CHAPTER III
Next morning who do you suppose was the first one to wake up?
Humpty Dumpty woke up and rolled out of bed.
“Bump!” he fell to the floor and rolled over and over. Humpty Dumpty was so fat he was always rolling about.
“Help! help!” called the twins. “Humpty Dumpty has fallen out of bed.”
“Hush!” said Humpty Dumpty, “don’t waken Grandpa. I did not hurt myself at all this time.”
Then the twins looked at the great clock in the hall. Its hands pointed at quarter of six, so they all went back to bed.
“I am not a bit sleepy,” said Freddie.
“Neither am I,” said Teddie.
Humpty Dumpty said, “Let us tell one another fairy stories.”
Freddie began, “Once there was a princess. She had golden hair.”
“No, she had red hair,” said Humpty Dumpty.
“No, no,” said the twins, “we wish her to have golden hair.”
Then Humpty Dumpty said, “Red hair, red hair,” and he laughed so hard that he fell out of bed again.
The funny little Roly-Polys could not go on with the story because they could not agree about the color of the princess’s hair.
They all got up and tip-toed down-stairs.
They did not wish to waken Grandpa.
The twins started to get breakfast, and such a time as they had! First the fire would not burn, then the water would not boil.
They burned their fingers and they burned the toast.
Grandpa Grimes came down at last, and they all sat down to breakfast.
Grandpa Grimes said, “The coffee is so good I will give you all new red caps and you may go with me to the store to buy them.”
“Hurrah!” shouted the twins together.
Humpty Dumpty said, “I want a blue cap. I haven’t any twin.”
Then they all laughed until they cried.
“I wonder where Ma and Pa have gone,” said the twins.
“How many of you will be late for school?” asked Grandpa Grimes.
Then they all ate their breakfast and started on a run for school.
Grandpa Grimes stood in the doorway and waved a red pocket-handkerchief at them as they ran along.
Humpty Dumpty began to cry as soon as school opened. He cried and he screamed and he howled.
The teacher said, “Humpty Dumpty, I can not send you home every day!”
Humpty Dumpty would not tell what was the matter and he only cried, “I want my grandpa, boo-hoo!”
At last the teacher said that Humpty Dumpty must go home, but that he must go alone this time.
Then Humpty Dumpty made a bow and went home.
It was time for the classes to stand up and spell. Teddie and Freddie stood up with the rest.
“Spell ‘Africa,’” said the teacher.
Teddie missed and went to the foot of the class. Then Freddie missed and went to the foot of the class.
So, alas! it went on all day long. Teddie and Freddie could not spell and they could neither read nor write.
What do you suppose was the matter?
Freddie was wondering where his mama was and Teddie was wondering where his papa was, and so they could not study.
At the close of school those two funny little twins had to sit on stools and wear dunce-caps.
At five o’clock they went home. They walked slowly. They were thinking about the dunce-caps.
When they got home they wore such long faces that Grandpa Grimes said, “Come right into the parlor!”
There sat Humpty Dumpty on the floor. The twins sat down beside him, and Grandpa said, “A penny for your thoughts,” and he held up three bright new pennies.
Each of the Roly-Polys told what he was thinking about and Grandpa gave each of them a penny.
Then they began to beg for a story.
“Dear Grandpa,” they said, “tell a story. Please, Grandpa, just one story.”
Humpty Dumpty said, “Tell a bran-new story, please.”
Grandpa Grimes dearly loved to tell stories, so he said, “I will tell you about the Tree Fairies.”
When he finished the story, the little Roly-Polys were fast asleep, so Grandpa laughed and said to himself, “I can tell that same story again, some day!”
This is the story Grandpa Grimes told: