The Bob Cat Nearly Spoiled a Nutting Party
1. One day Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, the squirrel boys, ran over to Uncle Wiggily’s hollow stump bungalow. “Please come nutting with us, Uncle Wiggily!” chattered the squirrels. “The nuts ate late this year. We’ll find the trees loaded.” So while Uncle Wiggily held his tall silk hat beneath a chestnut tree, the squirrel boys knocked nuts into-it. “We’ll have a nut party!” laughed the bunny gentleman.
2. “We ought to have more than one kind of nuts at a party!” cried Johnnie, when the bunny’s hat was nearly full. “I know where there’s a hazel bush!” said Billie. “Let’s go there!” proposed Uncle Wiggily. And when the three friends reached the hazel nut bush, the wind was blowing so hard that it blew the nuts off the bush and into the bunny’s hat, and the caps of the squirrel chaps. It was jolly fun!
3. “Haven’t we enough nuts now for a little party?” asked Johnnie. “I think so,” answered Uncle Wiggily. “We’ll make a little camp fire on a big rock in the woods, and roast the chestnuts. The hazel nuts do not need roasting.” Soon a jolly party was gathered around the camp fire. Just then along came the sneaky Bob Cat. “Oh ho!” said the Bob Cat to himself, “I guess I’ll have some ears to nibble now!”
4. All of a sudden, while Uncle Wiggily and the squirrels were roasting the nuts, up sprang the Bob Cat. Before the bunny could do anything he was caught and tied in a wild grape vine, and so were the squirrel boys. “I’ll take you off to my den,” said the bad Bob Cat, “and I’ll nibble your ears when I get you there!” Uncle Wiggily begged and pleaded, but the Bob Cat would not let him loose. Oh, dear!
5. On his way to his den the Bob Cat led Uncle Wiggily and the two squirrels beneath a horse chestnut tree. Then Johnnie had an idea. He quickly whispered to Uncle Wiggily while the Bob Cat was looking the other way. Then the squirrel boy said: “Oh, Mr. Bob Cat, here are some fine big nuts! Wouldn’t you like us to get you some of these nuts before you nibble our ears?” The Bob Cat said he thought he would.
6. “If you loosen us we'll climb up and get you some great big horse chestnuts!” chattered the squirrels to the Bob Cat. They didn’t tell him horse chestnuts weren’t good to eat. “Very well,” snarled the Bob Cat. “I'll loosen you long enough to have you get me some nuts. But I'll tie Uncle Wiggily fast to the tree trunk,” and this was done. “We'll jiggle nuts on the Bob Cat,” said Billie to Johnnie, whispering.
7. All of a sudden, when the Bob Cat was right under big clusters of the sharp, stickery nuts, the squirrel boys began shaking down the horse chestnuts. “Bing! Bang! Bung!” they fell all over the Bob Cat, pricking him like a dozen pin cushions. “Stop! Stop! That’s enough!” howled the bad chap. But Johnnie and Billie danced the harder, sending down more prickery nuts to stick the Bob Cat. None hit the bunny.
8. Johnnie and Billie shook down so many of the big horse chestnuts in their stickery green husks, that the Bob Cat was covered almost over his head. Every time the Bob Cat moved and tried to get out from beneath the nuts, they only pricked him the harder. “Oh, wow!” howled the bad chap! “Come on!” cried Johnnie to Billie as they scrambled down the tree. “Let’s untie Uncle Wiggily and run!”
9. While the Bob Cat was trying to crawl out from beneath the pile of stickery horse chestnuts, Johnnie and Billie quickly loosened the grape vine ropes from around Uncle Wiggily. None of the sharp nuts had fallen on the bunny gentleman. “Good-bye, old Bob Cat!” cried the squirrel boys, as they tossed a few more nuts on the pile, to make sure the bad chap wouldn’t get out and chase them. But he couldn't!
And if the egg beater doesn’t try to turn the rubber plant into an
umbrella for the gold fish, the next pictures and story
will tell how
UNCLE WIGGILY WENT ONE DAY, HIS BASKET
TO FILL WITH FLOWERS OF MAY. AND, THOUGH HE
GATHERED BLOSSOMS BRIGHT, HE ALSO HAD A TERRIBLE FIGHT.