So that's what he did, and my how much he ate!
Well, after the giant had gone away, Uncle Wiggily crawled out from underthe sand, and he said to the ants:
"I guess I'd better not stay around here, for it is too dangerous. I'llnever find my fortune here, and if that giant were to see me he'd step onme, and make me as flat as a sheet of paper. I'm going."
"But wait," said the biggest ant of all. "You know there are two giantsaround here. One is a good one, and one is bad. Now if you go to the goodgiant I'm sure he will help you find your fortune."
"I'll try it," said the rabbit. "Where does the good giant live?"
"Just up the hill, in that house where you see the flag," said the bigant, as she ate two crumbs of bread and jam. "That's where the good giantlives. You must go where you see the fluttering flag, and you may findyour fortune."
"I will," said Uncle Wiggily, "I'll go in the morning, the first thingafter breakfast."
So the next morning he started off. But in the night something hadhappened and the rabbit didn't know a thing about it. After dark the badgiant got up, and he went over, and took the flag from the pole in frontof the house of the good giant, and hoisted it up over his own house.
"I haven't any flag of my own," said the bad giant, "so I will take his."For you see, the two giants lived not far apart. In fact they wereneighbors, but they were very different, one from the other, for one waskind and the other was cruel.
So it happened, that when Uncle Wiggily started to go to the giant's househe looked for the fluttering flag, and when he saw it on the bad giant'shouse he didn't know any better, but he thought it was the home of thegood giant.
Well, the old gentleman rabbit walked on and on, having said good-by tothe ants, and pretty soon he was right close to the bad giant's house.But, all the while, he thought it was the good giant's place--so don'tforget that.
"I wonder what sort of a fortune he'll give me," thought the rabbit. "Ihope I soon get rich, so I can stop traveling, for I am tired."
Well, as he came near the place where the bad giant lived he heard a voicesinging. And the song, which was sung in a deep, gruff, grumbling,growling voice, went something like this:
"Oh, bing bang, bung! Look out of the way for me. For I'm so mad, I feel so bad, I could eat a hickory tree!
Oh, snip, snap, snoop! Get off my big front stoop, Or I'll tear my hair In wild despair, And burn you with hot soup!"
"My, that's a queer song for a good giant to sing," thought Uncle Wiggily."But perhaps he just sings that for fun. I'm sure I'll find him a jollyenough fellow, when I get to know him."
Well, he went on a little farther, and pretty soon he came to the gate ofthe castle where the bad giant lived. The rabbit looked about, and saw noone there, so he kept right on, until, all of a sudden, he felt as if abig balloon had swooped down out of the sky, and had lifted him up. Higherand higher he went, until he found himself away up toward the roof of thecastle, and then he looked and he saw two big fingers, about as big as atrolley car, holding him just as you would hold a bug.
"Oh, who has me?" cried Uncle Wiggily, very much frightened. "Let me go,please. Who are you?"
"I am the bad giant," was the answer, "and if I let you go now you'd fallto the ground and be killed. So I'll hold on to you."
"Are you the bad giant?" asked the rabbit. "Why, I thought I was comingto the good giant's house. Oh, please let me go!"
"No, I'm going to keep you," said the giant. "I just took the good giant'sflag to fool you. Now, let me see, I think I'll just sprinkle sugar on youand eat you all up--no, I'll use salt--no, I think pepper would be better;I feel like pepper to-day."
So the bad giant started toward the cupboard to get the pepper caster, andpoor Uncle Wiggily thought it was all up with him.
"Oh, I wish I'd never thought of coming to see any giant, good or bad,"the rabbit gentleman said. "Now good-by to all my friends!"
"Hum! Let me see," spoke the bad giant, standing still. "Pepper--no, Ithink I'll put some mustard on you--no, I'll try ketchup--no, I meanhorseradish. Oh, dear, I can't seem to make up my mind what to flavor youwith," and he held Uncle Wiggily there in his fingers, away up about ahundred feet high in the air, and wondered what he'd do with the oldgentleman rabbit.
