"You leave it to me, Susie," spoke the old rabbit gentleman. "I'lltake the doll to the toy shop, where I bought Little Bo Peep'ssheep, and have her mended."
"Oh, goodie!" cried Susie, clasping her paws. "Now I know it will beall right," and she kissed Uncle Wiggily right between his ears.
"Well, I'm sure I _hope_ it will be all right after _that_," saidthe bunny uncle, laughing, and feeling sort of tickled inside.
Off hopped Uncle Wiggily to the toy shop, and there he found thesame monkey-doodle gentleman who had sold him the toy woolly sheepfor Little Bo Peep.
"Here is more trouble," said Uncle Wiggily. "Can you fix Susie'sdoll so she will sing, for the doll is a little girl one, just likeSusie, and her name is Sallieann Peachbasket Shortcake."
The monkey-doodle man in the toy store looked at the doll.
"I can fix her," he said. Going in his back-room workshop, wherethere were rocking-horses that needed new legs, wooden soldiers whohad lost their guns, and steamboats that had forgotten theirwhistles, the toy man soon had Susie's doll mended again as well asever. So that she said: "Papa! Mama! I love you! I am hungry!" Andshe laughed: "Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho!" and she sang:
"I am a little dollie, 'Bout one year old. Please take me where it's warm, for I Am feeling rather cold. If you're not in a hurry, It won't take me very long, To whistle or to sing for you My pretty little song."
"Hurray!" cried Uncle Wiggily when he heard this. "Susie's dolly isall right again. Thank you, Mr. Monkey-Doodle, I'll take her toSusie." Then Uncle Wiggily paid the toy-store keeper and hurried offwith Susie's doll.
Uncle Wiggily had not gone very far before, all at once from aroundthe corner of a snowbank he heard a sad, little voice crying:
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"
"My goodness!" said the bunny uncle. "Some one else is in trouble. Iwonder who it can be this time?"
He looked, and saw a little boy standing in the snow.
"Hello!" cried Uncle Wiggily, in his jolly voice. "Who are you, andwhat's the matter?"
"I am Little Tommie Tucker," was the answer. "And the matter is I'mhungry."
"Hungry, eh?" asked Uncle Wiggily. "Well, why don't you eat?"
"I guess you forgot about me and the Mother Goose book," spoke theboy. "I'm in that book, and it says about me:
"'Little Tommie Tucker, Must sing for his supper. What shall he eat? Jam and bread and butter.'"
"Well?" asked Uncle Wiggily. "Why don't you sing?"
"I--I can't!" answered Tommie. "That's the trouble. I have caughtsuch a cold that I can't sing. And if I don't sing Mother Goosewon't know it is I, and she won't give me any supper. Oh, dear! Oh,dear! And I am so hungry!"
"There now, there! Don't cry," kindly said the bunny uncle, pattingTommie Tucker on the head. "I'll soon have you singing for yoursupper."
"But how can you when I have such a cold?" asked the little boy."Listen. I am as hoarse as a crow."
And, truly, he could no more sing than a rusty gate, or a lastyear's door-knob.
"Ah, I can soon fix that!" said Uncle Wiggily. "See, here I haveSusie Littletail's talking and singing doll, which I have just hadmended. Now you take the doll in your pocket, go to Mother Goose,and when she asks you to sing for your supper, just push the buttonin the doll's back. Then the doll will sing and Mother Goose willthink it is you, and give you bread and jam."
"Oh, how fine!" cried Tommie Tucker. "I'll do it!"
"But afterward," said Uncle Wiggily, slowly shaking his paw atTommie, "afterward you must tell Mother Goose all about the littlejoke you played, or it would not be fair. Tell her the doll sang andnot you."
"I will," said Tommie. He and Uncle Wiggily went to Mother Goose'shouse, and when Tommie had to sing for his supper the doll did itfor him. And when Mother Goose heard about it she said it was a finetrick, and that Uncle Wiggily was very good to think of it.
Then the bunny uncle took Susie's mended doll to her, and the nextday Tommie's cold was all better and he could sing for his supperhimself, just as the book tells about.
And if the little mouse doesn't go to sleep in the cat's cradle andscare the milk bottle so it rolls off the back stoop, I'll tell younext about Uncle Wiggily and Pussy Cat Mole.
