 CHAPTER XXXIII What sort of an adventure do you think you will have today, Uncle Wiggly?" asked the muskrat lady housekeeper of the bunny rabbit as he hopped away from the hollow stump bungalow one morning. "'Well, nurse Jane, I hardly know,' was the answer. I may meet with some of those queer circus animals again." "'I hope you do,' Miss Fuzzy was, he said, as she tied her whiskers in a bow-knot, for she was going to dust the furniture that day. "'The circus animals are very kind to you, and it is strange, for some of them are such savage jungle beasts.' "'Yes,' spoke the bunny gentleman. "'I am glad to say the circus animals were kind and gentle, more so than the pipsuwa or skeezics. But then you see the circus animals have been taught to be kind and good. That is, most of them.' "'I hope you never meet the other sort. The kind that will want to nibble your ears,' exclaimed nurse Jane, as Uncle Wiggly put his tall silk hat on front side before and started off with his red, white, and blue striped rheumatism crutch under his paw. "'I hope nothing happens to him,' sighed nurse Jane, as she went in to put the dishes to bed in the china closet. "'But something was going to happen to Uncle Wiggly. You shall hear all about it.' On and on through the woods hopped the bunny rabbit gentleman, looking first on one side of the path, and then on the other, for an adventure. He was beginning to think he would never find one, when all of a sudden he heard a rustling in the bushes, and a voice said, "'Oh, dear, I can't go a hop further. I am so tired. And my bundle is so heavy. I guess I'm getting old.' "'Ha! That sounds like trouble of the old-fashioned sort,' murmured Uncle Wiggly to himself. I may be able to give some help. As long as it isn't a fox or wolf, and it doesn't sound like them. The bunny gentleman peered through the trees, and, sitting on a flat stump, he saw an old gentleman cat, looking quite sad and forlorn. "'Hello, Mr. Cat,' said Uncle Wiggly cheerfully, as he hopped over toward the stump. "'What's the trouble?' "'Oh, lots of trouble,' mewed the cat. "'You see, I'm a peddler. I go about from place to place, selling pins and needles, and things the lady animals need when they sew. Here's my pack.' And he pointed to a large bundle on the ground, near the stump. "'But what is the matter?' asked the bunny gentleman. "'Don't the animal ladies buy your needles, pins, and spools of thread? Just step around and see Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy, my muskrat lady housekeeper. She is always sewing and mending. She'll buy things from your pack?' "'Oh, it isn't selling them. That's the trouble,' said Mr. Cat. "'But I'm getting so old and stiff, that I can hardly carry the pack on my back any longer. I have to sit down and rest, because my back aches so much. How tired I am. What a weary world this is.' "'Oh, don't say that,' laughed Uncle Wiggly, who felt quite cheerful that morning. "'See how the sun shines?' "'It only makes it so much hotter for me to carry the pack on my back,' sighed the cat. "'Ha! That is where I can help you,' exclaimed Mr. Longgears. "'I am quite well and strong, except for a little rheumatism now and then. That however doesn't bother me now, so I'll carry your peddler's pack for you. Will you?' "'That's very kind,' said the cat. "'Perhaps I may be able to do you a favor some day.' "'Oh, that will be all right,' laughed the bunny, as he twinkled his pink nose. "'Come along. We'll travel together and perhaps find an adventure.' Uncle Wiggly slung the cat peddler's pack on his back. The pussy carried the bunny's crutch, and so off they started together through the woods. They had not gone very far, and the bunny was wondering whether he could not sell Nurse Jane a lot of pins to help the poor cat when all of a sudden a loud snarling sort of voice cried out. "'Oh, where could I find some water? Oh, how much I need a drink. I can go without one for seven days, but this is the eighth, and if I don't see some water soon, I don't know what will happen.' "'I wonder who that is,' asked the peddler, cat. "'I don't know, but we'll soon find out,' spoke Mr. Longhears. They looked through the bushes, and there they saw a very strange animal, and not what you would call pretty either. This animal had a long neck, bent like the letter U, and his face looked as though he had rolled over on it in his sleep. But the quearest part of all was his back, on which there were two humps, two little mountains running up to beaks. "'Oh, what a queer chap,' mewed the peddler, cat. "'Hush, don't let him hear you,' whispered Uncle Wiggly. "'I think this is an animal from the circus.' "'You are right, I am,' exclaimed the two humped chap, looking toward the bushes behind which Uncle Wiggly and the cat were standing. "'I heard what you said, too, Mr. Cat,' the old chap went on. "'But I don't mind. I am a camel, and I'm used to hearing folks say how queer I look. But I'm in trouble now. Oh, dear.' "'What's the matter?' asked Uncle Wiggly kindly. "'I'm so thirsty,' the camel said. "'You see, I took a long drink before I ran away from the circus, which I did very foolishly, as I wanted some adventures. Well, I'm having them all right. I've been lost in the woods, and though I had enough to eat, I couldn't find a thing to drink. On the desert where I come from, I could find water once in a while. But here I'm lost, and though I am a camel,' went on the humped creature, "'I can hold enough water in my stomach to last for days. Now my time is up. I haven't had a drink for over seven days, and unless I get one soon, I don't know what will happen.' "'Oh, I can take you to the duck pond, and you can get a drink there, Mr. Camel,' Uncle Wiggly said as he hopped out from behind the bush. "'Oh, ho, what a funny chap you are,' snarled the camel. Not that he was cross, only a snarl was his regular way of speaking. "'Are you a little camel?' "'Why, no, I'm not a camel,' answered the bunny. "'What made you think so?' "'Because of that hump on your back,' said the camel. "'Some of us camels have two humps, and some only one. But surely you cannot be a one-humped camel. I never saw one with ears so long.' "'Indeed, I am not a camel,' laughed Uncle Wiggly. "'I am a rabbit, and this pack that you see belongs to this poor peddler cat, who is too tired to carry it, so I am carrying it for him.' "'That is very kind of you,' spoke the thirsty circus animal. "'In fact, it seems to me, you are very fond of being kind, Mr. Longgears. You carry the cat's pack, and now you offer to show me where to get a drink. And if you can, I wish you would soon lead me to water. I am very thirsty.' "'Follow me,' called Uncle Wiggly. Then he hopped off through the woods, carrying the cat's peddler pack, and followed by the two humped camel, whose long neck swayed to and fro, like a cock pendulum, while his humps shook like two bowls full of jelly. Then they came to the duck pond, and there the camel put his queer face down into the water, and drank as much as he pleased. He took a long time to drink, as camels always do, for they must take enough water into their stomachs to last for a week, in case they cannot find more water before the end of seven days. The cat and Uncle Wiggly stood watching the camel, thinking how queer and homely he was, but honest for all that, when all of a sudden, out from behind a bush jumped the bad old Pipsawa. "'Wow, wow, I got you now!' Howled the Pipsawa. "'I'll nibble your ears now, Uncle Wiggly!' The bunny-rabbit gentleman started to run, but because he had strapped to his back the pack of the cat-peddler, the bunny could not hop fast at all. "'I'll get you, I'll get you,' cried the Pipsawa. "'Oh, dear, oh, dear!' sighed Uncle Wiggly, wondering who was going to save him, for he knew the tired old cat-peddler couldn't. And then, all of a sudden, the circus camel finished his long drink, and with a jolly snarl, he cried, "'Here, you let Uncle Wiggly alone!' Then with his broad foot, made big and wide, so it would not sink into the soft sand of the desert, the camel stepped on the tail of the Pipsawa, holding him back, so he couldn't chase Uncle Wiggly. "'Wow, wow!' howled the Pip. "'Aha!' laughed the peddler cat. "'Oh, you.' "'Just wait till I get loose, and I'll chase you, too!' cried the Pipsawa to the cat. "'Just wait!' "'Don't be afraid,' said the camel, with a smile, which made him look more homely than before, though this didn't matter. "'Uncle Wiggly, hop on my back. Between my two humps, you too, Mr. Cat, jump on my back. You and the bunny gentleman can sit there. As the people of the desert used to ride me before I joined the circus, hop up, my kind friends, and I'll soon carry you safe out of these woods. I can go fast, now that I've had a big drink of water. Hop up!' Uncle Wiggly, with the cat's pack, hopped up on the back of the camel. The cat, too, sprang up. All the while, the camel kept his broad foot on the tail of the Pipsawa, so the bad animal couldn't get loose. And when the bunny and the cat were safe in place, snuggled down in between the camel's humps, the queer creature started off, letting go the tail of the pip. "'Ah, now you can't get us,' muted the cat, looking down from the camel's back. "'Just you wait! I'll get you, Uncle Wiggly, yet, and you, too!' The pip howled. "'And I'll fix you, Mr. Camel, for stepping on my tail!' "'Poo!' "'Nonsense,' snarled the camel. "'Uncle Wiggly helped me by showing me where to find water, and now I'm helping him.' And away he went, quite fast indeed, for such a queer chap. And the old pip skipped away to put some soft moss on his sore tail. "'Isn't this jolly,' laughed Uncle Wiggly, twinkling his pink nose. "'I never expected to have a ride on the back of a camel. It's just like a circus parade. I wish Nurse Jane could see me.' And the muskrat lady did. For the kind camel gave Uncle Wiggly a ride all the way home to the bunny's hollow stump bungalow. And when the muskrat lady housekeeper saw Mr. Longyear's up between the two humps, she cried, "'My land, sakes, flopsied dub, and a basket of soap bubbles! What will happen next?' "'I don't know,' laughed Uncle Wiggly. "'As for me, I'm going back to the circus,' the camel said. And he did. The peddler cat, after selling Nurse Jane some sewing silk, stayed for some time with Mr. Longyear's, getting rested, so he would be strong enough to carry his own pack of needles, pins, and thread. And as for the bunny, well, he had more adventures, of course. And the next one will be about Uncle Wiggly in the wild rabbit. That is, if the teaspoon doesn't take the cork out of the bottle of bitter medicine and give it to the ragdoll to make mud pies with. End of section 33. Chapter 34 of Uncle Wiggly's Storybook. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Uncle Wiggly's Storybook by Howard R. Garris. Chapter 34. Uncle Wiggly in the Wild Rabbit. There he is again! Cried Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy, as she ran to the window of the hollow stump bungalow and looked out. He's digging up all the nice carrots in your garden, Uncle Wiggly! Who is? Asked the bunny gentleman, laying aside the cabbage leaf newspaper he was reading with his glasses perched on his pink twinkling nose. Who is taking my carrot's nurse Jane? That wild rabbit! Answered the muskrat lady housekeeper. He lives in the thick bushes in the middle of the woods. I think he hasn't been here very long and he doesn't seem to know any of your other animal friends. He's wild and runs the minute I go out, but he has been spoiling your garden lately. That isn't nice of him, said Uncle Wiggly. I'll go out myself and see what he has to say, but as soon as Uncle Wiggly started down the steps of his hollow stump bungalow, toward where the other bunny was digging up the carrots, the wild rabbit hopped away. What's the matter with you? Asked Uncle Wiggly, twinkling his pink nose in a friendly way. Why are you spoiling my garden? Because I like to. Answered the wild rabbit. You live in a fine hollow stump bungalow and all I have is a hole in the ground or burrow. You're rich and I'm poor and I'm going to spoil everything you have. Oh, that isn't a good way to feel, said Uncle Wiggly kindly. That's the way the Bolsheviks talk. I used to be poor like you, but I went off to seek my fortune and found it. I built me this hollow stump bungalow and if you like I'll show you how to make one. Nurse Jane and I will help you. Nope, cried the wild rabbit. I'd rather be bad. I'm going to dig in your garden every chance I get and you can't catch me either, so there. And it sounded as if that wild rabbit might be making a funny face at Uncle Wiggly. Mind you, I'm not saying for sure, but maybe. Dear me, thought Mr. Longhears, as he went back in his house, that wild rabbit is certainly a queer chap. I don't want to hurt him, but I wish he would get tame. I'll have to speak to policeman dog Percival about him and set Percival on guard in my carrot patch. Did you make that wild rabbit stop his digging? Asked Nurse Jane as she met Uncle Wiggly coming in. No, he says he's going to be bad, sighed the bunny gentleman as he took his tall silk hat down off the rubber plant. Where are you going? Asked Nurse Jane. Out in the woods to look for an adventure, answered Uncle Wiggly. And perhaps I may find a way to make that wild rabbit tame and good. I hope so, sighed Nurse Jane. It isn't nice to have our garden spoiled. As Uncle Wiggly was hopping through the woods over on that side of the forest nearest the village where the real children lived, the bunny gentleman all of a sudden heard the voice of a little girl. Oh, Donald, said the little girl in sad tones. You've broken it. You've spoiled my nice little jumping bunny. Well, I didn't mean to, answered a boy's voice. He jumped all right a minute ago. Yes, but you went and squeezed the rubber ball too hard. That's what you did, sobbed the little girl. And now my nice Easter bunny won't hop anymore. Boo-hoo! Dear, dear, exclaimed Uncle Wiggly to himself. This is too bad. There's trouble here. I wonder if I can help. You see, Uncle Wiggly knew what the boy and girl were saying. Though the bunny himself could not speak their talk. Uncle Wiggly hopped softly nearer the children. He looked through the bushes and there he saw a little boy trying to mend a toy bunny for the little girl. The toy bunny was made to look like a real one with ears and fur and everything. Fastened to the toy was a little rubber hose and a rubber ball was on the end of the hose. When the toy rabbit was placed on the ground and the rubber ball was pressed, some air was squeezed inside the bunny's legs and he would hop across the floor. And his ears would flop up too because he had springs and other things inside him. There's no use squeezing the ball. Sadly, said the little girl. My toy bunny is broken and won't ever hop again. Oh dear, boo-hoo. My, this is too bad, said Uncle Wiggly. I wonder what I can do to make that little girl feel happier. I might get Sammy or Susie little tail, the rabbit children, to come and stay with real children for a while. They seem to be kind, this boy and girl. They wouldn't hurt Sammy or Susie. That's what I'll do. I'll go get the little tail brother and sister and have them hop over here so this boy and girl can easily catch them and play with them a while. Uncle Wiggly started off through the woods. The boy and girl sat in a moss-covered dinghy del trying to mend the broken toy. And Mr. Longhears had not gone very far before all of a sudden he came to a little hollow place filled with leaves. Then he heard a voice saying, oh dear, oh what a pain, oh what trouble I am in. Ah, this seems to be my busy day for trouble, exclaimed Uncle Wiggly as he looked at the leaf-filled hollow. Who are you and what is the matter? Asked the bunny gentleman. Oh, I'm the wild rabbit, was the answer. The wild rabbit who was eating the carrots in your garden. But alas, I can eat no more. Why not? Uncle Wiggly asked. Because I have fallen and broken my leg, was the answer. I can't hop no more. And I suppose I shall have to stay here and starve. I'm sorry I was bad and tried to spoil your garden, Uncle Wiggly. Oh, perhaps you didn't really mean it, the bunny gentleman said. But wait here a minute, I think I can help you. Oh, if you only would, sighed the wild rabbit with a broken leg. I think I see a chance here, said Uncle Wiggly softly to himself, to help that boy and girl and also the wild rabbit. Off hopped Uncle Wiggly through the woods. It did not take him long to reach the place where the boy and girl had been playing with the hippity hop rabbit toy that was now broken. Children were still there. The little girl had sat down on a log to cry. And the boy was trying to make her a willow whistle. So she wouldn't feel so unhappy. The broken toy rabbit lay on a pile of leaves some distance away from the boy and girl. I suppose they had tossed there, thinking it was of no more use. This is just what I want, said Uncle Wiggly. He found a long piece of wild grapevine, like a small rope. And when the boy and girl weren't looking, Uncle Wiggly slipped up and fastened one end of the grapevine cord to the broken toy. Then hopping off behind the bushes, Uncle Wiggly began pulling the piece of vine. Of course, he also pulled the toy rabbit along the ground. Oh, look, suddenly cried the little girl. Look, Donald, my toy rabbit is all right again. He's hopping off by himself. And surely enough, the toy did seem to be hopping away. But this, as you know, was because Uncle Wiggly was pulling it by the grapevine string. Come on, help me catch him! Begged the little girl. I will, her brother said. Together they raced on after the toy, which Uncle Wiggly jerked along the forest path. The bunny gentleman kept out of sight behind the bushes, and as the wild grapevine was just the color of the earthen leaves, the children did not see it. To them, it looked as if the toy was hopping away all by itself. I say, Mab, called Donald. He hops better than he ever did before. I wonder who was squeezing the rubber ball. I can't see anyone. Maybe it's fairies, suggested Mab in a low voice. Po, there aren't any fairies, laughed Donald. On and on ran the boy and girl after the skipping toy rabbit, and Uncle Wiggly pulled it so fast, as he hopped along, out of sight, that Donald and Mab could not get their hands on the toy. He kept ahead of them, all the way. Uncle Wiggly knew what he was doing, and in a little while he led the boy and girl up to the place where the wild rabbit with a broken leg lay in the bed of leaves. Uncle Wiggly jerked the toy rabbit close to the wild one, and then pulled the toy out of sight behind a clump of ferns. Oh, Don, look! cried the girl. Our toy rabbit has changed into a real one! And she pointed to the wild rabbit, which could not move away, though he wanted to very much as his heart beat very fast. A toy rabbit couldn't change into a real one, said the boy. Well, mine did. Else, how could this live rabbit be here, and my toy one gone? Asked Mab. That is what seemed to have happened. All on account of Uncle Wiggly, and see Don went on the little girl as she knelt down beside the poor wild bunny. His leg is broken, just as my toy rabbit's leg was broken. Oh, it is the same one. My toy has changed into a live rabbit. Oh, you poor sweet lovely darling, cried the little girl as she cuddled the wild rabbit up in her arms. Say, this sure is queer, exclaimed the boy. Very queer. Uncle Wiggly, peering through the bushes, where he was hiding with the broken toy rabbit, looked out and saw the little girl holding the wild rabbit with its broken leg. The wild rabbit would have hopped away if it could, but was not able. Oh, Uncle Wiggly, Uncle Wiggly, is this how you help me? Sadly, cried the wild rabbit. Of course, he spoke in rabbit talk, which neither the boy nor a girl understood, but Uncle Wiggly, hiding in the bushes, heard and softly answered, don't be afraid, wild rabbit. These children will be kind to you. I know, they will take you home and mend your broken leg and you will be as stylish as I am. Oh, if I'm going to be stylish, that's different, said the wild rabbit. Then he nestled down in the girl's arms and she and the boy took the bunny home as their father mended the broken leg with splints of wood and soft cloth bandages. Well, I guess that wild rabbit won't spoil my carrots anymore, laughed Uncle Wiggly as he hopped along. I'll take this broken toy home to Sammy and Susie. As for the wild rabbit, he was no longer frightened when he heard Uncle Wiggly say that the children would be kind. And no one could have been more kind than were Donald and Mab. When the wild rabbit had to stay quiet until his leg healed, they brought him every day fresh lettuce and carrots with cool water to drink. And when the leg was all well, the wild rabbit was so tame that he never wanted to leave the boy and girl and go back to spoil Uncle Wiggly's garden. He lived happily with Donald and Mab all the rest of his life. Sammy and Susie had fun playing with the broken toy and they thought Mr. Longhears was very clever to think of a way to not only help the wild bunny and the boy and girl, but also to save his carrots from being eaten. So if the strawberry shortcake doesn't try to stretch itself up tall and look like a big mince pie, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggly and the tame squirrel. End of section 34. Chapter 35 of Uncle Wiggly's Storybook. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Uncle Wiggly's Storybook by Howard R. Garris. Chapter 35. Once upon a time, as Uncle Wiggly Longhears, the bunny rabbit gentleman was hopping through the woods, he heard a rustling in the bushes and he crouched down to hide himself. Four thought the bunny, this may be the pipsaw or the schizix or even the woozy wolf or the fuzzy fox, I had better be careful. But when Uncle Wiggly looked over the top of the bush, whence the rustling sound had come, all he saw was the tame rabbit who once had a broken leg. The rabbit, who was now tame, was hopping along the forest path. Hello! called Uncle Wiggly in his most jolly voice, as he twinkled his pink nose upside down just for a change. Where are you going, tame rabbit? I shall call you that as a new name. I hope you are not going to run away from Donald and Mab, the boy and girl who were so kind to you. Indeed, I'm not running away, answered the tame rabbit. I'm just going to the woods to look for some flowers. Donald and Mab are going to have a little woodland party this afternoon and I want to get them some flowers to put on the flat stump which they will use for a table. That is very kind of you, Uncle Wiggly said, I'll help. Wouldn't you like to come to the party? Asked the tame rabbit, as he and the bunny gentleman hopped into the forest together. There'll be lots of good things to eat, even ice cream. Thank you, I'd better not come, as some of the boys and girls might not be as thoughtful as Mab and Don, spoke Uncle Wiggly. Some of them might throw peanut shells at my tail, silk hat, just for fun, you know. Well, perhaps they might, admitted the tame rabbit. I don't wear anything but an old cap, nobody tries to knock that off, he added with a laugh. But can't you just look in at the party, Uncle Wiggly? Just stop for a moment. Yes, I'll do that, promised Mr. Long years. And when he had nibbled with his teeth some wild flowers for the tame bunny, Uncle Wiggly hopped to his hollow stump bungalow, promising to peek through the bushes at the children's party later in the day. That afternoon, as he was hopping through the woods, Uncle Wiggly heard the sounds of shouting and laughter. That must be the party, thought the bunny gentleman. I'll skip over and take a look. In a little moss-covered dingley-dell among the trees, Uncle Wiggly saw Don, Mab, and many of their little boy and girl friends dancing about a broad, flat stump, which was set like a table. And in the middle was the bunch of flowers, some of which Uncle Wiggly had helped gather. Those children are certainly having a good time, thought Uncle Wiggly, twinkling his pink nose so that it almost turned to somersault. And the tame rabbit, who used to be wild, is enjoying himself too. The other bunny surely was having fun, hopping here and there, almost as if playing tag with the children. All at once, Mab cried, come on now, we'll eat. Hooray, cried all the boys. The girls didn't get so excited about it, but I think they were just as glad to eat as were the boys. The children gathered around the stump table, and I wish I could tell you all the good things they had for the woodland party, but I'm not allowed to do this for fear it would make you too hungry. All I can say is that there was just the most lovely party things you ever heard of. The tame rabbit sat near Don and Mab, eating what they gave him. Now we'll crack the nuts and play more games, called Mab after a while. But when she went to pass the nuts, she found that they were not cracked, and some of them had very hard shells. Oh, Don, didn't you bring the nutcracker? Asked Mab. No, I thought you did, answered her brother. And I thought you did, exclaimed Mab. Oh, what shall we do? We can crack the nuts with stones on top of the stump, said one boy. But when they tried to do this, some of the nuts flew away over in the bushes without getting cracked at all. Others hit the girls on the ends of their noses, and some of the children pounded their fingers instead of cracking the nuts. Oh, dear, sighed Mab, as she saw what was going on. My party will be spoiled all because we haven't a nutcracker. The tame rabbit heard all this, so did Uncle Wiggly, who was looking on, hidden in the bushes. Both bunnies knew what was said, though they couldn't speak boy and girl talk. Can't you help the children, Uncle Wiggly? Asked the tame rabbit, as he hopped out to the bush where the bunny gentleman was hidden. None of the children saw the two animals talking together. How do you mean help them? Asked Mr. Long Years. By giving them a nutcracker, went on the tame rabbit. A nutcracker, exclaimed Uncle Wiggly. A squirrel is the best nutcracker I know of. Ha, I have it. I'll send one of the bushy tail brothers over here to crack nuts for the children. I think the boys and girls will be kind to him. I'll go get Johnny or Billy. Away hopped Uncle Wiggly through the woods. Soon, he met Johnny bushy tail. Johnny, don't you want to come and be a nutcracker for some children? Asked Uncle Wiggly. Why, of course, chattered Johnny, who was a very tame squirrel. I love children, he said. And I suppose I may eat a few of the nuts I crack. Oh, surely, answered Uncle Wiggly. The bunny gentleman led Johnny back through the woods to the children's party. The boys and girls were still trying to crack the hard nuts. But they couldn't do it well at all. Johnny suddenly scrambled out of the bushes and up on the flat stump. And taking a nut in his paws, he cracked it by gnawing through the hard shell with his sharp teeth. Then he took out the meat and laid it on a birch bark plate. Oh, look, exclaimed Don, pointing to the bushy tail chap. A tame squirrel is cracking the nuts for us. Look, oh, the dear little thing, cried Mab. And see, he's all dressed up like a real boy. Maybe he's a fairy, she whispered, as Johnny cracked more nuts. Who, there aren't any fairies, said Don. But he sure is helping us. Johnny sat up on the stump. His tail held straight up behind his back. And he cracked nut after nut. This is fine, whispered the tame rabbit to Johnny, the tame squirrel, while Uncle Wiggly, hiding behind a bush, saw and heard it all. The children love you for this. I'm glad of that, answered Johnny in animal talk, which the boys and girls could not hear. Then the tame squirrel cracked many more nuts, eating some himself. For there were more than enough for all the children at the party. Oh, I wonder if we could take the squirrel home with us, as we took the wild tame rabbit. Said the boy, as Johnny cracked the last nut. Try it, suggested Mab to her brother. But when Donald put out his hand and tried to catch Johnny, the squirrel boy just flipped his tail and scampered away. Thank you, I'd rather not be caught. Chattered Johnny. Though of course, Don and Mab did not know what he was saying. Then when the woodland party was over, the children went home. So that's how it all happened. It's true as I'm telling you. And if the jumping jack doesn't stick beans in the sugar cookies in place of the raisins he takes out to put in the molasses candy, I'll tell you next about Uncle Wiggly and the Wolf. End of chapter 35. Chapter 36 of Uncle Wiggly's Storybook. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Lawrence Trask, Mount Vernon, Ohio, interfaceaudio.com. Story 36, Uncle Wiggly and the Wolf. Uncle Wiggly was hopping through the woods with Nurse Jane one day, wondering what sort of an adventure he might have. And he was helping the muskrat lady housekeeper carry some clothespins that she had bought at the three and four cent store when all of a sudden, Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy called loudly. Look out. What's the matter? I asked Uncle Wiggly, am I spilling the clothespins? No, answered the muskrat housekeeper of the hollow stump bungalow. But see that big wolf? Let's run. Where's any wolf? Asked the bunny gentleman. I don't see any. And he began searching in his pockets for his spectacles, which he had taken off, as they tickled his pink twinkling nose. There's a big gold wolf over behind that mulberry bush, whispered Nurse Jane. What's that? A gold wolf? I never heard of such a thing, exclaimed Uncle Wiggly. You must be mistaken, Nurse Jane. I'll take a look. Then bravely singing the song. Here we go round the mulberry bush. Uncle Wiggly hopped up to where Nurse Jane pointed. Surely enough, something was gleaming gold-like among the trees. And as soon as Uncle Wiggly had put on his glasses and had taken a good look, he cried, Well, well, Nurse Jane, this is a gold wolf. Surely enough, but it cannot hurt us. Why not? That's the muskrat lady who was getting ready to run. Because it is only a wolf carved out of wood and painted like gold. Answered the bunny gentleman. I see what this is. It's one of the gilded wolves that were on the little red-riding hood