And it's a good thing he didn't eat him right away, for that was the meansof saving Uncle Wiggily's life. Right after breakfast the good giant foundout that his bad neighbor had taken his flag, so he went and told the antsall about it.
"Oh, then Uncle Wiggily must have been mixed up about the flag, and he hasgone to the wrong place, and he'll be eaten," said the big ant. "We mustsave him. Come on, everybody!"
So all the ants hurried along together, and crawled to the castle of thebad giant, and they got there just as he was putting some molasses onUncle Wiggily to eat him. And those ants crawled all over the giant, onhis legs and arms, and nose and ears and toes, and they tickled him sothat he squiggled and wiggled and squirreled and whirled, and finally helet Uncle Wiggily fall on a feather bed, not hurting him a bit, and therabbit gentleman hopped safely away and the ants crawled with him far fromthe castle of the bad giant.
So Uncle Wiggily was saved by the ants, and in case the trolley cardoesn't run over my stick of peppermint candy, and make it look like alolly-pop, I'll tell you soon about Uncle Wiggily and the good giant.
STORY XXIX
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE GOOD GIANT
Now what do you s'pose that bad giant had for supper the night after theants helped Uncle Wiggily get away? You'd never guess, so I'll tell you.It was beans--just baked beans, and that giant was so disappointed, andaltogether so cut-up about not having rabbit stew, that he ate so manybeans, that I'm almost afraid to tell you just how many.
But if all the boys in your school were to take their bean shooters, andshoot beans out of a bag for a million years, and Fourth of July also,that giant could eat all of them, and more too--that is, if he could getthe beans after the boys shot them away.
"Well, I certainly must be more careful after this," said Uncle Wiggily tothe ants, as they crawled along down the hill with him, when he hoppedaway from the bad giant's house.
"Oh, it wasn't your fault," said the second size big red ant, with blackand yellow stripes on his stockings. "That bad giant changed the flags,and that's what fooled you. But I guess the good giant will have his flagback by to-morrow, and then you can go to the right house. We'll go alongand show you, and you may get your fortune from him."
So, surely enough, the next day, the good giant went over and took hisflag away from the bad giant, and put it upon his own house.
"Now you'll be all right," said the pink ant, with purple spots on hisnecktie. "You won't make any mistake now, Uncle Wiggily. I'm sure the goodgiant will give you a good fortune."
"Yes, and he'll give you lots to eat," said the black ant with white ringsaround his nose.
Well, Uncle Wiggily took his valise and his crutch and up toward the goodgiant's house he went, with the ants crawling along in the sand to showhim the way.
Pretty soon they came to a big bridge, over a stream of water, and thiswas the beginning of the place where the good giant lived.
"We'll all have to go back now," said the purple ant, with the greenpatchwork squares on his checks. "If we crossed over the bridge we mightfall off and be drowned. We'll go back, but you go ahead, and we wish yougood luck, Uncle Wiggily."
"Indeed we do," said a white ant with gold buckles on her shoes.
Well, after a little while Uncle Wiggily found himself right inside thegood giant's house. And oh! what a big place it was. Why, even the doormat was so big that it took the rabbit three hops to get to the top of it.And that front door! I wish you could have seen it! It was as large as oneof your whole houses, and it was only a door, mind you.
"Hello! hello!" cried Uncle Wiggily, as he pounded with his crutch on thefloor. "Is any one at home?"
"But no one answered, and the
re wasn't a sound except the ticking of theclock, and that made as much noise as a railroad train going over abridge, for the clock was a big as a church steeple.
"Hum! No one is home," said Uncle Wiggily. "I'll just sit down and makemyself comfortable." So he sat down on the floor by the table that wasaway over his head, and waited for the giant to come back.
And, all of a sudden, the rabbit heard a noise like a steam engine going,and he was quite surprised, until he happened to look up, and there stooda pussy cat as big as a cow, and the cat was purring, which made the noiselike a steam engine.
"My, if that's the size of the cat, what must the giant be," thought therabbit. "I do hope he's good-natured when he comes home."
