Well, he looked and looked, but no one seemed to want an old duck for anauto horn, and the rabbit and Grandfather Goosey Gander kept on travelingtogether, over the fields and through the woods.
Pretty soon they came to a place where a June bug was sitting on the edgeof a stone wall, buzzing his wings.
"Let's ask him where we can find our fortunes," said Uncle Wiggily. Sothey asked the June bug.
"Well," replied the buzzing creature, "I am not sure, but a little wayfrom here are two roads. One or the other might bring you to your fortune.One goes to the right, the other to the left hand."
"We will take the left hand road," said Uncle Wiggily. "We will go downthat for some distance, and if we do not find a pot of gold, or some icecream cones at the end of it, we will come back, and try the other road."
So Uncle Wiggily and Grandfather Goosey Gander went down the left road. Onand on they went, walking in the dust when there was any dust, and in themud when there was any mud. But they didn't find any gold.
"Oh, let's go back and try the other road," said the rabbit gentlemanafter a bit. "Perhaps that will be better."
So back they went, stopping on the way to look at a big apple tree, to seeif there were any ripe apples on it. But there was none, so they didn'teat any. And I hope you children do the same this summer. Never eat greenapples, never, never, never! Wait until they are ripe.
Well, by and by, after a while, not so very long, Uncle Wiggily, who washopping along on his crutch, suddenly exclaimed:
"Oh, I've lost my valise! What shall I do? I can't go on without it, forit has our lunch in it."
"I think you left it under the green-apple tree," said the duck. "You hadbetter go back for it, and I will wait here in the shade," for GrandpaGoosey knew the rabbit could hop faster than he could waddle.
Back Uncle Wiggily started, and, surely enough, he found his valise underthe apple tree, where he had forgotten it. He picked it up, and waswalking along with it back to where Grandfather Goosey Gander was waitingfor him when, all of a sudden, out from behind a stump came JennieChipmunk, with a basket of popcorn balls.
"Oh, Uncle Wiggily!" she exclaimed. "Don't you want to buy some popcornballs? Our church is having a little fair, and we are all trying to earnsome money. I am selling popcorn, to help the little heathen children buyred-colored handkerchiefs."
"Of course, I'll take some," said the old gentleman rabbit, "popcornballs, I mean--not children, or hankerchiefs," he said quickly. So hebought a pink one, and a white one, and a chocolate colored one, popcornballs you know--not children--and put them in his valise.
Then Uncle Wiggily sent his love to Sammie and Susie Littletail, by JennieChipmunk, and off he started to go back to where Grandfather Goosey Ganderwas waiting for him.
Well, something terrible was happening to the poor old gentleman duck, andI'll tell you all about it. No sooner had the rabbit gotten near the shadytree under which the grandfather gentleman was resting, than he heard acry:
"Help! Help! Help!" called the duck. "Oh, help me quickly, somebody!"
"What is the matter?" asked Uncle Wiggily, limping along as fast as hecould.
"Oh, a bad snake has caught me!" cried the duck. "He has wound himselfaround my legs, and I can't walk, and he is going to eat me up! He jumpedon me out of the bushes. He will eat me!"
"He shall never do that!" cried the rabbit, bravely. "I will save you." Sohe ran up to that snake, but the snake stuck out his tongue, like a fork,at the rabbit, and Uncle Wiggily was frightened. Then he tried to hit thesnake with a stick, but the crawly creature hid down behind GrandfatherGoosey, and so got out of the way.
"I have it!" suddenly cried Uncle Wiggily. "The popcorn balls. Snakes lovethem! I'll make him eat them, and then he'll let Grandpa Goosey go." Sofrom his valise the brave rabbit took the red and the white and thechocolate colored popcorn balls, and he rolled them along the ground,close to the snake's nose. And the snake smelled them, and he was sohungry for them that he uncoiled himself from Grandfather Goosey's legs,and let the old gentleman duck go. And the snake chased after the cornballs and ate them all up, and then he didn't want anything more for along while, and he went to sleep for six months and dreamed about turninginto a hoop, and so he didn't bother anybody.
So that's how Uncle Wiggily saved the duck, and next, in case the prettybaby across the street doesn't fall down and bump its nose, I'll tell youabout Uncle Wiggily and the ice cream cones.