chariot from the circus. This golden wooden wolf fell off the wagon and the circus people did not stop to pick it up. Well, I'm glad it's a wooden wolf, spoke the muskrat lady. Then it can't nibble your ears, can it? Not in the least, laughed Uncle Wiggly. But if I had a wheelbarrow or something, I'd take this wolf home to my bungalow. What for? Nurse Jane wanted to know. Oh, I'd set it in the hall near the umbrella rack, said Uncle Wiggly. Just think, a golden wooden wolf would be quite an ornament. Yes, agreed Nurse Jane. It might look nice, but how can you get it home? It is too heavy to drag and it has no wheels on as the animals have in the Noah's Arcs. Hmm, let me see now, said Uncle Wiggly, walking around the golden wooden wolf. I only had some wheels. And just then along through the woods came Billy and Nanny Wagtail, the goat boy and girl, each with roller skates dangling by a strap over their shoulders. Oh, Billy, the very chap I wanted, laughed Uncle Wiggly. Let me take your roller skates for the golden wolf. And you too, Nan. With pleasure. Leaded Billy, shaking his horns. Oh, I'll help you fasten them on. Will the wolf bite? Asked Nanny a bit timidly. Of course not, laughed Uncle Wiggly. So the roller skates were fastened on the paws of the golden wooden wolf. And then with a bit of wild grapevine for a rope, the gilded animal from the Red Riding Hood Circus wagon was dragged through the woods to Uncle Wiggly's bungalow. There the savage creature, who couldn't even bite a lollipop stick, was placed in the hall near the front door. Our friends will think it's quite stylish-like and proper, said Uncle Wiggly, admiring the wolf ornament. Yes, agreed Nurse Jane. As long as it doesn't scare any of the animal children, it'll be all right. But the animal children soon learned that the wolf was only made of gilded wood. And though his mouth was widely open, showing his sharp teeth, he could never, never bite them. One day, about a week after he had brought the gilded wolf to his bungalow, Uncle Wiggly was home all alone. Nurse Jane had gone to the movies with Mrs. Wibblewobble, the duck lady, and the bunny gentleman was just thinking of going to look for an adventure or a piece of pie in the pantry. When all of a sudden, there came a knock at his door. That must be Nurse Jane, said Uncle Wiggly. She is back a bit early and has, I suppose, forgotten her key. I'll let her in. The bunny gentleman opened his bungalow door. But instead of his muskrat lady housekeeper, he saw the bad old Ski Zix. Muah! cried the Ski Zix. I fooled you, didn't I? You thought I was Nurse Jane and you came to let me in. And now I'm going to nibble your ears. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Uncle Wiggly tried to shut the door, but the bad Ski Zix pushed his way in and was just going to nibble the bunny's ears when all of a sudden, the impolite Ski saw the golden wolf. Coming into the dark hall, as he did from the bright outdoors, the Ski Zix could not see that the wolf was not real. It looked so natural that the ski stopped short, and then he cried, Oh, excuse me. I didn't know you were here, Mr. Wolf. I would never have come in. You're going to nibble Uncle Wiggly's ears, I suppose. You have the first turn. Well, I'll nibble them some other time when you've finished. Please excuse me. Don't bite me. I'll skip right along." And with that, out of the door, the skis ex-jumped, never hurting the bunny gentleman at all. Ha-ha-ha! laughed Uncle Wiggly as he closed the door. The golden wolf did me a good turn after all. He scared away the skis ex. I'm glad the circus wolf lives in my bungalow. And Nurse Jane said the same thing when she came home from the movies. So this teaches us that it is a good thing to have something of gold around the house, even if it is only a gold dollar. But now we have come to the end of this book. Not that Uncle Wiggly's adventures were over for he had many more. But these are all I have room for here. Enough to say that the bunny rabbit lived happily for many, many years in his hollow-stump bungalow in the woods with Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy. And there you may perhaps see him some day. Who knows? End of Chapter 36. Recording by Lawrence Trask, Mount Vernon, Ohio. InterfaceAudio.com. End of Uncle Wiggly's Storybook by Howard R. Garris.