"My, that was a narrow escape!" said the rabbit to the slippery eel, -after the fuzzy fox had gone away, as I told you in the last story. "I -never can thank you enough." - -"Oh, that is a mere nothing!" said the slippery eel, as he dug his -tail down in the sand, modest-like. "I am always happy to do a -kindness for my friends." - -"You are certainly slippery," said the rabbit, "as slippery as a -rubber doormat on a wet day. But look at this thing which I dug up -just before the fox jumped for me. I think it is a diamond, and if it -is, I will get rich, and I can go home and see my little rabbit -grandchildren, Sammie and Susie Littletail." Then he held out to the -slippery eel the shining object he had found in the sand. - -"Alas! Alas!" sorrowfully exclaimed the eel, as he looked at the -shining thing. - -"What's the matter; isn't it a diamond?" asked the rabbit. - -Then the slippery eel said this in a sing-song voice: - - "Alas, alas, - 'Tis only glass. - It is no good - To eat for food. - It will not do - For me or you. - Throw it away; - Some other day - Your fortune may - Come past your way." - -"Ha, I did not know you could make up verses," said the rabbit in -surprise. - -"I didn't know it, either," answered the eel. "That is the first time -I have ever done such a thing," and once more he dug his tail down -into the sand, real modest-like and shy. - -"Well, if that is only glass, instead of a diamond, I may as well -throw it away," said the rabbit. - -"Yes," agreed the eel, and with a flip of his tail he sent the glass -spinning out into the heaving ocean. - -"More bad luck for me," thought the rabbit, but he did not give up, -and, bidding good-by to the slippery eel the rabbit set off down the -beach to look for his fortune once more. - -By this time it had stopped raining and he didn't need the toadstool -umbrella, so he stuck it up in the sand in order that the next person -who came along might sit under it and get out of the sun. - -Well, Uncle Wiggily went on and on. He saw the children in bathing, -and building sand houses, and he saw the fishermen going out to sea to -catch fishes and lobsters, but still he couldn't see anything of his -fortune. - -Then, pretty soon, in a little while, not so very long, the old -gentleman rabbit came to a place on the sand where there was a little -white card. And on the card was some writing, which read: - - "DIG HERE AND SEE WHAT YOU - CAN FIND." - -"Ha, hum! I wonder what that means," thought Uncle Wiggily, as he sat -down on the sand to rest himself. "I wonder if that can be a trick?" -He had been fooled so many times that he made up his mind to be -careful now. So he looked all around, but he couldn't see anything -that looked like danger. - -To be sure, there were some bushes up on the beach, a little way off, -but there seemed to be no one in them. And there was no one on the -beach near where the rabbit was. - -"I guess I'll take a chance and dig," thought Uncle Wiggily. So he -laid aside his valise and crutch and began to dig in the sand with a -clam-shell. Deeper and deeper he went down until he began to feel -something hard. - -"Oh, ho!" he exclaimed. "I guess I'm getting close to it. This must be -a chest of gold or diamonds that the pirates or robbers buried in the -sand years ago. Now, I'll dig it up and I'll be rich. This is a lucky -day for me!" - -So he dug deeper and still deeper until he had partly uncovered -something black and round. He thought sure it was a chest of gold, and -he dug faster and faster, until all of a sudden something slipped in -the sand and rolled out into the hole Uncle Wiggily had dug, and, -before he knew it, he found himself slipping down and there he was, -held fast by one paw, under a big black stone. It was a stone he had -found under the sand and not a chest of gold at all. - -At first he was too surprised to say or do anything, and then, as his -foot began to pain him, he cried out: - -"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! I'm caught in a trap, and I can't get out!" - -"No, indeed, you can't get out!" exclaimed a voice at the edge of the -hole, and, looking up, the rabbit saw a big wolf. - -"Oh, did you put that card there on the sand, telling me to dig?" -asked Uncle Wiggily reproachful-like. - -"I did," answered the wolf, showing his teeth in a most impolite grin. -"I wanted to catch you under the stone and I did. The stone rolled out -of the sand when you had dug down deep enough to loosen it, and now -you are fast. I'm going to jump down on you presently, and tickle you -until your ribs ache." - -Well, Uncle Wiggily felt pretty bad on hearing this, and he didn't -know what to do. The wolf was getting ready to spring down on him, -when, all at once the rabbit heard a voice whispering down to him: - -"Say, Uncle Wiggily, you just ask that wolf if he is a good jumper. -He'll say he is, and then you ask him if he can jump on top of the -round stone he sees on the sand near the hole. He'll say he can, for -he is very proud, but, instead of jumping on a stone, he'll jump on -me, and then I'll stick him with my sharp tail, and he'll run away. -Then I'll help you get loose." - -"But who are you?" asked the rabbit, somewhat puzzled. - -"I am the horseshoe crab," was the answer. "I'm up here on the sand, -and I look just like a stone, and I'll pretend I really am one. The -wolf can't understand my talk, so it's safe. You just ask him to jump -on me." - -So Uncle Wiggily looked up at the wolf, and said: - -"Mr. Wolf, since you are going to tickle me anyhow, would you mind -showing me what a good jumper you are before you do it?" - -"Of course not!" said the wolf, who was very proud of his jumping. -"I'll jump anywhere you say, and then I'll jump down and get you." - -"Very well," said Uncle Wiggily, slow and sad-like, "just jump on that -round stone up there on the beach, will you?" - -"I will," said the wolf, and he didn't know that what he thought was a -stone was only the horseshoe crab waiting to stick him with his sharp -tail. - -So the bad wolf gave one big jump up into the air, and down on top of -the horseshoe crab he came, and the crab just stuck up his sharp -pointed tail, and it tickled that wolf in the ribs so very much that -the wolf had to laugh whether he wanted to or not, and he laughed so -hard that he had a conniption fit, and so he couldn't get the rabbit. - -Then the horseshoe crab dug away the sand around the stone, and helped -Uncle Wiggily get his leg out, and the rabbit was safe, and he thanked -the crab, and hopped away and the wolf didn't get him after all. - -So that's all to-night, if you please, but the next Bedtime Story will -be about Uncle Wiggily and the pink shell--that is if the red lobster -doesn't pinch the stove's legs and make it dance a hornpipe on top of -the washtubs. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE SHELL - - -Uncle Wiggily was lame the next day after he had been caught under the -stone when the wolf nearly got him, and the horseshoe crab had dug him -out. You see the stone pressed on his leg that had rheumatism in it, -and it hurt the old gentleman rabbit very much. - -But he was quite brave, and when he got up in the morning, even though -he could hardly limp along, he decided that he would hop down the -sandy beach at the seashore and see if he couldn't find his fortune -there. - -"It is certainly taking me quite a long time to get rich," he said to -himself as he slowly moved along over the soft sand, "and perhaps I -may never find any diamonds or gold. But no matter, I am enjoying -myself, and that is something. Still, I would like to see Sammie and -Susie Littletail again." - -And when he thought of the two little rabbit children he was a bit -sad. Then he decided that would never do, so he cheered himself up by -singing a little song that went something like this: - - "Don't be sad, - Just be glad, - For the sun is shining. - Don't be blue, - For it's true - Clouds have silver lining. - - "Sing and dance, - Hop and prance, - Make some one feel jolly, - Go 'way, care, - Don't you dare - Make me melancholy." - -"Ha, hum! I feel much better after that," said Uncle Wiggily, and he -moved his whiskers sideways and up and down, and twinkled his nose, -and then he went on looking for his fortune. - -Pretty soon he came to a big snail that was crawling slowly along the -beach. - -"Have you seen any gold?" asked the rabbit. - -"No, I am sorry to say I have not," said the snail, slowly and -carefully. "But I have not gone very far this morning. I have only -traveled about as far as from one orange seed to another, and that is -not very far, you know. Perhaps later I may find some gold." - -"Then have you seen any diamonds?" asked Uncle Wiggily. - -"No, but I saw a dewdrop inside a flower sparkling in the sunshine," -said the snail, "and it was brighter than a diamond." - -"That is very pretty, but it is not my fortune," said the rabbit. "I -must keep on." So on he went, singing his jolly song, and he kept -humming it, even when the sun went behind a cloud, and it looked as if -it were going to storm. The waves of the ocean grew into big billows, -and they dashed up on the beach with a booming, thundering sound. - -"I think we are going to have a shower," said the old gentleman -rabbit. "I must look about for another toadstool umbrella." So he -found one growing in the grass a little distance from the water, and -he picked it. Then, strapping his valise over his shoulder, he hopped -ahead, leaning on his crutch. - -Pretty soon, not so very long, it began to rain. My! how the drops did -come pelting down, harder and harder, but Uncle Wiggily didn't get wet -because of his toadstool umbrella. And then, before you could eat a -stick of peppermint candy, something hard hit the old gentleman rabbit -on the nose. - -"Ha! My umbrella must be leaking!" he cried. Then there came a flash -of lightning, and a loud clap of thunder, and something else hit Uncle -Wiggily on the end of his nose. - -"Oh, I hope I'm not struck by lightning!" he cried. So he looked up, -and he saw that his toadstool umbrella was full of holes, and the -reason of this was that it was hailing instead of raining. The rain -drops had turned into little round chunks of ice, just like white -pebbles, and they were pelting down, and had torn the rabbit's -umbrella all to pieces. - -"Whatever shall I do?" cried Uncle Wiggily, as he tossed aside the -toadstool. "That is of no use to me now, and there is no place where I -can go to get in out of the rain. Oh, my! How those hailstones hurt!" -And indeed they did, for they were as large as bird's eggs now, and -they were bouncing down all over, and hitting Uncle Wiggily on his -ears and nose and all over. - -He tried to hold his crutch over his head, but that did no good, and -then he tried to hold up his valise with the cherry pie in it to -shelter himself, but that did no good, either. - -"Oh, I'll be knocked to pieces by the hailstones!" the rabbit cried. -"Where can I go? Oh, if I only had a shell house such as the snail -carries on her back, I would be all right." - -"Here is a house for you!" cried a little voice, and looking to one -side Uncle Wiggily saw his old friend the grasshopper, and that -grasshopper was beneath a big pink shell that was on the beach, with -one edge raised up like a shed. "Crawl under the shell, and the -hailstone can't hurt you!" went on the hoppergrass. "This pink shell -is the best kind of a house." - -"Well, I do declare--so it is!" agreed Uncle Wiggily, and he lost no -time in crawling under the pink shell which was just the color of -baby's cheeks. Then how the hailstones did rattle down on that shell! -It was just like peas or dried corn falling into a tin pan. -Rattle-te-bang! Rattle-te-bang! went the hailstones, but they couldn't -hurt the grasshopper or Uncle Wiggily now, for the chunks of ice hit -on the hard shell and burst to pieces. - -Then, all of a sudden Uncle Wiggily heard some one crying. Oh, it was -such a sad, pitiful voice. - -"Oh, what shall I do? Where can I go?" wailed the voice. - -"Some one needs help," said the rabbit quickly. - -"Maybe it's a bear," suggested the hoppergrass. - -"Nonsensicalness!" exclaimed the rabbit. "I'm going to look out." So -he peered out from under the edge of the big pink shell, and he saw a -little baby crab crawling along with a basket of seapeanuts in little -bags on one claw. - -"Oh, I'm so miserable!" cried the little crab. "I started out to sell -peanuts, but the hailstones burst the bags open, and the peanuts came -out and they're all wet, and no one will buy wet peanuts. What shall I -do?" - -"Come right in here," said Uncle Wiggily kindly. "We'll help you." So -the little crab crawled beneath the pink shell, where the hailstones -couldn't hit him, and when the storm was over the old gentleman rabbit -and the grasshopper built a fire, and they dried out the peanuts. Then -the grasshopper took some of his molasses and he glued the torn bags -together, and Uncle Wiggily put back the dry peanuts in them, and then -the little crab went off very happy, indeed, and sold them for a penny -a bag. - -"Ha! The pink shell did us a great kindness," said the old gentleman -rabbit, as he hopped out. "Now I will look once more for my fortune." -Then the grasshopper flew away over the sea again and the rabbit went -on alone, eating a few peanuts the baby crab had given him. - -And he soon had another adventure. What it was I'll tell you soon, for -the story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the fiddler--that is, if the -piano stool doesn't turn into a merry-go-'round and whirl about so -fast that it makes the milk bottle dizzy. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XIII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE FIDDLER - - -It was the day after Uncle Wiggily had taken shelter under the pink -shell when the hailstones came down, and the old gentleman rabbit was -walking along the sandy beach, looking to see what he could see. - -"You never can tell when you are going to find your fortune in this -world," he said, "and I may come upon mine any moment. So I must be -ready for it." Then he went on a little farther, and he felt hungry. -"Perhaps there is a bit of cherry pie still in my valise," he said. So -he looked, and, sure enough, there was some pie, and he ate it. - -It was nearly all gone, and there were only a few crumbs of the pie -left, when the old gentleman rabbit heard some one say: - -"Oh, how hungry I am! Oh, if I only had something to eat. I wonder -where I can find anything?" - -Then the rabbit looked down, and there was the slow-crawling snail, -looking very hungry indeed. - -"Oh, ho! So it's you, is it?" asked the rabbit. "Why, it seems to me -you are not very far from the place where I last saw you." - -"That is so, I am not," answered the snail. "You see I go very slowly -and in a whole day I only moved about as far as an ice-cream cone. I -have been looking for something to eat, but I can't find it." - -"Oh, I'll gladly give you what I have left," spoke Uncle Wiggily, as -he scattered the crumbs of the cherry pie about, and the snail ate -them all up. - -"I don't s'pose you have seen anything of my fortune, have you?" asked -the rabbit, as he wiped his whiskers on a red napkin, and closed up -his valise. - -"No, I haven't," said the snail. "But I will tell you something I -overheard to-day and perhaps that will help you. As I was crawling -slowly along I heard two sand fleas talking together. One said to the -other that there was going to be a grand dance of all the sand fleas -on the beach to-night and that there would be plenty of gold and -diamonds at the party. Perhaps if you went to it you might find your -fortune--that is, if some one had any gold or diamonds they didn't -want." - -"That's a good idea," said the rabbit. "I'll be there, and I'm much -obliged to you for telling me. Where do the sand fleas hold their -dance?" - -"Down on the beach by the wreck of the old sailing ship," answered the -snail. "Be there at the hour of midnight, and I hope you will find -your fortune." - -"I'll be there," said the rabbit. "Oh, I'll be there." - -Then the snail crawled away, and Uncle Wiggily hopped along on the -sand, but he didn't look for his fortune as he thought he would find -it at the fleas' party. - -"Since I am going to be up quite late to-night," he said, "I had -better take a little sleep now." So he stretched out under some -seaweed that he laid over some driftwood for a shady shelter and soon -he was fast asleep. Then, after a while, he awakened and ate his -supper and soon it was midnight, and he set off toward the place where -the wreck of the old ship was on the beach, for there the sand fleas -were to have their hop and dance. - -As he came near the place, the old gentleman rabbit heard laughter and -talking, and he saw tiny lights flitting about. Then he came still -nearer, and he saw a most curious sight. All around in the sand were -little pieces of wood, set in a circle, and on each piece of wood was -a lightning bug. They lighted up the place like small electric -lanterns. - -There was a large circle of sand, and inside of that was the ballroom -where the dance was to take place. It was all decorated with seaweed -and moss, and it looked very pretty with lightning bugs scattered here -and there in the green drapery like fairy lights. - -And then the sand fleas! Oh, there were hundreds of them, and they -were hopping all about, sometimes over each other's backs and around -corners and through the middle, while some even turned somersaults, -and they were having a glorious time. - -"I wonder when the dance is going to begin?" thought Uncle Wiggily. "I -wish it would soon start, for I see that these fleas have on many -diamonds, and they also have lots of gold in their pockets. Perhaps, -when they dance they will drop some of the gold and diamonds, and, in -case they don't want them, I can pick them up and have them for my -fortune." - -Then, all of a sudden, some of the fleas began to cry out: - -"Where is the music? Why doesn't the music start, so that we can -dance?" - -And surely enough, there was no music for the party. Then a big gray -flea called out: - -"Alas, and lack-a-day! We will have no music! I had hired a dozen -Katy-Dids and a dozen Katy-Didn'ts to come and play for us, but they -have just telephoned that they can't come, as their legs are stiff. So -we can have no dance, as we have no music." - -"Oh, how perfectly dreadful!" cried a blue lady flea. - -And just then some of the other fleas saw Uncle Wiggily looking in at -them from behind the old wrecked ship. - -"Perhaps the rabbit can play for us," said some of the fleas. "Can -you, Mr. Rabbit?" - -"No, I can't," he said, and he felt very sorry for them. "But I will -see if I can find some one who can," for Uncle Wiggily was very -kind-hearted, and always did what he could to help. - -So he strolled down the beach looking for some one to play for the -sand fleas. And as he walked along he met a fiddler crab, which is a -crab with very long legs. And as soon as he saw that fiddler crab -Uncle Wiggily knew that the long-legged creature could make music. - -"Will you come and play for the fleas' party?" asked the rabbit. "I -will make a fiddle out of my crutch and some seaweed for strings, and -you can play it." - -"I will," said the fiddler crab, kindly, "but who will play the drum? -We need a drum. Who will play it?" - -"I would if I had a drum," said the rabbit, bravely. - -"I'll be the drum," suddenly cried a voice, and up from the ocean -popped a fish called the puff fish or sea robin, and he can make -himself look like a blown-up paper bag full of wind. "I'll be the drum -and you can make me go 'Boom! Boom!'" said the blow-fish. - -"Fine!