Part 15 (2/2)

”Oh, yes, I know where there are some acorns,” answered Slicko, ”but I do not care for them as well as for hickory nuts.”

”Oh, please show me the acorns,” begged Squinty.

”Here they are,” spoke Slicko, jumping a little farther, and she pointed to a pile of acorns in another hollow stump.

”Oh, these are fine! Thank you!” grunted Squinty, and he began to eat them. All at once there sounded through the woods a noise like:

”Chat! Chat! Chatter! Whir-r-r-r-r-r!” ”My, what's that?” cried Squinty, turning quickly around.

”That is my mamma calling me,” said Slicko, the jumping squirrel. ”I shall have to go home to my nest now. Good-by, Squinty. I like you very much, and I hope I shall soon see you again.”

”I hope so, too,” spoke Squinty, and while he went on eating the acorns, Slicko ran along the tree branches to her nest. And in another book I shall tell you some more stories about ”Slicko, the Jumping Squirrel,”

but in this book I have room to write only about Squinty.

The little comical pig was rather lonesome after Slicko had left him, but he was no longer hungry, thanks to the acorns.

So he walked on and on, and pretty soon he came to a road. And down the road he saw coming the strangest sight.

There were a lot of big wagons, all painted red and green and gold. Many horses drew each wagon, the big wheels of which rattled like thunder, and beside the wagons there were many strange animals walking along--animals which Squinty had never seen before.

”Oh my!” cried Squinty. ”This is worse than the balloon! I must run away!”

But, just as he turned to run, he saw a little animal jump out of one of the big wagons, and come toward him. This animal was something like a little boy, only, instead of clothes, he was covered with hairy fur. And the animal had a long tail, which Squinty knew no boy ever had.

Squinty was so surprised at seeing the strange animal that the little pig stood still. The hairy animal, with the long tail, came straight for the bush behind which Squinty was hiding, and crawled through. Then the two stood looking at one another, while the big wagons rumbled past on the road.

”h.e.l.lo!” Squinty finally exclaimed. ”Who are you?”

”Why, I am Mappo, the merry monkey,” was the answer, as he curled his long tail around a stick of wood. ”But I don't need to ask who you are.

You are a pig, I can see that, for we have one in our circus, and the clown rides him around the ring, and it is too funny for anything.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”Why, I am Mappo, the merry monkey,” was the answer.]

”Ha, so you are a monkey?” asked Squinty. ”But what do you mean by a circus?”

”That's a circus,” answered Mappo, pointing with one paw through a hole in the bush, at the queer animals, and the red, gold and green wagons.

”That is, it will be a circus when they put up the big tent, and all the people come. Didn't you ever see a circus?”

”Never,” answered Squinty. ”Did you ever ride in a balloon?”

”Never,” answered Mappo.

”Well, then we are even,” said Squinty. ”Now you tell me about a circus, and I'll tell you about the balloon.”

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