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diff --git a/old/60611-0.txt b/old/60611-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 008012b..0000000 --- a/old/60611-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3332 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Teenie Weenies in the Wildwood, by William Donahey - -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: The Teenie Weenies in the Wildwood - -Author: William Donahey - -Illustrator: William Donahey - -Release Date: November 1, 2019 [EBook #60611] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TEENIE WEENIES IN THE WILDWOOD *** - - - - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Barry Abrahamsen, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: - - This Book Belongs To— -] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Illustration: - - “FRIENDS,” SAID THE GENERAL, ADDRESSING THE CROWD, “I HAVE TERRIBLE - NEWS!”—_Chapter One_. -] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - - The - - TEENIE WEENIES - - IN THE WILDWOOD - - - BY - WILLIAM DONAHEY - -[Illustration] - - Illustrated by - THE AUTHOR - - - - - The Reilly & Lee Co. - Chicago - - - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - -[Illustration: - - Copyright, 1923, by - THE REILLY & LEE CO. - ——— - All Rights Reserved - ——— - PRINTED IN - THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA -] - - - - -Mr. Donahey is of the staff of The Chicago Tribune, and to that -newspaper the author-artist and the publishers extend thanks for -courtesies in connection with the publication of this book. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - LIST OF CHAPTERS - - - Chapter Page - - 1 Alarming News 7 - - 2 The Captured Teenie Weenies 11 - - 3 Campaign Preparations 16 - - 4 A Warning in Camp 20 - - 5 The Queen of the Wild Men 24 - - 6 The Storm 26 - - 7 A Suspension Bridge 29 - - 8 A Badly Frightened Army 33 - - 9 The Captives Attend a Dance 36 - - 10 Help from a Ground Robin 39 - - 11 The Poet Learns Sabo 44 - - 12 Gogo’s Brave Act 48 - - 13 The Attack 52 - - 14 On the Wild Men’s Island 56 - - 15 A Council of War 59 - - 16 Wild Men Bottled Up 63 - - 17 The Dunce in Disgrace 66 - - 18 Consulting an Engineer 70 - - 19 The Old Soldier’s War Machine 74 - - 20 The Dunce Looks for Excitement 79 - - 21 The Scouts Have a Narrow 83 - Escape - - 22 The Battle 89 - - 23 The Red Cross 92 - - 24 Let There Be Peace 96 - - 25 The Peace Dance 103 - - 26 Home 109 - - 27 The Grand Review 114 - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - The Teenie Weenies - In the Wildwood - - - - - Chapter One - - ALARMING NEWS - - -The Teenie Weenies had known for some time that a tribe of tiny wild men -lived in a big swamp many teenie weenie miles from the shoe house. Field -mice and birds had carried the news of these strange little people to -the Teenie Weenies. The wild men lived in the heart of a big forest and -they spoke a language quite different from the Teenie Weenies. - -“These wild men are very cruel,” a friendly bird told the Teenie -Weenies. “They are called Saboes, or frog eaters, and they would just as -soon destroy a person as look at him.” - -“Well, they will never hurt us,” the General said, “for we shall leave -them alone and, besides, they live a great distance from the shoe -house.” - -“Well, you’d better watch out for them; there are a great many of these -wild men and you can never tell when they might come along,” said the -bird, who was a mourning dove and always looked on the dark side of -things. - -The Teenie Weenies didn’t worry about the wild men much, for they lived -so far away and, besides, there was the Teenie Weenie army ever ready to -protect them against an enemy. But the little people soon had cause for -worry, for a dreadful thing happened. - -One afternoon a snail raced slowly up to the shoe house with alarming -news—the Lady of Fashion and the Poet had been captured by the wild men! - -“Gracious!” gasped the General. “How did you find this out?” - -“I-I-I-I saw them captured,” answered the snail. “The wild men took them -and put them in their boat and paddled down the creek. There must have -been five or six of the wild men. They all had bows and arrows and -spears too, and they looked terribly fierce.” - -“Ring the bell,” cried the General. “We’ll have a great council and see -what can be done.” - -Several of the Teenie Weenies ran to the old derby hat which served the -little people as a school house and armory, and began furiously to ring -the tiny bell. All the birds and animals who lived near the little -village knew that when the bell rang long and loud it was a signal for -them to come. In a few minutes, two birds flew under the rose bush where -the village stood and one by one, several mice, a squirrel and a couple -of intelligent-looking bugs appeared. - -“Friends,” said the General, addressing the assembled crowd, “I have -terrible news! The Lady of Fashion and the Poet have been captured by -the wild men. This—this snail here has just brought the report.” - -The Teenie Weenies and their friends were much shocked by the news, -while the snail strutted about, feeling quite important at being the -bearer of such an exciting message. - -[Illustration] - -“When did this happen?” asked the mouse with a squeaky voice. - -“About five or six hours ago,” answered the snail. “I was walkin’ near -the creek when—” - -“Five or six hours ago!” shouted the General, turning on the snail. “For -the land’s sake, why didn’t you come immediately?” - -“I-I-I did,” answered the snail, with an injured expression. “I came -just as fast as I could crawl.” - -“Of course you did,” said the General kindly. “I beg your pardon. I -forgot for the moment that you do not move as fast as most of us.” The -snail, who had rather a sensitive nature, was quite hurt by the -General’s words and it instantly shrank back into its shell. - -After some talk it was decided to scatter up and down the creek in -search of the lost Teenie Weenies. The birds flew up and down the creek -until it was quite too dark for them to see, while the little people and -the rest of their friends hunted all through the night without a sign of -the Lady of Fashion and the Poet. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Two - - THE CAPTURED TEENIE WEENIES - - -While the Teenie Weenies were searching along the creek for the Lady of -Fashion and the Poet, those two little people were being rapidly paddled -down the stream and away from their friends. - -The Lady of Fashion and the Poet had gone to the bank of the creek for a -picnic. They had eaten their lunch and the Lady of Fashion suggested -that they walk down the stream in search of wild flowers. They had only -gone a little ways when the wild men, who had been watching them, -suddenly leaped upon them from behind a big bush. In a few seconds the -wild little fellows had carried their tiny prisoners to their canoe, -after having securely bound their hands behind them. Lifting the Teenie -Weenies into the boat the wild men jumped in after them and began to -paddle down the creek. - -“This is a pretty bag of seeds,” moaned the Poet as the boat shot -rapidly down the stream. “It’s hard to tell what will become of us now.” - -“If—if we could just get word to the General,” whispered the Lady of -Fashion, “he’d bring the army and come after these—these wild men and -rescue us.” - -“There’s no chance of writing a note and dropping it somewhere, with our -hands tied behind us.” - -“I’ll tell you what we can do,” whispered the Lady of Fashion. “If we -should see a bird we can call to it and ask it to tell the General that -we have been captured.” - -[Illustration] - -But the two Teenie Weenies never came close enough to a bird all that -day, for the wild men paddled their canoe near the shore of the creek -under the cover of the overhanging ferns and grass. - -[Illustration: - - THE QUEEN OF THE WILD MEN, SITTING ON THE BACK OF HER TURTLE.—_Chapter - Five._ -] - -As the canoe floated along down the stream the Lady of Fashion and the -Poet spent their time studying the strange little wild men, or Saboes, -as they were called. They were sturdily built little chaps, but a trifle -smaller than the Teenie Weenies. They had dark brown skins, bushy hair, -and around their fierce-looking eyes were painted circles of white. One -or two of the wild men wore shirts with skirts almost to their knees, -but the most of them were dressed only in trousers which were made from -the skins of young frogs. Their spears were made of long sticks with a -sharp fish bone tied to the end, and several of them carried bows and -arrows, while their war clubs were made by fastening sharp blackberry -thorns to a short handle. Many of the little wild men wore strings of -beautifully carved raspberry beads about their necks and arms, which the -little fellows called “gum gum,” the Sabo name for money. - -The canoe, which the little men paddled very skillfully, was made from a -huge cucumber, and on the end of the boat was painted a queer face. This -face was supposed to look like a cat and was meant to frighten the -Saboes’ enemies. - -When evening came on and it began to grow dark, the wild men stopped on -a sandy beach, where they made the two Teenie Weenies understand by -motions that they would rest a while. - -Several of the Saboes bent over the stem of a tall dandelion, while one -of the little men gathered an armful of the soft, fluffy down, which he -put on the ground and covered with dry grass and sticks. He then took -two sticks and rubbed them together so hard that they grew very hot and -soon a spark fell into the dandelion down, which blazed up and quickly -set fire to the grass and sticks. - -Presently two of the wild men, who had disappeared in the direction of -the creek, returned and one of them carried the leg of a frog over his -shoulder. The little men cut the leg into great chunks almost as big as -a pea and these were soon roasting over the fire. - -The Lady of Fashion and the Poet sat on a log beside the fire and -although the Lady of Fashion tried hard to keep from crying, every now -and then a tear would trickle down her tiny cheek. - -“Don’t worry,” said the Poet. “The General will find some way to come to -our rescue. He won’t let any harm come to us.” - -“I-I-I s-s-s-suppose so,” sobbed the little lady. “But I-I-I haven’t a -clean handkerchief and—and—and my hair is a sight!” - -In spite of the fact that the Teenie Weenies were terribly worried, the -roasting meat smelled wonderfully good and when it was done the -prisoners’ hands were untied and they were each given a piece. Both ate -a good portion and agreed that it was delicious. They wiped their -fingers on a leaf and then the wild men tied their hands again and made -them understand that they were to sleep. - -All night long the wild men kept up a bright fire. They took turns -sleeping and watching their prisoners, but the two Teenie Weenies needed -very little watching, for they were quite tired out with the day’s -experience and slept most of the night. - -At the very first break of day the wild men were awake and after a -hurried breakfast of frog ham and a blackberry which one of the men -found, they once more pushed out in the canoe and paddled down the -stream. - -Two days later they landed on the island where the wild men lived. When -the two Teenie Weenies stepped out of the canoe a great number of the -wild little people came running toward them. The women and children -stared at them in great astonishment, while the men danced and swung -their clubs and spears in a most terrible way. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Three - - CAMPAIGN PREPARATIONS - - -All night long the Teenie Weenies searched without success for the -captured Lady of Fashion and the Poet. The Indian found the spot where -they had been surprised and taken. Their tiny footprints and the tracks -of the wild men, as well as the spot where the canoe had been pushed -into the water, showed plainly in the moist sand. - -“Him wild man, him get good start,” grunted the Indian after he had -studied the footprints for some time. “We no catch ’um before him get -home.” - -“I’m afraid not,” answered the General. “If that slow-poke snail had -been a little faster we might have caught them.” - -“Ugh!” was all the Indian said. - -When all the Teenie Weenies had returned to the little village after the -search, the General called a meeting. - -“Men,” he began, “we have got to do something and do it quickly!” - -“Call out the army, why don’t you?” shouted an excited mouse that had -joined the crowd. - -“I believe we’ll have to,” answered the General. “I hate to use the -army, but I don’t see what else we can do. These wild men are very -savage and I have been told that there are many of them. If we go after -the Lady of Fashion and the Poet, we are going on a hard and dangerous -mission. We will have many long miles to march and there—there may be -fighting. Now, men, I will put it to a vote. All those in favor of -sending the army after the wild men in order to free our friends will -say ‘yes.’” - -“Yes!” shouted every single Teenie Weenie, so loudly that they made the -leaves tremble on the old rose bush overhead. - -[Illustration] - -The little people started at once to prepare for the trip into the -forest, for it was there that the wild men lived. It takes a great deal -of work to outfit an army and the little men were soon buzzing about as -busy as bees. - -Two squirrels offered their services, but the General was forced to -refuse them, for they were such big eaters that the army could not -afford to feed them. - -Several mice were hired to pull the wagons and the cannons and also for -the officers to ride. - -A great quantity of food and tools had to be brought out and loaded into -the wagons. It took seven hundred grains of wheat, six hundred grains of -corn, thirty raisins, six dried prunes, fifty-eight beans, to say -nothing of cocoa, salt, pepper, baking powder, picks, shovels, pulleys, -ropes, tents, a great quantity of cheese for the mice-horses and many -other things. - -It was quite late that night before the wagons were loaded and most of -the little soldiers slept in their uniforms, for the army was to start -into the forest soon after daylight. - -The army was to be made up of a division of ten infantrymen, two -artillerymen, two mounted scouts, two cooks, a doctor and two nurses. - -The General was in command, with the Old Soldier as chief of staff, -while Paddy Pinn had command of the artillery. - -When the little soldiers had said their last good-byes, the men stepped -into line and at the gruff command of the General they swung away -towards the great forest in which the wild men lived. The Indian and the -Cowboy, mounted on mice, rode ahead of the army and picked out the best -and easiest road for the soldiers, while the Turk, who was chosen as the -aviator, flew above the army on the back of a bird, ever watchful for -enemies. - -At noon the army halted for lunch beneath the shade of a lilac bush, -where each man eagerly devoured the grain of baked wheat which had been -given to each soldier that morning as his ration. - -After they had rested a bit, and when they had filled their tiny -canteens with water from an old tin can, the command was given to “fall -in.” Once more the army took up the march. - -The army had a hard time that afternoon, for the road it traveled was -very rough. The little soldiers had to stop every now and then to chop -weeds and dandelions from the road so the wagons and cannon could pass. -Late in the afternoon the Turk told the General he had sighted an -excellent place for a camp, and all the tired little chaps were made -very happy when the order was given to make camp for the night. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Four - - A WARNING IN CAMP - - -The first day’s march was very hard on the soldiers, for the sun was hot -and the little fellows were not used to such long tramps. When the order -came for the army to break ranks and make camp ready for the night, the -soldiers worked with a will unloading the wagons and putting up the -tents. The kitchen tent was put up first so the Cook and the Chinaman -would lose no time in getting dinner ready for the hungry army. - -The mice that pulled the army wagons were given a good feed of cheese -and they were quartered in a hollow tree for the night. The airplane ate -ten grains of bird seed and hopped onto the limb of the bush under which -the tiny camp lay. - -[Illustration] - -When the camp had been put in order for the night, mess call was sounded -and the soldiers formed in line with their tin plates. The Cook had -prepared two boiled beans and a thimbleful of corn soup for the army. -Each man was given a plate of soup, a big spoonful of bean and a large -piece of bread. - -After dinner the little soldiers gathered on the bank of a puddle of -water, where they bathed their aching feet, while others took off their -uniforms and enjoyed a good swim. The foolish Dunce dived head first -into the pool without first testing the water to see how deep it was and -he nearly broke his silly neck, for the hole was only three Teenie -Weenie feet (a little over an inch and a half) deep. - -“Believe me!” exclaimed the Dunce after he was pulled out of the water -and sat on the bank rubbing a big bump on his head, “I’m through diving. -I wouldn’t dive into a teacup full of water even if I could see the -bottom.” - -The General decided to let the army rest for a day, as the soldiers all -complained of sore feet and, besides, one of the horses was bothered -with a lame leg, which had been hurt in a mouse trap a few days before. -The men were given a little light rifle practice, while Paddy Pinn tried -out the cannon at long range shooting, bringing down a dandelion in -three shots at the remarkable range of four hundred and twenty Teenie -Weenie feet (17 feet in our measurement). - -The noise of the cannon attracted the attention of many birds, -squirrels, bugs and field mice, who gathered around the edge of the camp -with wide-open eyes. - -“What’s the trouble?” asked a bright-eyed chipmunk. “Is there a war or -somethin’?” - -“No,” answered the General kindly. “We are on our way to rescue a couple -of Teenie Weenies who have been stolen by the wild men who live in the -heart of the big woods.” - -“Well, you’d better go back,” warned the Chipmunk. “Those wild men are a -bad lot and they are as thick as bees in clover time.” - -“We are not afraid,” answered the General. “We will keep on until we -have rescued our friends.” - -[Illustration] - -“All right! All right!” said the Chipmunk solemnly. “I wouldn’t give a -wormy chestnut for your lives, but that’s your choosing, not mine. Let -me tell you one thing—don’t forget that I warned you.” - -“Thank you just the same for your advice,” said the General, “but we -must go on.” - -“All right!” muttered the Chipmunk. “But remember I warned you.” And -shaking his head wisely he scampered off into the thick weeds. - -The little soldiers rolled themselves up in their tiny blankets almost -immediately after supper and almost before the sun had disappeared over -the western hills they were sound asleep, for they were to be up and -well on the march before daylight again would appear. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Five - - THE QUEEN OF THE WILD MEN - - -Although the wild men who had captured the Lady of Fashion and the Poet -were good to them, the two Teenie Weenies nevertheless were much alarmed -as to what might happen, for the wild men kept their captives’ hands -securely tied, and they watched them closely at all times. - -When the wild men brought the two Teenie Weenies to the island where the -savages lived, the captives were the center of much interest. - -The Sabo men and women came swarming down to the water’s edge from all -directions. They shouted and jabbered in a language the Lady of Fashion -and the Poet had never before heard. Some came gliding out of the tall -grass, while others peered from behind bushes and pebbles, quite as -though they were a little afraid of the two helpless Teenie Weenies. - -[Illustration] - -The women were curious little people. They were dressed in short dresses -which came down to their knees and the cloth was woven out of -thistledown and was wonderfully soft. The women dressed their hair in a -strange manner. The Lady of Fashion could hardly keep from laughing at -them, for it was coiled up to a point high in the air, shaped much like -an ice cream cone. Most of the men were dressed in frogskin trousers, -while the children wore bits of cloth about their waists. - -The men and women gathered around and carefully examined the clothes of -the two Teenie Weenies, especially the Poet’s glasses, which were -considered very wonderful by the wild little people. - -After a time the Lady of Fashion and the Poet were led along a path -toward the center of the island, followed by a great crowd of Saboes. -Presently one of the wild men who was walking ahead suddenly dropped to -his knees and kissed the ground. Looking up, the two Teenie Weenies saw -a very big turtle with a very short, fat woman sitting on its back. A -man who walked beside the turtle with a hook in his hand, gave the -turtle a sharp blow on the nose and the big fellow pulled his head into -his shell and stopped. - -“Well!” exclaimed the Lady of Fashion. “I wonder who this fine lady can -be.” - -“Why, why, this must be a sort of queen,” answered the Poet. “Maybe she -is the queen of the wild men.” - -The Poet had guessed correctly. The fat lady on the turtle was no other -than Her Royal Highness, Queen Mooie, ruler of the wild men. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Six - - THE STORM - - -Before the sun had time to peep over the eastern hills the third -morning, the little army was on the march. All day the soldiers tramped -along, stopping every now and then to rest a few minutes beneath the -shade of a friendly dandelion or burdock. All along the line of march -many bugs, ants and birds gathered by the roadside to cheer the brave -little army as it trudged by. - -“General,” said the Turk, as he slid off the back of the airplane, “it -looks to me as though we were going to have a storm and I would suggest -that you lose no time in finding a dry place to house the army.” - -“All right,” answered the General, “I’ll order the Indian to ride ahead -and select a place to camp.” - -Even as the General spoke, the little soldiers heard the distant rumble -of thunder, and the Indian, putting spurs to his mouse, quickly bounded -away in search of a camp. Presently he returned with the good news that -he had found a fine place to weather the storm. - -[Illustration] - -A hollow log had been selected for the camp and the little men soon -pulled the cannon and army wagons into the dark hole. In a short time -the storm broke with great fury and it was a mighty good thing that the -little army was protected by the hollow log, for the burdock leaves -under which the Teenie Weenies always sought shelter from the rain would -have been a poor place in such a big storm. The poor mice who pulled the -army wagons trembled in terror at the loud peals of thunder. The Dunce -shook so much with fright he almost loosened the buttons of his uniform. - -The storm passed quickly and the General ordered the army to be on its -way, but the marching was hard and the men made slow progress, for the -ground was muddy. The army marched around most of the mud holes, but one -was too long and they were forced to wade through the thick mud. Most of -the soldiers got over safely, but one of the wagons stuck in the mud and -to make things worse, one of the back wheels was broken in trying to -pull it out. - -“This is a pretty pickle!” growled the Old Soldier, sliding off his -mouse at the edge of the puddle. “We’ll have to work fast to get this -wagon out before dark.” - -“We might just as well unload the wagon, for we will never be able to -pull it out while it’s loaded,” said the General. - -As the mud was quite deep, several of the soldiers were ordered to put -on bathing suits and carry the baggage to solid ground. After much hard -work the wagon was finally pulled out of the mud, although it took half -the army and six of the mice to do it. As it was quite late in the -afternoon, the army went into camp, while the Turk and the Old Soldier -set to work to mend the broken wheel. - -[Illustration: - - THE TEENIE WEENIE CAPTIVES VIEW THE FIRE-DANCE OF THE - WILD MEN.—_Chapter Nine._ -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Seven - - A SUSPENSION BRIDGE - - -The General fumed and fussed over the delay caused by the broken wheel. - -“It’s just one thing after another,” he grumbled. “If it isn’t one thing -it’s something else.” - -“Well, General, it won’t do a bit of good to worry,” said Tess Bone, one -of the Red Cross Nurses. “We’ll have to do the best we can and that’s -all anybody can do—even a Teenie Weenie can’t do more.” - -“Of course, of course,” answered the General, as he paced up and down -before his tiny tent. “I know it doesn’t do a bit of good to worry, but -we must hurry if we ever expect to rescue the Lady of Fashion and the -Poet.” - -The anxious General had the army up before daylight the next morning. -They ate a hurried breakfast and were well on the way before the sun -came up. In fact, the Dunce marched nearly an hour before he was fully -awake. - -The big rain of the day before had left many puddles along the way and -the little army often had to splash through them. - -With the help of the scouts, the army was able to find the best roads, -for the Indian and the Cowboy, mounted on mice, rode ahead and picked -out the best path. The Turk was of much help, too, in picking out the -best roads, for he was able to see a great distance from the back of his -bird airplane. - -“General,” said the Cowboy one afternoon as he rode up to the commander -of the little army, “I believe there’s more trouble ahead of us.” - -“What!” shouted the General. “Great guns, now what’s the trouble?” - -“Well, sir, there’s a stream of water and I’m afraid we’ll be forced to -march a long way out of our road before we can find a place shallow -enough to cross. I talked to a field mouse who seemed to be familiar -with the country, and he said there was no place where the stream could -be crossed for many miles in each direction.” - -“I hope, sir, you were careful not to say where you were going,” said -the General. “We are now nearing the land of our enemies and we are -liable to meet with a spy at almost any time.” - -“I was mighty careful, sir, and told him nothing that might be used -against us,” answered the Cowboy. - -The General ordered the Turk to fly up and down the stream on a scouting -trip while the army stopped for lunch. Late in the afternoon the Turk -reported to the General that they would have to take a two days’ march -out of their road to a place where the stream could be crossed. The army -pushed on and shortly after dark stopped near the stream, where camp was -made for the night. - -The next morning the Doctor, the Old Soldier, Paddy Pinn and the General -gathered on the banks of the raging stream to see what plan could be -made for crossing the water. - -[Illustration] - -The banks were very steep and the water was quite too swift to ford, -although the stream was only two feet wide (in our measurement). It was -finally determined that there was nothing to do but build a bridge. - -“We can throw a sort of suspension bridge across the stream,” said the -Old Soldier, who was quite an engineer. “It will take us about a day and -a half to do the work, but we will save time, for it would take fully -two or three days to march to a place where we could cross without a -bridge.” - -The war council thought the Old Soldier’s idea a good one and the -General ordered the men to start work at once. Pulleys and ropes were -brought out of the army wagons and some big logs for supports were cut -from a bush near by. Several cattails, which grew near the stream, were -sawed up into logs for the floor of the bridge. The bird airplane -carried the workmen and ropes to the other side of the stream, where -work was soon started on a bridge fifty-two Teenie Weenie feet long. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Eight - - A BADLY FRIGHTENED ARMY - - -It took a lot of hard work to build the big bridge. Every single Teenie -Weenie worked with might and main. Even the mice who pulled the wagons -and cannon, helped the work along by dragging the heavy logs up to the -place where the bridge was being built. - -The little army was a full day and a half building the bridge and when -the task was finished the wagons were loaded, the mice hitched to them, -and led by the General, the army marched safely across the bridge. - -A big squirrel who lived in a tree near by was hired to watch the -bridge. - -“We may want to get across this stream in a hurry,” the General told the -squirrel. “If the wild men should push us back to this stream, and the -bridge is destroyed, we certainly will be in a pretty pickle.” - -“I’ll guard it with my life,” answered the squirrel, who had been -promised ten sunflower seeds and four hickory nuts for his work. - -The army once more took up the march and presently they drew nearer and -nearer the forest. Great bushes overhung the path along which the -soldiers marched. Tall, bright-colored toadstools grew by the wayside -and everything was dark and mysterious. - -At noon the army was halted for lunch. The little soldiers sat on the -soft moss under a big fern and each man ate the grain of boiled rice and -bit of dried raisin which he had tucked into his tiny haversack that -morning. - -[Illustration] - -When the men had eaten, the General ordered them to fall into line and -stepping in front of them he said: “Men, I have been informed by our -aviator and by our scouts that we are rapidly drawing near the land of -the wild men, so from now on straggling will not be permitted. Soldiers -wandering away from the army run the chance of being captured and we -will soon have need of all our brave men.” - -The General’s talk impressed the little soldiers, and the Dunce and -Gogo, who often wandered away from the line of march, were very much “on -the job” all afternoon. - -As the army marched beneath a bush, late in the day, it suddenly came -face to face with a small garter snake that lay near a big stone. - -“O-O-O-O-O-oh, j-j-j-imminie C-c-c-c-christmas!” screamed the Dunce. - -The mouse on which the General rode gave one frightened look at the -snake and quickly ran up the bush, dumping the dignified General off on -his Teenie Weenie head. The rest of the army fled in all directions, in -spite of the Old Soldier, who tried with all his might to stop the -frightened soldiers. The snake was almost as badly scared as the army -and it wriggled into a hole near by with remarkable speed. - -“Well, this is a fine army, I must say!” growled the General when the -Old Soldier had finally got the soldiers back in line. “If you men run -at the sight of a little snake, what will you do when you face real wild -men?” - -“Pardon me, sir,” said Gogo, saluting the General. “We-all don’t mind -fightin’ the wild men, but—we-all done object to bein’ et.” - -“Forward, march!” shouted the General, and the little army moved on -towards the wild men’s land. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Nine - - THE CAPTIVES ATTEND A DANCE - - -While the Teenie Weenie soldiers were gallantly marching to the rescue -of their little friends, the Lady of Fashion and the Poet were being -kept prisoners in one of the funny little houses of the wild men. - -Queen Mooie, ruler of the Saboes, was a very fat little lady, and like -all fat people, big or little, she was very good-natured. When the Lady -of Fashion and the Poet were brought before her, she was much interested -in them and she made a long speech to the two Teenie Weenies in her -strange language, but not one word could the little people understand. - -The house in which the Lady of Fashion and the Poet were kept was built -up on posts about six Teenie Weenie feet (three inches in our -measurement) from the ground. The houses were built up high as -protection from the dampness, for the Saboes lived on a little island in -the heart of a big swamp, and it also protected the little people from -bugs. The floor of the house was made of sticks and the roof and sides -were covered with a peculiar swamp grass. A flat stone about the size of -a half dollar was placed on the floor, on which the wild men built a -tiny fire to keep themselves warm in winter, and a small hole in the -roof provided a chimney for the smoke. - -Twice a day the wild men brought the two Teenie Weenies delicious pieces -of smoked frog ham, with many tiny rice cakes, and every other day the -two prisoners were given a blackberry. - -One night shortly after the Lady of Fashion and the Poet had been -brought to the wild men’s village, the two Teenie Weenies heard the -beating of a drum. For what seemed hours the little prisoners listened -to the tumtum, tumtum, tumtum, of the drum. There was no use asking the -wild man who guarded them just outside their door, for he couldn’t -understand them, so there was nothing to do but listen to the tumtum, -tumtum, tumtum, and wonder what it was all about. - -[Illustration] - -Presently one of the wild men climbed up the ladder to their house and -motioned the two Teenie Weenies to follow him. He led them beneath a -bush near by, where a lot of wild men were dancing about a great fire. -The men sang a queer sort of song as they danced, while one -strange-looking fellow, who was a sort of witch doctor, rattled a huge -seed pod fastened to the end of a forked stick. The wild men performed -this strange dance once a month, as they believed it would keep bad luck -away from their tribe. - -The Queen of the wild men sat near the fire on the back of her turtle, -while the rest of the Saboes stood in a circle about the dancing men. -The fire had been built in a deep hole on top of a large stone and when -the stone was almost red-hot, the wild men scraped the fire all out with -long sticks. - -Then they lined the hole in the stone with sassafras leaves, into which -they threw four large frog hams and then covered them over with several -big leaves. Sand was then thrown onto the leaves, covering the hams -tightly in the hot hole. - -The wild men built a fire all around the outside edge of the stone, and -while the hams cooked they again took up the wild dance. When the hams -were baked they were taken out and a piece was served to each person and -the Lady of Fashion and the Poet both enjoyed the delicious meat. - -After everyone had eaten of the ham, the Queen ordered the two Teenie -Weenies to be taken back to their prison, but although it was very late, -the Lady of Fashion and the Poet could hear the loud shouts of the wild -little people for many hours. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Ten - - HELP FROM A GROUND ROBIN - - -The army was now in the very heart of the great forest and it took a lot -of hard work to get the heavy wagons and cannon through the jungle. At -times a path had to be chopped through the tall grass and all this had -to be done as silently as possible, for the army was now likely to run -across the wild men at any time. - -“I don’t want these wild men to know that we are in the neighborhood,” -the General warned the troops. “It is much better to surprise them, and, -besides, there is no telling just what they may do to the Lady of -Fashion and the Poet if they discover that we have come to rescue them.” - -The path the army now followed was so rough that little headway could be -made and the General had to order a halt every now and then to rest the -mice and men. During one of these stops the General fell into -conversation with a pert-looking little ground robin who had hopped onto -the limb of a bush near by. - -“Do you know just where these wild men live?” asked the General. - -“I’ll say I does,” answered the robin, who used very bad grammar. “I -knows more about ’em than I wants to. The nasty little scalawags! These -wild men get most all the seeds hereabouts and it’s all an honest bird -can do to scratch out a bare living.” - -“Could you guide us for a few days?” put in the General. - -[Illustration] - -“Gracious!” tittered the bird, “you’d never reach the wild men’s place -in a few days with all those wagons and mice. They live on an island. -You’ll have to have a boat or somethin’ to carry you over the water.” - -“I have heard that they live on an island,” said the General, “but I -mean could you show us the way to the water where we would be nearest to -the island?” - -“Of course I could,” answered the bird; “that is, providin’ it would be -worth my time.” - -“We will pay you,” said the General. “We’ll give you six sunflower seeds -for your work.” - -“Make it six and a half seeds and I’ll do it,” cried the bird. - -The General agreed and the bird hopped along ahead of the army, jumping -onto a bush occasionally to point out the best path. After a couple of -hours’ march, the army came out onto a sandy beach, where the General -called a halt. - -“This is the place and over there is the island,” cried the bird, -nodding his head towards the water. - -The Teenie Weenies looked across the water and they could see the dim -outlines of the island. - -The ground robin was paid his six and a half sunflower seeds and in a -short time the tired little soldiers put up the tiny tents and made a -most cozy little camp. They named it camp Bitem, because of the many -mosquitoes about the place. - -As the General did not wish a fire to be built for fear the wild men -might see the light, the little army made its dinner on two sliced -strawberries and a few grains of rice. No lights were lit that night in -the camp and a strong guard watched carefully throughout the silent -hours, which were disturbed only by the sentinels as they killed -mosquitoes with the butts of their rifles or stabbed them with their -bayonets. - -Early the next morning the men set to work building a raft which was to -be used in carrying the army across the water to the wild men’s island. - -A great many logs had to be cut, trimmed and brought to the water’s -edge. The Cowboy hitched one of the strongest mice to the heavy logs and -one by one they were hauled up to the workmen, who labored for nearly -three days before the raft was done. - -[Illustration] - -While the men were at work on the raft, the Turk flew over the wild -men’s island in search of a good place for the army to land and at the -same time he kept an eye open for the Lady of Fashion and the Poet. He -flew as near as he could to the wild men’s village without being seen, -but he could see no signs of the two Teenie Weenies. - -“I think the wild men have the Lady of Fashion and the Poet locked up in -one of their houses,” the Turk told the General when he slid off the -bird’s back at the army camp. “I noticed one of the houses was closely -guarded and I think we shall find them there.” - -“We’ll soon find out,” answered the General, “for the army will be on -the wild men’s island in a mighty short time.” Taking the Turk by the -arm, the General showed him where the raft was being built. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Eleven - - THE POET LEARNS SABO - - -While the Lady of Fashion and the Poet were being held prisoner by the -Saboes, the Poet very carefully listened to the wild men’s strange -language and in a short time he was able to speak a few of their words. - -“Jinks, but it is hot in this shanty!” he said to the Lady of Fashion -one morning as he wiped his forehead with his Teenie Weenie handkerchief -and looked out through the tiny hole that served as a window in the -house in which they were held prisoners. - -“If the Queen would just let us go out and take a little exercise once -in a while it would help a lot,” suggested the Lady of Fashion fanning -herself with a dry leaf. “Why don’t you ask the Queen? Maybe she will -let us take a walk now and then.” - -“I’ll do it,” answered the Poet, and looking out through the door he -called to one of the wild men who stood near guarding the house. - -“Gip bah wah hoo,” said the Poet, which means in Sabo, “We need -exercise.” “Tell the Queen we want to get out of this shanty and take a -walk once in a while,” he continued in the wild men’s language. - -[Illustration: - - THE WILD MEN ATTACK THE TEENIE WEENIES, AS THEIR RAFT - NEARS THE ISLAND.—_Chapter Thirteen._ -] - -The wild man grunted a couple of times and hurried off through the long -grass towards the Queen’s house, while the two Teenie Weenies sat down -near the tiny door to await his return. - -Presently the wild man came back and told the Poet that the Queen said -that the Teenie Weenies could take a walk whenever they liked. - -“Well, we’ll take a walk right this minute,” announced the Poet, and he -quickly helped the Lady of Fashion down the tiny ladder. - -The Teenie Weenies strolled along through the streets of the village -while the two guards walked a few feet behind them. A great many -children followed the Teenie Weenies about but, although the Lady of -Fashion tried to make friends with them, they were very timid and stood -off at a safe distance. - -At one place two wild women were preparing dinner and the Teenie Weenies -were much interested in what they saw. One woman was baking rice cakes -on a flat stone under which a fire was burning, while a young girl was -grinding wild rice into flour by pounding the rice with a small rock in -a hollowed-out stone. Near the house was a hollowed-out log with leaves -spread over the top to keep out the dust, and one of the guards told the -Poet that the log was filled with salt water in which the frog hams were -pickled before they were smoked. - -[Illustration] - -The two Teenie Weenies spent a very pleasant afternoon looking about the -village and it was quite late before they returned to their prison. - -“Oh, dear me,” said the Lady of Fashion as she threw herself down on one -of the soft grass mats, “I wonder what is going to happen to us. Do you -think the General will come with the army and rescue us?” - -“Of course he will,” answered the Poet. “All we have to do is to be -patient and he’ll be here pretty soon.” - -“But what if he doesn’t know that we have been captured by these wild -men?” asked the Lady of Fashion anxiously. - -“He will know all right,” said the Poet. “The Teenie Weenies could see -the footprints of the wild men in the sand where we were captured. That -is enough to tell them what has happened to us.” - -“Oh, dear, if they would only come!” And the poor little lady began to -sob. - -“Here! Here!” said the Poet anxiously, for he always felt mighty -uncomfortable whenever the Lady of Fashion cried. “You must not cry. -That won’t do a bit of good—just makes you feel bad and me worse.” - -“I-I-I c-c-can’t help it,” sobbed the little lady. “I want clean -clothes, my hair needs washing, I want some of the Cook’s good apple -butter, I want my toothbrush and I-I-I want to go home.” - -The Poet tried his best to comfort her and presently she cried herself -to sleep. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twelve - - GOGO’S BRAVE ACT - - -After much sawing, chopping and splitting of logs, the Teenie Weenies -finally finished building the raft which was to carry the little army to -the wild men’s island. - -“We’ve got to give the raft a trial before we get all loaded up with -supplies,” said the Old Soldier when the work had been done. “I’ll take -it on the water this afternoon and give it a good try-out.” - -“Quite right, quite right,” agreed the General as he sat down on a dry -fern leaf. “We’ll have to send the army over in two trips. First the -infantry can be taken over, then the raft can return for the artillery -and some supplies.” - -“Will the raft carry the cannon and the two mice that pull it?” asked -the Doctor. - -“Certainly,” said the Old Soldier. “It even ought to hold a good-sized -paving brick.” - -“Well, you can just bet I won’t get on that old raft until it has been -thoroughly tried out,” announced Tess Bone as she arranged her dainty -little cap and patted the Red Cross badge on her arm. - -“That’s the way I feel about it too,” added Sally Guff, the other nurse -with the army. - -“You don’t need to worry about this raft,” laughed the Old Soldier. -“It’s well made and every log is securely tied with strong, number forty -thread.” - -[Illustration] - -Right after lunch the General ordered several of the soldiers to help -the Old Soldier take the raft out for a trial trip. - -With the help of the big sweep on the stern of the raft and the use of -several long poles, the little men slowly pushed the craft out into the -stream. - -“Jumping beans!” exclaimed the Old Soldier as the raft slid easily out -into the water. “That is what I call a good—” but the Old Soldier never -finished the sentence, for at that very moment a big frog poked his head -out of the water and hopped up onto the raft. - -“Oooooo, a-a-a s-s-submarine!” gasped the Dunce. “Jump for your lives,” -and he leaped head first into the deep water. - -Most of the Teenie Weenies gave one look at the ugly frog, followed the -Dunce into the water and swam as fast as they could for shore. The Old -Soldier and Gogo were the only men to hold their ground, and if it had -not been for these brave little fellows, the frog would have captured -the transport without a battle. The Old Soldier drew his sword and -attacked the frog, while Gogo struck the big fellow over the head with -the boat pole. The frog, who had been attracted by the red coats of the -soldiers, had hopped onto the raft in search of a meal, but he quickly -slid back into the water at the first blow of the boat pole. - -The soldiers who had jumped into the water were much ashamed of their -behavior and they all quickly returned to the raft and finished the -trial trip they had started. - -“My brave lad,” said the General, grasping Gogo by the hand when the -raft returned from its trip, “in behalf of the Teenie Weenie army I want -to thank you for your great bravery and I hereby promote you to first -sergeant in the Teenie Weenie army.” - -“Oh, dat’s all right, General,” said Gogo, much confused at the honor -thrust upon him. “There’s no fool frog what’s done gonna scare me when -I’s mad, and I was certainly mad at that fool frog.” - -The raft proved to be thoroughly seaworthy, so the General gave orders -for the men to be ready to board her just as soon as the wind and -current were favorable for the trip to the wild men’s island. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Thirteen - - THE ATTACK - - -It was a long trip to the wild men’s island and the General wished to -make the journey under cover of darkness. “I want to land on the island -before daybreak so we can surprise the wild men,” the General told his -officers, who were gathered for a council of war. - -“The Sailor tells me,” continued the General, “that the wind and current -are just right to sail the raft over to-night. I will take over the -infantry on the first trip and then the raft can return for the -artillery and the baggage and the rear guard, which the Old Soldier will -command.” - -The Cook had a great pot of rice cooked and he had stewed five lima -beans. This great amount of food was portioned out, and three days’ -rations were given to each soldier. - -A number of picks and shovels, with a lot of bags and a chest of -bullets, was loaded onto the raft. - -Promptly at eleven o’clock the General, followed by several men, marched -onto the raft and some of the soldiers with long poles quickly pushed -out into the dark stream. - -[Illustration: - - THE TEENIE WEENIES PULL THE CAPTURED WILD MEN OUT OF - THE BOTTLE.—_Chapter Sixteen._ -] - -The Sailor and the Cowboy handled the big sweep at the back of the raft, -while the Policeman and the Scotchman pushed wherever they could with -the long poles. - -No lights were allowed on the raft and the men were ordered to talk only -in whispers, for the General wished to land on the island unknown to the -wild men. - -“J-j-j-jimminie C-c-christmas!” stuttered the trembling Dunce, “I-I-I’m -not a-a bit s-s-scared. Are you, G-g-gogo?” - -“Not v-v-very m-m-much,” answered the colored lad, trying to keep his -knees from knocking together. “I done hope we-all—” - -[Illustration] - -But at that minute, the raft struck something with such a bang it nearly -upset most of the little soldiers. In fact, the Scotchman would have -tumbled into the water if the Cowboy hadn’t caught him. - -The raft had struck the limb of an old tree that lay in the water and to -the alarm of the General it stuck fast. - -“This is terrible. Perfectly terrible,” groaned the General, glancing -towards the eastern sky. “It will soon be daylight and the wild men will -see us if we are delayed here.” - -The men worked with might and main to free the raft, but it was stuck -tight to the snag and before they managed to get it free it was broad -daylight. - -“The wild men have very likely seen us by this time,” said the General, -peering towards the island. “So instead of our surprising them, they -probably will surprise us, but we have got to land. Examine your rifles -and see that they are in condition to use, for we are likely to have a -fight.” - -“Look there!” cried the Sailor, pointing towards the shore, for the raft -was now only a short distance from the island. “There’s something behind -that stick.” - -“Maybe it’s a wild man,” suggested the Dunce, turning a trifle pale. -“Don’t you think we had better go back, General?” - -“We intend to go on,” said the General, glancing scornfully at the -frightened Dunce, “but if you want to you can jump into the water and -swim back.” - -“I-I-I think I’ll stay here,” said the Dunce as he thought of the many -frogs and turtles that might snap him up if he tried to swim back. - -As the raft drew near the shore, several arrows whistled over the -soldiers’ heads and instantly a number of wild men sprang up from behind -a stick that lay on the shore and began shooting at the raft. - -“Make ready, men!” shouted the General, drawing his sword. “Shoot over -the wild men’s heads when I give the word to fire. We don’t want to hurt -any of them if we can avoid it.” - -“O-o-o-oh, I-I-I’m shot!” screamed the Dunce, as an arrow knocked his -hat from his head, but the rest of the little soldiers never heard the -foolish fellow, for they stood ready, awaiting the General’s order to -fire. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Fourteen - - ON THE WILD MEN’S ISLAND - - -“Deliver this note at once to the Old Soldier,” said the General, as he -handed the following letter to the army aviator: - - Commander of the rear guard of the Teenie Weenie Army, Camp - Bitem, on the Swamp Road: - - My dear Captain: - - We have had a battle with the enemy and our brave men have put - them to rout. - - Our transport met with an accident and it was broad daylight - before we landed on the island. - - The wild men attacked us as we neared the shore and sent a - shower of arrows at us. - - I ordered my men to return the fire, and at the first crack of - their rifles the wild men were greatly scared and ran off into - the tall grass; I believe that it is the first time the wild men - have ever heard a rifle shot. - - We have taken possession of a high bank where I have ordered the - men to begin work on a trench. - - The raft is now on its way to your camp, and I want you to rush - over the cannon and baggage as soon as possible, for I fully - expect the wild men to attack us before long. - - I am sending this note by our brave aviator so you can have - things ready to load on the raft when it arrives. - - Respectfully yours, - - THE GENERAL, - - Commander in Chief of the Teenie Weenie Army. - - P. S.—I forgot to say that none of my men was hurt in the battle - except the Dunce, who was badly scared by being shot through the - hat. - -“Yes, sir,” saluted the Turk, and springing onto the back of the -airplane he quickly flew out of sight over the water. - -[Illustration] - -When the Old Soldier received the General’s message, he set to work at -once breaking camp and when the raft arrived the artillery was quickly -loaded. The raft made two trips during the day and most of the necessary -baggage was taken over to the island. - -A line of trenches was considered necessary by the General, who ordered -Sergeant Gogo to direct the work and that brave little chap had the -trenches done in a remarkably short time. - -Nothing more was seen of the wild men, but the closest watch was kept, -for there was no telling when they might appear again. - -The little soldiers were much too excited to sleep and most of them sat -about the tiny camp fire until a late hour talking of the day’s -experience, but one by one they finally rolled up in their tiny blankets -and slept, while the guards paced back and forth, ever watchful for -prowling wild men. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Fifteen - - A COUNCIL OF WAR - - -For several days the army spent their time building trenches and making -a comfortable camp, while the army scouts learned all they could about -the wild men and the lie of the land. - -The Red Cross tent had been set up and the tiny cots looked very pretty, -with their clean white sheets. Fortunately, there had been little use -for them, as the army had been unusually healthy, the only exception -being the Chinaman, who had been badly bitten by a pollywog, or tadpole, -while he was taking a swim in the river. - -There had been very little excitement in camp for some time. Not a -single wild man had been seen since the morning the army had landed on -the raft and the soldiers had nothing much to do while off guard duty -but to kill mosquitoes, which were thick about the camp. - -Early one morning the Turk was called to the General’s tent, where he -remained for some time. - -“Somethin’ doin’, I’ll bet,” thought the Dunce, who was on guard duty at -the time in front of headquarters. - -Something really was doing, for the Turk was ordered to fly out at once -and make a careful map of Sabo Island. The Turk hurried to his tent, -where he supplied himself with paper and pencils and a pair of tiny -field glasses. The army airplane was dining on a fat worm when the Turk -arrived, so he sat down and waited until the bird had eaten his -breakfast. - -“We’ve got to go out and make a map of the wild men’s island,” said the -Turk. - -“All right,” answered the bird, “I’m ready,” and hopping onto the ground -he squatted down while the Turk climbed up on his fat back. - -[Illustration] - -The Turk headed the bird to a big tree which grew on the river bank near -the island and in a few minutes the airplane settled easily on the -topmost branch. The great blue river lay far beneath the Turk and with -the help of his field glasses he was able to make a good map of the -island and the surrounding country. - -When he returned to the Teenie Weenie camp the General immediately -called a council of war and the little aviator was asked to explain the -map in detail. - -“Well,” began the Turk, “the circle marked Camp Bitem is the place where -we camped and built the raft and the dotted line is the course we took -to our present camp. The wild men have a sort of camp or fort, I -couldn’t just exactly make out what it was, but anyhow they are gathered -in some force on the only cleared ground between their village and our -camp.” - -[Illustration: - - MAP OF WILD MEN’S ISLAND. -] - -“We couldn’t march through the grass and trees and cut the wild men’s -camp off from the village, could we?” asked the Old Soldier. - -“No, sir, I don’t think so,” answered the Turk, “for I do not believe -anyone could possibly get through the grass and trees.” - -“Well, that’s too bad,” muttered the General. “I wanted to get those -wild men out of that place with as little trouble as possible, but it -looks as though we would have to take their fort by storm.” - -All the Teenie Weenie officers gathered in the General’s tent listened -solemnly to their commander’s words, for they knew it would be mighty -serious if they were forced to charge the wild men’s fort. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Sixteen - - WILD MEN BOTTLED UP - - -“I done got ’em bottled up! I done got ’em bottled up!” shouted Gogo, -the little colored Teenie Weenie, as he ran panting up to the General’s -tent. - -“What’s bottled up? What’s all the excitement about?” asked the General, -popping his head through the opening of his tent. - -“Why I-I-I done ketched one of the wild men and turned him ovah to the -guard and I done got three mo’ corked up in a bottle.” - -“Great Guns! This is exciting. Tell me about it,” cried the General. - -“Well, you see it’s dis way,” said Gogo, sitting down on a pebble and -mopping his head with his tiny handkerchief. “I done took a walk out -beyond the picket lines yonder. I knew I had no business wanderin’ out -dere, but I jus’ kept on and pretty soon I run across a big bottle -a-layin’ on its side. - -“I was kind of ’spicious about dat bottle, fo’ I done see through de -glass where some dry grass had done been fixed up fo’ a bed, mighty like -some one been sleepin’ dere. - -[Illustration] - -“‘Gogo,’ I says to myself, ‘some one been sleepin’ heah in dis bottle -and it ain’t none of de Teenie Weenies, fo’ none of dem has been out -heah dis far.’ Den I made up my mind that it mus’ be some of dem -scalawag wild men and I reckon dey mus’ stayed in dis bottle when dey -was on guard duty watchin’ our army. - -“‘But why did dey-all stay in dis heah bottle?’ I says to myself. ‘It’s -not cold nights.’ But jus’ den a big mosquito cam’ a-buzzin’ and -a-buzzin’ round and den I knew dat the wild men been a-stayin’ in dat -bottle fo’ to keep de mosquitoes from bitin’ ’em. - -“I says to myself, ‘Some of dese wild men will be comin’ ’round heah -pretty soon and maybe I can done cotch ’em and extinguish myself.’” - -“Distinguish yourself,” corrected the General. - -“Yes, sah,” continued the little colored fellow. “Well, I done crawl -under a leaf and waited. I done wait fo’ a long time, but pretty soon I -done see fo’ of de wild men come sneakin’ along and pretty soon dey done -make right fo’ de bottle. Three of ’em done crawl in de bottle and one -of ’em done squat down outside by de openin’ of de bottle kinda like he -was guardin’. - -“‘By de great corn pone,’ I says, ‘if a couple of de Teenie Weenies was -heah we could done cotch dese scalawags.’ - -“Pretty soon I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t you ketch ’em yourself?’ So -I done sneaked out up behind de wild man what was guardin’ de mouth of -de bottle and done cracked him on de head with de butt of my gun. I -didn’t hit very hard—just hard enough to stun him a little—and den I -grabbed a cork dat was layin’ near by and stuffed it into de bottle and -braced it with a stick of wood so the scalawags couldn’t get out. I then -picked up de wild man I had knocked down and brought him into camp and -dat’s all.” - -“A very brave deed, sergeant,” said the General. “And I will immediately -send out a squad of men to bring your prisoners into camp.” - -The Old Soldier was ordered to take a squad of men and go after the -prisoners, while the Doctor was sent to dress the bump on the head of -the wild man that Gogo had knocked down. After a great deal of work the -soldiers managed to pull the three wild men out of the bottle and when -they were brought into camp they were securely tied to a strong blade of -grass. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Seventeen - - THE DUNCE IN DISGRACE - - -“Why are you making such a fine camp here, General?” asked the Doctor, -as he noticed that the Teenie Weenies continued to improve the camp. -“Won’t we have to move on pretty soon if the wild men do not attack?” - -“We’ll stay right here for some time,” answered the General, taking off -his tiny sword and laying it on the table which stood in front of his -tent. “We are within striking distance of the wild men’s village, so the -aviator tells me, and we’ll use this camp for our base of operations.” - -“General,” said the Cook, saluting the commander of the Teenie Weenie -army, “I beg your pardon, but there is something I must tell you.” - -“What is it, sir?” said the General, returning the Cook’s salute. - -“Why sir, there’s a thimble missing from among my cooking things. I put -two beans to soak in it last night and when I went to look at them a -little while ago the beans were lying on the ground and the thimble was -gone.” - -“That’s most strange,” said the General; “I’ll have the Cowboy look into -the matter and see if he can find out what has happened to the thimble.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said the Cook, “I’m a little short of cooking pans and -kettles and I’d like to have it back.” - -The Cowboy was ordered to look for the lost thimble, but before he had -fairly started the search, the thimble turned up in a most peculiar way. -Down the main street of the camp towards the General’s tent marched the -Dunce with the lost thimble over his head and followed by a laughing -crowd of soldier. - -“What’s the idea of this?” asked the General as the Dunce stopped before -him. - -“Safety first,” answered the Dunce. - -“What do you mean by safety first?” asked the General, trying hard to -keep from laughing at the ridiculous sight. - -“W-w-well, you s-s-see,” began the Dunce, “I thought this thimble would -make a fine suit of armor, and protect me from the wild men’s arrows. I -took it out back of camp, got some tools and cut a couple of holes for -my arms to go through and another hole to see through—” - -“Yes, and spoiled a perfectly good thimble,” put in the General. - -“Jinks!” exclaimed the Dunce, “I never thought of that.” - -“Of course you didn’t,” answered the General sternly. “You have a habit -of doing your thinking afterwards, and that is a mighty bad habit.” - -“Quite right! Quite right!” cried a field mouse, who had been hanging -around the camp for a few days. “Quite right, I says. There’s always a -time to think. One ought to do a heap of thinking before one acts, I -says.” - -[Illustration] - -“Yes, you’re right,” put in the General, glaring at the mouse, who was -very talkative. “One ought to think a great deal and then he ought to -say only about one half of what he thinks.” - -“Words of wisdom! Words of wisdom!” cried the mouse, never dreaming the -General’s rebuke was aimed at him, and he strolled down the camp street -quite pleased with himself. - -“Now, Dunce,” said the General, “I’m going to try to see if I can help -you do a little thinking.” - -“Y-y-yes, s-s-s-sir,” answered the Dunce. - -“I’m going to make you wear that thimble for the rest of the day and -that ought to help you to remember that you have spoiled a perfectly -good cooking pot, just because you didn’t happen to think.” - -All day long the poor Dunce was forced to walk up and down in front of -the General’s tent, wearing the heavy thimble. It was a warm day and the -thimble grew quite hot in the sunshine, so his punishment was pretty -hard, but there is no doubt it did him a great deal of good. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Eighteen - - CONSULTING AN ENGINEER - - -The General studied the map of the wild men’s island which the Turk had -drawn, in the hope that he could figure out a way to attack the Saboes -without storming their fort. In storming the fort, the General felt sure -that many of his soldiers might be injured and he wished to rout the -enemy with as little damage as possible. - -“I have it! I have it!” exclaimed the General one morning as he sat -studying the tiny map. “We can hire a mole to tunnel under the wild -men’s fort and then we can blow it up with a firecracker.” - -“Bully!” shouted the Old Soldier. “And before they get over the surprise -of the explosion we can charge through the destroyed fort into the -village.” - -“That’s the idea,” smiled the General. “We’ll go over to-morrow and -engage the old mole who lives down by the river.” - -“Moles are great engineers,” said the Doctor, “and what they don’t know -about underground digging isn’t worth knowing.” - -The next day the General and the Doctor, with an escort of four -soldiers, set out on the journey to the mole’s home. - -“S-s-say, what is a m-m-mole anyhow?” asked the Dunce as the little -party marched along. - -“A mole? Why, a mole—let’s see, a mole—why a mole is a mole,” answered -Gogo. - -“I’ll tell you what a mole is like,” laughed the Doctor, who had -overheard the Dunce’s question. “A mole is an animal almost the size of -a rat and he lives under the ground. He has very small eyes and ears, -and he very seldom comes out in the day time, for it is pretty hard for -him to see in the bright sunlight. He has very short and powerful legs -with which he can dig very fast. He lives on worms and grubs and roots, -and he is usually very gruff and bad-tempered.” - -Presently the little party came to the place where the mole lived and -the General ordered the soldiers to halt. They had stopped by the side -of a steep bank and near the top was a hole under the roots of a tree, -which was the front door of the mole’s home. - -“Dress up in line, men!” commanded the General, “and when Mr. Mole comes -to the door of his house I want you all to present arms, for we will -have to use the greatest diplomacy in order to engage this fellow.” - -The General stepped up near the bank and called loudly several times -into the hole and presently a long furry nose appeared in the opening. - -“Well, what do you mean by awakening honest people out of a sound -sleep?” growled the mole. “What is it? What do you want?” - -“I beg your pardon,” said the General as he lifted his hat and made a -low bow; “I’m awfully sorry I disturbed your rest, but having heard of -your reputation as an engineer I have come to beg your services for the -Teenie Weenie army. We want to engage you to dig a trench for us.” - -“I’ll work for four fat white grubs a day and not a grub less,” snapped -the mole. - -[Illustration] - -“That’s quite satisfactory,” answered the General. “We are willing to -pay whatever you ask, but I want you to know just what the work will be. -We want you to dig a tunnel in the ground so we can explode a mine in -it.” - -“I don’t care a snap of my tail what kind of work it is; all I want is -my pay,” growled the mole. - -“When may we expect you?” asked the General. - -“To-morrow at four o’clock, not a minute sooner or later,” answered the -mole. - -“Shall we have breakfast for you?” asked the General. - -“Why, certainly! Why, certainly!” exclaimed the mole. “How in the name -of angleworms do you expect me to work without food? What do you suppose -I’m workin’ for—pleasure?” - -“We’ll have a couple of nice young grubs for you,” said the General -politely, although he was quite disturbed by the mole’s ungentlemanly -manner. - -“Two grubs and a couple of angleworms would make me work better,” -suggested the mole. - -“You shall have them,” answered the General stiffly. “Good day to you, -sir.” Lifting his hat politely, he ordered the soldiers to march back to -camp. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Nineteen - - THE OLD SOLDIER’S WAR MACHINE - - -At exactly four o’clock the next morning the mole came into camp, and as -the General had promised, his breakfast was ready. After the mole had -eaten his grubs, he reported for work. The General showed the mole just -where he wanted the tunnel to run and immediately the old fellow set to -work. He burrowed his nose down into the soft ground and then pushed the -loosened earth back with his powerful fore claws. He worked wonderfully -fast and in less than a minute he had entirely disappeared into the -ground. - -All day long the mole worked, coming out only for a few minutes at noon -to eat his lunch, and at half past five in the afternoon he again -appeared to announce that the tunnel had been finished. - -The General sent the Sailor into the tunnel to measure it, for he wanted -to be quite sure that it reached a point just under the wild men’s fort. - -“It’s just exactly eight hundred and fifty-eight feet long,” announced -the Sailor when he crawled out of the tunnel a few minutes later. “I -could hear the wild men walking on the ground above, so it must stop -right in the middle of the fort.” - -“’Course it does,” snapped the mole. “Don’t you suppose I know how to -dig?” - -When the mole had been paid for his work, he slipped off into the night -without ever even thanking the Teenie Weenies for his pay. - -“Queer old surly fellow,” said the General as he watched the awkward -mole waddle off. - -“Yes, but you have to admit that he is a wonderful engineer,” observed -the Old Soldier. - -“Well, gentlemen,” said the General turning to his officers, “we have -got to move our lines forward. You see, we are about eight hundred and -fifty feet from the wild men’s fort and it is quite necessary that -trenches be built forward so we will not have too great a distance to -charge when we explode the mine under the enemy’s fort.” - -The officers all agreed with the General and that very night several men -were sent out, when it was quite dark, to start the work. - -The little soldiers had gone but a short distance when they were seen by -the wild men, who sent a shower of arrows at them, and Gogo was slightly -scratched on the arm, while one of the wild men’s arrows splintered the -Old Soldier’s wooden leg, so the General ordered the work stopped for -the time being. - -The Old Soldier was quite an engineer and when he had whittled out a new -wooden leg, he set to work trying to scheme out some way by which the -men could dig the trenches without being hit by the wild men’s arrows. - -“I have it,” he cried after he had puzzled over the matter for a time. -“We can make a big screen out of sticks, one that is quite arrow-proof.” - -“How are you going to move it?” asked the Turk. “It will be too heavy -for the men to carry.” - -[Illustration] - -“That will be easy,” smiled the Old Soldier. “There’s a spool of thread -among our supplies and all we have to do is to remove the thread and—” - -“Use the spool as a sort of wheel to roll the screen on,” put in the -Cook. - -“Right,” laughed the Old Soldier. “We can push it ahead of us on the -spool and be quite safe from the wild men’s arrows.” - -The General ordered the screen made and at once, under the watchful eye -of the Old Soldier, the men set to work building it. In a remarkably -short time the screen was finished and early the next morning the Old -Soldier, with six chosen men, started to push it toward the wild men’s -fort. - -[Illustration] - -As soon as the wild men saw the screen coming toward them, they let fly -a shower of arrows, but they either stuck fast in the screen or flew -harmlessly over the soldier’s heads. - -“Great Guns!” cried the Old Soldier when the little party had pushed the -screen quite a ways toward the wild men’s fort. “We forgot to bring -along the picks and shovels.” - -“I’ll get ’em, Captain,” said the Dunce, saluting the Old Soldier and -hardly waiting for the officer’s permission, the Dunce ran for the -trench which they had just left, as fast as his legs would carry him. - -The Dunce grabbed up three picks and with the help of the Chinaman who -volunteered to go along, the two brave Teenie Weenies ran for the screen -amid the flying arrows which whizzed all about them. - -All day long the men worked hard, pulling the screen along as they dug -back toward the Teenie Weenie trench, and at night, six other soldiers -took up the work where the rest left off. Several days of hard labor -finished the work and not one Teenie Weenie had been shot, thanks to the -Old Soldier’s screen. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty - - THE DUNCE LOOKS FOR EXCITEMENT - - -From the new trenches the Teenie Weenies could see the wild men’s fort -plainly. The little soldiers had to be very careful, however, for every -time they showed themselves the wild men would let fly a shower of -arrows. The soldiers thought it great fun to put their hats on sticks -and push them out in sight of the wild men. At first this brought a -tremendous number of arrows, but finally the wild men caught onto the -trick and only an occasional arrow would fly at the exposed hat. - -The men took turns guarding the front trenches. It was very tiresome -work sitting in the narrow ditch waiting for something to happen and -most of the soldiers would have welcomed the order to storm the wild -men’s fort. - -“I can’t see why the General doesn’t get busy and take the fort,” -growled the Scotchman one afternoon. Several of the men, who were off -duty, were lying in a mossy place under some big ferns, discussing the -matter. “We’ve got everything ready for the attack, the men are more -than anxious to go into action and we could lick the stuffin’ out of the -Saboes.” - -“Keep cool, Scotty; we’ll get a chance soon enough,” said the Turk, who -was very quiet and always took things calmly. “The General knows what -he’s about and when he gets his plans ready, we’ll get all the -excitement we want.” - -[Illustration] - -“Excitement!” exclaimed the Dunce. “That’s me. I’ve got to have some -excitement; I’m sick and tired of sittin’ around here without anything -doin’.” - -“Let’s get our guns and go out and see if we can’t shoot some dragon -flies or mosquitoes,” suggested the Sailor. - -“Nah, that ain’t dangerous enough,” answered the Dunce. “I want to do -something that will give me a thrill,” and getting up he slowly walked -towards the tall grass near the Teenie Weenie camp. - -The General had given orders that none of the soldiers should leave -camp, for the grass was so tangled and thick that it would be an easy -thing to get lost and, besides, the savage wild men might be hiding -behind the thick stalks of grass. - -“Jinks!” thought the Dunce as he peered into the dense grass, “the -General wouldn’t scold me if I happened to stroll out there and capture -a wild man.” - -After some minutes of thought, the Dunce hurried to his tent, got his -gun and sneaked unseen out of camp into the dark grass. He stumbled -along for some time without making much headway, for the stalks of grass -grew close together and the dead leaves tangled about his feet at almost -every step. Presently he came to an open spot near the edge of the -island, where he found walking much easier, but he had gone only a short -distance when he suddenly saw four wild men ahead of him. - -“Throw up your hands—you’re surrounded!” shouted the Dunce, pointing his -gun towards them. - -The wild men, not understanding the Teenie Weenie language, started -running towards the Dunce with loud yells. - -The poor Dunce was so badly frightened he forgot to fire his gun and -turning about he ran as fast as his short legs could carry him towards -the Teenie Weenie camp. - -The army aviator, who happened to be scouting above the shore of the -island, saw the Dunce being chased by the wild men. - -“Quick!” he shouted to the bird on which he flew. “Fly just as close as -you can to the Dunce and I’ll grab him as we sail by.” - -The bird flew straight for the ground and holding tight to its neck, the -aviator grabbed the Dunce by the collar and snatched him from the very -hands of the wild men. - -The Turk pulled the frightened Dunce up on the bird’s back and a few -minutes later they landed safely in the Teenie Weenie camp. - -“Well, sir,” said the General when he had heard the Turk’s story of the -rescue, “what were you doing outside the camp without permission to go -out?” - -“I-I-I-I j-j-just wanted s-s-some excitement and I-I-I-I thought I’d go -out and s-s-see if I-I-I couldn’t capture a wild man,” stammered the -frightened Dunce. - -“Well, did you capture any of them?” asked the General with a wink at -the Old Soldier. - -“W-w-w-well, I-I surrounded f-f-four of ’em, but they wouldn’t stay -surrounded and they started to chase me, so I-I-I had to r-r-run.” - -“Well, did you get any excitement?” smiled the General. - -“Oh, yes, sir, I-I-I got more than I-I-I was looking for.” - -“Well, sir,” said the General, “I hope you got enough excitement to last -you for a long time. You are guilty of an act of leaving camp without -permission and I find it necessary to place you under arrest.” - -The poor Dunce was marched off between four soldiers to the tiny guard -house, where he was left to think over his disobedience. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - -[Illustration: - - THE ARMY AVIATOR SNATCHES THE DUNCE FROM THE HANDS OF - THE WILD MEN.—_Chapter Twenty._ -] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-One - - THE SCOUTS HAVE A NARROW ESCAPE - - -“General, the men are getting restless. They want to get into action and -it seems to me that we ought to hurry our plans for the attack,” said -the Old Soldier. The two little officers were sitting at the tiny table -in front of the General’s tent. - -“Yes, I believe you’re right,” answered the General thoughtfully. “The -plans for the attack are almost ready, but I would like to get some more -information about the wild men. I’d like to know just how many are -guarding the fort, what sort of arms they have and a lot of other -details. The Turk has been able to get much valuable information, but -the grass is so tall around the fort that he has not been able to get -very near in the airplane, so I’m afraid I’ll have to send the scouts -out for the facts I want.” - -“That’s mighty dangerous,” said the Old Soldier, stroking his beard. -“The jungle is full of the Saboes—they are swarming all through the -grass, thicker than ants on a chocolate drop.” - -“Yes, I know it’s dangerous, but I believe the Cowboy and the Indian can -get through unseen and bring back the information I want,” the General -said. “Either one of the little fellows is at home in the woods and -grass. They are both pastmasters in covering up their tracks. Why, I -believe the Indian could walk through a lady’s powder box without ever -leaving a single track,” and the General said it so earnestly there was -no doubt but that he spoke the truth. - -Turning to the guard that stood near his tent, the General ordered him -to bring the Indian and the Cowboy. “Tell them it is important and that -I wish them to report at once.” - -In a few minutes the two scouts appeared and, clicking their tiny heels -together, they saluted in the most approved military fashion. - -“You sent for us, sir?” said the Cowboy. - -“Yes,” answered the General, looking seriously at the sturdy little men. -“I have a piece of work for you to do. First I want to tell you that it -is mighty risky—in fact, it is extremely dangerous. I will not send you -unless you are willing to go—you shall choose.” - -“We are ready to go,” answered the little scouts quietly, and their -loyalty touched the General greatly. - -“I want you to go to the wild men’s fort and get all the information you -can,” said the General. “Find out how many men they have, what sort of -weapons they use, note the condition of their fort and get some idea of -the ground beyond the fort. Get all the facts you can and report to me -as soon as possible.” - -“Yes, sir,” answered the scouts and, saluting, they hurried to their -tent, where they buckled on their tiny pistols. Next they each secured a -supply of dried minnow and half a boiled bean, which they stuffed into -their pockets. - -They slipped quietly out of camp and after a long and tiresome trip they -finally drew near to the wild men’s fort. They could hear the voices of -the wild men now and then and the two Teenie Weenies were forced to -steal along with the greatest care. Presently they crawled up to a place -quite near the fort where they could see the wild men every now and then -through the long grass. The scouts watched the wild men for several -hours and it was quite late before the little fellows could find a -chance to crawl away safely and unseen. - -Several times on their way back to the Teenie Weenie camp the scouts -were forced to hide under leaves and dry grass to keep from being -discovered, and once they had to lie for almost an hour in a hollow -stick, as several wild men stopped near them to rest. - -“It be heap much dark soon,” grunted the Indian as he peered through the -grass at the sky. - -“We can never get back to camp before night and we couldn’t possibly get -through this jungle in the dark, so we’ve got to find some place to -spend the night,” whispered the Cowboy. - -The two Teenie Weenies found a deserted bird’s nest in a bush near by, -and, climbing up the bush, they soon made themselves comfortable for the -night. - -[Illustration] - -Early in the morning the little scouts were awakened by voices, and -looking over the edge of the nest, they saw several wild men coming -towards the bush. The wild men stopped beneath the bush, where they soon -made a fire and cooked pieces of frog ham for their breakfast. - -The two Teenie Weenies had eaten what little food they had brought with -them the day before and as they smelled the delicious meat cooking it -made them as hungry as bears. There were too many of the Saboes for the -two scouts to fight, so they could do nothing but lie quiet until the -wild men had gone. In a short time the wild men finished their breakfast -and after talking in their strange language for a few minutes they -hurried away. - -When the wild men had disappeared into the jungle of tall grass near by, -the two scouts carefully climbed out of the nest and set off in the -direction of the Teenie Weenie camp. Several times they had to hide -behind sticks and leaves when the wild men passed near them, and once, -three of the savage little fellows came so close to the spot where the -scouts lay hidden that they thought they would surely be discovered. It -was almost evening before the Cowboy and the Indian reached camp and the -little fellows reported at once to the General. They gave the Commander -of the Teenie Weenie army such valuable news that he at once called in -his staff for a council of war. - -The little officers talked for a long time and when they finally came -out of the General’s tent, it was very plain to see that something was -about to happen. Officers dashed about the camp giving orders, the -Doctor and the two nurses busied themselves around the tiny hospital, -while Paddy Pinn spent much time with his Teenie Weenie cannon. - -Three of the soldiers carried two big firecrackers into the tunnel the -mole had made. In fact, everyone was busy and the whole camp teemed with -excitement, wondering as to what was to happen next. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-Two - - THE BATTLE - - -Orders had been given to attack the wild men in the morning and most of -the Teenie Weenie soldiers slept very little during the night. At -daylight a thimbleful of hot cocoa and a supply of bread was brought -into the front trenches and while the little soldiers ate, the artillery -kept up a heavy fire on the wild men’s fort. - -At last the order was given to charge and the excited Teenie Weenies -climbed out of their trenches and dashed for the fort. - -Although the soldiers’ tiny knees knocked together and their teeth -chattered with fright, they went into battle with great eagerness, -cheered by the voices of several meadow mice and bugs, who stood out of -range of the wild men’s arrows. - -[Illustration] - -It was a great victory. Probably the history of the battle can be better -told by one who took part in it, so we shall hear the story from a -letter written by Mr. Lover to his wife immediately after the battle. -The tiny letter was written on a piece of very thin birch bark, about -half the size of a postage stamp, but if you could see it under a -powerful microscope you would read it, word for word, just as it appears -on this page. - - My dear Bab: - - As the Indian is carrying the official news of the battle back - to Shoehurst, you will know before you open this letter that we - have won. It was wonderful and I will tell you all about it from - the very first. The wild men’s fort, which was made of strong - sticks, lay in a narrow path guarding the only open road to the - village, where the Lady of Fashion and Poet are held prisoners. - In order to get to the village we had to capture the fort. We - heard the night before that we were to storm the fort in the - morning and believe me, we didn’t sleep much; that is, I didn’t. - I was as nervous as a cat in a dog house. - - Early in the morning the aviator flew over the fort and dropped - pepper bombs. These bombs are made out of red pepper tied up in - thin pieces of tissue paper and when they hit the ground they - break and scatter the pepper all around. While the wild men were - sneezing from the effects of the pepper, the artillery opened up - and sent a lot of shot into the fort. - - Next, a big mine we had made under the fort was exploded. There - were two big firecrackers in it and, say, you ought to have seen - the sticks fly up in the air when that mine went off! Right - after the mine explosion we were ordered to charge and we jumped - out of the trenches and started on the run for the fort. - -[Illustration: - - THE TEENIE WEENIE ARMY DRIVES THE WILD MEN FROM THEIR - WRECKED FORT.—_Chapter Twenty-two._ -] - - We were almost halfway there when the Sailor, who was carrying - the flag, dropped with an arrow in his chest. The Dunce caught - up the fallen flag and putting his hat on top of the staff, he - yelled for us to follow. Everybody cheered, for we didn’t think - the Dunce had enough nerve to do such a brave thing. - - The fort was badly wrecked by the explosion, so it wasn’t hard - to climb over it to get at the wild men. Most of the Saboes were - so scared they never tried to fight, but a few of them stood - their ground. They were quickly subdued, however. We captured - fourteen men; five of them are wounded, but the Doctor has them - in the hospital and he’ll fix them up all right. - - Four of our men were wounded, but the Sailor is the only one who - was badly hurt. The Doctor says that he will pull through all - right. - - We wanted to attack the wild men’s village, but the General - wouldn’t let us. He says we have got to take care of the wounded - and make our lines safe before we can go farther. Some of the - men seem to think that there will be very little fight left in - the wild men, for they were pretty well scared by our attack. - The Scotchman and I are doing guard duty; we have to guard the - prisoners. We are using an old bottle for a prison and it - certainly makes a good one; if we keep on getting prisoners - we’ll soon have a bottleful. - - I do hope the General follows up the victory and goes right - after these wild men, so we can end this war, for I want to get - home to you and the children. - - Well, I’ll have to stop now as the Indian is about ready to - start for Shoehurst. Tell the twins I have a nice string of - blackberry seed beads for each of them and give them each a kiss - for me. - - Affectionately, - - Your Husband. - - P. S.: The Cook and the Chinaman have just brought up a pot of - cocoa and four hot beans! Hurrah! we’re going to have a feast. - - Hubby. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-Three - - THE RED CROSS - - -There was much confusion after the battle, for so many things had to be -done, and done quickly. The lines had to be advanced and made safe -against attack by the wild men. The prisoners had to be carefully -guarded until they could be put into the grape juice bottle which was -being used as a prison. - -Then, there were the wounded. Both Teenie Weenies and wild men had to be -given the best of care. Just as soon as the battle was over, the injured -were gathered up and carried tenderly to the Red Cross field hospital, -where the Doctor and his two little nurses dressed their wounds. The -Clown and the Policeman carried the wounded into the hospital on tiny -stretchers and just as soon as the injured little fellows had medical -care, they were put into clean beds. At first the injured wild men were -much frightened, but when they were handled so tenderly by the Doctor -and his lovely nurses, they became quite contented. - -The Doctor’s official report to the General gives the best idea of the -work of the Red Cross after the battle, and it is printed here, word for -word, from that tiny document. - - -[Illustration] - - TEENIE WEENIE RED CROSS FIELD HOSPITAL - - Commander in Chief, Report No. 14. - - Teenie Weenie Army. - - Sir: I herein give to you a full detailed report of the Red - Cross work after the battle of Sabo: - - =Teenie Weenies Injured= - - Sailor—Shot in the right breast with arrow, which was removed - after a hard operation, as the point had broken off between the - third and fourth ribs. Eleven stitches taken in wound. Patient - in bad shape but will recover. - - Dunce—Shot in hand; slight wound; will be all right in few days. - - Gogo—Two small wounds in right leg and left arm. - - Cowboy—Scratch on cheek from spear thrust. - -[Illustration] - - =Wild Men Injured= - - No. 1—Serious wound in neck from rifle bullet; removed bullet - after much work; patient in bad shape. - - No. 2—Bad bayonet wound in side; will recover. - - No. 3—Piece of shell removed from back; nineteen stitches taken - in wound; will get well. - - No. 4—Painful scalp wound from being hit on head with butt of - gun; five stitches taken in wound. - - No. 5—Shot in shoulder; not dangerous. - - I wish to bring to your notice the good work of my staff. I - commend them for their earnest and skillful help in taking care - of the wounded. The work of bringing in the wounded was promptly - done by the Policeman and the Clown in a manner that calls for - the highest praise. - - Tess Bone and Sally Guff, my two excellent nurses, were of the - greatest service. Their tenderness in handling the injured was - of the highest order. - - I wish also to bring to your notice the kindness of Peter - Meadowlark and Bouncing Ben, the jumping mouse. Peter Meadowlark - did much towards keeping the patients in a good frame of mind by - his daily songs. Every day he came to the hospital and sang for - the wounded. - - Bouncing Ben kept the sick laughing for hours by his funny - handsprings and somersaults. I owe much to these two - kind-hearted fellows for the good condition of my patients. - - Sincerely yours, - - Surgeon General, - - Teenie Weenie Army. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-Four - - LET THERE BE PEACE - - -After the battle the front lines were moved quite a distance towards the -center of the island, where the wild men’s village stood. A strong -breastwork of sticks and grass was built and a most careful watch was -kept at all times. Nothing was seen of the wild men except shadowy forms -that every now and then dodged about among the stalks of big grass. They -were surely in the tall grass, for the savage little fellows could slip -about in the jungle almost unseen. - -It was quite certain that the General intended to move again in a short -time, for everything was made ready for another battle. - -One morning the Scotchman, who was in the front lines, happened to see a -wild man crawling along on his stomach towards a stick that lay in front -of the Teenie Weenie breastwork. The tiny soldier raised his gun and -waited, thinking the wild men were about to charge, but instead a blade -of grass appeared above the stick and to it was tied a white rag. - -“Jinks!” exclaimed the Scotchman, lowering his gun, “the wild men are -showing a flag of truce.” - -“Hold your fire, men!” shouted the Cowboy, who was in charge of the -Teenie Weenie fort at the time. “They are sending out a flag of truce.” - -Presently the wild man crawled out from behind the stick and timidly -made his way toward the Teenie Weenies. - -“What do you want?” asked the Cowboy, peering over the top of the fort. - -“Wap gee goo mah be gum,” answered the wild man as he approached the -Teenie Weenies. Of course none of them could understand a word of this. - -[Illustration] - -“Talk English, you goof,” cried the Cowboy. “I can’t understand that -kind of talk.” - -The wild man carried a piece of folded birch bark in his hand and when -he reached the fort he handed it over to the Cowboy. It was addressed to -the General, and the Cowboy at once sent the note to him. - -When the note was delivered to the General, he found that it was from -the Queen of the wild men, written by the Poet, and this is what he -read: - - Commander in Chief, Teenie Weenie Army. My dear General: - - Her Royal Highness, Mooie, Queen of the wild men, sends - greetings. Her Highness wishes to talk over terms of peace with - you and suggests that you and your staff meet her at the stream - which crosses the path halfway between the Sabo village and your - camp. Her Highness awaits your pleasure and asks Your Excellency - to set a date for the meeting. - - Respectfully yours - - RUFUS RHYME. - - P. S.—Although the Lady of Fashion and I have been closely - guarded since we have been prisoners, we have been very well - treated and I ask that you take this into consideration when you - arrange peace terms. - - R. R. - -The General answered the note at once, making arrangements to meet the -Queen on the following day. - -The next day at the appointed time the General, the Old Soldier and a -guard of eight soldiers marched off to the meeting place, where they -found the Queen awaiting them. - -The Queen sat on her favorite turtle and she had with her several of her -warriors and the Poet. - -[Illustration] - -As the Teenie Weenies drew near, the Queen and her followers raised -their left hands above their heads, which is the Sabo custom when -friends meet. The Queen was the first to speak, and the Poet, who had -learned the Sabo language while he was held prisoner, translated her -words to the Teenie Weenies as follows: - -“O, great chief of the thunder wagon (the name, “Men of the Thunder -Wagon,” was given to the Teenie Weenies on account of the cannon which -the wild men said sounded like thunder), we have come here to ask for -peace. We do not wish to fight; we ask only for the liberty of our -brothers whom you hold prisoners. Give us back our brothers and we will -return the Lady of Fashion and the Poet to you. We will also give you -two hundred smoked frog hams for our brothers’ return.” - -“O queen of beauty and ruler of all the Saboes,” said the General when -the Poet had finished, “we do not wish to fight, and we ask only for the -return of our friends. For their safe return we will free your brothers. -The hams you have offered we could not think of taking, for we took up -arms against you, not for gain, but only for the freedom of the Lady of -Fashion and the Poet.” - -The Queen was greatly pleased at the General’s words and arrangements -were made for the exchange of the prisoners. - -That same day all the wild men, except the ones who were in the hospital -and who were too sick to leave, were set free. - -[Illustration: - - THE GENERAL AND THE QUEEN OF THE WILD MEN AT THE - PEACE DANCE.—_Chapter Twenty-five._ -] - -They were taken, under guard of several soldiers, to the stream where -the General had met the Queen. The Lady of Fashion and the Poet were -waiting for them and the Teenie Weenie soldiers gave three mighty cheers -when they saw their friends. The prisoners were exchanged and the Lady -of Fashion and the Poet were taken to the Teenie Weenie camp, where they -were given a royal welcome. - -The Lady of Fashion was so happy to be again among her friends that she -did a very ladylike thing—she cried. The nurses cried and several of the -men were seen to blow their tiny noses and blink their eyes. - -“Oh, I’m so happy to be safe with you all again,” cried the Lady of -Fashion as she hugged the General for the tenth time. “I don’t know what -those nasty wild men captured us for, we never could find out, but I -will say for them that they were very good to us.” - -“Well, we are mighty glad to have you with us again,” said the General. -“And it’s through the loyalty of every soldier in our army that your -rescue has been accomplished.” - -“I know it. I know it,” cried the little lady, and she hugged every -single man in the army except the Chinaman, who was so embarrassed that -he ran off and hid in a hollow log for nearly an hour. - -The two nurses took the Lady of Fashion to their tent, where she washed -until she was as clean as a drop of dew. - -That night the army gathered around a roaring bonfire and eagerly -listened to the Poet while he told them how he and the Lady of Fashion -had spent their time as prisoners of the wild men. When he had finished, -the little people sang songs, told stories and gossiped until after -midnight, when the General ordered everyone to bed. - -“It’s so nice to sleep in a clean, honest-to-goodness bed again,” said -the Lady of Fashion when she crawled into one of the tiny cots in the -nurses’ tent, but she didn’t sleep a great deal, for the three little -women had so much to talk about. They whispered and giggled until early -morning. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-Five - - THE PEACE DANCE - - -“Well, folks,” announced the General the next morning as he sat down to -breakfast with several of his officers, the Lady of Fashion and the -Poet, “we must make ready for the march home. We have a long journey -ahead of us and we must get started as soon as possible.” - -“I don’t see how we can,” answered the Doctor, who was helping himself -to a piece of frog ham. “The Sailor is in no condition to be moved and, -besides, I still have a couple of the wild men on my hands, who are in -such shape I can’t leave them for a few days.” - -“That’s so! That’s so!” exclaimed the General. “Of course we’ll have to -stay until our duty is done.” - -“My patients are all doing well and I don’t see why we won’t be able to -get away in five or six days,” said the Doctor. - -The little soldiers were greatly disappointed when they heard that the -army would not start immediately for home, for now that the war was over -they were all anxious to return. However, they made the best of their -time by fishing, swimming and playing games. - -One morning a sentinel came to the General’s tent, followed by one of -the wild men. - -“This fellow has a message for you,” said the sentinel pointing to the -wild man, who held a piece of folded birch bark in his hand. “There are -about twenty-five more of ’em waiting out beyond our lines and they’ve -each got a big bundle all wrapped up in leaves.” - -The General opened the note which the wild man handed him, but when he -found it was written in the Sabo language he sent for the Poet. - -“You’ll have to translate this gibberish for me,” said the General when -the Poet appeared. “It’s too much for me.” - -The Poet carefully read the note and then repeated it to the General. - -“It’s from the Queen and she is sending you greetings and some -presents,” said the Poet. “She also invites you to the great Dance of -Peace and Plenty. This is the dance the wild men dance whenever they -make peace with their enemies. You must go to the dance, for that is the -way the wild men have of showing that they want to be friendly.” - -“All right,” answered the General; “tell her I’ll come. Thank her for -the presents and give her my regards.” - -A number of soldiers were sent out to bring in the presents the Queen -had sent and when they were unwrapped the little people were surprised -to find a number of fat frog hams, a quantity of wild rice, a large jar -of fruit paste made out of wild berries, many nut meats and sweet seeds. - -“We ought to send a present to the Queen in return for all this food,” -said the General. “What shall we send her?” - -“Send her that thimble the Dunce ruined trying to make a suit of armor,” -answered the Poet, who had heard the story of the Dunce’s armor. - -“Not that old thimble!” exclaimed the General. - -“Sure,” laughed the Poet. “She will think that it is wonderful!” - -[Illustration] - -So the thimble was sent to the Queen, who prized it more than anything -else she owned. - -On the appointed day the General set off for the dance with a number of -the Teenie Weenies, and as they drew near the village they were met by a -body of wild men who had been sent out as a guard of honor to escort the -General into the village. He was led to a spot beneath a big bush where -the Queen sat cross-legged on a wonderfully soft piece of cloth which -had been thrown on the ground. Over her head hung another cloth which -was fastened at the four corners to long poles held in the hands of four -wild men. - -A great many wild men and women stood about an open spot under the bush, -which had been swept until it was as clean as a pin. Many children ran -about the place, some of them climbing onto the grass houses and into -the trees. On the edge of the crowd stood several small animals, and -some birds were perched in the bush overhead. - -The General made a low bow to the Queen and when she motioned for him to -sit by her side, he sat down on the soft cloth. The Queen and the -General talked for some time through the Poet, who translated for them. - -Presently the Queen gave a command to one of her warriors and instantly -several men, who were sitting on the ground in front of the Queen, began -to beat on drums. The drums were made out of a piece of hollow reed. The -ends were covered with snake skin and they made a very pretty, mellow -sound. Another man beat on a piece of wood which had been fixed to a -split reed, while three or four women beat paddles together in time with -the music. - -Instantly a number of voices broke into a loud song from behind a house -near by and presently the dancers came hopping and prancing into the -cleared spot before the Queen. First came a warrior with a long spear -and when he danced directly in front of the Queen he broke the spear in -two over his knee. Next came a man with a queer seed pod over his head -and in one hand he carried a whip with which he struck the warrior every -now and then. In the other hand he carried a dried seed pod which -rattled loudly in time with the song. The next dancer wore a frog’s head -and hopped in time with the music, much after the fashion of a frog. -Several girls followed the frog man, carrying plates of smoked frog ham -and rice cakes. - -“The first man in the dance,” explained the Poet to the General, “is the -Spirit of War. He broke the spear to show you that the war was over and -the next man rattled the seed pod and struck him with the whip to scare -him away, which means that the wild men are through with war and wish to -get rid of the War Spirit. The frog man represents the frog meat which -the wild men eat, and his funny dance means that good times are coming, -for you see the pretty girls follow with plates of rice cakes and meat.” - -The dancers performed for several minutes and then the man with the whip -and rattle chased the Spirit of War over the hill out of sight, which -meant that the Spirit of War was gone for good. - -After the dance a great fire was built and when a heap of hot ashes had -burned, the wild men wrapped several frog hams in sassafras leaves and -put them into the hot bed of ashes to roast. When the hams were cooked -they were cut into slices and served to the Teenie Weenies and the wild -men. Wonderfully delicious rice cakes were also served and the Teenie -Weenies ate until they were quite filled. The greedy Dunce ate so much -he became quite ill and had to be carried back to the Teenie Weenie -camp, where the Doctor was kept busy most of the night putting heated -buttons on his aching tummy, until the pain was gone. - -[Illustration] - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-Six - - HOME - - - Put a bean on to boil, Mr. Cook! - Put a bean on to boil, Mr. Cook! - For an army, it must eat - And rest its weary feet; - So put on a bean, Mr. Cook! - -The Teenie Weenie soldiers sang this song as they sat about their tiny -camp fire one evening shortly after the peace dance. They were all -happy, for they were to start for home in the morning. The Sailor was -now well enough to stand the long trip and that was all that had been -holding them back. - -“He can stand the trip,” the Doctor said, “if he is carried in some way -that will not jolt him. He was badly wounded and I wouldn’t care to have -him ride in one of the army wagons, as they are much too rough.” - -“We can make a litter and get two mice to carry it,” suggested Tess -Bone. - -“That’s a good idea,” said the Doctor. “He will rest that way in fine -shape.” - -The Turk and the Old Soldier agreed to make the litter and in a short -time they had built such a cozy one the Sailor was quite pleased with -it. - -“Crickety!” exclaimed the Dunce when he saw the litter, “I wish I was -wounded so I could ride in that instead of walkin’ all the way home.” - -[Illustration] - -The army wagons were loaded and early in the morning the little army -began the long journey home. First the cannon and then the baggage and -wagons had to be moved across the river on the raft. It took the little -people all day to move across the river, for many trips had to be made -with the clumsy raft. But at the end of the day not a single Teenie -Weenie was left on Sabo Island. - -As Queen Mooie had given the Teenie Weenies so many presents of frog -hams, rice cakes, delicious seeds and many hickory nut meats, the little -people were well supplied with good food. Every evening after the day’s -march the happy little army ate their meal gathered around a glowing -camp fire. They laughed and joked, sang songs, told stories and gossiped -with the many birds and animals of the woods who gathered about the camp -fire. - -Often the Teenie Weenies listened to a strange tale of the forest, told -by some owl or chipmunk, and quite often the birds sang to them. - -One evening a wicked old weasel came prowling around the camp. The -little folks were quite alarmed about it, for the old fellow hung around -for a long time. They could see his wicked green eyes shining in the -light from the camp fire and when the General asked him what he wanted, -he never answered. At last the General told several of the soldiers to -fire off their rifles. - -“Shoot in the air over his head and give him a good scare,” ordered the -General. “I think that will fix him.” - -At the first sound of the guns the weasel quickly disappeared into the -night and nothing more was seen of him, although the men kept a mighty -close watch for several days. - -When the army came to the place where they had built the bridge, they -found the squirrel whom they had hired to guard it, on duty. - -“Well, here I am,” shouted the squirrel. “And here is the bridge just as -you left it.” - -“You have done your duty well,” said the General, and he ordered the -Cook to pay the squirrel the ten sunflower seeds and the hickory nuts -which had been promised him. - -“Well, I always believe in doin’ my duty,” said the squirrel. “If I -agree to do a thing I always stick to my word—I’d rather lose every -whisker I’ve got than go back on my word.” - -A bluejay who was sitting in a bush near by snickered and the squirrel -gave him a nasty look. The Teenie Weenies thought for a minute that -there might be a quarrel, but the bluejay flew off, so they felt much -easier. - -After a pleasant talk with the squirrel, the General ordered the army to -march on and as long as the Teenie Weenies were in sight the squirrel -waved to them from the top of an old stump. - -The trip seemed to agree with the Sailor. He grew stronger and stronger -under the watchful eye of the Doctor and the two dainty nurses. He was -fed on broth and a tiny bit of poached bird’s egg each day, and as the -army drew near home he was almost strong enough to walk. - -One day the Teenie Weenies were surprised to hear a bird shout to them -from a bush over their heads and when they looked up they saw it was -Tilly Titter, the English Sparrow—an old and trusted friend. - -Of course the General ordered a halt, while the men gathered around the -sparrow and asked many questions. - -“How are the twins?” asked Mr. Lover. - -“Fine! Just fine!” cried the bird. “I was over to the village yesterday -and they were playin’ foot ball with a gooseberry. They are as husky as -a caterpillar in a mulberry bush. Your wife is as fat as butter; I’ll -bet she has gained half an ounce since you left her.” - -After the Teenie Weenies had learned all the news from home the General -gave a message to Tilly and asked her to deliver it to the Teenie Weenie -village. - -“You can just bet your last fish worm I’ll carry that message as quick -as I can,” said the bird. “Everyone in the village will be tickled to -death to hear that you are so near home. Grandpa will be so ’appy ’e’ll -shout ’imself ’oarse.” - -Spreading her wings, Tilly Titter flew into the air and quickly -disappeared in the direction of the Teenie Weenie village. - - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - Chapter Twenty-seven - - THE GRAND REVIEW - - -Tilly Titter flew as she never flew before and in a short time she -landed on the ground beside the shoe house, her feathers all ruffled up -with excitement. - -“I’ve got news,” she shouted, as the little women gathered about her. -“I’ve just come from the General and the army will be home in about -three days.” - -[Illustration] - -“Is my husband well?” shouted Mrs. Lover. - -“He’s as healthy as a dandelion and as pink as a rose bud,” answered -Tilly. - -“How’s the Poet and the Lady of Fashion?” asked Grandpa. - -“Well and ’appy,” cried Tilly. “As I was a sayin’, the army will be ’ome -in about three days. The General said to tell you that they would arrive -on Friday afternoon if everthing goes well. He says for you to have a -good supper ready for the boys and to have plenty, for they will be as -hungry as young robins.” - -“Is the Sailor getting along nicely?” asked Miss Guff. - -“Fine as a fiddle! Fine as a fiddle!” answered the sparrow. “Wants to -walk, ’e’s feelin’ so well, but the Doctor makes ’im stay in the litter -and ride.” - -“Well, we have got to get busy and do somethin’ for the boys,” cried -Grandpa. “We’ve got to give ’em a big feed and decorate the place with -flags and show ’em we’re glad to see ’em.” - -“We’ll get up a grand supper for them,” cried Mrs. Lover, “and we’ll -have a dance afterwards.” - -“I’ll bring over a big chunk of cheese,” cried the mouse that had joined -the crowd. - -“I’ll get some fat worms for the supper,” cried Tilly, and instantly she -blushed a deep brown. “Oh, I forget you don’t eat worms. Well, I’ll get -some sunflower seeds.” - -“I’ll donate a few nuts,” said Nick, the squirrel, who had been hoping -for a chance to speak. - -“Oh, I forgot to say that the General said ’e would come in ahead of the -army so ’e could review them as they marched into the village,” cried -Tilly. - -“He’s going to review the troops, did you say?” asked Grandpa, who was -hard of hearing. - -“Yes!” shouted Tilly, right into the old gentleman’s ear. “The General -is goin’ to review the army.” - -“Well, we got to get a reviewing stand ready for him,” cried Grandpa. - -“I’ll help,” shouted the mouse, “and I’ll get some mice to help, too.” - -“All right, get ’em!” cried Grandpa. “The sooner we get to work the -better it will be.” - -In a short time the Teenie Weenies were as busy as bees in a clover -field. The little women set to work cooking and baking. They made cakes -and cookies by the thimble full. They made ginger cookies, nut cookies, -chocolate cake, fruit cake and half an English walnut full of doughnuts, -besides all sorts of other good things. - -Grandpa put eight mice, a chipmunk and half a dozen bugs to work getting -the place ready for the returning soldiers. They cleaned up the rubbish -under the rose-bush, they moved all the desks out of the schoolhouse, -where the dinner and dance were to be held, and they made a reviewing -stand out of the top of a candy box. - -Nick, the squirrel, worked hard opening nuts. He gnawed so many his -teeth became sore, but he never complained, for he was a very patriotic -squirrel and most fond of the Teenie Weenies. - -[Illustration] - -The little folks decorated the village with Teenie Weenie flags and -bunting and when the time arrived for the army to march home the village -was crowded with all sorts of visitors. Bugs, mice, squirrels, birds, -chipmunks, and even a few chickens and ducks, crowded under the -rose-bush. - -The General rode in ahead of the army and took his place on the -reviewing stand amid the wildest shouting and waving of flags, but when -the troops came marching into view there was such a squealing of -squirrels and mice and squawking of chickens, ducks and birds, one could -hardly hear oneself think. Grandpa shouted so hard that he had one of -his choking fits, and a mouse had to pound him on the back until he -could get his breath. - -When the review was over there was much hugging and kissing and some -crying, for most of the little women shed a few tears of happiness, but -that’s a strange way women folks have of showing they are happy. One old -hen cried so hard she had to be led away. A duck insisted on kissing the -Dunce and a mouse hugged Paddy Pinn so hard it nearly broke his arm. - -After the little soldiers had visited for a time they were called into -the old derby hat for supper and such a supper as they had! There was -roasted bird’s egg, frog ham, escalloped hickory nut, walnut au gratin, -creamed hearts of sunflower seed, water cress and wild cherry salad, and -cakes and cookies and sliced grape and ice cream. - -When the little soldiers had eaten until they could not hold another -morsel, the General arose from his seat at the head of the big table and -made a speech. - -“Friends and men of the Teenie Weenie army,” he began, “I want to thank -you for your loyal and hearty service. You have gone through hardships -and you have risked your lives in battle without complaint. You have -done this to aid those in trouble and nothing greater can be said of -your deeds than that they were done willingly. Men, I am proud to have -been your leader.” - -“Three cheers for the army!” shouted a mouse who had been helping to -wait on table, and the cheers were given with a will. - -Next the Lady of Fashion made a little speech. She very prettily thanked -the General and the army for having rescued the Poet and herself from -the wild men and as she sat down there were tears in her pretty eyes. -The Poet spoke and Grandpa made a speech about the great war in -forty-two, but few heard what the old gentleman said, for they were -anxious to talk to one another about the great events of the rescue of -their friends. - -“Friends!” shouted Paddy Pinn, when Grandpa had sat down, “I think the -Dunce ought to explain to the rest of us just why that old duck was so -anxious to kiss him.” Every one yelled so loudly for the Dunce that he -was forced to stand up, but he was so embarrassed he couldn’t speak a -word and the Teenie Weenies laughed so hard they cried. - -When the tables had been cleared away the orchestra started playing and -in a few minutes the little folks were swinging around to the music of -“The Lady of Fashion Waltz.” They danced until nearly morning—in fact it -was broad daylight when the tired little soldiers crawled into their -tiny beds, every one of them mighty thankful that they were safely home -again. - - “The war is over, our duty is done; - Hang up the pistol, the sword and the gun.” - - Rufus Rhyme, - - _Teenie Weenie Poet_. - -[Illustration] - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - ● Transcriber’s Notes: - ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected. - ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected. - ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only - when a predominant form was found in this book. - ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); - text that was bold by “equal” signs (=bold=). - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Teenie Weenies in the Wildwood, by -William Donahey - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TEENIE WEENIES IN THE WILDWOOD *** - -***** This file should be named 60611-0.txt or 60611-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/6/1/60611/ - -Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Barry Abrahamsen, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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