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "Come on back to the sand fleas' party -with me." So the fiddler crab and the drum fish went along. Then the -rabbit soon made a fiddle, with seaweed for strings, and the fiddler -crab played it with his long legs, making tunes like "Please Buy Me an -Ice-Cream Cone and Take Me on the Merry-go-'Round." - -And the drum fish puffed himself up like a balloon, and Uncle Wiggily -beat him with a soft stick, and there was fine music. Then the sand -fleas hopped and danced about until they could hop and dance no more. - -But they didn't drop any gold or diamonds, and, when the party was -over, the rabbit was as poor as when it started. But still he didn't -mind. Then he went to sleep under a pile of seaweed, while the sea -robin and the fiddler crab went home in the ocean. - -And on the next page, in case the egg beater doesn't get stuck on the -rolling-pin and make the pie crust fall through the nutmeg grater, -I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the watermelon. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XIV - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE WATERMELON - - -"Well," asked the slow snail of Uncle Wiggily, as he met the old -gentleman rabbit on the beach next day, "did you get any of your -fortune at the fleas' party?" - -"None at all," answered the old gentleman rabbit. "There was plenty of -gold and diamonds to be seen, but the fleas didn't give me any." - -"Perhaps they forgot it?" suggested the snail. "Some of the fleas are -very forgetful. I once knew one whose mother sent him to the store for -a pound of sugar and a quart of milk, and what do you s'pose he -bought?" - -"I don't know," answered the rabbit, curious-like. - -"He got a pound of milk and a quart of sugar, and the milk all ran out -of the paper bag in which the groceryman put it, and the sugar stuck -fast to the milk pail, and they had a dreadful time getting it out. -That shows you what a flea will do sometimes. Perhaps if you ask them -for your fortune they will give it to you." - -"I'll do it the next time I meet one," decided Uncle Wiggily. "But now -I must go on and look for myself." - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily and the Watermelon - -"Wait until I sing a little song for you," said the slow snail, and he -hummed this song very, very slowly: - - "When I am in a hurry - I slowly crawl along, - And when I finish crawling - I sing a little song. - - "For if I hurried too much - I'd get there all too soon, - Though some day I am going - To climb up to the moon. - - "And then when I get up there - I'll sleep the whole long day, - Or crawl upon the moonbeams, - Or jump into the hay." - -"Ha! hum!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "That's a very good song, and I'm -sure it will help me find my fortune. Now I must say good-by and -travel along." - -"If you will wait I'll come with you," spoke the snail. "But then I -s'pose you are in a hurry, Uncle Wiggily, and I go too slow for you." - -"That's it," said the rabbit kindly, and he gave one big hop that -carried him twice as far as the snail could travel in a week of -Sundays without counting Christmas. - -Well, it wasn't very long after this before Uncle Wiggily got to the -top of a hill. When he started to climb up from the bottom he thought -perhaps there might be gold at the top, but when he did get to the -summit all he found there was a big green thing, with stripes on. - -"I wonder what this can be?" thought the rabbit. "It looks like a -baseball, and yet it's too large for that, and besides it isn't quite -round. And, once more, it's green instead of white, for all baseballs -are white. Ha! I know what it is. That must be a football which the -boys kick about. I guess I'll kick it. Perhaps there may be gold -inside." - -So he got ready to kick it, but you know how it is with old gentlemen -rabbits who have the rheumatism and have to go about on a crutch. As -soon as Uncle Wiggily lifted up one foot--the one that had no -rheumatism in it--and when he leaned on his crutch, the crutch -suddenly slipped, and down he went ker-flumux ker-flimix all in a -heap. - -"Well, here's a pretty kettle of fish!" he cried. "I ought never to -have tried to kick that green football. I should have waited until it -was ripe." - -So he sat down on top of the hill, and looked at the ocean tumbling -and foaming on the beach below him, and he waited for the green -football to get ripe. And, every once in a while he would poke it with -his crutch to see if it was getting soft, but it wasn't. - -And once, right after he did this, the old gentleman rabbit heard some -one cry out: - -"My goodness, Uncle Wiggily! What are you doing?" - -"Waiting for this green football to get ripe so that I can kick it," -was the rabbit's reply. - -"Oh, ho! Oh, ha!" laughed the grasshopper for it was that leaping -insect who had spoken, "that is not a football, it is a watermelon, -and inside it is all red and sweet and juicy. Come, if you can, cut it -open, we will have a fine feast. I haven't had any watermelon in some -time. Can you cut it?" - -"Oh, I can cut it fast enough," declared the rabbit. "Here goes, and I -hope it is better looking on the inside than it is on the outside." - -So the rabbit took out his knife, with which he usually spread his -bread and butter, and he cut a hole in the watermelon. Then Uncle -Wiggily and the grasshopper scooped out all the nice, red, juicy part -and ate it. - -And, would you ever believe it? Something happened right after that. -They had no sooner wiped the red watermelon juice off their faces than -there was a terrible roaring sound in the bushes, and out jumped a big -black bear. Oh, he was going on something frightful, yes, really he -was, but don't be frightened, for I won't let him hurt anybody. I'll -let him chew on my typewriter first and that will dull his teeth. On -the bear came, straight for the watermelon. - -"Oh, what can I do?" cried Uncle Wiggily. "That bear will get me, but -he won't hurt you, Mr. Grasshopper, as you are so small." - -"Don't worry," said the hoppergrass, kindly. "I'll find a way to save -you. Quick! Before the bear sees you, hop inside the watermelon," for -you see they had eaten up all the inside, and left the melon rind -hollow, just like a yellow pumpkin Jack-o'-lantern, at Hallowe'en. - -Uncle Wiggily saw that this was the best thing to do, so inside the -melon he hopped, and then the grasshopper put back in place the piece -they had cut out, and you never would have known but that the melon -was a whole, new one, never having been cut and the inside eaten out. - -On came the bear, sniffing with his black nose. Then he saw the -grasshopper and asked, suspicious-like: - -"Is there a rabbit around here?" - -"I don't see any," spoke the grasshopper, and he really couldn't see -any one but the bear because Uncle Wiggily was inside the melon, you -know. - -"Well, if there is no rabbit I'll have to eat this watermelon, then," -said the bear, "for I am very hungry." - -Now the grasshopper knew that if the bear once bit into the melon and -opened it, he'd see the rabbit hiding inside. So what did the -hoppergrass do but give the melon a shove with his strong hind legs, -and down the hill the melon rolled, with the rabbit in it, just as -Buddy Pigg, the guinea pig boy, once rolled down hill inside a -cabbage. - -Faster and faster down the hill rolled the melon, with Uncle Wiggily -in it, and then the bear saw one of the rabbit's paws sticking out of -a crack. - -"Oh, ho! You have fooled me!" cried the bear to the grasshopper. "Now, -I'll chase after that melon and get the rabbit, too!" - -So the bear started down the hill after the melon, but his foot -slipped and he slid down, oh, so fast, that he got to the bottom of -the hill first. There he stood waiting for Uncle Wiggily. But a queer -thing happened. The melon hit a stone, burst open and out flew the -rabbit on a pile of soft sand. But the pieces of the melon hit the -bear on his soft and tender nose, and he thought he was surely killed, -and off he ran to the woods howling and growling. So that's how Uncle -Wiggily escaped from the bear, for the old gentleman rabbit wasn't -hurt a bit for all his tumble. - -Then he washed the pieces of melon off his clothes, and traveled on -again, with the grasshopper, to seek his fortune. And he had another -advantage soon. I'll tell you about it very shortly, when, in case the -ice man doesn't go skating and forget to leave us a loaf of bread, the -next Bedtime story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the Katy-Did. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XV - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND KATE-DID - - -"Well, what are we going to do to-day?" asked the grasshopper of Uncle -Wiggily, as they sat down to breakfast one sunny morning, after a rain -the night before. - -"Oh, I suppose I must keep on searching for some gold or diamonds for -my fortune," answered the old gentleman rabbit. "But I am getting -quite tired of going around so much and finding nothing. I'll keep it -up a week or so longer, and then, if I don't find any money, I'm going -back home, anyhow. I'm quite lonesome for Sammie and Susie Littletail -and all of my friends." - -"When you go home I hope that I can go with you," said the grasshopper -sort of sad-like. "I'll be sorry when you leave me." - -"Of course you can come along," answered Uncle Wiggily, kindly, as he -flopped his long ears back and forth. - -Then he and the grasshopper finished their breakfast, washed the acorn -cups and saucers, and shook the crumbs off the green leaf which they -had used for a table cloth. And pretty soon a whole lot of little -black ants crawled along and ate up all the crumbs, so that nothing -was wasted. - -"Well, here we go!" cried the old gentleman rabbit cheerfully as he -picked up his barber-pole crutch and slung his valise over his -shoulder. Then he hopped off and so did the grasshopper, singing a -funny little song on the way, and also playing the fiddle with his -left hind leg. The song went something like this: - - "Here we go, - Fast and slow, - Hopping on our way. - In heat and cold - We look for gold, - Which we may find some day. - - "Sing a song - Not too long, - Cheerful, gay and bright. - When wide awake - We eat sweet cake, - And then we sleep all night. - - "Hipping, hopping, - Without stopping - We sing and do not cry. - Skip and jump - Around the pump; - Now we'll say good-by." - -"Why, what in the world did you say that for?" asked Uncle Wiggily of -the grasshopper as the insect finished his song. "There is no one here -to whom we can say good-by, and not a sign of a pump." - -"I know it, but you see I'm just making believe," replied the cheerful -little fellow, turning one somersault and part of another one. - -"Oh, then that's different," agreed the old gentleman rabbit, as he -stooped over to take a stone out of his shoe. And, just as he did so -there came bouncing down out of a tall tree a big green hickory nut, -and it almost hit Uncle Wiggily on the end of his twinkling nose. - -"Hum!" exclaimed the grasshopper, as he crawled under a big leaf in -order to be out of danger, "some one is throwing things at us. I -wonder who it can be?" - -"I don't know," answered the rabbit, and then he and the grasshopper -looked up in a tree, but they could see no one. So they went on a -little farther, and pretty soon Uncle Wiggily got another stone in his -shoe. He stooped over to take it out when slam-bang! down came a green -butternut this time, and it struck him on the end of his left ear. - -"This must stop!" cried the old gentleman rabbit. "If it doesn't, the -first thing we know there will be cocoanuts falling down on us and -then we will be hurt." - -"Oh, I think there are no monkeys around here to throw cocoanuts at -us," said the grasshopper, "but this is certainly very strange. -Perhaps it is the alligator or the fuzzy fox up in a tree trying to -hurt us by throwing the little nuts." - -"Perhaps," agreed Uncle Wiggily. "Well, we will hurry on, and get out -of these woods." So they hurried all they could, but as it happened -the grasshopper got a big wooden splinter in his left front leg and it -took him and Uncle Wiggily quite a while to get it out, and when at -last they did so, it was almost night. - -They were hopping along, looking for a place to sleep in the woods, -when all of a sudden down came a big black walnut, and it hit Uncle -Wiggily's crutch, bouncing off with a bang. - -"Who did that?" cried the rabbit looking up as well as he could in the -darkness. "Who threw that nut?" - -"Katy did!" cried a shrill voice up in a tree. "Katy did!" - -"Oh, she did; eh?" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit. "Well I always -thought Katy was a nice little girl. I can't believe she'd throw -anything at me. It's not possible!" - -"Katy did--she did!" cried the voice in the tree again. - -"Oh, would you ever think such a thing of her?" asked the grasshopper, -who was quite excited. - -"No, I wouldn't," declared Uncle Wiggily sad-like. "Where does Katy -live?" he went on. "Perhaps if I speak to her, and tell her how -unpleasant it is to have nuts thrown at one she won't do it again. -Where does she live?" - -"Katy did! Katy did! Katy did!" was all the voice said. - -"Of course! I know that by this time," said Uncle Wiggily. "But where -does she live? Whereabouts in these woods?" - -"Katy did! Katy did!" cried the voice again. - -"Ah, I see!" exclaimed the grasshopper, "That means she once did live -here, but that she has moved away. That must be it." - -"Then I'm glad of it," spoke the rabbit. "I hope she doesn't come back -to throw any more things at us. Do you think she will?" and he looked -up in the tree to see who had been talking so about Katy. - -"Katy did! Katy did!" was all the answer there was. - -But all of a sudden there was a rustling in the bushes, and out into -the moonlight, which was then shining in the forest, there came a -little white pussy cat, with four legs and a long tail. - -"Oh, dear!" she cried. "I'm Katy, and I heard what you all said about -me. But I didn't do it at all. I didn't throw a thing at you, Uncle -Wiggily, or at the grasshopper either. I wouldn't do such a thing. Oh, -how can you believe it? I didn't do it at all." - -"Katy did! Katy did!" cried the shrill voice up in the tree-top. "Katy -did--she did!" - -"Ha, hum!" cried the old gentleman rabbit. "This must be looked into. -If Katy didn't do it, we mustn't have her talked about that way. Come, -Mr. Grasshopper, we'll see who's calling out about Katy so much." - -But just as the rabbit was helping the grasshopper to climb up the -tree, to see who it was that had been calling, all of a sudden out -from behind a stump there sprang a savage fox, who wanted to eat up -Uncle Wiggily and the pussy and the grasshopper also. But the rabbit -happened to see a hole in the ground. - -"Quick! Jump down here all of you!" he cried and he helped the pussy -and the grasshopper to get into the hole where they would be safe from -the fox. And, as they disappeared under ground the voice up in the -tree-top cried once more: - -"Katy did! Katy did!" - -"Oh, ho! I'll put a stop to that to-morrow!" declared Uncle Wiggily. -"Don't cry, Katy, dear. I'll see that whoever is bothering you will -stop." Then the little white pussy dried her tears, and the three -friends slept safely in the hole all night, and the fox did not bother -them a bit. - -And the next day Uncle Wiggily found out who was calling to Katy, and -who threw the nuts at him, and I'll tell you about it on the next -page, when the story will be about Uncle Wiggily and Katy-Didn't--that -is, if the trolley car doesn't run up on the front stoop and break the -rocking chair's arms so I can't sing the rag doll to sleep. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XVI - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND KATY-DIDN'T - - -Katy, the nice little white pussy, was the first one to awaken the -next morning in the hole where she and Uncle Wiggily and the -grasshopper had crawled to get away from the bad fox. Katy arose, -washed her face and her paws with her red tongue, and then she softly -tickled the grasshopper on his nose with the end of her fuzzy-wuzzy -tail. - -"Ha, ho! What's the matter?" cried the grasshopper, as he hopped out -of the bed made of dried leaves. "Is the house on fire?" - -"No, we're not in a house, but in a hole under ground so I don't very -well see how it could catch on fire," spoke Katy. "I wanted you to get -up and help me with the breakfast. I thought we would let Uncle -Wiggily sleep late this morning, as he is tired." - -"That's a good idea," declared the little jumping chap. "I'll just -take a hop outside and see what I can find to eat." - -Well, the grasshopper started to go out of the hole, leaving Uncle -Wiggily fast asleep, but, all of a sudden the tiny jumping fellow came -back, and, instead of being green, as he usually was, he had turned -quite pale. - -"What's the matter?" asked Katy. - -"The hole is stopped up!" cried the grasshopper. "Some one has filled -up the front door with dirt and we can't get out." - -"Oh, that's too bad!" said the pussy, and she and the grasshopper -looked at the lightning bug, who was shining brightly like a Christmas -tree-candle down in the dark hole so they could see. He had shone all -night for them. "How will we ever get out?" went on the pussy. "It is -terrible to be shut up here." - -"What's that? Is there more trouble?" suddenly asked Uncle Wiggily, as -he got out of bed feet first. - -"Yes," said the grasshopper, "the front door of the hole is stopped -up, and we can't get out. I think the bad fox did it." - -"Very likely," agreed Uncle Wiggily. "But don't worry, for I can -easily dig out the dirt, and then we can go up and find out who it was -that said Katy threw nuts at us when she didn't." - -So Uncle Wiggily went to the front door of the hole-house and began to -dig with his strong feet. And then he happened to think of something. - -"If I dig a new front door near the place where the fox stopped up the -old one," said the old gentleman rabbit thoughtful-like, "that bad -creature may be there waiting to grab us when we go out. So I'll play -a trick on him. I'll dig a new door for this hole-house and we'll go -out that way. I'll dig it at the back." - -So Uncle Wiggily did this and soon there was a nice opening from the -hole underground, and it was some distance away from the one by which -the three friends had gone in. And, surely enough, they looked through -the trees when they went out, and there was that bad fox near the -stopped-up hole, waiting for them to come out so that he might grab -them. - -"I guess he'll wait there a long while for us," said Uncle Wiggily, -blinking his nose, and laughing. "Come on now, very quietly and we'll -go off in the woods where he can't find us." So away through the -forest they went, and the fox never saw them. He stayed by the hole, -which he had stopped up with dirt and stones, and he was there a week, -waiting for the rabbit and his friends to come up. And the fox got so -thin from having nothing to eat in all that time that when he finally -did go away his tail nearly dropped off and blew away. - -But Uncle Wiggily, and the grasshopper, and the pussy whose name was -Katy traveled on and on. Over the hills they went, and through the -fields, but they couldn't find out who it was that had said Katy had -thrown the nuts when she didn't do it at all. - -At last they came to another forest, and just as night was coming on, -and Uncle Wiggily was passing under a tree, slam-bang! down came -another butternut, and nearly hit him on the eye. - -"There! You see, I didn't throw that," cried Katy, who was walking -beside Uncle Wiggily. - -"Yes, it couldn't have been you," agreed the old gentleman rabbit. "I -wonder who did it?" - -"Katy did! Katy did!" suddenly cried a voice. - -"No, she didn't," said Uncle Wiggily, firmly. "Who are you to say such -things?" - -"Here he is--I see him!" exclaimed the grasshopper. "It isn't any one -at all--it's a little green bug with wings, and he is something like -me. He's been saying that 'Katy did' when she didn't do it at all." - -And, sure enough, there on a tree was a little light-green bug, and, -as Uncle Wiggily watched, he heard this insect call out as bold as -bold could be: - -"Katy did! Katy did!" - -"Now look here!" said the old gentleman rabbit, and he pointed his -long ears and his crutch at the green bug, "why do you say such things -when you know they aren't so? Katy never threw any nuts at me--they -just dropped down off the tree themselves. I'm sure of it. Katy never -did it, and she feels badly to have you say so." - -"Katy did! Katy did!" cried the insect again, as if he hadn't heard -the rabbit speak. "I have to say it, you know," he went on, as he -scraped his two long hind legs together. "I have to call out that Katy -did, Uncle Wiggily." - -"You do? Even when she didn't do it?" asked the rabbit, -surprised-like. - -"Yes," said the insect. "Katy did! Katy did! I have to call--Katy -did." - -"Oh, I think it's just too horrid for anything!" said poor Katy, -almost ready to cry. - -"I wish you wouldn't say such things about a nice pussy," spoke the -grasshopper. "For Katy didn't do it. I know she didn't." - -And just then, off in another tree, there came a second voice calling: - -"Katy didn't! Katy didn't!" - -"There, I knew some one would be kind to me!" exclaimed the pussy. -"Some one knows I didn't do it. I didn't throw the nuts." - -"Katy did! Katy did!" cried the first green insect. - -"Katy didn't! Katy didn't!" answered the second little green chap. - -"She did!" went on the first one. - -"She didn't! Katy didn't!" answered his brother, positive-like. - -"Katy did!" "Katy didn't!" - -"Oh, my, this dispute is very unpleasant!" said Uncle Wiggily. "Please -stop it." But the green insects wouldn't stop, and they kept on -calling. First one would say that Katy did do it and then the other -would say she didn't, and so they went on: - -"Katy did!" "Katy didn't!" - -"Well," said Uncle Wiggily at last, when he had tried to make them -stop disputing, but couldn't do it, "at any rate, Katy, you have some -friends who will stand up for you, and who will always say you didn't -do it, and I know you didn't, no matter if the others say you did. Now -let's find a place to sleep, and to-morrow I will once more look for -my fortune." - -So they found a nice hollow stump in which to sleep, and nothing -happened to them all night, except that a big-eyed, feathery owl tried -to bite the grasshopper. But Uncle Wiggily tickled the bad bird with -his crutch and made him fly away, and then they all slept in peace and -quietness until morning. - -The next day the old gentleman rabbit had quite an adventure. I'll -tell you what it was in the following Bedtime Story which will be -about Uncle Wiggily and Peetie Bow Wow--that is, if my piece of -huckleberry pie doesn't fall into the milk pitcher and turn it -sky-blue-pink like the elephant's lemonade at the circus. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XVII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND PEETIE - - -Katy, the little white pussy, felt quite happy the next day, after she -and Uncle Wiggily and the grasshopper had slept in the hollow stump, -as I told you last. - -"No matter if some of the green insects do say I did throw those -nuts," she said, "others of them will say I didn't do it, so it will -be all right." And from then on, even up to the present time, you can -hear the did and the didn't insects calling to each other in the cool -night: - -"Katy did!" "Katy didn't!" That's how they dispute, and they never -seem to settle it. - -"Where are you going?" asked the old gentleman rabbit as he saw the -pussy starting off by herself in the woods, when breakfast was over. - -"Oh, I am going back home," she said. "I have been away too long -already, and my mamma will be worried about me. But I am very glad to -have met you and the grasshopper, and I hope you will soon find your -fortune, Uncle Wiggily." - -"I hope so too," spoke the rabbit, and then he and the grasshopper -started off together through the woods, looking on all sides for any -signs of gold or diamonds. - -They traveled on for many miles, but I'm sorry to say they didn't find -any fortune at all--not even so much as a five-cent piece with a hole -in it. When noon came they sat down by a little spring of water and -built a fire. Then the rabbit roasted some carrots and the grasshopper -ate a small piece of cherry pie, and some bread and jam, for he was -very fond of sweet things. - -"Well, we'll travel on again," said the rabbit, as he scattered the -crumbs for the ants to eat. - -"Why don't you stay here and look for your fortune?" asked the -grasshopper, wiggling his ears. - -"Oh, it would be of no use," said Uncle Wiggily. "Haven't we looked -all over in these woods? And we didn't even find a diamond ring. No, -we must travel on." - -"Why don't you dig a hole here by this old stump?" asked the -grasshopper. "Perhaps there is a gold mine here. It is nice and shady, -and you can dig deep and keep cool. I will sit on the stump and watch -you, and also sing a song now and then." - -"Perhaps that will be a good plan," agreed Uncle Wiggily, after -thinking it over. "I believe I will dig here. It can do no harm and it -may be of some use." So, laying aside his crutch and his valise, he -began to dig in the earth with his sharp feet. - -"My! I'm making a regular mine!" thought Uncle Wiggily, after a while. -"But there doesn't seem to be any gold here. However, I'll go down a -little deeper." - -And then, all of a sudden he heard the grasshopper cry: - -"Look out, Uncle Wiggily! Look out! The alligator is coming!" - -"Oh, me! Oh, my!" shouted the rabbit, as he tried to jump up out of -the hole he had dug. But it was too deep and he only fell back to the -bottom. He heard the whirr of the grasshopper's wings as that hopping -chap flew away, and as the grasshopper skipped over the daisies he -cried out: - -"I'll go get help, Uncle Wiggily!" for he knew he couldn't fight the -alligator all alone. - -"Oh, whatever shall I do?" thought the rabbit. "I must get out." So he -gave another jump, but it was of no use, and then before Uncle Wiggily -could twinkle his nose twice, over the edge of the hole leaned the -skillery-scalery alligator. - -"Ah, ho! So there you are!" cried the scaly creature, smiling such a -big smile that it is a wonder the top of his head didn't fly off. "So -you are in a hole? Well, that suits me, for you can't get away, and I -can take you whenever I please. I guess I'll wait until I am a little -more hungry. Meanwhile I'll sit here and look at you." - -And the alligator did this, perched on the edge of the hole, with his -mouth grinning from ear to ear and his tail slowly switching to and -fro, to keep off the flies from his scaly hide. - -"Are you really going to bite me?" asked the rabbit, sad-like. - -"I am," replied the alligator, in a nutmeg-grater voice. - -"Would you let me go if I gave you my barber-pole crutch and my valise -filled with cherry pie?" asked Uncle Wiggily, sorrowful-like. - -"Not for worlds!" cried the alligator, smacking his jaws. "I'm going -to bite you now." And with that he started to crawl down into the hole -to get the rabbit. - -But don't worry. Some one is on the way to save Uncle Wiggily. All of -a sudden, just as the alligator was almost down to Uncle Wiggily, and -only the tip of his tail was sticking out over the edge, there was a -movement on the other side of the hole, and, looking up, the rabbit -saw a curious sight. - -There was some sort of an animal peering down at him. But such an -animal! His tail was all stuck up with stickery burrs, and it had a -lump of mud on the end. On one ear was stuck a big green leaf, and on -the other ear was a piece of red paper from a Chinese lantern. And on -his back were chestnut burrs and bits of briar bushes; and this animal -grinned and showed his teeth and shook himself so that mud was -scattered all over. Then this animal cried: - -"Here, you bad alligator! Get away and let that rabbit alone!" - -"What for; do you want to bite him yourself?" asked the -skillery-scalery alligator creature, grinning from ear to ear. - -"No, I don't," answered the dreadful looking animal. "But you get away -from here or I'll eat you!" And, my! you should have heard that muddy -creature growl. No, perhaps it's just as well you didn't hear him, or -you might have bad dreams. Anyhow, that new, queer animal growled so -that even the alligator was frightened, and Uncle Wiggily said to -himself: - -"Oh, worse and worse! If the alligator doesn't get me this terrible -creature will!" - -Then the terrible creature growled some more and showed his teeth and -the alligator crawled out of the hole and scurried away, taking his -scaly tail with him. - -"Ha! Ha! That's the time I fooled you!" cried the terrible looking -animal, and then he burst out laughing and took the paper and leaf -from his ears, shook out the burrs from his tail, and whom do you -s'pose it was? Why none other than Peetie Bow Wow, the nice puppy dog. - -"Oh, you saved my life!" cried Uncle Wiggily, thankfully. - -"Yes, he certainly did," said the grasshopper, perching himself on the -edge of the hole. "I met Peetie in the woods and told him about you, -and he rolled in the mud and water and stuck himself all up with -burrs, so as to make himself look as terrible as possible and scare -the alligator. It was a good trick; wasn't it?" - -"It was, indeed!" cried the rabbit, as the grasshopper and the puppy -dog helped him out of the hole; "even if I didn't find my fortune." - -So the alligator didn't get the rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily had another -adventure next day. I'll tell you what it was very soon for the -following story will be about Uncle Wiggily and Jackie Bow-Wow--that -is, if the picture on the wall doesn't turn upside down and scare the -parlor lamp so that it goes out on the porch to sit on the door mat. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XVIII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND JACKIE - - -Uncle Wiggily, with the grasshopper, and Peetie Bow-Wow, the little -puppy dog, were traveling along the road together, and the old -gentleman rabbit was looking on both sides for his fortune. It was the -day after Peetie had saved Uncle Wiggily from the bad alligator, and -the three friends had spent the night in a hollow stump in the woods. -Then they had breakfast, eating some cherry pie that the rabbit had -left in his valise. - -"Tell me, Peetie," said Uncle Wiggily, as they tramped along, "how -does it happen that you are so far from home; and what were you doing -in the woods just before you scared the alligator away?" - -"Oh, my brother Jackie and I came to visit our grandpa, who lives -somewhere around here," said the puppy dog. "Yesterday Jackie and I -went for a walk in the woods, and I got lost. It was then that the -grasshopper found me and asked me to come and help you." - -"Which you kindly did," said the old gentleman rabbit, as he brushed a -mosquito off his twinkling nose. "But I didn't know you were lost, -Peetie. Why didn't you say something about it? And here you've been -away from your grandpa's house all night and he and your brother -Jackie may be very much worried. Why didn't you tell me about this -yesterday?" - -"Well, I thought you had troubles enough of your own," said Peetie -politely, as he looked down in a puddle of water to see if his tail -was fastened on straight. "But I would like very much, Uncle Wiggily, -to find my way back to grandpa's house, and see Jackie," he went on. -"And I know he'll be glad to see you." - -"Then we must start off at once and look for your grandpa's house," -decided the old gentleman rabbit. "I will let my fortune go for -to-day, and we will take care of you." - -So off they started, looking for the house of Peetie's grandpa. The -puppy dog helped them look, of course, but he was too small to be of -much use. Every once in a while he would find a nice juicy bone, and -he would stop to gnaw that instead of looking for the path back home. - -"Oh, you mustn't do that," said Uncle Wiggily, as he leaned on his -crutch to rest himself. "There will be time enough to eat bones after -you are home. Trot along now, Peetie." - -"Well, I'll just bury this bone here, where Jackie and I can get it -later," said Peetie. So he dug a hole for the bone and carefully -covered it with earth, where it would keep just as good as if it was -in a refrigerator or an ice-box. - -Well, the rabbit and the grasshopper and the puppy dog looked in all -the places they could think of, and around corners and up and down the -middle and on both sides, for a sight of the house of Peetie's -grandpa, but they couldn't seem to find it. - -And then, all of a sudden, and so quickly that it happened before you -could roll a popcorn ball on top of the piano, there was a growling in -the bushes, and a shaking of the leaves, and out popped a big, black -bear. My! Oh, my! But he was a big, savage bear, and as soon as he saw -Uncle Wiggily he cried out: - -"Now I have you, my fine rabbit friend! And a puppy dog also, to say -nothing of a grasshopper, with which to finish off. Oh, this is a -lucky day for me!" - -"You--you don't mean to say that you are going to eat us, do you?" -asked Uncle Wiggily, turning pale around the ears. - -"That's exactly what I do mean," said the bear in a grillery-growlery -voice. "And how very lucky! It's just my dinner time," and he looked -at his watch to make sure, and then shut the cover with a bang. - -"Well, you can't eat me!" cried the grasshopper and with that he gave -a spring and landed inside of a Jack-in-the-Pulpit growing on top of a -high rock, and he pulled the cover of the plant over him so the bear -couldn't see him. - -"Well, the grasshopper got away," said the bear in a disappointed -voice, "but I have you two yet, anyhow," and with that he made a jump, -and grabbed Uncle Wiggily in one paw and Peetie Bow-Wow in the other -paw. Then he hugged them tight, just like a little girl hugs, her two -dollies, and the bear looked down at them, first at Uncle Wiggily and -then at Peetie. And that bear showed his ugly teeth, and said in his -grillery-growlery voice: - -"Let me see; which one of you shall I eat first?" - -Well, you can just imagine how frightened Uncle Wiggily and the puppy -dog were. They didn't know what to do. - -"I think I'll eat you first, Mr. Rabbit," said the bear at length, and -he was just getting ready to eat Uncle Wiggily, as you would eat a -strawberry, when there was a rushing sound in the bushes back of that -bear, and a brave voice called out: - -"No, Mr. Bear, you're not going to eat either one of them. Put Uncle -Wiggily down at once and let go of Peetie Bow-Wow. At once, I say!" - -"Ha! Who are you?" cried the bear, turning around quickly in order to -see better. "Who are you, if I may ask?" - -"I'm Jackie Bow-Wow," was the answer, "and if you don't at once do as -I say I'll shoot you with my gun!" - -Well, you can just imagine how surprised Uncle Wiggily and Peetie were -to see Jackie standing there as brave as a lion, pointing a black gun -at the black bear. - -"I'm not going to let them go!" cried the bear, savagely, and he -hugged the rabbit and the puppy dog tighter than ever. - -"Then I'm going to shoot!" cried Jackie. "One--two--three!" he -counted. "Here I go! Bang!" - -"Oh, don't shoot! Don't shoot!" begged the bear, and he quickly -dropped the rabbit and the doggie and then he ran away through the -bushes, taking his little stubby tail with him. Then Jackie burst out -laughing as hard as he could. - -"What's the matter?" asked Uncle Wiggily, in surprise. - -"Ha! Ha!" laughed Jackie. "What a joke on that bear! I didn't have a -real gun at all. It's only a wooden one, with which I was playing hunt -Indians. But he thought it was a real one, and he was so scared that -he let you go. Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho!" - -"It's a good thing you came along when you did," said his brother -Peetie. "We were just looking for grandpa's house. I was lost, you -know, and couldn't find my way back." - -"I know you were and I was looking for you," spoke Jackie. Then Peetie -told him about the alligator and where he had been with Uncle Wiggily, -and Jackie was very glad to see his brother and the old gentleman -rabbit again, and he was soon ready to show them the way to his -grandpa's house. - -But they had forgotten about the grasshopper in the -Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and a very curious thing happened to that poor -insect. I'll tell you about it on the next page, when the Bedtime -Story will be named "Uncle Wiggily and the Red Monkey;" that is, if -the rubber ball doesn't bounce into the rice pudding and scatter it -all over the clean tablecloth. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XIX - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE MONKEY - - -Uncle Wiggily, with Peetie and Jackie Bow-Wow, was walking along the -road toward the puppy dogs' grandpa's house, and they were talking how -Jackie had made the black bear run away by pointing a make-believe -wooden gun at the savage creature. All at once the old gentleman -rabbit exclaimed: - -"That grasshopper!" - -"What about the grasshopper?" asked Jackie. "Did one bite you, Uncle -Wiggily?" - -"No, but my friend, the green grasshopper, jumped into a -Jack-in-the-Pulpit when the bear came, and here we have come away and -forgotten all about him. We must go right back." - -So back they started, and on the way the rabbit told what a kind -friend the grasshopper had been to him on his travels. Well, they got -to the place where the bear had scared them, but when they looked up -on the rock no Jack-in-the-Pulpit was to be seen, and there was no -sign of the grasshopper. - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily and the Monkey - -"I'm sure it was here that the grasshopper made his jump," said Uncle -Wiggily, looking carefully about. - -"Yes," said Jackie, "but there is no Jack-in-the-Pulpit on this rock -at all." - -"Here is a pile of dirt, though," spoke Peetie. "Perhaps there is a -bone under it. Let's dig, Jackie." - -So those two puppy dogs dug in the earth while Uncle Wiggily looked -all around for the grasshopper. Then, all of a sudden, Peetie cried -out: - -"Oh! Look here! The Jack-in-the-Pulpit is under this pile of earth! -The top is just sticking out. Now, we'll find the hoppergrass." - -"I see how it is," said the rabbit. "When the bear ran away so fast -from Jackie's wooden gun the toenails of the savage creature scattered -up the earth, and it went in a shower all over the Jack where the -grasshopper was hidden. No wonder we couldn't find him, for he was -buried. But please dig very carefully, Peetie and Jackie, or you might -scratch him with your paws." - -"We will be careful," said Jackie. So he and his brother dug and dug, -until the Jack-in-the-Pulpit was almost uncovered. Then they didn't -dig any more, but, with their tails, which were like dusting brushes, -they dashed off the earth very gently, until the plant was all clear, -and out popped the grasshopper, not a bit harmed, though he was -somewhat frightened. - -"My! I thought I'd never get out!" exclaimed the jumping chap, taking -a long breath, and blowing the dust off his legs. - -Then he was introduced to Jackie Bow-Wow, whom he had not met before, -and the four friends trudged along the road together. Pretty soon they -came to the house of Grandpa Bark, and the old gentleman dog was very -glad to see Peetie, who had been lost, and had stayed away all night. - -"And I am very glad to see you also, Uncle Wiggily," said Grandpa -Bark, "and likewise the grasshopper. Come in and have something to -eat, and stay awhile to rest yourself." - -So Uncle Wiggily did this, and after a bit he said: - -"Well, now, I must be off once more to seek my fortune. When I find it -I am going back home, and I hope that soon comes to pass, for I am -tired of traveling about." - -So he said good-by to Peetie and Jackie Bow-Wow, and he and the -grasshopper hopped off together. On and on they went, over the hills -and dales, through the woods and fields, and pretty soon they came to -a place in the woods where there was a big box. It was almost as large -as a small house, and it had a front door to it, but no windows. The -front door was open and over it was a card reading: - - "COME IN, IF YOU WANT TO." - -"Ha, hum! I wonder if that means me?" said Uncle Wiggily. "Perhaps I -may find my fortune in there. I'm going inside." - -"I wouldn't if I were you," spoke the grasshopper. "It may be a trap." - -"Nonsensicalness!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit, quick-like. -"Come along. We'll go in." - -So he and the grasshopper went inside, but no sooner had they entered, -than slam-bang! down came the sliding door with a crash, catching them -fast there just like mice in a trap. - -"Oh, what did I tell you!" cried the grasshopper, sadly. "This is a -trap! We're in it." - -"Yes, I see we are," spoke Uncle Wiggily, much puzzled. "It was all my -fault. I should have been more careful." - -"Never mind," said the grasshopper, kindly, as he wiped away his tears -on a piece of green leaf. "I see a crack between the boards that I can -crawl through. It is too small for you, but I can get out, and I'll go -for help." - -So out he crawled, leaving Uncle Wiggily there. The old gentleman -rabbit was thinking of the dreadful things that might happen to him, -when, all of a sudden, he heard some one unlocking the front door that -had fallen shut. - -"I must see who that is!" whispered the rabbit to himself. So he -peered out of a crack, and he saw something red and fuzzy-like at the -door. "Oh, it's a red bear!" thought the rabbit, and he was looking -for a place to hide, when all at once the door opened and there stood -a nice, kind red monkey, with a red cap on. - -"Oh, I've got company, I see!" cried the red monkey in delight. "I'm -glad of that, Uncle Wiggily. I've been waiting some time to see you. -How did you get here?" - -"Isn't--isn't this a trap?" asked the rabbit. - -"Not a bit of it!" cried the red monkey with a jolly laugh. "This is -my house. I went out this morning and left the door open. It must have -blown shut by mistake. I'm sorry you were frightened. Wait, I'll do -some tricks to make you laugh." - -So the red monkey stood on his nose, and then on one ear, and then he -made all the letters of the alphabet on his tail, all except the -letter "X," which is very hard for a monkey to make. Then the monkey -took two apple pies and made them into one, and he and Uncle Wiggily -ate it, and my! how good it was. By this time the rabbit wasn't -frightened any more, and he told the red monkey all about his travels -to find a fortune. And then the grasshopper came hopping back with Old -Dog Percival to help Uncle Wiggily get out of the trap, but there -wasn't any need, for it was no trap at all, you see. - -So the red monkey and the dog and the grasshopper and the old -gentleman rabbit had a nice time at the house of the red monkey, who -told them many stories, and one was how he came to be colored red. - -I'll tell you about that as soon as I can, when, in case the fishpole -doesn't go out in the rain and catch cold, the Bedtime Story will be -about Uncle Wiggily and the butterfly. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XX - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE BUTTERFLY - - -"You have a very nice house here," said Uncle Wiggily to the red -monkey after they had all sat down, and Old Dog Percival had been told -that there was no need to rescue his rabbit friend from a trap. - -"Yes, it is a fine little house," said the red monkey. "I built it -away off in the woods so as to be nice and quiet. You see I used to -live with the monkey who plays five hand organs at once, but finally -it got so that I couldn't stand the music any longer, so I went off by -myself and made this little house." - -"But how did you happen to get splashed with that lovely red color?" -asked the grasshopper, "that is if you will excuse me asking you such -a personal question." - -"Pray do not mention it, I beg of you," said the red monkey as he -tossed up a lump of coal and caught it on his nose. "I will gladly -tell you how I became colored red. It was this way: I was writing a -letter to a friend of mine and I had no more black ink left. I didn't -know what to do until I happened to think that out in the yard back of -my house on a bush were some red raspberries. I gathered some of them -and put them in a teacup. - -"Then, with the potato-masher, I crushed them all up until the red -juice ran out. Then I had the loveliest red ink you ever saw. But just -then a fly lit on the end of my nose. I went to brush him off with the -potato-masher when I happened to hit the cup full of red juice by -mistake. - -"Well, you can imagine what happened. The raspberry juice splashed all -over me until I looked like a strawberry ice-cream cone, and I've been -red ever since." - -"It's a very fine color," said Uncle Wiggily. - -"Yes," agreed the monkey with a sigh "but sometimes it's quite a -trouble. All the turkey gobblers and the bulls in the fields chase me -whenever they see me, for they don't like red. I'm thinking of taking -some dandelions and coloring myself yellow next year. But, now tell me -of your travels, Uncle Wiggily." - -So the old gentleman rabbit did so, mentioning how he was searching -for his fortune, but couldn't find it. Then Percival told about when -he used to be in a circus and do tricks, and the grasshopper told how -he made his music by playing the fiddle with his left hind leg, and -then the red monkey gave them all some chocolate-cocoanut pudding and -it was time to go to bed. - -Now, I have something sad to tell you, but please don't get alarmed, -for I'll make it come out right at the end. In the middle of the night -poor Uncle Wiggily was taken ill. He had a dreadful pain, and he was -as hot with a fever as a stove with a fire in it. - -"I am afraid you have been traveling about too much," said the red -monkey, as he lighted a lamp and gave the rabbit a drink of cool -water. "We must have Dr. Possum see you in the morning." - -"Perhaps I ate too much chocolate-cocoanut pudding," said Uncle -Wiggily. "Oh, how I suffer, and how hot I am." - -Well, they did all they could for him by putting his paws in mustard -water and giving him sweet spirits of nitre, but it didn't seem to do -any good. - -"Yes, he is a very sick rabbit," said Dr. Possum, who came in the -morning. "He ought to be home in bed, but we can't move him now. He'll -have to stay here." - -"Oh, the grasshopper and Old Dog Percival and I will take good care of -him," said the red monkey, kindly. - -"Yes, I guess you will," agreed Dr. Possum. So he left some bitter -medicine for Uncle Wiggily and the old gentleman rabbit took it -without even wrinkling up his nose--and it was very, very bitter--the -medicine I mean, and not his nose. - -"Oh, how hot I am!" cried Uncle Wiggily, as the sun got higher and -higher in the sky and beat down on the house where the red monkey -lived. "I wish I had some ice." Then he fell asleep. - -"We will see if we can't find some," said the grasshopper, so he and -the monkey and Old Dog Percival started off to look for an ice-house, -leaving Uncle Wiggily asleep. Pretty soon he awakened. - -"Oh, I wish I had an electric fan to cool me!" cried the poor sick old -gentleman rabbit. "Oh, how hot I am! Oh, dear!" - -Well, he kept getting hotter and hotter, and tossed to and fro on the -bed, and he wished for ice, and ice-cream cones and all such cool -things as those. Then, all of a sudden, when he was so warm he -couldn't seem to stand it any longer he heard a little voice singing -this song: - - "Away up North in the ice and snow, - That's the place for you to go. - Where wintry winds do always blow, - And the polar bear's on a big ice floe. - - "Where seals dive down in the icy sea, - Where it's far too cold for a bug like me, - Where snowflakes fall so you cannot see, - That is the place for you to be." - -"Oh, I'm sure it is," cried poor Uncle Wiggily. "I wish I was up there -in the Arctic regions. But I can't go. Oh, if I only had an electric -fan to cool me off!" - -"I'll be an electric fan for you," said the voice, and turning his -head, Uncle Wiggily saw, perched on the window-sill, a beautiful big -butterfly, with red and yellow wings. Then the splendid creature flew -right up on the rabbit's pillow, and began to wave his wings. Faster -and faster the butterfly's wings went until you couldn't see them -move--just like an electric fan. And a cool breeze swept over poor, -hot Uncle Wiggily, and made him feel much better. - -Then the butterfly fluttered harder than ever, and he sang another -song about ice-cream freezers and blizzards and snow and hail and -icebergs and polar bears and all cool things like that, and he kept on -fanning the rabbit with his wings, and before he knew it Uncle Wiggily -went fast asleep again. - -Then, in a little while, the grasshopper and the red monkey and Old -Dog Percival came back with some ice and they gave the rabbit a cool -drink, and the butterfly kept on fanning him. And soon Dr. Possum came -in, and he said: - -"Well, I do declare! Uncle Wiggily is all well again. The butterfly -with his cool wings and cold songs has cured him." - -Then the rabbit thanked the beautiful winged creature very kindly and -got ready to go on seeking his fortune again next day. He had quite an -adventure, too, and I'll tell it to you on the next page, when, in -case the little boy across the street doesn't lose his mittens inside -a watermelon and freeze his rubber boots, the story will be about -Uncle Wiggily and roast potatoes. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXI - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE POTATOES - - -"Well, how are you feeling this beautiful morning, Uncle Wiggily?" -asked the red monkey, as he knocked on the door of a hollow stump -where the rabbit had spent the night. "Are you all better?" the red -monkey went on, as he took a cocoanut out of his pocket and looked -inside the shell to see what time it was. - -"Oh, yes, I am much better, thank you kindly for asking," said the -rabbit. "But how comes it that you are here? I thought you were off in -the woods." - -"So I was," answered the monkey, as he nibbled a little bit of the -cocoanut. "But I came here to keep you company and help you look for -your fortune." - -"Ha! But where is my friend the grasshopper?" asked Uncle Wiggily, -sort of anxious-like. - -"Oh, he had to hop away in the night to see a sick cousin of his," -spoke the red monkey, "and on his way he jumped past my house and -asked me if I wouldn't come and stay with you while he was gone. He -said you might be lonesome. So I came." - -"It is very kind of you, I'm sure," said the rabbit. "I like company. -I think I am all well and strong again, for the butterfly, who -pretended he was an electric fan, made me nice and cool and I am much -better. I am ready to start off now and look once more for my fortune. -Are you coming?" - -"I am," said the red monkey, looking at his tail to see if a pink cow -had stepped on it. But no pink cow was there, so after Uncle Wiggily -had put some cherry pie in his valise he and the monkey started off -together. - -And, on the way, the red monkey--who was red, you know, because some -red ink which he made from raspberry juice splashed on him--this red -monkey, as he and Uncle Wiggily walked along, tossed the cocoanut up -in the air and caught it as it came down. Sometimes the monkey would -catch the cocoanut in his left paw and sometimes in his right, and -again in his left foot, and still again in his right foot. So -altogether he had quite an exciting time, you see. - -Well, Uncle Wiggily looked on all sides for his fortune, but he -couldn't seem to find it. The red monkey helped him, too, but it was -of no use. On and on they went, over the hills and through the woods -and across the fields, until finally they came to a place where there -were a whole lot of stones made into a sort of a fireplace, as if some -boys had built it to play camp, and hunt the Indians, only, of course, -you know, there aren't really any Indians to hunt any more. - -"Hum suz dud!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, as he sat down on a log, and -looked at the stone fireplace, "I wonder what this is for?" - -"I don't know," said the monkey, as he made the cocoanut whiz about -like a merry-go-round, "I don't know what it is for, but I should say -it was very lucky for us." - -"Why so!" asked Uncle Wiggily, and he wiped the dust off his -red-white-and-blue-barber-pole crutch on his fuzzy ears. "Why is this -lucky for us?" - -"Because," answered the monkey, "here are some potatoes growing in -this field next door, and here is a place to make a fire. It is nearly -dinner time, so there is nothing to stop us from having some roast -potatoes for our lunch." - -"Fine!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "I don't believe the man who owns the -potatoes will mind if we take a few. I'll dig them with my paws, and -we'll cook some." - -"And I'll make the fire," said the red monkey as he looked about for a -puddle of water. You know, he wanted the water puddle to use as a -looking-glass, in order to see if any of the red had come off him yet. -But there was no water, so he didn't bother, but instead he gathered -the wood, and soon he had made a fine fire in the stone fireplace. -Then along came Uncle Wiggily with some potatoes which he had dug, and -they were put in to roast. - -My! how the fire did blaze when the monkey kept putting sticks of wood -on it. And how the potatoes roasted and crackled there in the heat! -Oh, how nice they smelled, too! It makes me hungry for some, and as -soon as I finish this story I'm going out and roast some just as Uncle -Wiggily did. - -But you children mustn't do it unless your papa, or mamma, or big -brother or sister is near, in case any sparks got on you and burned -you. But the red monkey and Uncle Wiggily were very careful. To be -sure some smoke got in the monkey's eyes, and he looked as if he were -crying, and some smoke got up Uncle Wiggily's twinkling nose and made -him sneeze, but they didn't mind that. - -"I guess the potatoes are cooked now," said the monkey after a while, -and he took out on a sharp-pointed stick a big potato and broke it -open. "Yes, it's done," he went on, as he saw how mealy and -flaky-white the potato was, even if the outside was burned black. Then -he and Uncle Wiggily took out some more of the potatoes, and when they -were cool the two friends put salt on them, and ate them all up. Then -the monkey played ball with his cocoanut again. - -And, all of a sudden, as he threw the cocoanut quite high up in the -air, it came down in the middle of a prickly briar bush. Then, all at -once, there was a terrible roaring sound and a savage voice cried out -from the middle of the bushes: - -"Hi, there! Who is throwing stones at me?" - -Then, before Uncle Wiggily or the red monkey could move, out sprang -the skillery-scalery alligator with his double-jointed tail. Right at -the red monkey and poor Uncle Wiggily he rushed, and he cried: - -"Who threw that stone?" - -"Please, Mr. Alligator," said the monkey, "it wasn't a stone. It was -my cocoanut, and I didn't mean to hurt you." - -"A cocoanut, eh?" roared the alligator. "So much the worse for you! -I'm going to eat you both. Here I come! Get ready!" - -And with that he opened his mouth as wide as a big paper bag, and -fairly jumped for the red monkey. - -"Oh, I'm gone, sure, this time!" cried the monkey, sadly-like. - -"No, you're not!" shouted brave Uncle Wiggily. "I'll save you!" And -what do you s'pose that rabbit gentleman did? Why, he just put on a -pair of gloves, as quickly as a cat can wash her face on a rainy day, -and he reached in the hot ashes, and he pulled out three hot, roast -potatoes. Then, taking careful aim, he threw one hot potato right into -the alligator's open mouth, which was as wide as two paper bags now, -ready to eat the red monkey. - -"Oh, wow!" cried the alligator, as he felt the hot potato slipping -down his throat like a roast marshmallow candy. - -"Wait, I'm not done yet," shouted the rabbit, and he threw hot potato -number two down the alligator's throat. - -"Wow! Wow!" cried the skillery-scalery creature as he felt the -blistering heat on his forty-'leven sharp teeth. - -"Wait! I have something more for you!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, and -then with slow and careful aim, he threw hot roast potato number three -down the alligator's throat. - -"Wow! Wow! Wow!" yelled the skillery-scalery creature, and then, -fairly boiling inside, he turned a big backward somersault, standing -up on the end of his double-jointed tail, and he ran off to find some -iced water with which to cool himself. - -"Ha! That's the time you saved my life with the roast potatoes. They -were just fine!" cried the red monkey. Then he and Uncle Wiggily -traveled on, and the alligator didn't bother them any more that day, -being so busy drinking iced water. - -But they had another adventure soon, and I'll tell it to you a little -later, when the story will be about Uncle Wiggily and Buddy Pigg--that -is if the goldfish doesn't get caught in the mosquito net and tear a -hole in it for the June bugs to come in and read the fly-paper. - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily and the Potatoes - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND BUDDY PIGG - - -Uncle Wiggily and the red monkey were going slowly along through the -woods. It was the day after the alligator had started to eat up the -little red monkey, but he had to stop when the old gentleman rabbit -threw hot roast potatoes down his skillery-scalery throat. - -"Do you think you will find your fortune to-day?" asked the monkey, as -he tossed up a stone and caught it as it came down. You see he had -lost the cocoanut he used to have that time when it hit the alligator. - -"Well, I can't say for sure," replied Uncle Wiggily. "I hope I may -find some gold or diamonds, so I can get rich and go back home. But -you can never tell what is going to happen in this world, not even -whether you are going to have an ice-cream cone or not; no, indeed, -and a stick of peppermint candy besides." - -"I tell you what it is," said the red monkey, slow and -thoughtful-like, as he scratched his stubby black nose with a piece of -straw. "I don't believe you have looked in the right places for your -fortune, Uncle Wiggily." - -"Why, nonsensicalness!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit. "I look in -every place I can think of. I look on the ground, and under stones, -and behind stumps, and down holes, and alongside of rail fences. But I -haven't found any gold or diamonds yet." - -"Exactly," spoke the red monkey. "But did you ever look up a tree for -them?" - -"Once I did," said the rabbit. "I threw up a stone with some molasses -and a string to it to get some gold. But the stone went in an owl's -hole, I think. That's all the luck I ever had." - -"Then I'm going to look up some more trees for you," went on the -monkey. "I am a good climber, and perhaps I may have better luck. Hop -along lively now and maybe we will find your fortune before -breakfast." - -So the two friends went along together, and every once in a while the -monkey would climb a tree. The first one he scrambled up was a maple -tree, and he hoped he might find some maple sugar hanging on the -branches, but it wasn't time for maple sugar. Anyhow, you remember -that this kind of sugar comes from the inside of a tree and not the -outside. They take the tree juice and boil it in the spring of the -year, you know, and that makes maple sugar. - -The next tree the monkey went up was a hickory nut tree, and there -were some nuts on it, but they weren't ripe yet, and when he ate one -it was so bitter that he had to make a funny face. And Uncle Wiggily, -who was on the ground, happened to see the monkey's funny face, and -the old gentleman rabbit laughed so hard that he dropped his valise. - -The valise came open and out fell a piece of cherry pie, and when the -monkey saw this he laughed. He laughed so hard that he shook the tree, -and a whole lot of green hickory nuts fell down, and two of them -struck Uncle Wiggily on the end of his twinkling nose, making him -sneeze forty-'leven times. - -Then the monkey was sorry, and he scrambled to the ground without -having found any gold or diamond fortunes. He said he was sorry that -Uncle Wiggily was hurt. - -"Pray do not mention it," spoke the rabbit, politely. "It was partly -my fault. Let us hurry on." - -"No, let's eat breakfast first," suggested the monkey; so they sat -down and ate the cherry pie, after brushing off the dirt, and really -it wasn't damaged hardly any. - -Well, then they traveled on again, and the next tree which the monkey -climbed was a pine tree, and on it were long pine cones, something -like brown bananas, but not very good to eat. The monkey began picking -them, and Uncle Wiggily called out: - -"Have you found any fortune for me?" - -"No," said the red monkey, sadly, "I haven't, but we can have a game -of baseball with these cones when I come down. Look out, I'm going to -toss some to you." - -Uncle Wiggily got safely out of the way behind a big stone, and the -red monkey tossed down a number of the long, brown pine cones. And -just as the first of them were nearing the ground a most surprising -thing happened. Out from the woods came a big black bear, and he -walked toward the tree in which the monkey was, just in time to be hit -on the end of his soft and tender nose by the sharp pine cones which -the monkey threw. - -"Wow!" cried the bear. "Who did that?" - -Well, of course, Uncle Wiggily wasn't going to say that he had done -it, for he hadn't, so the rabbit just crouched down behind the rock, -and waited to see what would happen. - -And the monkey hadn't seen the bear, so he threw down some more pine -cones, and land sakes flopsy dub and a potato pancake! one of the -cones hit the bear on his soft nose again! - -"Wow! Wow!" cried the bear once more. "Who did that?" - -And this time he happened to look up, and there he saw the poor red -monkey up in the pine tree. - -"Ah, ha! It's you, is it?" growled the bear. "Now, just for that I'm -going to climb up there and eat you." - -"Oh, please don't!" begged the monkey. "It was all a mistake. I didn't -mean to do it!" - -"Well, there won't be any mistake about this!" growled the bear. "Here -I come!" And up he climbed, for bears can climb a tree better than can -a cat. - -Well, you can just imagine how scared that monkey was. He was so -frightened that he didn't think to run to the top of the pine tree, -and jump into another, so he could get away. Instead he just sat there -on a limb, shivering. And Uncle Wiggily was also frightened as he hid -behind the stone. - -"The poor monkey will be eaten up," thought the rabbit, "and it will -be my fault, because he was looking for my fortune. Oh! what can I -do?" - -And just then Uncle Wiggily heard a rustling in the leaves at his -feet. He jumped back, thinking it might be a little baby bear, but, -instead out pounced a tiny brown and white chap without any tail. - -"Why, Buddy Pigg!" exclaimed the rabbit. "How does it happen that you -are here?" - -"I'm just walking about for exercise," said the guinea-pig boy, for he -it was. "But what is the trouble, Uncle Wiggily?" - -"The bear is going to eat up the red monkey," said the old gentleman -rabbit, sadly. "Look!" - -Buddy Pigg looked, and by this time the bear had almost climbed up to -where the monkey was sitting and shivering. - -"Oh, I must stop that!" exclaimed Buddy. "Wait a minute and watch. You -know how I can whistle, don't you? so listen." - -Now, you know all guinea pigs can make a funny, squeaking noise just -like some one whistling, and that's exactly what Buddy did. He -whistled loudly and he whistled softly through his teeth. Then he -whistled double and single and next he whistled like a man calling to -his dog. - -And that's exactly what the bear thought it was--a man whistling for -the dogs to come and bite the bear. Louder whistled Buddy through his -teeth, hiding down behind the rock with Uncle Wiggily, and the bear -was very much frightened. - -"I guess the dogs are coming for me!" the bear exclaimed, and he -stopped climbing up the tree. Then he called to the monkey: "I'll get -you some other time." Then the bear slid down the tree and ran off in -the woods, while Buddy whistled louder than ever. And then the monkey -came safely down, and he wasn't eaten by the bear, after all, and -that's all to this story, if you please. - -The next one will be about Uncle Wiggily and Munchie Trot, the pony -boy--that is if the automobile horn doesn't stick in the lace curtains -and scare the fish cakes so that they bite the mashed potatoes. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXIII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND MUNCHIE TROT - - -"Weren't you frightened when you were up in the tree and the bear was -coming after you?" asked Buddy Pigg of the red monkey, as he and Uncle -Wiggily were walking along, after the adventure that I told you about -last night. - -"Frightened? I should say I was!" exclaimed the monkey. "I thought I'd -never get down again to help look for Uncle Wiggily's fortune. I never -can thank you enough for whistling and scaring that savage bear. How -do you do it?" - -"Oh, it is very simple," said the guinea pig boy, as he modestly -looked down at the ground. "It's this way." - -Then he whistled through his teeth again, slowly and faster, just to -show how it was done. - -"I wish I could learn how to do that," said the monkey. "If I ever get -caught up a tree again by a bear I could whistle for myself, and make -believe some hunter's dogs were coming to help me." - -"I'll show you," said Buddy Pigg, and he told the monkey how to put -his tongue against his teeth and how to blow through his lips. Well, -the red monkey tried it, and he tried again, but he couldn't seem to -whistle. - -"Perhaps if I stand on my head I could do better," he said, and in a -moment there he was standing on his head and trying to whistle upside -down. But still he couldn't do it. - -"Try hanging by your tail," suggested Buddy Pigg, and the little red -chap did so, but still it was of no use. He hung there by his tail so -long that Uncle Wiggily was afraid the monkey's head might fall off, -so he made him get down. - -Then the red chap tried again and again, but he couldn't whistle a -bit, and at last the old gentleman rabbit said: - -"I believe I know what the trouble is." - -"What?" asked Buddy. - -"Why, you see you have no tail, Buddy, and you are a good whistler," -went on the rabbit, for you know it's really so--guinea pigs have no -tails--though I'm not allowed to tell you the reason just yet. - -"You have no tail, and you are a good whistler," said the rabbit -again, "but the monkey has a long tail, and he can't seem to whistle a -bit. The tail must make all the difference. Just cut off your tail, -red monkey, and you'll whistle." - -"Yes, I guess I would!" exclaimed the monkey, surprised-like. "I'd cry -too, and feel very badly. No, if I have to lose my tail to whistle -I'll never do it. I know what I can do instead." - -"What?" asked Buddy Pigg. - -"I can hire a green parrot to whistle for me," said the monkey. -"Parrots can whistle for real or make-believe dogs as good as a man -can. I'll take a parrot with me, and he'll scare the bears." - -"Very good," said Uncle Wiggily, "for I would not like to see you lose -your tail." - -So, the three friends traveled on for some distance until it was time -for Buddy Pigg to go home. And with him Uncle Wiggily sent his love to -all his friends and to Sammie and Susie Littletail also. - -"Well, we don't seem to be finding your fortune very fast," spoke the -red monkey after they had climbed up one hill, and part of another -one, and had looked under a lot of stones and behind several stumps. - -"No, I guess we won't find it to-day," said the rabbit. It was now -getting on toward afternoon, and Uncle Wiggily began thinking of where -he would spend the night. - -"I know what to do," said the red monkey. "I'll make a little house -here in the woods, and we'll stay in that. We'll build a fire, and -make believe we are camping out. And, while I am making the house out -of sticks and leaves, you can walk around and look for your fortune." - -"Very good," said the old gentleman rabbit, and so he started off, -leaving the monkey to make the house in the woods. Uncle Wiggily -walked on and on, but he didn't find his fortune, and it was getting -rather late. He was just about to start back to where he had left the -red monkey, when all of a sudden he heard a crying in the woods. - -"Ha! I know what that is!" exclaimed the rabbit. "That is a baby fox, -and near him is the old papa fox, who wants to catch and eat me. I'll -not go near him, but I'll hurry home." - -So he started toward the monkey's house, but the crying became louder, -and the rabbit thought that perhaps, after all, it might not be a baby -fox. And then, before he could twinkle his nose more than seven times, -there was a rustling in the bushes, and out came a little boy -squirrel. One of his legs was broken, and he was limping along on a -piece of wood for a crutch. - -"Oh, you poor little fellow!" cried the rabbit. "You look just like -Billie or Johnny Bushytail after a football game. What has happened?" - -"Oh, a boy threw a stone at me, and hurt me!" answered the little -squirrel. "I'm lost and I can't walk home, and I don't know what to -do." - -"I'll help you," spoke Uncle Wiggily, kindly, but when he tried to, he -found that his own rheumatism was so bad that he could hardly move. -And the little boy squirrel was so stiff that he could barely walk, -and there they were, both in the woods, with night coming on, and no -way to get home. - -"Oh, what shall we do?" cried Uncle Wiggily, and he wished the monkey -would come along. And just then, if you will believe me, there was -another rustling in the bushes, and out galloped Munchie Trot, the -strong pony boy. - -"Ha! What is the trouble here?" he asked, switching his tail, just -like a wooden horse on the merry-go-round. - -"Oh, we are both so lame that we can't walk," said Uncle Wiggily, "and -we are a long way from the monkey's house. What shall we do?" - -"Yes!" cried the little lame squirrel boy, "Boo-hoo! Hoo-boo what -shall we do?" - -"Don't say another word!" cried Munchie. "I'll take care of you. Just -get on my back and I'll soon take you to the monkey's house in the -woods." Then the pony boy knelt down so that Uncle Wiggily and the -squirrel could get up on his back. - -And when they got there and the cupboard was bare--oh, please excuse -me, that belongs in another story--when they got up on Munchie's back -and were holding tightly to the saddle, off the pony boy started -through the woods, galloping to the monkey's house. - -Then a whole lot of mosquitoes swarmed out of the bushes and tried to -bite Uncle Wiggily and the squirrel, but Munchie switched his tail at -the stinging insects, and away they scattered. - -Then a big owl flew down out of a tree and tried to grab the squirrel, -but the pony trotted so fast that the owl was left behind. And next a -wolf tried to pull the rabbit off the horse, but Munchie tickled the -savage creature in the ribs with his hoof, and the wolf ran away, -sneezing. - -Then the pony came safely to the house that the monkey had built in -the woods, and he and Uncle Wiggily and the squirrel stayed there in -peace and quietness all night, and they put some salve and a bandage -on the squirrel's hurt leg to make it well. - -And the next day there was another adventure. I'll tell you what it -was on the next page, when the story will be about Uncle Wiggily and -the green parrot--that is, if the piano key doesn't unlock the front -door and let in a red, white and blue mosquito to bite the baby's -toes. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXIV - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE PARROT - - -Uncle Wiggily was the first one to awaken in the little house that the -monkey had built in the woods. It was the morning after the day when -Munchie Trot had brought the rabbit and the little squirrel boy home -on his back. - -"Well, my rheumatism is somewhat better to-day," said the old -gentleman rabbit to himself as he stretched out first one leg and then -the other to see if they hurt him. He didn't have much pain, so he -started to make the fire to boil the coffee. - -And some of the wood which he put on the fire was wet so that it -smoked. And the smoke got up the monkey's nose, and made him sneeze, -so that he was awakened, and he helped to get the breakfast in a -hurry. - -Then, in turn, Munchie Trot woke up, and next the squirrel boy. His -leg hurt him very much, but Uncle Wiggily and the monkey bound it up -with some splints, and some soft bark, tying it with ribbon grass, and -then they all had breakfast, and felt better. - -"But how am I to get home?" asked the little squirrel boy. "My mamma -and papa will worry about me, I know." - -"Oh, as to that," said Munchie Trot, switching his long tail to keep -the flies off the breakfast table, "I will take you home on my back." - -"Very good," said Uncle Wiggily, "and I will go a little way with you, -and come back here. Perhaps I may find part of my fortune in that -way." - -"That's nice," spoke the red monkey, "and I'll stay here and get -dinner. And, say, Uncle Wiggily, if you happen to see a green parrot -just bring him along to whistle for me." - -"I will," promised the old gentleman rabbit. Then he helped the little -lame squirrel boy up on the pony's back, and off Munchie started with -Uncle Wiggily hopping alongside. The rabbit looked for his fortune, -but he couldn't find it, and pretty soon he had come as far as he -thought he ought to go, so he said he would start back. - -"Good-by," called the lame squirrel boy, "and thank you so much for -being kind to me. Perhaps you may find your fortune on your way back." - -"Or, if you don't find that," spoke Munchie, as he waved good-by with -his long tail, "perhaps you will find the green parrot." - -Then Uncle Wiggily hopped back toward where he had left the monkey -getting dinner at the little house in the woods. And, just as the old -gentleman rabbit was passing under a butternut tree, he heard a voice -singing this little song: - - "Oh, I'm a jolly, jolly sailor lad, - I sail the ocean blue. - And if you're glad, and not very bad, - I'd like to sail with you. - Oh, it's yo-ho-ho when the wind does blow, - And the waves run mountains high. - We will skip along and sing a song - Beneath the bright blue sky. - - "Oh, once I lived in a big wire cage, - In a house upon a hill. - For birds like me were the style you see, - Though I sometimes felt quite ill. - I had seeds to eat, in a seed dish neat, - But they didn't agree with me, - So I flew away on a rainy day, - To live in a greenwood tree." - -"My, that's rather strange," said Uncle Wiggily. "I don't see how a -sailor lad could live in a cage, nor yet perch in a tree. I must look -into this. Perhaps it may be the beginning of my fortune." - -So he crept along very softly, and there, perched on the limb of a -tree, was a nice green parrot, scratching his crooked beak with his -left foot. - -"Ha! How do you do? How are the oysters? Have you been in swimming? -Pass the crackers, please. Right this way for your hot ice-cream -cones!" quickly cried the green parrot in a shrill voice. - -"Well of all things!" exclaimed the rabbit. "I am pretty well, thank -you, but I don't know anything about oysters, and I haven't been in -swimming. I don't see any crackers to pass, and, as for hot ice-cream -cones, I never heard of them." - -"Ha! Ha!" laughed the parrot. "Never mind me. That was only my joking -way. But I'm glad to see you anyhow. I was only fooling about hot -ice-cream cones. Listen and I'll whistle a song for you," and then and -there, without even wiggling his tail once, he whistled a song called: -"Never Drop a Penny Down a Crack in the Boardwalk." - -"How do you like that?" asked the parrot as he stood on one leg and -stretched out his wings. - -"It was very fine," said the rabbit. "And I believe you are just what -I am looking for. Will you kindly come and whistle for the monkey, so -the bears won't catch him?" - -"I certainly will," spoke the parrot, politely. "Show me the way. I am -very fond of monkeys. I used to know one who could play five hand -organs at once--one with his tail." - -"This is a red monkey, and he is a friend of the hand organ one," said -Uncle Wiggily, as he hopped on ahead to show the green parrot the way. - -Well, pretty soon, not so very long, they came near to the place where -the little house was. They heard a curious hissing noise, like a steam -radiator sissing in cold weather. - -"My! What's that? A snake?" asked the parrot, in alarm. Uncle Wiggily -looked through the bushes. Then he laughed. - -"It is only the monkey trying to whistle," said the rabbit, "but he -can't do it." - -"Poor fellow!" spoke the green parrot kindly. "I'll whistle for him," -and he did so. At first the monkey was frightened, thinking some real -dogs were coming at the sound of the whistle, but then Uncle Wiggily -and the parrot popped out of the bushes, laughing, and they told the -monkey who they were, the rabbit explaining that the parrot had come -to whistle and scare the bears away. - -"It's very kind of you," said the red monkey, "and perhaps in time I -may learn to whistle a little myself. But come now and have dinner." - -So the monkey and the parrot and Uncle Wiggily ate their lunch and in -the afternoon they all looked for the old gentleman's fortune, but -they couldn't find it. And that night something very strange happened -as they were all sleeping in the little house which the monkey had -built in the woods. - -It was all dark and quiet when, all of a sudden, the fuzzy fox sneaked -up. He broke open the front window, and he was just crawling in -through the hole to eat up the rabbit when the parrot was quickly -awakened by feeling the wind blowing on him through the broken glass. -Then he saw the burglar fox, and he whistled for the make-believe dogs -and cried out: - -"Fire! Thieves! Police! Bean-soup! Trolley Cars! Ice-cream cones! -Robbers! Get out of here! Take your tail with you! Police! Mud pies! -Cocoanut pudding! Merry-go-rounds! Look out! Fire! Fish hooks! -Automobiles! Bang-bang! Whoop-de-doodle-do!" - -Well, if you'll believe me, that fuzzy fox was never so frightened in -all his life before. He thought a whole lot of soldiers, and guns, and -dogs, and police were after him, and he jumped out of the window and -ran off as fast as his legs would take him. Then Uncle Wiggily and the -green parrot and the red monkey went to sleep again, and there's no -more to this story, as you can see for yourself. - -But in case the umbrella doesn't turn outside in, and scare the spoon -holder off the table and make the napkins jump over the sugar bowl, -the next story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the hippity-hop toad. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXV - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE HOPTOAD - - -"Dear me!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily as he got out of bed the morning -after the green parrot had scared away the fuzzy fox, "I do seem to be -having the most surprising adventures, but I can't find my fortune. -Anyhow, I'm glad we had the parrot with us last night; aren't you, red -monkey?" - -"Indeed I am," declared the little chap with the long tail. "And -perhaps he will bring us good luck, and you may come across your -fortune at any moment. Why don't you go look for it while I take my -whistling lesson?" - -"Are you going to try again to whistle?" asked the rabbit. - -"Indeed I am," replied the monkey. "I'm not going to give up just -because I can't do a thing the first time or the forty-'leventh time. -If it's possible for me to whistle I'm going to learn." - -"Bravo!" cried the parrot, fluttering his green wings. "That's the way -to talk. Well, now we'll have breakfast, and after that I'll give you -a whistling lesson, but first I must sing a song." So he sang this -one: - - "Once there was a dollie, - Who could shut her eyes, - They were blue like buttercups, - Under summer skies. - She had hair like roses, - And her teeth were red, - Sometimes when she walked along - She stood on her head. - - "Inside her was sawdust, - Fine as fine could be, - Made from sawing little boards - That grew in a tree. - She could walk on tiptoes, - Also skip a rope, - Every Sunday morning she - Washed her face with soap." - -"My! That was a funny doll, with red teeth and hair like roses," said -the monkey. "I wonder if she was any relation to me?" - -"And who ever heard of blue buttercups?" asked the rabbit. "Buttercups -are yellow! Every one knows that." - -"I know," said the parrot. "You see there really wasn't ever any such -dollie--I just made up that song as I went along. But now for -breakfast. Yo, ho! Ho, yo!" - -Well, it was a nice breakfast they all had together in the little -house the monkey had built, and when it was over the parrot started on -the whistling lesson. Uncle Wiggily watched the monkey for a time, and -saw the long-tailed chap turn a double back somersault when he found -he couldn't whistle any other way. But even that didn't seem to do any -good. - -"Never mind," said the parrot, kindly; "you may learn yet. Never give -up!" - -"I'll not," said the monkey. - -"Well, I think I will go off and see if I can find my fortune," said -Uncle Wiggily. "I'll come back to dinner," and off he hopped, looking -on all sides for gold or diamonds so that he could get rich and go -back home to live in peace and comfort. - -Well, the old gentleman rabbit hadn't gone on very far before he came -to a place where there was a hole in the ground, and in front of it -was a sign, which read: - - "HOP DOWN HERE AND GET - RICH." - -"Ah, ha!" exclaimed the rabbit. "Indeed, I'll not do that. There must -be a bad fox or a bear down there. I'll keep away." So he hopped on -very quickly, and a voice called out after him: - -"Aren't you coming down and get rich?" - -"No, I'm not!" answered the rabbit, as he looked back and saw a savage -mud turtle sticking his long neck and snaky head out of the hole. Then -the rabbit kept on, and he went so fast that the turtle couldn't catch -up to him. - -Well, the next place he came to was a little pond of water, and in -front of this was a piece of paper on which was written: - - "JUMP IN HERE AND GET RICH." - -"Ah, ha! No, indeed!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, foxy-like. "They can't -catch me that way! There is probably an alligator in that pond." - -So away he ran as fast as he could go, and a voice cried after him: - -"Aren't you coming in?" And, looking back, he saw a big, savage water -rat. - -"No, indeed; I'm not coming in," said the old gentleman rabbit, and he -hurried on, while the water rat gnashed his sharp teeth, because he -was so disappointed at not catching the rabbit. - -Well, the next place Uncle Wiggily came to was a big, bright, tin can -standing beside the path that led through the woods. - -"Ha! I wonder what that can be?" thought the rabbit. "Perhaps there is -a sign on it telling me to climb in and get rich." So he looked all -around the tin can, but there was no sign. "That must be a safe -place," thought the rabbit. "It may be full of gold or diamonds. I'm -going to have a look in." - -He tried to climb up the sides of the can, but they were too smooth, -so he got some long sticks and some short ones, and, by tying them -together with ribbon grass, Uncle Wiggily made a little ladder. Then, -by standing this up against the tin can, he could climb up and look -in. - -When he first looked over the top of the can he couldn't see anything. -Then he leaned away far over, and the first thing he knew, in he had -fallen ker-splash! and the can was full of molasses--yes, there poor -Uncle Wiggily was in a can of molasses and he was so stuck up that he -didn't know what to do. - -He tried to swim out, but the molasses was too thick. And he kept -sinking deeper and deeper. - -"Oh, dear! What shall I do?" he cried. "I can never get out!" - -And then, all of a sudden, a voice outside the can called: - -"Who are you, and what is the trouble?" - -"Oh, please help me," begged the rabbit. - -"I will," said the voice again. "I am the hippity-hop toad, and I am -going to take that can up on my back, and hippity-hop up and down with -it until I turn all the molasses into molasses candy, and then you can -climb out on that. Hold fast, please." - -Well, Uncle Wiggily held fast, and the first thing he knew the can in -which he was a prisoner gave a lurch and a swaying motion, and then it -almost turned upside down, and then he knew it must be up on the back -of the hippity-hop toad. - -Then, my goodness! I wish you could have seen that toad hop. Up and -down he went like the dasher in a churn, or like a steam pump. Up and -down! Up and down, faster and faster! The molasses splashed all over -and some got up Uncle Wiggily's nose and some in his eyes, and it was -all he could do to hold on to the sides of the can. But somehow he -managed it. - -But pretty soon the molasses got thicker and thicker, and then it -began to get harder and harder, and pretty soon it was turned into -sticks of molasses candy. Then Uncle Wiggily took these candy sticks -and made a ladder of them, and when the hippity-hop toad set down the -can off his back the rabbit climbed up the inside of it on his candy -ladder, went down his wooden ladder outside the can and he was safe. - -Of course he had lots of spots of molasses on him, but the toad showed -him where there was a brook of water in which he washed himself. Then -he thanked the hippity-hop toad and went back to the monkey house, -though still without his fortune. - -Now in the next story, in case the mucilage bottle doesn't upset on -the doormat and make the letterman stick fast to it so he can't -whistle, I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the angle worms. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXVI - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE WORMS - - -"Well, where in the world have you been?" asked the red monkey of -Uncle Wiggily, as the old gentleman rabbit hopped along after he had -gotten out of the molasses can. - -"Oh, I had an adventure," replied the rabbit, and he told how the -hippity-hop toad had saved him from the sticky stuff. "But can you -whistle yet, red monkey?" asked Uncle Wiggily. - -"No, he doesn't seem to be able to do it," spoke the green parrot, in -a sort of sad and hopeless tone. "Every time he tries to whistle he -puckers his face up in such a funny way that I have to laugh, and when -I laugh I can't whistle. Can't you keep your face straight, so I won't -have to giggle?" asked the green bird, solemn-like. - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily and the Alligator - -"I can't seem to," replied the monkey, and he made another effort to -whistle, but he puckered up such a funny face, and his tail got all -tied up in a hard knot, and he looked so queer that even Uncle Wiggily -had to laugh. - -"You see how it is," said the parrot. "I can't give whistling lessons -and laugh at the same time," and then he had to laugh "Ha! Ha!" and -"Ho! Ho!" because you see the monkey made another queer face trying to -get the knots out of his tail. - -"I think I have a plan," said Uncle Wiggily after a bit. - -"What is it?" asked the monkey. - -"You must get behind a tree, red monkey," said the rabbit. "Then the -parrot can tell you how to whistle, and give you a lesson without -seeing the funny faces you make. Then he can whistle, to show you how, -and he won't have to laugh." - -"The very thing!" cried the parrot. So they tried that way, and they -got along quite nicely. Well, by that time it was the dinner hour, -and, after the meal, Uncle Wiggily said he would go out again to look -for his fortune, and would come back to supper. - -"But don't fall into any more molasses cans," cautioned the monkey, -and the rabbit gentleman said he would not. Away Uncle Wiggily hopped -over the hills, across the fields and through the woods. Pretty soon -he came to a pile of nice brown dirt. - -"Ha, some one has been digging here," thought the rabbit. "Perhaps -some one else is also looking for a fortune of gold or diamonds. If -that is so I had better dig here, too." - -So, with his sharp paws, the rabbit began to dig in the dirt near the -pile of earth. Faster and faster he dug until, all of a sudden, he saw -something moving in the hole he had made. - -"Ha! I wonder if there is moving-gold here?" he thought. - -But when he looked again he saw that it was only a little angleworm, -or earth worm, as some people call them, who was crawling out to sun -himself. - -"Oh, I hope I haven't hurt you!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, kindly, as -he lifted up the worm gently in his paws. - -"Not a bit of it," answered the worm, twisting about to see if his -tail was all there. "But I'm glad you're not a fisherman, Mr. Rabbit." - -"Why so?" asked Uncle Wiggily, as he shook some dirt out of his left -ear. - -"Because if you were you might stick me on a sharp hook and toss me -into the water for the fish to eat. Nothing is worse than to have a -hook stuck into you," said the worm, moving around until he was in two -knots. Then he untied himself again. - -"I should think hooks might be unpleasant," spoke the rabbit. "But I -won't hurt you, and here is a bit of cherry pie for you." - -"Thank you, most kindly," said the angle worm, as he sat up on the end -of his tail and ate the cherry pie, juice and all. "But why are you -digging in the earth, Uncle Wiggily?" - -"To find my fortune," answered the rabbit, and he told how long he had -been looking for gold or diamonds and how he hadn't found any yet. "Is -there any gold down under the ground where you live?" asked the -rabbit, sad-like. - -"Not a bit, I'm sorry to say," answered the worm. "I live down there -with numbers of my friends, but there is no gold. You had better dig -somewhere else. But you have been very kind to me, and if ever I can -do you a favor I will." - -"Thank you," said Uncle Wiggily, so he hopped out of the hole he had -made, and, after saying good-bye to the worm, he traveled on to find -another place where he might dig for his fortune. - -He came to a place in the woods, where the ground was nice and soft, -and there he started to make another hole. Well, he hadn't gone down -very far before, all of a sudden, he heard a growling voice behind him -calling out: - -"Here! Who said you could dig in my land?" - -"Oh, I beg your pardon. Is this your land?" asked the rabbit, and he -looked up to see the skillery-scalery alligator glaring down at him. - -"Yes, this is my land, and these are my woods, and because you were so -bold as to dig here I'm going to eat you up!" shouted the 'gator, -lashing his double-jointed tail around in the dried leaves. "Here I -come!" he cried. - -Then he made a dive, with his big, wide-open jaws, down into the hole -Uncle Wiggily had dug, but the rabbit didn't wait for him. Out he -jumped, and away he hopped, and the 'gator crawled after him. Faster -and faster ran the rabbit, and faster and faster came the alligator. - -"Oh, I know he'll catch me!" thought poor Uncle Wiggily. "Oh, help! -Will no one help me?" he cried. - -"Yes, we'll help you!" called a little voice on the ground, and, -looking down the rabbit saw the angle worm. And, crawling along with -him were about a million other worms, some larger and some smaller -than he. "Run along as fast as you can," said the first angle worm, -"and we'll twine ourselves in knots around the alligator's legs so -that he can't chase you any more. Run! Run!" - -Well, you may be sure Uncle Wiggily ran as hard as he could. - -"I'll get you!" cried the alligator, and he made a jump after the -rabbit, but it was the last jump the skillery-scalery creature made -that day. For the next instant those million angle worms just tied -themselves in hard knots, and sailor knots, and bow knots, and double -knots, and true lovers' knots and all sorts of knots around the tail -and legs of the alligator, and he couldn't move another inch. - -"Now's your chance! Hop away, Uncle Wiggily!" cried the first worm. -"We'll hold the alligator here because you were so kind to me." - -And the rabbit hopped safely away, and the ugly 'gator couldn't even -wiggle his double-jointed tail. Then, when the rabbit was safe at the -monkey's house, all the angle worms untied their knots off the -alligator, and they scurried down into the ground before he could bite -them. So that's how it all happened, just as true as I'm telling you. -And that 'gator was so angry that he almost bit a piece out of his own -tail. Then he went off in the woods and wasn't seen again for some -time. - -But this wasn't the last of Uncle Wiggily's adventures; no, indeed. In -case the fish-hook doesn't catch the baseball and make the lamp -chimney all smoky, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily and the -black beetle. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXVII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE BEETLE - - -One beautiful sunshiny day, when the wind was blowing through the -tree-tops, making music like a church organ many miles away, Uncle -Wiggily awakened in the little house which the red monkey had built -for him in the deep woods. - -"Well, I'm going to make another search for my fortune this morning," -he said as he wiggled his whiskers to get the dried leaves out of -them, for he had slept on a bed of leaves, you know. - -"And I'll go with you," said the red monkey; "Because the last two or -three times you went off by yourself you got into trouble." - -"Trouble? I should say I did!