CHAPTER IX
UNCLE WIGGILY AND PUSSY CAT MOLE
"Oh, dear! I don't believe he's ever coming!" said Nurse Jane FuzzyWuzzy, the muskrat lady housekeeper, as she stood at the window ofthe hollow-stump bungalow one day, and looked down through thewoods.
"For whom are you looking, Nurse Jane?" asked Uncle WiggilyLongears, the rabbit gentleman. "If it's for the letter-man, I thinkhe went past some time ago."
"No, I wasn't looking for the letter-man," said the muskrat lady. "Iam expecting a messenger-boy cat to bring home my new dress from thedressmaker's, but I don't see him."
"A new dress, eh?" asked Uncle Wiggily. "Pray, what is going on?"
"My dress is going on me, as soon as it comes home, Uncle Wiggily,"the muskrat lady answered, laughingly. "And then I am going on overto the house of Mrs. Wibblewobble, the duck lady. She and I aregoing to have a little tea party together, if you don't mind."
"Mind? Certainly not! I'm glad to have you go out and enjoyyourself," said Uncle Wiggily, jolly like and also laughing.
"But I can't go if my new dress doesn't come," went on Nurse Jane."That is, I don't want to."
"Look here!" said the bunny uncle, "I'll tell you what I'll do,Nurse Jane, I'll go for your dress myself and bring it home. I havenothing to do. I'll go get your dress at the dressmaker's."
"Will you, really?" cried the muskrat lady. "That will be fine! ThenI can curl my whiskers and tie a new pink bow for my tail. You arevery good, Uncle Wiggily."
"Oh, not at all! Not at all!" the rabbit gentleman said, modest likeand shy. Then he hopped out of the hollow-stump bungalow and acrossthe fields and through the woods to where Nurse Jane's dressmakermade dresses.
"Oh, yes, Nurse Jane's dress!" exclaimed Mrs. Spin-Spider, who wovesilk for all the dresses worn by the lady animals of Woodland. "Yes,I have just finished it. I was about to call a messenger-boy cat andsend it home, but now you are here you may take it. And here is somecloth I had left over. Nurse Jane might want it if ever she tears ahole in her dress."
Uncle Wiggily put the extra pieces of cloth in his pocket, and thenMrs. Spin-Spider wrapped Nurse Jane's dress up nicely for him intissue paper, as fine as the web which she had spun for the silk,and the rabbit gentleman started back to the hollow-stump bungalow.
Mrs. Spin-Spider lived on Second Mountain, and, as Uncle Wiggily'sbungalow was on First Mountain, he had quite a way to go to gethome. And when he was about half way there he passed a little housenear a gray rock that looked like an eagle, and in the house heheard a voice saying:
"Oh, dear! Oh, isn't it too bad? Now I can't go!"
"Ha! I wonder who that can be?" thought the rabbit gentleman. "Itsounds like some one in trouble. I will ask if I can do anything tohelp."
The rabbit gentleman knocked on the door of the little house, and avoice said:
"Come in!"
Uncle Wiggily entered, and there in the middle of the room he saw apussy cat lady holding up a dress with a big hole burned in it.
"I beg your pardon, but who are you and what is the matter?"politely asked the bunny uncle, making a low bow.
"My name is Pussy Cat Mole," was the answer, "and you can see thetrouble for yourself. I am Pussy Cat Mole; I jumped over a coal,and----"
"In your best petticoat burned a great hole," finished UncleWiggily. "I know you, now. You are from Mother Goose's book and Imet you at a party in Belleville, where they have a bluebell floweron the school to call the animal children to their lessons."
"That's it!" meowed Pussy Cat Mole. "I am glad you remember me,Uncle Wiggily. It was at a party I met you, and now I am going toanother. Or, rather, I was going until I jumped over a coal, and inmy best petticoat burned a great hole. Now I can't go," and she heldup the burned dress, sorrowf
ul like and sad.
"How did you happen to jump over the coal?" asked Uncle Wiggily.
"Oh, it fell out of my stove," said Pussy Cat Mole, "and I jumpedover it in a hurry to get the fire shovel to take it up. That's howI burned my dress. And now I can't go to the party, for it was mybest petticoat, and Mrs. Wibblewobble, the duck lady, asked me to bethere early, too; and now--Oh, dear!" and Pussy Cat Mole felt verybadly, indeed.
"Mrs. Wibblewobble's!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "Why, Nurse Jane isgoing there to a little tea party, too! This is her new dress I amtaking home."
"Has she burned a hole in it?" asked the pussy cat lady.
