"Good!" cried the bunny uncle. "Now we will go to your mother,Wuzzo. She will be glad to know that you frightened a little mouseunder the Queen's chair."
So Uncle Wiggily took the third little kitten home, and thus theywere all found. And if the cat on our roof doesn't jump down thechimney, and scare the lemon pie so it turns into an apple dumpling,I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily and the Jack horse.
CHAPTER XX
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE JACK HORSE
"Well, where are you going to-day, Uncle Wiggily?" asked Nurse JaneFuzzy, the muskrat lady housekeeper, as she saw the rabbit gentlemanputting on his tall silk hat, and taking his red, white and bluestriped rheumatism crutch down off the mantel.
"I am going over to see Nannie and Billy Wagtail, the goatchildren," answered the bunny uncle. "I have not seen them in a longwhile."
"But they'll be at school," said Nurse Jane.
"I'll wait until they come home, then," said Uncle Wiggily. "Andwhile I'm waiting I'll talk to Uncle Butter, the nice old gentlemangoat."
So off started Uncle Wiggily over the fields and through the woods.
Pretty soon he came to the house where the family of Wagtail goatslived. They were given that name because they wagged their littleshort tails so very fast, sometimes up and down, and again sideways.
"Why, how do you do, Uncle Wiggily?" asked Mrs. Wagtail, as sheopened the door for the rabbit gentleman. "Come and sit down."
"Thank you," he answered. "I called to see Nannie and Billie. But Isuppose they are at school."
"Yes, they are studying their lessons."
"Well, I'll come in then, and talk to Uncle Butter, for I supposeyou are busy."
"Yes, I am, but not too busy to talk to you, Mr. Longears," said thegoat lady. "Uncle Butter is away, pasting up some circus posters onthe billboard, and I wish he'd come back, for I want him to go tothe store for me."
"Couldn't I go?" asked Uncle Wiggily, politely. "I have nothingspecial to do, and I often go to the store for Nurse Jane. I'd liketo go for you."
"Very well, you may," said Mrs. Wagtail. "I want for supper somepapers off a tomato can, and a few more off a can of corn, and hereis a basket to put them in. And you might bring a bit of brownpaper, so I can make soup of it."
"I will," said Uncle Wiggily, starting off with the basket on hispaw. Goats, you know, like the papers that come off cans, as thepapers have sweet paste on them. And they also like brown grocerypaper itself, for it has straw in it, and goats like straw. Ofcourse, goats eat other things besides paper, though.
Uncle Wiggily was going carefully along, for there was ice and snowon the ground, and it was slippery, and he did not want to fall.Soon he was at the paper store, where he bought what Mrs. Wagtailwanted.
And on the way back to the goat lady's house something happened tothe old rabbit gentleman. As he stepped over a big icicle he put hisfoot down on a slippery snowball some little animal chap had left onthe path, and, all of a sudden, bango! down went Uncle Wiggily,basket of paper, rheumatism crutch and all.
"Ouch!" cried the rabbit gentleman, "I fear something is broken,"for he heard a cracking sound as he fell.
He looked at his paws and legs and felt of his big ears. They seemedall right. Then he looked at the basket of paper. That was crumpledup, but not broken, and the bunny uncle's tall silk hat, while ithad a few dents in, was not smashed.
"Oh, dear! It's my rheumatism crutch," cried Uncle Wiggily. "It'sbroken in two, and how am I ever going to walk without it thisslippery day I don't see. Oh, my goodness me sakes alive and somebang-bang tooth powder!"
Carefully the rabbit gentleman arose, but as he had no red, whiteand blue striped crutch to lean on, he nearly fell again.
"I guess I'd better stay sitting down," thought Uncle Wiggily."Perhaps some one may come along, and I can ask them go get NurseJane to gnaw for me another rheumatism crutch out of a corn-stalk.I'll wait here until help comes."
Uncle Wiggily waited quite a while, but no one passed by.
"It will soon be time for Billie and Nannie Wagtail to pass by ontheir way from school," thought the bunny uncle. "I could send themfor another crutch, I suppose."
So he waited a little longer, and then, as no one came, he tried towalk with his broken crutch. But he could not. Then Uncle Wiggilycried:
"Help! Help! Help!" but still no one came. "Oh, dear!" said therabbit gentleman, "if only Mother Goose would fly past, riding onthe back of her gander, she might take me home." He looked up, butMother Goose was not sweeping cobwebs out of the sky that day, so hedid not see her.