Well, pretty soon, in a little while, as Uncle Wiggily was sitting there,listening to the big cat purr, he felt sleepy, and he was just going tosleep, when he heard a gentle voice singing:
"Oh, see the blackbird, sitting in the tree, Hear him singing, jolly as can be. Now he'll whistle a pretty little tune, Isn't it delicious in the month of June?
"Hear the bees a-buzzing, hour by hour, Gathering the honey from every little flower. The katydid is singing by his own front door, Now I'll have to stop this song--I don't know any more."
"Well, whoever that is, he's a jolly chap," said the rabbit, and with thatwho should come in but the giant himself.
"Ho! Ho! Whom have we here?" the giant asked, looking at Uncle Wiggily."What do you want, my little furry friend with the long ears? You must beable to hear very well with them."
"I can hear pretty well," said the rabbit. "But I came to seek myfortune."
"Fine," cried the good giant, for he it was. "I'll do all I can for you,"and he laughed so long and hard that part of the ceiling and the gaschandelier fell down, but the giant caught them in his strong hands, andnot even the pussy cat was hurt. Then the giant sung another song, likethe first, only different, and he fixed the broken ceiling, and said:
"Now for something to eat! Then we'll talk about your fortune. I'll getyou some carrots." So he went out, and pretty soon he came back, carryingten barrels of carrots in one hand and seventeen bushels of cabbage in theother.
"Here's a little light lunch for you," he said to Uncle Wiggily. "Eatthis, and I'll get you some more, when we have a regular meal."
"Oh, why this is more than I could eat in a year," said the rabbit, "but Ithank you very much," so he nibbled at one carrot, while the good giantate fifteen thousand seven hundred and eight loaves of bread, and twomillion bushels of jam. Then he felt better.
"So you want to find your fortune, eh?" the giant said to the rabbit."Well, now I'll help you all I can. How would you like to stay here andwork for me? You have good ears, and you could listen for burglars in thenight when I am asleep. Will you?"
"I think I will," said Uncle Wiggily. And he was just reaching foranother carrot, when suddenly from outside sounded a terrible racket.
"Where is he? Let me get at him! I want him right away--that rabbit Imean!" cried a voice, and Uncle Wiggily jumped up in great fright, andlooked for some place to hide. The giant jumped up, too, and grabbed hisbig club.
But don't be alarmed. Nothing bad is going to happen to our UncleWiggily--in fact he is going to have lots of fun soon.
So if my motorboat doesn't turn upside down and spill out the pinklemonade, I'll tell you in the next story about Uncle Wiggily and thegiant's little boy.
STORY XXX
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE GIANT'S BOY
Let me see, I believe I left off where Uncle Wiggily was in the house ofthe good giant, and the old gentleman rabbit heard a terrible noise.Didn't I?
"My goodness!" exclaimed the rabbit, jumping up so quickly that he upsetone of the giant's toothpicks, on which he had been sitting for a chair,for the giant's toothpicks were as large as a big chestnut tree. "Mygoodness!" cried Uncle Wiggily, "what in the world is that?"
"I guess it's my little boy coming home from school," said the good giantas softly as he could, but, even then, his voice was like thunder. "Hemust have heard that you were here."
"Will he hurt me? Does he love animals?" asked the rabbit, for he wasgetting frightened. "Will your little boy be kind to me?"
"Oh, indeed he will!" cried the good giant. "I have taught him to loveanimals, for you know he is so big and strong, even though I do call himmy _little_ boy, that it would be no trouble for him to take a bear or alion, and squeeze him in one hand so that the bear or lion would neverhurt any one any more. But, just because he is big and strong, though notso big and strong as I am, I have taught my boy to be kind to the littleanimals."
"Then I will have no fear," said Uncle Wiggily, winking his nose--I meanhis eyes--and just then the door of the giant's house opened and in camehis little boy.
Well, at first Uncle Wiggily was so frightened that he did not know whatto do. I wonder what you would say if you were suddenly to see a boyalmost as big as your house, or mine, walk into the parlor, and sit downat the piano? Well, that's what the old gentleman rabbit saw.