"No, she has not, I am glad to say," the bunny uncle replied. "Shehasn't had it on, yet."
"Then she can go to the party, but I can't," said Pussy Cat Mole,sorrowfully. "Oh, dear!"
"Yes, you can go!" suddenly cried Uncle Wiggily. "See here! I havesome extra pieces of cloth, left over when Mrs. Spin-Spider madeNurse Jane's dress. Now you can take these pieces of cloth and mendthe hole burned by the coal in your best petticoat. Then you can goto the party."
"Oh, so I can," meowed the pussy cat. So, with a needle and thread,and the cloth she mended her best petticoat.
All around the edges and over the top of the burned hole the pussycat lady sewed the left-over pieces of Nurse Jane's dress which wasalmost the same color. Then, when the mended place was pressed witha warm flat-iron, Uncle Wiggily cried:
"You would never know there had been a burned hole!"
"That's fine!" meowed Pussy Cat Mole. "Thank you so much, UncleWiggily, for helping me!"
"Pray do not mention it," said the rabbit gentleman, bashful likeand casual. Then he hurried to the hollow-stump bungalow with NurseJane's dress, and the muskrat lady said he had done just right tohelp mend Pussy Cat Mole's dress with the left-over pieces. So sheand Nurse Jane both went to Mrs. Wibblewobble's little tea party,and had a good time.
And so, you see, it came out just as it did in the book: Pussy CatMole jumped over a coal, and in her best petticoat burned a greathole. But the hole it was mended, and my story is ended. Only neverbefore was it known how the hole was mended. Uncle Wiggily did it.
And, if the apple doesn't jump out of the peach dumpling and hide inthe lemon pie when the knife and fork try to play tag with it, I'lltell you next about Uncle Wiggily and Jack and Jill, and it will bea Valentine story.
CHAPTER X
UNCLE WIGGILY AND JACK AND JILL
Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice old gentleman rabbit, was asleep inan easy chair in his hollow-stump bungalow one morning when he heardsome one calling:
"Hi, Jack! Ho, Jill! Where are you? Come at once, if you please!"
"Ha! What's that? Some one calling me?" asked the bunny uncle,sitting up so suddenly that he knocked over his red, white and bluestriped barber-pole rheumatism crutch that Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy,the muskrat lady housekeeper, had gnawed for him out of acorn-stalk. "Is any one calling me?" asked Mr. Longears.
"No," answered Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy. "That's Mother Goose calling Jackand Jill to get a pail of water."
"Oh! is that all?" asked the rabbit gentleman, rubbing his pink eyesand making his nose twinkle like the sharp end of an ice cream cone."Just Mother Goose calling Jack and Jill; eh? Well, I'll go out andsee if I can find them for her."
Uncle Wiggily was always that way, you know, wanting to help someone. This time it was Mother Goose. His new hollow-stump bungalowwas built right near where Mother Goose lived, with all her bigfamily; Peter-Peter Pumpkin-Eater, Little Jack Horner, Bo Peep andmany others.
"Ho, Jack! Hi, Jill! Where are you?" called Mother Goose, as UncleWiggily came out of his hollow stump.
"Can't you find those two children?" asked the rabbit gentleman,making a polite good morning bow.
"I am sorry to say I cannot," answered Mother Goose. "They were overto see the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe, a while ago, but wherethey are now I can't guess, and I need a pail of water for SimpleSimon to go fishing in, for to catch a whale."
"Oh, I'll get the water for you," said Uncle Wiggily, taking thepail. "Perhaps Jack and Jill are off playing somewhere, and theyhave forgotten all about getting the water."
"And I suppose they'll forget about tumbling down hill, too," wenton Mother Goose, sort of nervous like. "But they must not. If theydon't fall down, so Jack can break his crown, it won't be like thestory in my book, and everything will be upside down."
"So Jack has to break his crown; eh?" asked Uncle Wiggily. "That'stoo bad. I hope he won't hurt himself too much."
"Oh, he's used to it by this time," Mother Goose said. "He doesn'tmind falling, nor does Jill mind tumbling down after."
"Very well, then, I'll get the pail of water for you," spoke thebunny uncle, "and Jack and Jill can do the tumbling-down-hill part."
Uncle Wiggily took the water pail and started for the hill, on topof which was the well owned by Mother Goose. As the bunny uncle waswalking along he suddenly heard a voice calling to him from behind abush.
"Oh, Uncle Wiggily, will you do me a favor?"
"I certainly will," said Mr. Longears, "but who are you, and whereare you?"
"Here I am, over here," the voice went on. "I'm Jack, and will youplease give this to Jill when you see her?"
Out from behind the bush stepped Jack, the little Mother Goose boy.In his hand he held a piece of white birch bark, prettily coloredred, green and pink, and on it was a little verse which read:
"Can you tell me, pretty maid, Tell me and not be afraid, Who's the sweetest girl, and true?-- I can; for she's surely you!"
"What's this? What's this?" asked Uncle Wiggily, in surprise."What's this?"
"It's a valentine for Jill," said Jack. "To-day is Valentine's Day,you see, but I don't want Jill to know I sent it, so I went off hereand hid until I could see you to ask you to take it to her."
"All right, I'll do it," Uncle Wiggily said, laughing. "I'll takeyour valentine to Jill for you. So that's why you weren't 'round toget the pail of water; is it?"
"Yes," answered Jack. "I wanted to finish making my valentine. Assoon as you give it to Jill I'll get the water."
"Oh, never mind that," said the bunny uncle. "I'll get the water,just you do the falling-down-hill part. I'm too old for that."
"I will," promised Jack. Then Uncle Wiggily went on up the hill, andpretty soon he heard some one else calling him, and, all of asudden, out from behind a stump stepped Jill, the little MotherGoose girl.
"Oh, Uncle Wiggily!" said Jill, bashfully holding out a pretty redleaf, shaped like a heart, "will you please give this to Jack. Idon't want him to know I sent it."
"Of course, I'll give it to him," promised the rabbit gentleman."It's a valentine, I suppose, and here is something for you," andwhile Jill was reading the valentine Jack had sent her, UncleWiggily looked at the red heart-shaped leaf. On it Jill had writtenin blue ink:
"One day when I went to school, Teacher taught to me this rule: Eight and one add up to nine; So I'll be your valentine."
"My, that's nice!" said Uncle Wiggily, laughing. "So that's whyyou're hiding off here for, Jill, to make a valentine for Jack?"
"That's it," Jill answered, blushing sort of pink, like the frostingon a strawberry cake. "But I don't want Jack to know it."
"I'll never tell him," said Uncle Wiggily.
So he went on up the hill to get a pail of water for Mother Goose.And on his way back he gave Jill's valentine to Jack, who liked itvery much.
"And now, since you got the water, Jill and I will go tumble downhill," said Jack, as he found the little girl, where she was readinghis valentine again. Up the hill they went, near the well of water,and Jack fell down, and broke his crown, while Jill came tumblingafter, while Uncle Wiggily looked on and laughed. So it all happenedjust as it did in the book, you see.
Mother Goose was very glad Uncle Wiggily had brought the water forSimple Simon to go fishing in, and that afternoon she gave avalentine party for Sammie and Susie Littletail, the Bu
shytailsquirrel brothers, Nannie and Billie Wagtail, the goats, and all theother animal friends of Uncle Wiggily. And every one had a finetime.
And if the cup doesn't jump out of the saucer and hide in thespoonholder, where the coffee cake can't find it, I'll tell you nextabout Uncle Wiggily and little Jack Horner.
CHAPTER XI
UNCLE WIGGILY AND JACK HORNER
"Well, I think I'll go for a walk," said Uncle Wiggily Longears, therabbit gentleman, one afternoon, when he was sitting out on thefront porch of his hollow-stump bungalow. He had just eaten a nicedinner that Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskrat lady housekeeper,had gotten ready for him.
"Go for a walk!" exclaimed Nurse Jane. "Why, Mr. Longears, excuse mefor saying so, but you went walking this morning."
"I know I did," answered the bunny uncle, "but no adventure happenedto me then. I don't really count it a good day unless I have had anadventure. So I'll go walking again, and perhaps I may find one. IfI do, I'll come home and tell you all about it."
"All right," said Nurse Jane. "You are a funny rabbit, to be sure!Going off in the woods, looking for adventures when you might sitquietly here on the bungalow front porch."
"That's just it!" laughed Uncle Wiggily. "I don't like to be tooquiet. Off I go!"
"I hope you have a nice adventure!" Nurse Jane called after him.
"Thank you," answered Uncle Wiggily, politely.
Away over the fields and through the woods went the bunny uncle,looking on all sides for an adventure, when, all of a sudden heheard behind him a sound that went: