Then, a little later they met a duck with only one good leg, and theother one was made of wood, and this duck wanted to get over a fence butshe couldn't, on account of her wooden leg.
"Pray, how did you lose your leg?" asked Uncle Wiggily, as he and theporcupine kindly helped her over the rails.
"Oh, a bad rat bit it off," said the duck. "I was asleep in the pond onemorning and before I knew it a rat swam up under water, and nipped off myleg."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the rabbit. "I'll tell Alice and Lulu and JimmieWibblewobble, my duck friends, to be careful of bad rats in their pond."
"That's a good idea," spoke the duck with the wooden leg, and then shesaid good-by and waddled away.
After that Uncle Wiggily and the porcupine traveled on some more, and, asit got to be very warm they thought they would lie down in a shady placeand take a little sleep.
Well, they picked out a nice place under a clump of ferns, that leanedover a little babbling brook, and touched the tips of their green leavesinto the cool water. And, before he knew it, dear old Uncle Wiggily wasfast, fast asleep, and he snored the least little bit, but please don'ttell any one about it.
Then pretty soon the porcupine was asleep too, only he didn't snore any,though I'm not allowed to tell you why just now. I may later, however.
Well, in a little while, something is going to happen. In fact, it's nowtime for it to begin. Yes, here comes the stingery wasp. Listen, and youcan hear him buzz.
"Buzz! Buzz! Bizzy-buzzy-buzzy!" went the stingery wasp, as he flew overthe place where the rabbit and porcupine were sleeping. And the waspflitted and flapped his bluish wings and lifted up the sharp end of hisbody where be carries his stingery-sting.
"Ah, ha! I see something to sting!" thought the wasp. "Now, I wonder whichone I shall sting first? I think I will try the porcupine, and then I willsting the rabbit." Oh, but he was a bad wasp, though; wasn't he, eh?
Well, he was all ready to sting the porcupine, when suddenly the waspheard a voice calling to him from the bushes.
"Don't sting the porcupine, Mr. Wasp, sting the rabbit," said the raspingvoice.
"Why should I do that?" asked the wasp, as he looked to see if his stingneeded sharpening.
"Oh, because if you sting the porcupine you might get stuck with hisstickery-stockery quills," said the voice. "But the rabbit can't hurt you.Besides, if you sting him for me I will give you a popcorn ball."
"Why are you so anxious for me to sting the rabbit?" asked the wasp, as heflittered his steely-blue wings.
"Oh, if you do that it will scare him so that he won't know which way torun, and then, when he is all puzzled up, I can jump out on him and eathim up!" said the voice. "I have been wanting a rabbit dinner this longtime," and with that out from the bushes crawled the bad fox.
"Very well," said the wasp, "I'll sting the rabbit on the end of histwinkling nose for you, and then you must give me a popcorn ball," for youknow wasps like sweet things.
So the wasp got ready to sting poor Uncle Wiggily, and all this while therabbit and the porcupine were peacefully sleeping there under the ferns,and they didn't know what was going to happen.
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!" went the wasp, as he flew closer to Uncle Wiggily. Hewas all ready to sting him, when a piece of bark happened to fall off atree and hit the porcupine on his left ear, waking him up. He opened hiseyes very quickly, thinking that a fairy was throwing snowballs at him,and then the porcupine heard the wasp buzzing, and he saw the wasp flyingstraight toward Uncle Wiggily to sting him, and next the porcupine sawthe bad fox.
"Ha! So that is how things are, eh?" cried the porcupine, as he jumped up."Well, I'll soon put a stop to that!"
So, before you could fan yourself with a feather, the porcupine took outone of his stickers, and he stuck the wasp with it so hard that the badwasp was glad enough to fly away, taking his stinger with him.
"Now, it's your turn!" cried the porcupine to the fox, and with that hethrew a whole lot of his sharp quills at the fox, and that bad creatureran away howling. And then Uncle Wiggily woke up and wanted to know whatit was all about, and what made the buzzing and howling noises.
"You had a narrow escape," said the porcupine as he told the rabbit aboutthe wasp and the fox.
"I guess I did," admitted Uncle Wiggily. "I'm much obliged to you. Nowlet's have supper."
So they ate their supper, and that's all I can tell you for the present,if you please. But, in case I see a little pig with a pink ribbon tied inhis curly tail, I'll make the next bedtime story, about Uncle Wiggily andthe bluebell.
STORY XXVI
UNCLE WIGGLY AND THE BLUEBELL
Well, I didn't see any little pig with a pink ribbon tied in his kinky,curly tail, but I'll tell you a story just the same if you'd like to hearit.
Once upon a time, a good many years ago, when--Oh, there I go again! I'malways making mistakes like that, of late. That's a story about a giantthat I was thinking of, whereas I meant to tell you one about UncleWiggily, and what happened to him.
It was the day after the wasp had nearly stung him, and the old gentlemanrabbit was traveling on alone, for the second cousin to GrandfatherPrickly Porcupine had to go home, and so he couldn't help Uncle Wiggilyhunt for his fortune any longer.
"Now take care of yourself," the porcupine had said to the rabbit, as theybade each other good-by, "and don't let any wasps sting you."
"What should I do, in case I happened to be stung?" asked Uncle Wiggily.
"Put some mud on the place," said the porcupine. "Mud is good for stings."
"I will," said the rabbit, and then he hopped on with his valise and hisred-white-and-blue-striped-barber-pole crutch. Uncle Wiggily hoped hewould soon find his fortune, for he wanted to get back home and see Sammieand Susie Littletail, and all the other animal friends. So he lookedaround very carefully for any signs of gold. He also asked all the animalsand flowers whom he met if they could tell him where his fortune was.
"No," said a warty-spotted toad, "I can't tell you, but I should think youwould dig in the ground for gold."
So Uncle Wiggily dug in the dirt in many places, but no gold did he find.
"Perhaps you can tell me where my fortune is?" he said to a tailor-birdwho was sewing some leaves together to make a nest.
"It might be up in the air," said the tailor-bird. "If I were you I shouldhop up into the air and look for it."
Well, Uncle Wiggily hopped up, but you know how it is with rabbits.They're not made to fly, and he couldn't stay up in the air long enough todo any good, so he couldn't find any gold that way.
"Oh, dear! I guess I'll never find my fortune," said the rabbitsadly-like. Then he saw a little blue flower, shaped just like a bell,hanging on a stem over a small babbling brook of water.
"Ah, there is a bluebell!" said the rabbit. "Perhaps she knows where myfortune is. I'll ask her, for flowers are very wise."
"No, I can't tell you where there is any gold," said the bluebell whenUncle Wiggily had asked her most politely. "All I do is to swing backwardand forward here all day long, and I ring my bell and I am happy. I do notneed gold."
"I wish I didn't have to have it, but I do. I need it to make my fortune,and then I can go home," said the rabbit.
"Very well," spoke the blue flower, as she rang her bell, oh so sweetly!so that it seemed to the rabbit as if she played a song about the blueskies, and birds singing and fountains spouting upward in the sun whilepretty blossoms grew all around. "Go on, Uncle Wiggily, but if you don'tfind your fortune come back here, and I will sing you to sleep," sheadded.
"I will," spoke the rabbit, as he hopped away.
Well, pretty soon, not so very long, as he was walking on a path throughthe woods, Uncle Wiggily heard a voice speaking.
"I can tell you where to find your fortune," said the voice. "I know wherethere is a big pile of yellow stones, and I think they are gold. Follow meand I will show you."
"But who are you?" asked the rabbit, for he could see no one. "You
may bethe alligator for all I know."
"Oh, I'm not the alligator," was the answer. "I am a friend of yours, andI like you very much," and the unseen one smacked his lips. "But I can'tcome out and let you see me, for I dare not go out in the sun as I amafraid of getting too hot," the voice answered, "so I will just creepalong through the bushes and I will wiggle my tail, and you can see itmoving in the grass, and you can follow that without seeing me, and I willlead you to the pile of yellow stones."
"Very well," answered the rabbit, "though I would much rather see you. Butgo ahead and I'll follow, for I must find my fortune."
So the old gentleman rabbit saw the grass wiggling and he followed that,and he kept thinking of how rich he would soon be, and how many nicethings he would buy for Sammie and Susie Littletail.