Then, all of a sudden, as the rabbit gentleman sat there, wonderinghow he was going to walk on the slippery ice and snow without hiscrutch to help him, he heard a jolly voice singing:
"Ride a Jack horse to Banbury Cross, To see an old lady jump on a white horse. With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, She shall have music wherever she goes."
And with that along through the woods came riding a nice, old ladyon a rocking-horse. And on the side of the rocking-horse was paintedin red ink the name:
JACK
"Why, hello, Uncle Wiggily!" called the nice old lady, shaking hertoes and making the bells jingle a pretty tune. "What is the matterwith you?" she asked.
"Oh, I am in such trouble," replied the bunny uncle. "I fell down ona slippery snowball, and broke my crutch. Without it I cannot walk,and I want to take these papers to Mrs. Wagtail, the goat lady, toeat."
"Ha! If that is all your trouble I can soon fix matters!" cried thejolly old lady. "Here, get up beside me on my Jack horse, and I'llride you to Mrs. Wagtail's, and then take you home to yourhollow-stump bungalow."
"Oh, will you? How kind!" said Uncle Wiggily. "Thank you! But haveyou the time?"
"Lots of time," laughed the old lady. "It doesn't really matter whenI get to Banbury Cross. Come on!"
Uncle Wiggily got up on the back of the Jack horse, behind the oldlady. She tinkled the rings on her fingers and jingled the bells onher toes, and so, of course, she'll have music wherever she goes.
"Just as the Mother Goose books says," spoke the bunny uncle. "Oh,I'm glad you came along."
"So am I," said the nice old lady. Then she took Uncle Wiggily tothe Wagtail house, where he left the basket of papers, and next herode on the Jack horse to his bungalow, and, after the bunny unclehad thanked the old lady, she, herself, rode on to Banbury Cross, tosee another old lady jump on a white horse. And very nicely she didit too, let me tell you.
So everything came out all right, and in the next chapter, if theapple pie doesn't turn a somersault and crack its crust so the juiceruns out, I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the clock-mouse.
CHAPTER XXI
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE CLOCK-MOUSE
Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice old rabbit gentleman, sat in aneasy chair in his hollow-stump bungalow. He had just eaten a nicelunch, which Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskrat lady housekeeper,had put on the table for him, and he was feeling a bit sleepy.
"Are you going out this afternoon?" asked Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy, as shecleared away the dishes.
"Hum! Ho! Well, I hardly know," Uncle Wiggily answered, in a sleepyvoice. "I may, after I have a little nap."
"Your new red, white and blue striped rheumatism crutch is ready foryou," went on Nurse Jane. "I gnawed it for you out of a fine largecorn-stalk."
Uncle Wiggily had broken his other crutch, if you will kindlyremember, when he slipped as he was coming back from the store,where he went for Mrs. Wagtail, the goat lady. And it was soslippery that the rabbit gentleman never would have gotten home,only he rode on a Jack horse with the lady, who had rings on herfingers and bells on her toes, as I told you in the story beforethis one.
"Thank you for making me a new crutch, Nurse Jane," spoke the bunnyuncle. "If I go out I'll take it."
Then he went to sleep in his easy chair, but he was suddenlyawakened by hearing the bungalow clock strike one. Then, as he satup and rubbed his eyes with his paws, U
ncle Wiggily heard a thumpingnoise on the hall floor and a little voice squeaked out:
"Ouch! I've hurt my leg! Oh, dear!"
"My! I wonder what that can be? It seemed to come out of my clock,"spoke Mr. Longears.
"I did come out of your clock," said some one.
"You did? Who are you, if you please?" asked the bunny uncle,looking all around. "I can't see you."
"That's because I'm so small," was the answer. "But here I am, rightby the table. I can't walk as my leg is hurt."
Uncle Wiggily looked, and saw a little mouse, who was holding hisleft hind leg in his right front paw.
"Who are you?" asked the bunny uncle.
"I am Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse," was the answer. "And I am aclock-mouse."
"A clock-mouse!" exclaimed Uncle Wiggily, in surprise. "I neverheard of such a thing."