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit. - -"There was the time when you fell into the can of molasses, and the -hippity-hop toad had to jump up and down with it on his back, until it -was made into sticks of candy," said the red monkey. - -"True enough," spoke Uncle Wiggily. - -"And then there was the time when the skillery-scalery alligator -chased you," went on the red monkey, "and the angle worms tied -themselves into knots about his legs to stop him. Do you remember -that?" - -"Indeed I do," said the old gentleman rabbit. "And I will be very glad -to have you come along with me and help me. We will start right after -breakfast." - -So the two friends built a little camp-fire in front of the wooden -house in the woods and they cooked some oatmeal and some carrots and -turnips, and Uncle Wiggily made a cherry pie with plenty of red juice -in it. And the monkey found a bag of peanuts under a chestnut tree and -he roasted them for his breakfast. Then they started off. - -On and on they went through the woods, over the hills, up one side and -down the other, around the corner, where a big gray rock rested on -some green moss, and then, all of a sudden, there was a queer noise up -in the air. It was like wings fluttering and a voice calling. And the -voice said: - -"Is the red monkey down there?" - -"Oh, my! I wonder who can want you?" said Uncle Wiggily. - -"Maybe it's the bear who once climbed up a tree after me," cried the -red monkey. "I'm going to hide." So he crawled under a big, broad -leaf. Then once more the voice called: - -"I want the red monkey!" - -"Oh, please Uncle Wiggily, don't let him get me!" begged the shivering -and shaking monkey. "Throw a stone at that bear, will you?" - -"Ha! Hum!" exclaimed the old gentleman rabbit. "I don't very well see -how it can be a bear. Bears don't fly in the air, for they have no -wings. I'll take a look." - -So he looked up in the air, and there, instead of a bear flying -overhead, it was only Dickie Chip-Chip, the little sparrow boy. - -"Well, bless me!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "What are you doing up there, -Dickie?" - -"Oh, I'm making believe I'm a messenger boy," said the sparrow. "I -have a telegram for the red monkey." - -"Oh, ho! So that's why you wanted me, is it?" asked the long-tailed -chap, as he crawled out from under the leaf. "What is the message -about, if you please?" - -"Here it is," spoke Dickie, and then from under his wing he took a -piece of white cocoanut with writing on it. And no sooner had the red -monkey read it than he began to cry. - -"What's the matter?" asked Uncle Wiggily. - -"Oh, dear!" sobbed the red monkey, "my little brother who works on a -hand organ nearly had his tail cut off by getting it twisted around -the handle. He is very sick, and I must go home right away. Oh, how -sorry I am!" and then the red monkey ate up the piece of cocoanut that -had the message written on it. - -"You had better go home at once," said Uncle Wiggily. - -"But I don't like to leave you," said the red monkey. - -"Oh, I will get along all right!" spoke the brave old rabbit -gentleman. "Go ahead, and when your brother is well, come back." - -"I will," promised the red monkey, as he started for home. - -"And I'll fly on ahead to tell them he is coming," said Dickie -Chip-Chip. So they both called good-by to Uncle Wiggily, and hurried -away through the woods, while the rabbit gentleman kept on in search -of his fortune. And now for the black beetle. - -Uncle Wiggily was walking along under a green tree, looking for some -gold or diamonds when, all of a sudden something jumped out of the -bushes and grabbed his crutch away from him. Then Uncle Wiggily saw -that it was a wolf, and the wolf sprang down into a big hole in the -ground, taking the crutch with him. - -"Now," called the wolf, showing his ugly teeth, "if you want your -crutch, Mr. Rabbit, you'll have to come down this hole after it. Come -on down." - -But Uncle Wiggily knew better than that, for just as surely as he -jumped down into that hole the wolf would have eaten him all up. And -the rabbit didn't know what to do, for he couldn't walk without his -crutch on account of being lame with the rheumatism. - -"Oh, this is terrible!" cried the rabbit. "Whatever shall I do? I -can't stay in these woods forever." - -And just then there was a rustling in the leaves, and out walked a big -black, pinching beetle. In front of his head he had two things just -like fire tongs, or a crab's claws, with which to pinch. - -"What is the trouble?" asked the black beetle politely. - -"The wolf, down the hole, has my crutch, and he won't give it to me," -said the rabbit. - -"Ha! we will very soon fix that," spoke the beetle. "Just tie a string -around me, Uncle Wiggily, and lower me down into the hole. Then I'll -pick up the crutch in my strong pincers, and you can haul me up again -as I hold fast to it." - -"But the wolf may get you," said the rabbit. - -"I'll fix that wolf," replied the beetle, winking his two little eyes, -real jolly-like. - -So Uncle Wiggily tied a string around the black insect, and lowered -him down into the hole. The wolf saw him coming and cried out: - -"Oh! You can't get this crutch, for I'm sitting on it, and I'll bite -you." - -"Just you watch," spoke the black beetle, winking one eye this time. -So he looked down, and, surely enough, the wolf was sitting on the -crutch. But the beetle knew a good trick. He swung himself around on -the end of the string, which the rabbit held, and, as he got near to -the wolf, the beetle suddenly pinched the savage creature on the tail. - -"Oh, my! Ouch!" cried the wolf, and he jumped up in a hurry. And that -was just what the beetle wanted, for now he could reach the crutch as -the wolf was not sitting on it any more. In his strong pincers he took -hold of it. - -"Pull me up!" called the beetle to the rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily did -so, crutch and all, by the string, and they left the wolf down in the -hole as angry as a mud pie. So that's how the beetle got back the -rabbit's crutch for him, and that's the end of this story. - -But there'll be another one soon, about Uncle Wiggily and Kittie -Kat--that is if the puppy dog across the street doesn't chew a hole in -the milk bottle and scare the iceman all to pieces so that he goes -roller skating with the jumping rope. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXVIII - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND KITTIE KAT - - -"Well," said Uncle Wiggily, as he and the black beetle went along -through the woods, after the rabbit's crutch had been taken away from -the savage wolf, "don't you want to come along with me, Mr. Beetle, -and help me look for my fortune?" - -"Indeed, I would like to very much," said the funny little insect, -"but the truth of the matter is that I have to go to work to-morrow, -and so I can't come." - -"Work--what work do you do?" inquired Uncle Wiggily. - -"Oh, I am going to punch holes in trolley car transfers with my strong -pincers," answered the beetle. "Now, I will have to bid you good-by, -but if ever any one takes your crutch down a hole again, send for me -and I'll get it back for you." - -So the beetle said good-by to the old gentleman rabbit, and went his -way, and Uncle Wiggily, after looking at his crutch to be sure the -wolf had not bitten a piece out of it, went on looking for his -fortune. - -"My! It's quite lonesome going by yourself," said the rabbit, as he -hopped along through the woods. "I miss the red monkey and the -grasshopper and the black beetle. But then they can't always be with -me, so I'll have to travel on alone." - -On and on he went. Sometimes in the fields he stopped to hear the -birds sing, and he heard them talking among themselves about how they -must soon get ready to go down South, for cold weather was coming. -That made the old gentleman rabbit feel a little sad, and he wished -that he could soon go back home, where Sammie and Susie Littletail -were waiting for him. - -"But I can't go until I find my fortune," he said. "I must look harder -than ever for it." - -Then, sometimes, when he went through the woods, he heard the little -brooks whispering to the ferns, how that soon there would be ice and -snow all over, with boys and girls skating and sliding down hill. - -"Burr-r-r-r-r-r! That makes me shiver!" exclaimed the rabbit. "I, too, -must get ready for winter. Oh, if I could only find that gold and -those diamonds I'd go right straight home, and never travel about any -more." - -So he looked under stones and down in hollow stumps, but not a piece -of gold nor a sparkling diamond could he find. Then it began to get -late, and the sun was darkened behind the clouds. - -"I wonder where I can stay to-night?" thought Uncle Wiggily. "I must -pick out a nice, big stump, fill it with leaves, and sleep in there." - -Well, it didn't take him long to find what he wanted, and he prepared -his bed for the night. Then he built a little fire in front of the -stump and cooked his supper. He ate some carrots and a turnip sandwich -with peanut butter on it, and the last thing he ate was a large piece -of cherry pie. Then he washed the dishes and, curling up on the soft -leaves, he was soon asleep, dreaming of his little nephew and niece, -Sammie and Susie. - -Now, about midnight, the savage alligator, who hadn't had anything to -eat in a long time, started out to find something. And pretty soon he -came to the stump where Uncle Wiggily was sleeping. - -"Ah, there is a good meal for me!" cried the skillery-scalery -creature, as he reared up on the end of his double-jointed tail and -put his long nose down in the hollow stump. - -"Hey! What's this? Who is it? Has the red monkey come back?" cried the -rabbit, suddenly awakening. "I'm glad to see you, Mr. Monkey. Here is -some cherry pie for you." - -And then, being only half awake, Uncle Wiggily took a large piece of -the pie and held it out, thinking he was giving it to the monkey. But -it slipped from his hand and it fell right into the alligator's face. - -And the cherry juice ran down into the eyes of the skillery-scalery -creature, and tickled him so that he sneezed, and then he ran away, -for he thought the red monkey might possibly be in the stump, and the -alligator was afraid the monkey might throw hot potatoes down his -throat. - -Uncle Wiggily looked out of the stump, and by the light of the silvery -moon he saw the alligator running away, and that was the first time he -knew it was the skillery creature, and not the monkey, who had come in -so suddenly. - -"My! That was a narrow escape!" cried the rabbit. "It's a good thing I -took that cherry pie to bed with me. I must be on the watch, for the -alligator may come back." But the skillery-scalery creature, with the -double-jointed tail, didn't return, though Uncle Wiggily didn't sleep -very good the rest of the night on account of being so anxious and -worrying so much. - -And in the morning when he awakened from a little nap the old -gentleman rabbit felt very strange. He tried to get up, but he found -that he couldn't. He was as dizzy as if he had been on a -merry-go-round and he felt very ill. - -"It must have been the fright the alligator gave me," he thought. "Oh, -dear, what shall I do? Here I am, all alone in this stump in the -woods, and no one to help me. Oh, I'm a poor, forsaken old rabbit, and -nobody loves me! Oh, if Sammie or Susie were only here. I'm sure----" - -And just then there was a scratching sound outside the stump. - -"Hark! What's that?" whispered the rabbit. "That must be the alligator -coming back to get me! And I can't even get up to throw some cherry -pie at him. Oh, if the red monkey or the black beetle would only -come!" - -Then the scratching noise sounded some more, and Uncle Wiggily was -getting so frightened that he didn't know what to do. And then, all of -a sudden, he saw something white at the top hole of the stump, and a -voice exclaimed: - -"Well, if there isn't my dear old Uncle Wiggily! And you are ill, I -know you are. I can tell by the way your nose twinkles." - -"Indeed, I am ill," said the poor rabbit, "but who are you?" For you -know he couldn't see well, as his glasses had fallen off. - -"Oh, I am Kittie Kat," said the voice, and there, surely enough, was -the little pussy girl. She had been away on her summer vacation, and -was just coming back to get ready for school when she happened to walk -through the woods. There she heard a voice in the stump, and, going to -look, she saw Uncle Wiggily. - -"Oh, how glad I am to see you, Kittie Kat," said the rabbit. - -"And how sorry I am to see you ill," said the pussy girl. "But don't -worry. I'm going to make you well. Just keep quiet." - -Then that brave little pussy girl scurried around, and gathered some -leaves from a plant called catnip. - -"For," said Kittie, "if catnip is good for cats, it must be good for -rabbits." So she made some hot catnip tea, and gave it to Uncle -Wiggily, and in an hour he was all better and could sit up. Then -Kittie made him some toast with some slices of yellow carrots on it, -and he felt better still, and by noon he was as good as ever. - -"But I don't know what I would have done, only for you, Kittie Kat," -said the rabbit. "Thank you, very much. Now I can travel on and seek -my fortune." - -"And I'll come with you," spoke Kittie Kat. So they traveled on -together, and they had an adventure the next day. I'll tell you about -it right away, for the next story will be of Uncle Wiggily and Jennie -Chipmunk--that is, if the green trunk up in the attic doesn't go off -on a vacation all by itself down to Asbury Grove, and hide in the sand -to scare the popcorn man. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXIX - - UNCLE WIGGILY AND JENNIE - - -"Now, Uncle Wiggily," said Kittie Kat, as she and the old gentleman -rabbit went along, the day after he had been cured by the catnip tea, -"you must take good care of yourself. Keep in the shade, and walk -slowly, for I don't want you to get sick again." - -"And I don't want to myself," spoke Uncle Wiggily, "for I want to find -my fortune." - -"Oh, I think you will, and very soon," said Kittie. "I dreamed last -night of a pile of gold and diamonds, and I'm sure you will soon be -rich, so that you can come back home, and live with us all again." - -"Where was the pile of gold of which you dreamed?" asked the rabbit. -"Was it at the end of the rainbow? Because, if it was, there is no use -to think of it. I once looked there and found nothing." - -"No, it wasn't there," said Kittie, shaking her head. "I don't know -where it was because I awakened before my dream was over, but I'm sure -you will soon find your fortune. Now remember to walk slowly, and keep -in the shade." - -So she and Uncle Wiggily traveled on and on. Once they came to a big -hill, which they could hardly climb, and they didn't know what to do. -But they happened to meet a friendly mud turtle, who was very strong, -and who had a large, broad shell. - -"Get on my back," said the turtle, "and I will take you up the hill. I -go slowly, but I am very sure. You will have time to rest yourselves -while I am climbing up." - -So Uncle Wiggily and Kittie Kat got on the turtle's back, and in time -he took them up the hill. Then, after traveling on a little farther, -they came to a broad river. - -"Oh, how shall we ever get across?" asked Kittie. - -"Perhaps I can make a boat," said the rabbit. He was looking for some -wood and some broad leaves with which to make a sail, when along came -swimming a big goldfish. - -"Just perch upon my back," the fish said, "and I will be very glad to -take you across." - -"But you swim under water, and we will get all wet," objected Uncle -Wiggily. - -"No, I will swim with my back away up out of water," said the -goldfish, and this he did, so that the rabbit and the pussy girl were -taken safely over to the other side of the river and they never even -so much as wet their eyelashes. - -"Perhaps I may find my fortune over here," spoke Uncle Wiggily, as he -hopped along after thanking the goldfish. He looked on the ground, and -up in the air, but no fortune could he find. - -"There is a little house, made of leaves and bark over there," said -Kittie, pointing through the woods, "let us go and see who is in it." - -"Perhaps a bear lives there," said the rabbit. - -"It is too small for a bear's house," decided Kittie. - -But as they came close to it they heard a scratching noise inside, and -they thought perhaps it might be the fuzzy fox. And then, all of a -sudden, they heard a voice singing this song: - - "I sweep, I sew, I dust, I mend, - From morning until night. - And then I wash the plates and cups. - And scrub the table white. - - "I love to make a pudding, - Also a pie and cake. - And when I do my ironing, - Potatoes do I bake. - - "Now I must hurry--hurry, - To get a meal for you, - And then I'll go and gather - A hickory nut or two." - -"Why, I know who that is!" cried Kittie Kat. - -"Who?" asked Uncle Wiggily, making his nose twinkle like three stars -and a moon on a frosty night. - -"It's Jennie Chipmunk!" cried Kittie. "I just know it is. Oh, Jennie!" -she called. "Is that you?" - -"Yes, who is it that wants me?" asked a voice, and out from the tiny -house stepped the little chipmunk girl. She had on her sweeping cap, -and her apron, and in one hand was a cloth and in the other a plate -she was drying. - -"Well, well, Jennie, you're as busy as ever, I see!" exclaimed Uncle -Wiggily. "But are you living here?" - -"Hush! No," answered Jennie Chipmunk. "I don't live here, but in this -house is a dear old lady squirrel, who is so feeble that she can't get -around and do all her work. So every day I come over and clean up for -her, and get her meals. Oh, I just love to work!" cried Jennie. - -"I believe you," spoke the rabbit. "But can't we help?" - -"Of course we can," decided Kittie. "You get some wood for the fire, -Uncle Wiggily, and Jennie and I will do the housework." - -Then the rabbit and Kittie went in the little house, and Jennie -Chipmunk introduced them to the old lady squirrel, who had to lie down -in bed most of the time. - -"Oh, I am very glad to see you," she said in her gentle voice. "I -don't know what I would do without Jennie. She is such a help; aren't -you, Jennie?" - -But Jennie wasn't there to answer, for she had skipped out into the -kitchen to finish the dishes, and she was singing away as she hurried -along as happy as a grasshopper. - -Then Uncle Wiggily brought in a lot of wood, and with Kittie to help -with the sweeping and dusting, the house was soon as neat as a piece -of apple pie on a Sunday morning. - -"Now we must go out and gather some nuts for the old lady squirrel," -said Jennie. - -"What will we carry them in?" asked Kittie. - -"Oh, there is a basket for you, and Uncle Wiggily can use his valise, -and as for me," said Jennie, "I have little pockets in each side of my -cheeks, you know." And it's really true, a chipmunk has little pouches -or pockets one on each side of its face. You look the next time you -see one, and notice how a chipmunk's cheeks stick out when it has a -lot of nuts to carry. - -So the nuts were soon gathered for the old lady squirrel, and then -Jennie made a cup of tea for Uncle Wiggily and Kittie. And as they sat -in the house drinking it, and talking cheerfully to the old lady -squirrel, all of a sudden the fuzzy old fox came along and tried to -get in. But Uncle Wiggily saw him through the window, and quickly shut -and locked the door. - -"Never mind," cried the fox, as he sat down outside and licked his -lips. "I'll wait until you come out, Mr. Rabbit, and then I'll get -you." - -"Oh! what shall we do?" cried Kittie Kat in great fright. - -"I'll show you," said Jennie Chipmunk. So she took the big dusting -brush down off the nail, and she stuck the brush out of the window, -and she waved it at the fox--waved the brush, not the window you know. - -And when that fox saw the fuzzy brush waving, he thought it was the -bushy tail of Old Dog Percival. And the fox was so afraid of dogs that -then and there he gave three separate and distinct howls, and away he -ran as fast as his legs would take him and so Uncle Wiggily and Kittie -Kat could come out. - -"My! But you are a smart little girl, Jennie Chipmunk," said the old -gentleman rabbit. "I never would have thought of that." - -Then Jennie sang her song again, and made a cherry pie for the rabbit, -and he and Kittie traveled on, and the next day something else -happened. I'll tell you about it right soon, when the story will be of -Uncle Wiggily going berrying; that is, if the peanut man doesn't put a -watermelon in the baby carriage and break the wheels so the rag doll -can't eat her sawdust cake. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXX - - UNCLE WIGGILY GOES BERRYING - - -"Well, this is a beautiful day," said Kittie Kat, as she and Uncle -Wiggily walked along through the woods one morning. - -"Yes, this weather is very nice," agreed the old gentleman rabbit. "I -ought to find my fortune to-day. I have been traveling after it a long -time, and I am getting quite tired." - -Kittie Kat looked at him, and she was sorry to see that Uncle Wiggily -appeared quite old. He was bending over as he walked, and he had to go -very slowly, for his rheumatism was quite painful, even though he had -his crutch that Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy had made for him out of a -cornstalk. - -"Poor old rabbit," thought the pussy girl. "I hope that he finds his -fortune soon, or it will not be of much use to him. I must look as -hard as I can." - -So, as they went along Kittie Kat looked under all the stones and -behind the bushes and down in hollow stumps. And once, when she lifted -up a stone with her claws, she saw something glittering under it. - -"Oh, here is a diamond!" she cried, but it was only a piece of glass. - -And, a little later Uncle Wiggily saw something shining under a big -log. He cried out: - -"Oh, joy! I have found some gold." But it was only a shining piece of -tin. They were both much disappointed, but they kept on, still -searching. - -At last they came to a house that was built just on the edge of a -deep, dark, dismal wood, and there was some smoke coming from the -chimney of this house. - -"I'm going there and ask if they know where I can find my fortune," -said Uncle Wiggily. - -"Better not," spoke Kittie Kat. "There may be a wolf or a fox in -there. Better not." - -So Uncle Wiggily looked carefully on the ground all about the little -house, and then he said: - -"No, Kittie Kat, a fox or a wolf can't live in here, or I could see -the marks of their feet in the mud. I think a man or a woman lives in -that house, and I am going to knock on the door, for they surely will -be kind to us." - -So, with the pussy girl following behind, Uncle Wiggily went up to the -door of the little house, and knocked: "Rat-a-tat-tat!" - -"Ha! Who is there?" asked a quivering-quavering voice. - -"It is I--Uncle Wiggily Longears, the old gentleman rabbit, and I am -looking for my fortune," he said. - -Then the door suddenly opened, and there stood a little old woman, in -a green dress, and she had such a long nose and such a long chin that -they almost touched, and if she had been strong enough she could have -cracked a nut between them. - -"Oh, that's an old witch!" cried Kittie Kat. - -"Nonsensicalness!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "There are no such things -as witches. Besides, it isn't polite to call names, Kittie Kat." - -"Oh, I'm sorry," said the pussy girl, looking at her tail. - -"That's all right," said the old lady kindly, and she smiled. And when -she did this she wasn't at all bad looking, but instead, very nice. -"Lots of people think I'm a witch," she said, "and they won't come -near me. But I'm not, and I love boys and girls and animals." - -"I am so old, however, that I can't go very far from home, and I would -like to go off in the woods, and get some berries to make a berry pie. -But alas! and alack-a-day! I cannot. But what was it you wanted, Uncle -Wiggily?" - -"I wanted to know if you could tell me where to find my fortune," said -the rabbit. - -"Yes," answered the old lady in the green dress, "I think I can tell -you where to find your fortune. If you will travel on for three days -more you will come to a little hill. Go up this hill, and down the -other side, and there, at the bottom, you will find your fortune." - -"Oh, joy!" cried the rabbit gentleman. - -"How lovely!" exclaimed Kittie Kat. "Oh, how glad I am. Let's start -off at once, Uncle Wiggily." - -"No, not at once," said the old gentleman rabbit. "First I must do a -kindness to this good old lady. I heard you say you would like some -berries," he went on, "so I will go and get them." - -"And I will come also," said Kittie Kat. - -"It is very kind of you," spoke the old lady with the long nose and -the pointed chin. So she gave them a basket in which to put the -berries, and away went Uncle Wiggily and the pussy girl. - -Soon they came to where there were a whole lot of bushes and they -began picking the berries. The basket was almost full, and the rabbit -was wondering if the lady would give him some of the berry pie after -she made it, when, all of a sudden, there was a rustling in the bushes -and out sprang a savage wolf. - -"Ah, ha!" he growled, as he showed his sharp teeth, "now I have you -both! Oh, what a good meal I will have!" - -"Oh, please do not eat us!" begged the rabbit. "I am just about to -find my fortune; can't you wait until after that?" - -"No!" growled the wolf. Then he crouched down, ready for a spring. -Uncle Wiggily and Kittie Kat were too frightened to move. They looked -all around for help, but all they could see were the berry bushes. And -one bush seemed redder than the others. In fact, it was as red as red -ink, and, as the rabbit looked at it this bush seemed to move. - -"Here I come!" cried the wolf, and he jumped up into the air. But, as -he did so the very red bush seemed to leap also, and then this bush -grabbed the wolf by his tail, swung him around and around and tossed -him away up in the top of a tall tree. - -"There! I'll teach you to play tricks on Uncle Wiggily," cried a -voice, and then the red bush came over to the rabbit, and instead of -being a bush it was the red monkey, and he had come along just in time -to save the rabbit and the pussy. You see he looked so much like a -berry bush, as he crouched down, that the wolf didn't know him, and -neither did Uncle Wiggily. - -"Well, this is a joyful surprise!" cried the rabbit, as he and Kittie -Kat thanked the red monkey. "I'm glad to see you once more." - -Then the wolf ran howling away through the woods, and the monkey -helped the rabbit and the pussy girl to fill the basket with berries -and they took them to the old lady, who made a pie as big as the wash -basin. - -And the next day the rabbit started off after the gold and diamonds. -And, in case the lead pencil doesn't crawl up the white wall and make -a funny picture of a man riding on an elephant, I'll tell you next -about Uncle Wiggily finding his fortune. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - STORY XXXI - - UNCLE WIGGILY'S FORTUNE - - -The little old lady in the green dress, whose nose and chin nearly -touched, was very glad to get the berries which Uncle Wiggily and -Kittie Kat gathered. She was very sorry that the wolf had frightened -them, but she thought it was just fine of the red monkey to come along -when he did. - -"And I just wish you could have seen him toss the wolf over the -tree-tops by his tail," said the old gentleman rabbit. "It was as good -as going to the circus." - -"Well, for doing such a trick, the red monkey can have two pieces of -my berry pie," spoke the little old woman in the green dress. And that -red monkey was very, very thankful, and he ate the two pieces of pie, -even down to the last drop of juice. - -Illustration: Uncle Wiggily's Fortune - -Of course the rabbit gentleman and Kittie Kat had some pie too, and, -after they had eaten their share, and had washed their faces and paws -they stayed at the house of the little old woman all night. - -"For I want Uncle Wiggily to be nice and rested so he can start off -after his fortune to-morrow," she said. - -Well, the next morning the rabbit gentleman got ready to go. The old -lady with the green dress filled his valise full of good things to -eat, including some berry pie, for there were no more cherries now, -you know. Then, with Kittie Kat on one side of him and the red monkey -on the other side, Uncle Wiggily set off. - -"Remember," called the old lady, as she said good-by, "you must travel -straight on for three days, and you needn't stop on the way to look -for your fortune, for you won't find it. Just keep on, and at the end -of the third day you will come to a hill. Go up the hill, and down the -other side, and you will then come into your fortune, and I hope you -will live for a good many years to enjoy it." - -"Thank you so much!" exclaimed the rabbit. "It hardly seems possible -that I am going to be rich after all my travels. What kind of a -fortune will it be?" - -"Oh, you must wait and see," said the kind little old lady. - -Well, the rabbit and the pussy girl and the red monkey traveled on and -on. The first day they came to a big mountain, and the monkey wanted -to climb up it to see if there were any cocoanut trees growing on the -top. - -"No," Uncle Wiggily told him. "We must keep straight on the level road -until we come to the hill." And it is a good thing they didn't climb -that mountain. For on top lived a big giant who had a big club, and he -might have hit the red monkey with it. Mind, I'm not saying for sure, -but that might have happened, you know. - -So the three friends traveled on and on, and at the second day they -came to where there was a big ball of blue yarn beside a little lake. -It was a nice, soft ball of yarn, such as kittens play with when -grandma is knitting warm mittens for winter. - -"Oh, I must stop and play with that ball of yarn," said Kittie Kat. - -"No," said the rabbit, "you must not do that, for the old lady said we -were to keep straight on for three days." - -And it is a good thing Kittie Kat didn't roll the ball, for inside of -it was a big rat, and he might have bitten the little pussy girl. -Mind, I'm not saying for sure, but that might have happened. - -"Now, this is the third day," spoke Uncle Wiggily when they got up one -morning, after having slept in a hollow stump. "By nightfall we ought -to come to the hill, and on the other side will be my fortune. Oh, how -glad I am!" - -So they kept on and on, stopping for dinner in a nice shady place, and -toward evening they came to the hill. - -"There it is!" cried the rabbit as he hurried up it. "Oh, I can hardly -wait until I get to the other side." - -Up he went, and up went the red monkey and up went Kittie Kat. And on -the way the bad fuzzy fox sprang out from the bushes and tried to -catch them, but Uncle Wiggily tickled him with his crutch and made him -sneeze and fall down hill. - -Then they came to the top of the hill. The sun was just setting in the -clouds, and they were all colored golden and violet and purple, and -oh, it was beautiful! Uncle Wiggily came to a stop. On one side was -the red monkey and on the other the pussy girl. The rabbit rubbed his -eyes. Then he took off his glasses and polished them on his -handkerchief. Then he looked down the hill. - -"Why--why!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "There must be some mistake. I -don't see any gold or diamonds. And this place--why, it's the very -place I started away from so many weeks ago! There is where I -live--there is where Sammie and Susie Littletail live--that's the tree -where Johnnie and Billie Bushytail live, and there is the pond where -Alice and Lulu and Jimmie Wibblewobble, the ducks, live! This is home! -There can't be a fortune here!" - -Oh, how disappointed he felt. The sun sank lower behind the clouds and -made them more golden and green and purple. - -Then out from their homes ran the rabbit children and the squirrel -brothers and the duck children, and Peetie, and Jackie Bow-Wow, and -Bully the Frog, and his brother, and Dottie and Munchie Trot, and -Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg--and all the others. - -"Oh, here is Uncle Wiggily! Our Uncle Wiggily has come back!" they -cried, leaping about in joy. "Oh, how glad we are to see you. Happy! -Happy welcome! You are rich, Uncle Wiggily! Rich! Very rich!" - -"Rich!" said the rabbit, rubbing his eyes and trying to stand up while -all his friends gathered around him. "But I don't understand. The -little old lady in the green dress said I would find my fortune here, -but I don't see it." - -"Let me explain," said Sammie Littletail. "Do you see that field of -cabbage, Uncle Wiggily?" and the rabbit boy pointed to it. - -"Yes," said the rabbit, "I see the field." - -"There are seventeen million, two hundred and fifty-six thousand, nine -hundred and three cabbages there," said Sammie, "and they are all -yours. And do you see that field of turnips?" - -"Yes," said Uncle Wiggily, as he looked down the hill, "I see them." - -"There are nineteen million, four hundred and thirty-three thousand, -eight hundred and sixty-six turnips," said Sammie, "and they are all -yours. And do you see that field of carrots?" - -"I do," said Uncle Wiggily, but he couldn't see so very far, as tears -of joy were in his eyes. - -"There are one hundred million, eight hundred and twenty-three -thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine and a half carrots in that -field," said Sammie. "Jillie Longtail, the mouse, had the half carrot -because she was ill, but all the rest are yours, and you are the -richest rabbit in the world--the very richest--there is your fortune. -You can sell the turnips and carrots and cabbages and have -forty-'leven barrels of gold." - -"But--but I don't understand," said Uncle Wiggily, as he tried to hug -all his friends at once. - -"It was this way," said Sammie, "when you were gone we all planted -things in your garden and fields for you, and we took care of them, -hoeing and watering them, until they grew as never carrots or turnips -or cabbages grew before. So now you have come back to us, and you are -rich." - -And it was true. After traveling almost around the earth in search of -his fortune, Uncle Wiggily came back to find it right at home, and -that's the way it often happens in this world. - -Well, you can imagine how surprised he was. He hugged and kissed all -his friends and then he went into his old house with Sammie and Susie -Littletail, and when he had sold the cabbages and carrots and turnips -for many barrels of gold, there he lived for many, many years, as -happy an old gentleman rabbit as you could find in a day's journey. -And though his rheumatism bothered him at times it couldn't be helped. -And he gave all his friends as much money as they wanted, and they all -had good times together, and lots of fun, and every once in a while -Uncle Wiggily would treat everybody to strawberry ice-cream cones with -cabbage or turnip sauce on. - -And now I have come to the end of this book. But I still have some -more stories about the old gentleman rabbit in my typewriter, in case -you would like to hear them. And I am going to put them in another -volume to be called "Uncle Wiggily's Automobile." - -In that machine he had the most surprising adventures of which you -ever heard. Why, once the doodle-oodle-um got twisted around the -tinker-um-tankerum, and again the noodle-oodle-um wouldn't go, and he -had to give it a drink of molasses. And again the snicker-snoozicum -got the toothache. But Uncle Wiggily didn't mind, and he traveled many -miles in his auto. I'll tell you all that happened, so don't worry, -but go to sleep and in the morning the sun may be shining. So I'm -going to say good-by for a little while, and I wish you all happy -dreams. - - - - - THE END - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - JACKIE AND PEETIE BOW WOW - -"Come on, Jackie!" called Peetie Bow Wow, the boy doggie, one morning. -"Come on!" - -"Where are you going?" asked Jackie of Peetie. - -"Let's run off and join the circus," suggested Peetie, as he tried to -stand up on the end of his tail and turn a somersault. "We can earn a -lot of money." - -"How?" asked Jackie, scratching his nose with his ear. - -"Why, we can make money by doing tricks in the circus," went on -Peetie. "We can jump over the backs of elephants, climb up to the top -of the tent, and do lots of things like that. A circus is fun!" - - -------------- - -You have read how Daddy Blake took Hal and Mab to the circus, and you -will like to read about Jackie and Peetie. They are in a book called -"Bedtime Stories: Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow," by Howard R. Garis, who -also wrote the Daddy books. - -Send to R. F. Fenno & Company, 18 East 17th Street, New York City, and -they will mail the book on receipt of price, if you can not get it in -your book store. The book has colored pictures. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber's Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Spelling and hyphenation were made consistent when a predominant - form was found in this book; otherwise it was not changed. - ○ Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in - bold by “equal” signs (=bold=). - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Uncle Wiggily's Fortune, by Howard R. 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