But if the rabbit had only known who it was he was following he wouldn'thave been so happy, for it was a crawly snake, and that snake was onlyfooling Uncle Wiggily, and trying to get him off to his den so he couldeat him. And that's why he didn't show himself. On and on the snakewiggled through the grass, shaking his tail, and the poor rabbit followedafter him.
"Are we nearly to the gold?" asked Uncle Wiggily after a bit.
"Almost," answered the snake, making his voice soft and gentle.
The snake was nearly at his den now, and he was just going to turn aroundand squeeze the rabbit to death, when all at once a yellow bumblebee thatwas flying overhead looked down and saw the crawly creature, and the beeknew what the snake was going to do.
"Run away, Uncle Wiggily! Run!" called the bee, "the snake is foolingyou!"
Well, Uncle Wiggily didn't wait a second. He jumped right over a briarbush and away he hopped as fast as he could hop, and the snake didn't gethim, and, oh, how mad that snake was!
Uncle Wiggily hopped around and around in the woods and the first thing heknew he couldn't find the path, he was so excited. And the more he triedto find it the more he couldn't, until he sat down on a stump and said:
"I'm lost. I know I am! Lost in the dark, deep, dismal woods, and nightcoming on! Oh, what shall I do?"
Well, he was feeling very badly, and was quite frightened, and he didn'tknow what to do when, all at once he heard a bell ringing. Oh, such asweet-toned silvery bell. "Ding-dong! Ding-dong!" it went, sounding veryclearly through the woods. Then the bell seemed to say:
"Come this way, Uncle Wiggily, come this way. Ding-dong!"
"Oh, that's the bluebell flower!" cried the rabbit. "How glad I am. Now Ican follow the ringing sound and get to a nice place to stay for thenight."
So he listened carefully, and the blue flower rang her tinkling belllouder than ever, and the rabbit could tell by the sound of it just whichway to go, and pretty soon he was out of the woods and right beside theflower that was swinging to and fro in the wind, just like a bell in achurch steeple.
"Oh, I'm go glad I could ring and tell you the way back here," said thebluebell. "Now lie down and sleep, and if there is any danger I willtinkle my bell and awaken you."
So Uncle Wiggily stretched out on some soft moss, and went to sleep. Andthere was some danger for him, as I shall tell you very soon, when, incase the rocking chair on the front porch doesn't go swimming in themolasses barrel, the next story will be about Uncle Wiggily and theWibblewobble children.
STORY XXVII
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE WIBBLEWOBBLES
Uncle Wiggily, the nice old gentleman rabbit, was sleeping on the softmoss under a clump of ferns, and over his head the bluebell flower wasnodding in the night breeze, keeping watch for danger. For you remember, Idare say, that the flower had promised to awaken Uncle Wiggily in case anyharm happened to come near him.
Hour after hour crept along, like a little mouse after a bit of cheese,and still the rabbit slumbered, and still the bluebell nodded her drowsyhead, for she would not go to sleep while she was keeping watch.
"I think I will just take one little nap," said the flower to herself,after a bit, "just shut my eyes for a little while." So she did so, andthen, all of a sudden, as quietly as a clock when it isn't ticking, therecame creeping and crawling through the woods, the bad scalery-taileryalligator.
He was looking around sniffing, and snooping, and scuffing for somethingto eat, and pretty soon he sniffed and snuffed until he came to whereUncle Wiggily was fast asleep, dreaming that he had found his fortune. Andthe worst part of it was that the bluebell flower also was sleeping, andshe couldn't tell the rabbit what was going to happen.
"Oh, I'll have a fine meal in about a minute," said the scalery-taileryalligator as he smacked his big jaws. Then he shuffled up closer to UncleWiggily, and was about to bite him when all of a sudden the nutmeg gratertail of the scalery alligator accidentally hit against the bluebellflower, and she awoke quickly.
"Tinkle! Tinkle! Tinkle! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!" rang out the bluebell,just like an alarm clock in the morning. "Ding-dong-dong! Tinkle! Tinkle!"
Up jumped Uncle Wiggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He lookedthrough the woods, and by the light of the silvery moon he saw thegrinning alligator, with his open mouth, close to him.
