CHAPTER IV
Next morning Grandpa Grimes was the first to wake.
He called out, “Great news! glorious news! Your ma and your pa are coming home to-day!”
Then Humpty Dumpty rolled out of bed, but he declared it did not hurt him a bit.
The twins dressed so fast that they forgot to brush their hair and had to run back up-stairs to do it.
Grandpa said, “After breakfast we will go to town and meet your ma and your pa.”
The Roly-Polys finished breakfast. Then they washed the dishes and fed the cat and made the house look as neat as a pin.
Grandpa said, “It is so warm that you do not need your caps, and I am going to buy you new ones, anyway.”
So they went down the road together.
They passed some children going to a picnic, and Humpty Dumpty set up a cry and a scream and a howl.
“What’s the matter?” asked Grandpa.
“What’s the matter?” asked the twins.
“Do you wish to go to the picnic?” asked Freddie.
“Did you lose your penny?” asked Teddie.
But Humpty Dumpty shook his head and cried.
Then Grandpa stooped down and said, “Whisper in my ear what the trouble is. We haven’t time to cry all morning.”
Then Humpty Dumpty whispered something to Grandpa, and Grandpa picked him up and carried him all the rest of the way to the store.
When they reached the store, what a time they had!
Teddie and Freddie tried on all the caps the man had, and Humpty Dumpty got so hungry that they had to buy him a box of crackers!
At last Teddie and Freddie chose stocking caps just alike, and Humpty Dumpty chose a sun-bonnet, and they were all as happy as children could be.
Then Grandpa pulled out his watch and said:
“We shall have to hurry. It is twenty minutes of train time, and you still have your pennies to spend.”
Then the little Roly-Polys danced about the shop and they asked the price of this article and that article, and the clerk was so pleased to see that they all had money to spend that he got out three big bags of peanuts and placed them in a row on the counter.
Then Freddie said, “I want peanuts,” and Teddie said, “I want peanuts,” and Humpty Dumpty said, “Oh, oh, oh! peanuts!”
The clerk handed each one a bag of peanuts and asked, “Can I do anything else for you young gentlemen to-day?”
Humpty Dumpty piped up in his funny little voice and said, “I think Grandpa needs a new suit-case.”
Grandpa was so surprised that he laughed until he cried, and—will you believe it?—before he left the store he had bought a bran-new suit-case!
The clerk gave each of the Roly-Polys a gum-drop and they said they had never had so much fun in all their lives.
Then Grandpa pulled out his watch again and said, “Train time. Hurry, hurry, hurry!” and they all went to the station.
Sure enough, when they got there the train was coming in.
There were Mama and Papa Roly-Poly, round and smiling, and there were lots of people besides.
The Roly-Polys all hugged and kissed one another at a great rate, you may be sure. Then they all went home.
It was not until evening that Freddie thought to ask, “Where have you been, Ma?”
Then Teddie asked, “Where have you been, Pa?”
Then Mama said, “Run off to bed. We will tell you about our travels to-morrow.”
Freddie woke up in the night. He called to Teddie and said:
“I forgot to ask what Humpty Dumpty was crying about on the way to town!”
Then Humpty Dumpty woke up and said, “I cried because a girl said I looked just like an egg!”
“The very idea!” said Freddie.
“The very idea!” said Teddie.
Then they all rolled over and went to sleep.
Humpty Dumpty had a wonderful dream about a little lame prince. He remembered the dream next morning and told it to the family at breakfast.
Grandpa Grimes said, “You are going to be as good a story-teller as I am, some day!”
This is the story that Humpty Dumpty told: