Part 10 (2/2)

He did it too, in about two quacks and a quarter. Then he helped Buddy fasten the rope to the side of the boat, and those on land, including Percival, the two Bow Wows and Mamma Pigg and Brighteyes, soon pulled the boat and Buddy in it ash.o.r.e.

Buddy said he was never going sailing again, and I guess he never did, for he was very much frightened, but he soon got over it and played with Jimmie and Jackie and Peetie, while Mamma Pigg had to go home to take something for her nerves.

Now, if I have rhubarb pie for supper, and the ham sandwich doesn't squeal when they put mustard on it, I'll tell you about Brighteyes and the peanut candy in the next story.

STORY XIV

BRIGHTEYES AND THE PEANUT CANDY

It happened, once upon a time, that Brighteyes and Buddy Pigg were walking through the woods together, not far from their home. They had been over to see Sammie and Susie Littletail, and they had had a very nice time. In fact, there had been a little party at the Littletail home.

It was Sammie's or Susie's birthday, I forget just whose, and after games had been played, there were good things to eat; nuts of various kinds for the squirrels who came; candy, lemonade, ice cream flavored with turnips and carrots, and oh! lots of cake, and I don't know what else besides. There was so much that Buddy and Brighteyes couldn't eat all their share, and they were bringing it home to their papa and mamma.

Well, as they were walking along, thinking what a good time they had had, the two guinea pig children heard a rustling sound in the bushes, and two big, round, staring eyes peered out at them, and there was a noise like a dog growling.

”Oh, quick! Hurry up, Buddy!” cried Brighteyes. ”Something will catch us sure!” and she began to run as fast as fast could be, or even faster, maybe.

”Oh, I don't think it's anything but old Percival, the circus dog,” said Buddy. ”He won't hurt us.”

And he was going to stand still and look in those bushes; yes, sir, that's what Buddy was going to do, only he happened to see a big, bushy tail sticking out, and then he knew it was a bad fox there, and not the good, kind dog, so Buddy ran as fast as he could run, if not faster, right after Brighteyes.

And the fox ran, too, only he had stepped on a piece of gla.s.s and cut his foot and couldn't run very fast. He was the same fox who lighted the firecracker in Dr. Pigg's house, and I'm glad to say that he didn't catch Buddy or Brighteyes, for they ran faster than the fox did.

Well, they hurried on for quite a distance further, and all at once, just as they were getting tired, and when they knew the fox had stopped chasing them, they happened to look down on the path, and what should they see but a white box; yes, indeed, a white box, tied with pink string.

”Oh, I wonder what can be in there?” asked Brighteyes.

”I don't know, but I'll go see,” said Buddy.

”Oh, no, don't go too close,” begged his sister. ”It might be a trap, or perhaps the bad fox is hidden inside it.”

”It's too small for a fox to get in,” declared the boy guinea pig. ”I'll take a smell, anyhow.”

So he crept slowly, slowly, slowly up to the white box, and sniffed, and sniffed and sniffed.

”Oh! Ah! Um! La-la! Um! Um!” exclaimed Buddy Pigg, and he laid down the packages of candy, nuts, cakes and other things he had carried home from the Littletails' party, so that he might smell the better.

”What is it?” asked Brighteyes Pigg. ”What's in the box?”

”I don't know,” replied her brother, ”but whatever it is, it smells the nicest of anything I ever smelled. It's just like when mamma bakes a ginger cake in the oven. I'm going to open it and see.”

So, with his sharp teeth, Buddy loosened the pink string around the box, and off came the cover. Then, what do you suppose was in the box? Why, a whole lot of peanut candy, all nice and fresh, s.h.i.+ning, golden brown, with just enough peanuts in, and not a bit more, really and truly!

”Oh! Oh! Oh!” cried Brighteyes in delight, as she saw it. ”Peanut candy, Buddy! If there's anything I love it's peanut candy! Some good fairy must have left this for us. Come on, we'll take it over here, under a bush, where the bad fox won't see us, and we'll eat some of it, and save some to take home. Oh, how lovely!”

”I don't think I care for peanut candy very much,” said Buddy. ”When I smelled it I thought it was going to be chocolate caramels.”

<script>