Part 11 (1/2)

”I wonder what I shall do with it? It is quite too large to cook, and I have no little boys to give it to. I think I must let it roll down hill into the pond.”

”Who is that speaking?” asked Curly of his brother.

”I don't know,” said Flop Ear, ”but it sounds like the kind rat- gentleman who gave us the apples.”

”That's just who it is,” said the voice. ”And who are you, if I may ask?”

”Two piggie boys,” was the answer. ”Can we help you?”

”Well, I have here a very large pumpkin,” was what the rat gentleman said. ”It is too large to cut up into pies, and I thought maybe some one might like it to make a Jack o' lantern of. Would you like it?”

”Indeed we would!” cried Flop. And Curly said the same thing.

So the nice old rat gentleman called the two piggie boys into his farmhouse and he gave them the pumpkin.

Oh! so big as it was! I'm sure I never could tell you what a fine, large pumpkin he gave to Curly and Flop. The one that was turned into a coach for Cinderella was very small along side of this.

”What shall we do with it?” asked Flop Ear.

”Make a lantern of it, of course,” said his brother. ”We can scoop out the insides, and cut the eyes and nose and mouth, put a candle in it, and have a lot of fun.”

”All right,” said Flop, ”we'll do it.”

So they tied a string around the pumpkin and lifted it between them, each one carrying his share. And the loaf of bread was put on top, where it would not fall off.

Well, the piggie boys had not gone very far, carrying the pumpkin home to make a Jack o'lantern, when, all of a sudden, out from behind a lot of bushes, jumped a big wolf. Isn't it funny how those bad creatures seem to always bother the piggie boys? Every once in a while something is happening to them.

I can't help it. I wish I could, but you know I have to write things exactly as they happen. Anyhow, out from behind the bushes jumped the wolf, and as soon as he saw those sweet, tender little piggies he exclaimed:

”Oh joy! Oh, happiness! Oh, appet.i.te! Now is my chance! I shall certainly grab those two piggies and carry them off to my den.”

And he chased after Flop and Curly.

But, as luck would have it, they heard him coming, and they started to run with the big pumpkin and the loaf of bread. Still the wolf came closer and closer.

”I'll have you in a few minutes!” he cried.

”I believe he will!” exclaimed Flop. ”What shall we do?”

”What can we do?” asked Curly, as he helped his brother to jump over a stone, and lifted the pumpkin at the same time. ”What can we do?”

”Why not make a Jack o'lantern of the pumpkin and scare the wolf?”

suggested Flop. ”Some of our friends did that once.”

”We haven't time,” said Curly. ”If we stopped to make a Jack o'lantern the wolf would catch up to us and grab us. I'll tell you what to do. Let's scoop out a hollow place in the pumpkin and get inside it. Then the wolf won't see us.”

”Good!” cried Flop. So he and his brother ran on as fast as they could to get far ahead of the wolf. Then they stopped for a minute, and, with their sharp hoofs, they cut the top off the pumpkin. Then, with their digging noses, they dug out the soft seeds, and soon the pumpkin was all hollowed out, so they could jump inside.