STORY XXVI
UNCLE WIGGILY'S ICE CREAM CONES
It didn't take Uncle Wiggily and Grandfather Goosey Gander long to getaway from the place where the bad snake was, let me tell you, even if thecrawly creature had eaten three popcorn balls, and would sleep for sixmonths.
"This is no place for us," said the rabbit. "We must see if we can't findour fortune somewhere else."
"I believe you," spoke Grandfather Goosey, rubbing his yellow legs, wherethe snake had wound tight around him like a clothesline. "We'll look for aplace in which to stay to-night, and we'll see what we can findto-morrow."
Well, they hurried on for some time, and pretty soon it began to get dark,and they couldn't find any place to stay.
"I guess I'll have to dig a hole in the ground, and make a burrow," saidthe rabbit.
"Oh, but I couldn't stay underground," said the duck. "I'm used tosleeping in a wooden house."
"That's so," said Uncle Wiggily. "Well, if I had some paper I could makeyou a paper house, but I haven't any, so I don't know what to do."
And just then, away in the air, there sounded a voice saying:
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
"Ha! That's a crow," exclaimed Uncle Wiggily. "There must be green cornthat is ready to pull up somewhere around here."
"There is," said the black crow, flying down. "I know a nice field of cornthat a farmer has planted, and to-morrow I am going to pick some."
"But aren't you afraid of the scarecrow?" asked the duck.
"No; I'm not," said the crow. "The scarecrow is only some old clothesstuffed with straw, and it is set out in the field to drive us crows away.We're not a bit afraid of it. Would you be?"
"No, of course not," answered Grandfather Goosey Gander. "But then, yousee, I'm not a crow--the scary figure wasn't meant for me."
"Then you can stay in one of the pockets of the scarecrow's coat allnight," said the crow. "It will be a good place for you to sleep."
"The very thing!" cried Uncle Wiggily. So that night he dug himself alittle house under the ground, and the duck gentleman flew up, and gotinside the pocket of the old coat which the scarecrow figure wore, andthere the duck stayed all night, sleeping very soundly.
"Well, now we'll travel on again," said Uncle Wiggily, the next morningafter breakfast. So he and Grandfather Goosey started off. Well, prettysoon it became hotter and hotter, for the sun was just beaming down ashard as it could, and Uncle Wiggily exclaimed:
"I know what would taste good! An ice cream cone for each of us. Waithere, grandfather, and I'll get two of them."
"Fine!" cried the grandfather duck. "But you seem to do all the hoppingaround, Uncle Wiggily. Why can't I go, while you rest?"
"Oh, I don't in the least mind going," replied the kind rabbit. "Besides,while I do not say it to be proud, and far be it from me to boast, I cango a little faster than you can in one hop. So I'll go."
And go he did, leaving his valise in charge of Grandfather Goosey, who satdown with it, under a shady tree. Pretty soon the old gentleman rabbitcame to a little ice cream store, that stood beside the road, right near alittle pond of water, where the ice-cream-man could wash his dishes whenhe had to make them clean.
"I'll have two, nice, big, cold strawberry ice cream cones, and please putplenty of ice cream in them," said Uncle Wiggily to the man.
"Right you are!" cried the ice-cream-man in a jolly voice, and, say, Ijust wish you could have seen those cones! They were piled up heaping fullof ice cream. Oh, my! It just makes me hungry to write about them.
Wel
l, Uncle Wiggily, carefully carrying the cones, started to hop back towhere he had left Grandfather Goosey. He hadn't gone far before he heard agrowling voice cry out:
"Hold on there a moment, Uncle Wiggily!"
"Why?" asked the rabbit.
"Because I want to see what you've got," was the answer. "Ah, I see icecream cones!" and with that a great, big, black bear jumped out of thebushes, and stood right in front of Uncle Wiggily.
"Let me pass!" cried the rabbit, holding the ice cream cones so that thebear couldn't get them.
"Indeed I will not!" cried the furry creature. "Ice cream cones, indeed!If there is one thing that I'm fonder of than another, ice cream cones isit! Let me taste one!"
