Part 10 (2/2)
With that he made a grab for both the piggie brothers, but they managed to jump away. Off ran Flop with his middle-sized apple and the cornmeal, and after him came Curly, only he could not go so fast because his apple was so big.
”Wait! Wait!” begged Curly of his brother.
”I can't!” was the answer. ”I'll send a policeman back to help you.
But if you will let go of the big apple you can easily run away from the fox, for he is old, and not a good runner. Drop the apple.”
”No, indeed!” cried Curly. ”I want the biggest one I can find!” So he held tightly to the apple, and also to the cornmeal, and on he ran, but the fuzzy fox was getting nearer and nearer, and almost had him.
”I've got you!” suddenly snapped the fox. ”I'll have roast pork and apple sauce tonight all right!” and he was just going to grab Curly and the apple and bag of meal, when out from the bushes jumped Uncle Wiggily Longears, the old gentleman rabbit.
”Here!” he cried to the fox. ”You stop chasing Curly, and go home to your den!” and with that Uncle Wiggily stuck out his rheumatism crutch, and tripped up the fox so that went tumbling head over heels, and when he got up he was so lame that he could not chase even a snail for more than a week.
”Run! Run!” called Uncle Wiggily to Curly and the little piggie boy did run, and, after some trouble, he got safely home with his big apple and the meal, but Flop was there ahead of him.
”After this,” said Uncle Wiggily, when he came up to the piggie house, ”after this, Curly, don't take such a large apple, and you can run better when a fox chases you.”
”I'll be careful after this,” promised the piggie boy, and I guess he was. Anyhow it was a good lesson to him. And that night he and his brother had cornmeal pancakes with apple sauce on, and Uncle Wiggily stayed to supper.
Now in case the automobile tire doesn't jump into the frying pan, and pretend it's a sausage for the lady in the purple dress to eat, I'll tell you next about the piggie boys and the pumpkin.
STORY XIV
THE PIGGIES AND THE PUMPKIN
”Well, well!” exclaimed Mrs. Twistytail, the pig lady, as she went to the cupboard and looked in. ”Whoever would have believed it?”
”Believed what, mamma?” asked Pinky, the little baby pig, who had been in the hospital, but who was now much better.
”Why, there isn't a bit of bread for supper!” went on Mrs.
Twistytail. ”And your papa will come home from the office so hungry as never was! Oh, my! I must run right out to the store and get a loaf.”
”Can't Curly or Flop go?” asked the baby pig, as she looked to see if her hair ribbon was on crooked, but it wasn't. I'm glad to say.
”They aren't here,” said the mamma pig. ”I guess they must be off playing football, or seeing if there is any ice on the skating pond.”
”Then let me go, mamma,” suggested little Pinky. ”I'm sure I could ask for a loaf of bread and carry it home, too.”
”No, you are quite too small,” said the pig lady. ”I'll go myself to the store and I'll ask Mrs. Goosey Gander, next door to come in and stay with you.”
But she didn't have to do that, for a few minutes later in came Curly and Flop, the two nice boy piggies, and they were just as glad as could be to go to the store for their mamma.
Well, they started off all right, and soon they were at the bread store, where the baker cat wrapped up a nice loaf in pink paper and they started for home, going as fast as they could, so as to be there before their papa came to supper.
And, what do you think? Just as they reached the spot where stood the old stump, with the k.n.o.bs growing on the side of it, like warts on a toad's back, they heard a voice saying:
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