"Oh, don't you remember me? I'm in Mother Goose's book. This is howit goes:
"'Hickory Dickory Dock, The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, And down he come, Hickory Dickory Dock!'"
"Oh, now I remember you," said Uncle Wiggily. "And so you are aclock-mouse."
"Yes, I ran up your clock, and then when the clock struck one, downI had to come. But I ran down so fast that I tripped over thependulum. The clock reached down its hands and tried to catch me,but it had no eyes in its face to see me, so I slipped, anyhow, andI hurt my leg."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," said Uncle Wiggily. "Perhaps I can fixit for you. Nurse Jane, bring me some salve for Hickory DickoryDock, the clock-mouse," he called.
The muskrat lady brought some salve, and, with a rag, Uncle Wiggilybound up the leg of the clock-mouse so it did not hurt so much.
"And I'll lend you a piece of my old crutch, so you can hobble alongon it," said Uncle Wiggily.
"Thank you," spoke Hickory Dickory Dock, the clock-mouse. "You havebeen very kind to me, and some day, I hope, I may do you a favor. IfI can I will."
"Thank you," Uncle Wiggily said. Then Hickory Dickory Dock limpedaway, but in a few days he was better, and he could run up moreclocks, and run down when they struck one.
It was about a week after this that Uncle Wiggily went walkingthrough the woods on his way to see Grandfather Goosey Gander. Andjust before he reached his friend's house he met Mother Goose.
"Oh, Uncle Wiggily," she said, swinging her cobweb broom up anddown, "I want to thank you for being so kind to Hickory DickoryDock, the clock-mouse."
"It was a pleasure to be kind to him," said Uncle Wiggily. "Is heall better now?"
"Yes, he is all well again," replied Mother Goose. "He is coming torun up and down your clock again soon."
"I'll be glad to see him," said Uncle Wiggily. Then he went to callon Grandpa Goosey, and he told about Hickory Dickory Dock, fallingdown from out the clock.
On his way back to his hollow-stump bungalow, Uncle Wiggily took ashort cut through the woods. And, as he was passing along, his pawslipped and he became all tangled up in a wild grape vine, which waslike a lot of ropes, all twisted together into hard knots.
"Oh, dear!" cried Uncle Wiggily. "I'm caught!" The more he tried tountangle himself the tighter he was held fast, until it seemed hewould never get out.
"Oh!" cried the rabbit gentleman. "This is terrible. Will no onecome to get me out? Help! Help! Will some one please help me?"
"Yes, I will help you, Uncle Wiggily," answered a kind, littlesqueaking voice.
"Who are you?" asked the rabbit gentleman, moving a piece of thegrape vine away from his nose, so he could speak plainly.
"I am Hickory Dickory Dock, the clock-mouse," was the answer, "andwith my sharp teeth I will gnaw the grape vine in many pieces so youwill be free."
"That will be very kind of you," said Uncle Wiggily, who was quitetired out with his struggles to get loose.
So Hickory Dickory Dock, with his sharp teeth, gnawed the grapevine, and, in a little while, Uncle Wiggily was loose and all rightagain.
"Thank you," said the bunny uncle to the clock-mouse, as he hoppedoff, and Hickory Dickory Dock went with him, for his leg was allbetter now. "Thank you very much, nice little clock-mouse."
"You did me a favor," said Hickory Dickory Dock, "and now I havedone you one, so we are even." And that's a good way to be in thisworld. So, if the ink bottle doesn't turn pale when it sees thefountain pen jump in the goldfish bowl and swim I'll tell you nextabout Uncle Wiggily and the late scholar.
CHAPTER XXII
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE LATE SCHOLAR
"Heigh-ho!" cried Uncle Wiggily Longears, the nice rabbit gentleman,one morning, as he hopped from bed and went to the window of hishollow-stump bungalow to look out. "Heigh-ho! It will soon beSpring, I hope, for I am tired of Winter."
Then he went down-stairs, where Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy, the muskratlady housekeeper, had his breakfast ready on the table.
Uncle Wiggily ate some cabbage pancakes with carrot maple sugarsprinkled over them, and then as he wiped his whiskers on his redtongue, which he used for a napkin, and as he twinkled his pink noseto see if it was all right, Nurse Jane said:
"Yesterday, Uncle Wiggily, you told me you would like me to makesome lettuce cakes today; did you not?"
"I did," answered Uncle Wiggily, sort of slow and solemn like. "Butwhat is the matter, Nurse Jane? I hope you are not going to tell methat you cannot, or will not, make those lettuce cakes."
"Oh, I'll make them, all right enough, Wiggy," the muskrat ladyanswered, "only I have no lettuce. You will have to go to the storefor me."
"And right gladly will I go!" exclaimed the bunny uncle, speakinglike some one in an old-fashioned story book. "I'll get myautomobile out and go at once."
Uncle Wiggily had not used his machine often that Winter, as therehad been so much snow and ice. But now it was getting close toSpring and the weather was very nice. There was no snow in the woodsand fields, though, of course, some might fall later.
"It will do my auto good to have me ride in it," said the bunnyuncle. He blew some hot air in the bologna sausage tires, put sometalcum powder on the steering-wheel so it would not catch cold, andthen, having tickled the whizzicum-whazzicum with a goose feather,away he started for the lettuce store.
It did not take him long to get there, and, having bought a nicehead of the green stuff, the bunny uncle started back again for hishollow-stump bungalow.
"Nurse Jane will make some fine lettuce cakes, with clover ice creamcones on top," he said to himself, as he hurried along in hisautomobile.
He had not gone very far, and he was about halfway home, when frombehind a bush he heard the sound of crying. Now, whenever UncleWiggily heard any one crying he knew some one was in trouble, and ashe always tried to help those in trouble, he did it this time.Stopping his automobile, he called:
"Who are you, and what is the matter? Perhaps I can help you."
Out from behind the bush came a boy, a nice sort of boy, except thathe was crying.
"Oh, are you Simple Simon?" asked Uncle Wiggily, "and are you cryingbecause you cannot catch a whale in your mother's water pail?"
"No; I am not Simple Simon," was the answer of the boy.
"Well, you cannot be Jack Horner, because you have no pie with you,and you're not Little Boy Blue, because I see you wear a rednecktie," went on the bunny uncle. "Do you belong to Mother Goose atall?"
"Yes," answered the boy. "I do. You must have heard about me. I amDiller-a-Dollar, a ten o'clock scholar, why do you come so soon? Iused to come at ten o'clock, but now I'll come at noon. Don't youknow me?"
"Ha! Why, of course, I know you!" cried Uncle Wiggily, in his jollyvoice, as he put some lollypop oil on the doodle-oodleum of hisauto. "But, why are you crying?"
"Because I'm going to be late at school again," said the boy. "Yousee of late I have been late a good many mornings, but this morningI got up early, and was sure I would get there before noon."
"And so you will, if you hurry," Uncle Wiggily said, looking at hiswatch, that was a cousin to the cl
ock, up which, and down which, ranHickory Dickory Dock, the mouse. "It isn't anywhere near noon yet,"went on the rabbit gentleman. "You can almost get to school on timethis morning."
"I suppose I could," said the boy, "and I got up early on purpose todo that. But now I have lost my way, and I don't know where theschool is. Oh, dear! Boo hoo! I'll never get to school this week, Ifear."
"Oh, yes, you will!" said Uncle Wiggily, still more kindly. "I'lltell you what to do. Hop up in the automobile here with me, and I'lltake you to the school. I know just where it is. Sammie and SusieLittletail, my rabbit friends, and Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, thesquirrels, as well as Nannie and Billie Wagtail, the goats, gothere. Hop in!"
So Diller-a-Dollar, the late scholar, hopped in the auto, and he andUncle Wiggily started off together.
"You'll not be late this morning," said the bunny uncle. "I'll getyou there just about nine o'clock."
Well, Uncle Wiggily meant to do it, and he might have, only for whathappened. First a hungry dog bit a piece out of one of the bolognasausage tires on the auto wheels, and they had to go slower. Then ahungry cat took another piece and they had to go still more slowly.
A little farther on the tinkerum-tankerum of the automobile, whichdrinks gasolene, grew thirsty and Uncle Wiggily had to give it aglass of lemonade. This took more time.
And finally when the machine went over a bump the cork came out ofthe box of talcum powder and it flew in the face of Uncle Wiggilyand the late scholar and they both sneezed so hard that the autostopped.