Then before the rabbit could do anything, that bad bear took one ice creamcone right away from him. And that bear did more than that, so he did. Hestuck his long, red tongue down inside the cone, and he licked out everybit of cream, with one, long lick.
"My but that's good!" he cried, smacking his lips. "I guess I'll try thesecond one," he said, and he dropped the empty cone, not eating it, mindyou, and he took the other full cone away from poor Uncle Wiggily beforethe rabbit gentleman could stand on his head, or even wave his short tail.
"Oh, don't eat that cone. It belongs to Grandfather Goosey," cried therabbit, sadly-like.
"Too late!" cried the bear, in a growlery voice. "Here it goes!" and withthat he stuck his long, red tongue down inside the second cone, and withone lick he licked all the ice cream out and threw the empty cone on theground.
"Now I feel good and hungry, and I guess I'll eat you," cried the bear. Hemade a grab for the poor gentleman rabbit, and folded him tight in hispaws. But before that Uncle Wiggily had reached down and had picked up thetwo empty ice cream cones.
"Oh, let me go!" cried Uncle Wiggily to the bear.
"Indeed I'll not!" shouted the savage creature. "I want you for supper."
Well, he was just going to eat Uncle Wiggily up, when that brave rabbitjust took the sharp points of those two empty ice cream cones, and hestuck them in the bear's ticklish ribs, and Uncle Wiggily tickled the bearso that the furry, savage creature sneezed out loud, and laughed so hardthat Uncle Wiggily easily slipped out of his paws, and hopped away beforehe could be caught again.
So that's how the rabbit got safely away, and the empty ice cream coneswere of some use after all. But Uncle Wiggily wondered how he could get afull one for Grandfather Goosey Gander, and how he did I'll tell youpretty soon, when, in case a butterfly doesn't bite a hole in my strawhat, the next story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the red ants.
STORY XXVII
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE RED ANTS
When Uncle Wiggily got to where Grandfather Goosey Gander was waiting forhim, under the shady tree, the old gentleman duck jumped up and cried out:
"Oh, how glad I am to see you! I've just been wishing you would hurry backwith those ice cream cones. My! I never knew the weather to be so warm atthis time of the year. Oh, won't they taste most delicious--those cones!"
You see he didn't yet know what the bear had done--eaten all the ice creamout of the cones, as I told you in the other story.
"Oh, dear!" cried the rabbit. "How sorry I am to have to disappoint you,Grandfather, but there is no ice cream!"
"No ice cream!" cried the alligator--oh, dear me! I mean the duck. "No icecream?"
"Not a bit," said Uncle Wiggily, and then he told about what the savagebear-creature had done, and also how he had used the cones to tickle him.
"Well, that's too bad," said Grandfather Goosey, "but here, I'll give youmoney to buy more cones with," and he put his hand in his pocket, but loand behold! he had lost all his money.
"Never mind, perhaps _I_ have some pennies," said the rabbit; so helooked, but, oh, dear me, suz-dud and the mustard pot! All of UncleWiggily's money was gone, too.
"Well, I guess we can't get any ice cream cones this week," said the oldgentleman duck. "We'll have to drink water."
"Oh, no you won't," said a buzzing voice. "I'll get you each an ice creamcone, because you have always been so kind--both of you." And with thatout from the bushes flew a big, sweet, honey bee, with a load of honey.
"Have you got any ice cream cones, Mr. Bee?" asked the rabbit.
"No, but I have sweet honey, and if I go down to the ice cream cone store,and give the man some of my honey he'll give me three cones, and there'llbe one for you and one for me and----"
"One for Sister Sallie!" interrupted Grandfather Goosey. "I wish she washere now."
"She could have a cone if she was here," said the honey bee, "as I couldget four. But, as long as she is not, the extra cone will go to you,Grandpa. Now, come on, and I'll take my honey to the ice-cream-cone-man."
So they went with him and on the way the bee sung a funny little song likethis:
"I buzz, buzz, buzz All day long. I make my honey Good and strong.
I fly about To every flower And sometimes stay 'Most half an hour."
Uncle Wiggily didn't know whether or not the bee was really in earnestabout what he said, but, surely enough, when they got to the ice creamstore, the man took the bee's honey, and handed out four ice cream cones,each larger than the first ones. Two were for the duck as he was so fondof them.
"Oh, let's eat them here, so that if the bear meets us he can't take themaway," suggested Grandfather Goosey, and they did. Then the bee flew hometo his hive, and Uncle Wiggily and the old gentleman duck found a niceplace to sleep under a haystack.
In the morning Grandfather Goosey said he thought he had better go backhome, as he had traveled enough. He wanted the rabbit to come with him,but Uncle Wiggily said:
"No, I have not yet found my fortune, and until I do I will keep ontraveling." So he kept on, and the duck went home.
Well, it was about two days after that when, along toward evening, asUncle Wiggily was walking down the road, he saw a real big house standingbeside a lake. Oh, it was a very big house, about as big as a mountain,and the chimney on it was so tall as almost to reach the sky.
"Hum! I wonder who lives there?" said Uncle Wiggily. "Perhaps I can findmy fortune in that house."
"Oh, no; never go there!" cried a voice down on the ground, and, lookingtoward his toes, Uncle Wiggily saw a little red ant.
"Ah, ha! Why shouldn't I go up to the big house, little red ant?" askedthe rabbit.
"Because a monstrous giant lives there," was the answer, "and he could eatyou up at one mouthful. So stay away."
"I guess I will," said the rabbit. "But I wonder where I can sleepto-night. I guess I'll go----"
"Oh, look out! Look out!" cried another red ant. "There is the giantcoming now."
Uncle Wiggily looked, and he saw something like a big tree moving, andthat was the giant. Then he felt the ground trembling as if a railroadtrain was rumbling past, and he heard a noise like thunder, and that wasthe giant walking and speaking:
"I smell rabbits! I smell rabbits!" cried the giant. "I must have them forsupper!" Then he came on straight to where Uncle Wiggily was, but hehadn't yet seen him.
"Oh, what shall I do? What shall I do?" cried the bunny. "Let me hidebehind that stone." He made a jump for a rock, taking his valise andcrutch with him, but the first red ant said:
"It is no good hiding there, Uncle Wiggily, for the giant can see you."
"Oh, what shall I do?" he asked again, trembling with fear.
"I know!" cried the second little red ant. "Let's all bring grains ofsand, and cover Uncle Wiggily up, leaving just a little hole for his nose,so he can breathe. Then the giant won't see him. It will be like down atthe seashore, when they cover people on the beach up with the sand."
"Oh, it will take many grains of sand to cover the rabbit," said the firstred ant, but still they were not discouraged. The first two ants calledtheir brothers and sisters, and aunts, and uncles, and papas, and mammas,and cousins, and nephews, and forty-second granduncles. Soon there weretwenty-two million four hundred
and sixty-seven thousand, eight hundredand ninety-one ants, and a little baby ant, who counted as a half a one,and he carried baby grains of dirt.
Then each big ant took up a grain of sand, and then they all hurried up,and put them on Uncle Wiggily, who stretched out in the grass. Now allthose ants together could carry lots of sand, you see, and soon the rabbitwas completely buried from sight, all but the tip of his nose, so he couldbreathe, and when the giant came rumbling, stumbling by, he couldn't seethe bunny, and so he didn't eat him. And, of course, the giant didn't eatthe ants, either for he didn't like them.
"Hum! I thought I smelled a rabbit, but I guess I was mistaken," said thegiant, grumbling and growling, as he tramped around.
And that's how Uncle Wiggily was saved, and pretty soon, if there isn'tany sand in my rice pudding, I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the badgiant.
STORY XXVIII
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE BAD GIANT
Do you remember about the giant, of whom I told you a little while ago,and how he couldn't find Uncle Wiggily, because the rabbit was coveredwith sand that the ants carried? Yes, I guess you do remember. Well, nowI'm going to tell you what that giant did.
At first he was real surprised, because he couldn't find the bunny-rabbit,and he tramped around, making the ground shake with his heavy steps, andgrowling in his rumbling voice until you would have thought that it wasthundering.
"My, my!" growled the giant. "To think that I can't have a rabbit supperafter all. Oh, I'm so hungry that I could eat fourteen thousand, sevenhundred and eighty-seven rabbits, and part of another one. But I guessI'll have to take a barrel of milk and a wagon load of crackers for mysupper."