Part 18 (2/2)
”Who would have thought my gla.s.ses were so dark and gloomy?” he went on.
”I feel ever so much better, now. Come on, Sammie and Susie, and I'll buy you some cabbage ice cream. And you too, little pink fairy.” You see, he had been looking through gloomy gla.s.ses all that while, and that was what made him cross.
”Oh, thank you, I only eat rose-leaf ice cream,” the fairy said. ”But I'm not hungry now. Good-luck to all of you, and may you be always happy!” Then she turned into a little bird and flew away singing, while Uncle Wiggily and the rabbit children went to the ice cream store. Now, unless I'm much mistaken, to-morrow night's story will be about Sammie and how he saved Billie Bushytail. But of course you never can tell what will happen.
x.x.x
SAMMIE SAVES BILLIE BUSHYTAIL
Sammie Littletail was out in a green field digging a burrow, or underground house. He didn't really need another house, for the one he, and his papa, and mamma, and sister, lived in was very nice, but, as he had nothing else to do, he thought he would dig a big hole, and, maybe, go all the way through to China. Sammie thought he would like to see how China looked, and he thought he might make the acquaintance of some Chinese rabbits.
Well, he hadn't gotten down very far, and he was still a good many miles from China, when he heard some one singing a song in a very loud voice.
Now I don't advise you to sing it quite so loudly, for you might awaken the baby, if you have one in your house. Anyway, it does just as well to sing it softly. This is the song Sammie heard:
”I want to be a sailor And sail the ocean blue.
I'd journey to a distant land And then come back to you.
I'd bring you lots of happiness, A big trunk filled with joy; A barrel full of hickory nuts For every girl or boy.”
Well, when Sammie heard that he cried out:
”Is that a fairy?”
”No, it's me,” was the answer.
”Oh, then you must be Billie or Johnnie Bushytail,” went on Sammie, for he remembered that once the little boy squirrels went sailing and were s.h.i.+pwrecked.
”Yes, I'm Billie,” said the voice, and then up popped the little squirrel. ”But what did you say about a fairy?” he asked.
”I thought at first you were a fairy,” continued Sammie, and then he stopped digging the hole in the ground. ”There have been such a lot of fairies around here lately,” Sammie added. ”Red ones, and green ones, and blue ones, and--”
”Are you talking about Easter eggs or something else?” inquired Billie Bushytail.
”Fairies, of course.”
”Oh, get out! Oh, ho! Don't tell me that! Why, how superfluous!” cried Billie, for that last was a new word he had just learned. ”Don't mention fairies to me!” he continued.
”Why not?” Sammie wanted to know.
”Because I don't believe there are such things!” cried Billie, frisking his big tail until it looked like a dusting brush that they use after sweeping to knock the dust from the furniture onto the floor again.
”Don't talk to me like that, Sammie.”
”Well,” remarked the little boy rabbit, ”all I've got to say is that there _are_ fairies! But where's Johnnie? Maybe he believes in 'em.”
”No, he doesn't. Besides he's gone out walking with Sister Sallie. Come on, let's have a catch. Where's your ball?”
”I didn't bring it,” replied Sammie. ”But we can have some fun playing in this hole I've dug.” So they played for some time, and pretty soon, oh, in about two and a half frisks of Billie's tail, what should happen, but that, all of a sudden, a great big hawk swooped down from the sky and grabbed that little boy squirrel up in its claws, and flew off with him. Well, you can just imagine how scared Sammie was. His nose wiggled so he sneezed three times. Then he looked up, and there was the hawk, flying away, and away, and away with poor Billie. Oh, wasn't it dreadful!
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