Part 14 (2/2)
”Oh, Uncle Wiggily!” cried the little girl. ”I have been waiting to see you. I want you to do me a very special extra favor; will you?”
”Why, of course, if I can,” answered the bunny uncle, with a polite bow. ”I am always glad to do favors.”
”You can easily do this one,” said Little Miss m.u.f.fet. ”I want you to come----”
And just then Uncle Wiggily saw a big spider crawling over the floor toward the little girl, who was still on her tuffet, having finished her curds and whey.
”And if she sees that spider, sit down beside her, it surely will frighten her away,” thought Uncle Wiggily, ”and I will not be able to find out what she wants me to do for her. Let me see, she hasn't yet noticed the spider. I wonder if I could get her out of the room while I asked the spider to kindly not to do any frightening, at least for a while?”
So Uncle Wiggily, who was quite worried, sort of waved his paw sideways at the spider, and twinkled his pink nose and said ”Ahem!”
which meant that the spider was to keep on crawling, and not go near Miss m.u.f.fet. Uncle Wiggily himself was not afraid of spiders.
”Yes, Uncle Wiggily,” went on little Miss m.u.f.fet, who had not yet seen the spider. ”I want you to come to----” and then she saw the rabbit gentleman making funny noses behind her back, and waving his paw at something, and Miss m.u.f.fet cried:
”Why, what in the world is the matter, Uncle Wiggily? Have you hurt yourself?”
”No, no,” the rabbit gentleman quickly exclaimed. ”It's the spider.
She's crawling toward you, and I don't want her to sit down beside you, and frighten you away.”
Little Miss m.u.f.fet laughed a jolly laugh.
”Oh, Uncle Wiggily!” she cried. ”I'm not at all afraid of spiders!
I'd let a dozen of them sit beside me if they wanted to, for I know they will not harm me, if I do not harm them. And besides, I knew this spider was coming all the while.”
”You did?” cried Nurse Jane, surprised like.
”To be sure I did. She is Mrs. Spin-Spider, and she has come to measure me for a new cobweb silk dress; haven't you, Mrs.
Spin-Spider?”
”Yes, child, I have,” answered the lady spider. ”No one need be afraid of me.”
”I'm not,” Uncle Wiggily said, ”only I did not want you to frighten Miss m.u.f.fet away before she had her curds and whey.”
”Oh, I had them,” the little girl said. ”Nurse Jane gave them to me before you came in, Uncle Wiggily. But now let me tell you what I came for, and then Mrs. Spin-Spider can measure me for a new dress.
I came to ask if you would do me the favor to come to my birthday party next week. Will you?”
”Of course I will!” cried Uncle Wiggily. ”I'll be delighted.”
”Good!” laughed Little Miss m.u.f.fet. Then along came Mrs.
Spin-Spider, and sat down beside her and did not frighten the little girl away, but, instead, measured her for a new dress.
So from this we may learn that cobwebs are good for something else than catching flies, and in the next chapter, if the piano doesn't come upstairs to lie down on the bra.s.s bed so the pillow has to go down in the coal bin to sleep, I'll tell you about Uncle Wiggily and the first little kitten.
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