"Ah, my little boy is home from school," said the giant, kindly. "Did youhave your lessons, my son?"
"Yes, father, I did," was the answer. "And I learned a new song. I'll singit for you."
So he began to play the piano with his little finger nail, and still, andwith all that, he made as much noise as a circus band of music can make ona hot day in the tent. Oh, he played terribly loud, the giant's boy did,and Uncle Wiggily had to put his paws over his ears, or he might have beenmade deaf. Then the giant's little boy sang, and even when he hummed itthe noise was like a thunder storm, only different. Now, this is the boygiant's song, and you will have to sing it with all your might, as hard asyou can, but not if the baby is asleep.
"I am a little fellow, But soon I will grow big. And then I'll sit beside the sea, And in the white sand dig.
"I'll make a hole so very deep, To China it will go. And then I'll fill it up with shells Wherein the wild waves blow."
And with that the giant's little boy banged so hard on the piano with hislittle finger nail that he broke a string, and made a funny sound, like abanjo out of tune.
"Oh, I didn't mean to do that!" the giant's boy cried. "I'm sorry!"
"Dear me! I wonder when you'll grow up?" asked the giant, sort ofsad-like.
"I think he's pretty big now," said Uncle Wiggily. And, indeed, theboy-giant was so tall that when the rabbit stood up as high as he couldstand, he only came up to the tip end of the shoe laces on the giantboy's big shoes.
"Oh, he grows very slowly," said the giant, and then the boy noticed therabbit for the first time. Well, that boy-giant wanted to know all aboutUncle Wiggily, where he came from and where he was going, and all that,and Uncle Wiggily told about how he was traveling around to seek hisfortune.
"Oh, I believe I know where you can find lots of money, Uncle Wiggily,"said the giant's boy kindly, as he reached over and stroked the rabbit'sears. "I have always heard that there is a pot of gold at the end of therainbow. The next time we see one, you and I will go out and search forthe money. Then you will have your fortune, and you won't have to travelaround any more."
"That will be fine!" cried the rabbit, "for, to tell you the truth, I amgetting pretty tired of going about the country. Still, I will not give upuntil I find my fortune."
"All right. But we will have to wait until it rains, and then we'll seewhere the end of the rainbow is," said the giant's boy. "Now we will havesome games together. Let's play tag."
Well, they started to play that, but, land's sake, flopsy dub and a basketof ice cream cones! Uncle Wiggily ran here, and there, and everywhere, andhe jumped and leaped about so that the giant's little boy couldn't catchhim, for the big-little fellow wasn't very spry on his feet.
"Oh, I guess we had better not play that game any more," said the boygiant, as he accidentally nearly stepped on Uncle Wiggily's left ear. "Imight hurt you. Let's play hide-and-go-seek."
But Uncle Wiggily was even better at this game than he had been at tag,for he could hide in such small holes that the boy giant couldn't even seethem, so of course that wouldn't do for a game. It was no fun.
Then all at once it began to rain. My! how it did pour! It rained snipsand snails and puppy dogs' tails, with the puppies fast to the tails, ofcourse, and the streets were covered with them. Then it rained a few icecream cones, and Uncle Wiggily and the giant boy had all they wanted toeat, the giant eating fourteen thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, andpart of another one, while Uncle Wiggily had only two cones.
"Oh, there is the rainbow!" cried the boy giant at last, as he saw thebeautiful gold and green and orange and red colors in the sky. "Now forthe pot of gold."
So he and Uncle Wiggily started off together to find it. But they had notgone very far through the woods before they met the papa giant.
"Where are you going?" he asked of them.
"To the end of the rainbow to get the pot of gold," said the giant'slittle boy.
"You don't need to," said the giant, "for there is none there. That isonly a fairy story. Wait, I'll show you."
So he stretched out his long arm as far as it would go and he reached awaydown to the end of the rainbow and he felt all around with his longfingers, and sure enough, there wasn't a bit of gold there, for his handcame back empty.