"Run, Uncle Wiggily! Run!" cried the bluebell, and then she made such ajingling-jangling noise that all the birds in the woods awakened, and bythe moonlight, they flew down at that alligator, and stuck him with theirsharp bills, so that he was glad to crawl away, and he didn't forget totake his scalery tail with him, either.
"My, that was a narrow escape!" said the rabbit. "I am glad he didn't eatme."
"So am I," said the bluebell, "and I'll not go to sleep again, either, Ipromise you."
So the flower stayed wide awake the rest of the night, and the rabbitslept on the soft moss, and in the morning he awakened and ate hisbreakfast out of his valise, and then, saying good-by to the flower andthanking her, he set off once more to seek his fortune.
Uncle Wiggily traveled on and on, looking in all the places he could thinkof for some gold, but he couldn't seem to find any. And then, just when hegot on top of a little hill, and started down the other side he heard someone crying--no, I'm just a bit wrong, he heard three some onescrying--three separate and distinct cries.
"Oh, dear, I've got a sliver in my foot!" blubbered one voice.
"And I've stepped on a stone and there's a big bruise on my foot!"sniffled another voice.
"Oh! none of you is as badly off as I am," quivered a third voice, "forI've cut my two feet on a piece of glass! Oh, whatever shall we do?"
"My, I wonder who they can be?" thought the rabbit, for he could see noone as yet. "Maybe those are the little children of the burglar fox, andif they are, then the burglar fox must be somewhere around here, and I hadbetter be careful of myself."
Well, the rabbit was about to turn, and run back down the hill, up whichhe had just come, when he saw something white fluttering like a piece ofpaper.
"A fox isn't white," Uncle Wiggily said to himself, "at least not thefoxes around here. That must be something else." So he took anothercareful look, and he saw three nice little duck children--I guess youremember their names--Lulu and Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble. And as soonas they saw the old gentleman rabbit, those three duck children exclaimed:
"Oh, joy! Oh, happiness!" and they didn't think about the slivers and thebruises and the cuts in their feet any more.
"My goodness me sakes alive and a potato pancake!" cried Uncle Wiggily."What are you children doing so far away from home? You must be lost."
"We are lost," said Jimmie Wibblewobble, "all three of us."
"Yes," went on Lulu, "we are certainly lost, and it's Jimmie's fault, forhe asked us to come."
"Oh! it's not all Jimmie's fault," said Alice gently, as she looked at herbrother. "You see, Uncle Wiggily, we are visiting our Aunt Lettie, the oldlady goat, who lives in the country near here. We are at her house for ourvacation, and to-day we started to go to the woods to have a good time,but we took the wrong path and we are lost, and I have a big sliver in myfoot."
"Yes, and I ste
pped on a stone, and have a big bruise," whimpered Jimmie.
"And I've cut both feet on a piece of glass," cried Lulu Wibblewobble,"and Oh, we are all so miserable!"
"Well, well!" exclaimed the rabbit in a jolly voice, "this is too bad. Imust see what I can do for you. First we will take the sliver out ofAlice's foot," and he did so with a sharp needle. It hurt a little, butAlice never cried.
"Now for Jimmie's bruise," said the rabbit, and he took some soft greenleaves, and made a plaster of them, and with some ribbon-grass for astring he tied the plaster on Jimmie's foot, and that was almost well.Then Uncle Wiggily made a little salve, from some gum out of a cherrytree, and bound up the glass cuts on Lulu's feet.
"Now, I will lead you to your Aunt Lettie's house," said the rabbit, "andyou won't be lost any more." So the three Wibblewobble children felt muchbetter and happier, and when they were almost at their aunt's house, a bighawk swooped down out of the sky and tried to bite Lulu. But Uncle Wiggilyhit the bad bird with his barber-pole crutch, and the hawk flew away,flopping his wings and tail.
"Oh, how good, and brave, and strong you are!" cried Lulu to UncleWiggily, and then all three duck children kissed him. Soon they were atthe goat-lady's home, and Aunt Lettie was very glad to see the rabbitgentleman, and also glad to have the children back. So she invited UncleWiggily to stay to supper, and very glad he was to do so.
He also stayed all night at Aunt Lettie's house, and he had quite anadventure, too, which I shall tell you about directly, when, in case thefire shovel doesn't slide down hill on a cake of ice and break its rollerskates the next bedtime story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the berrybush.