"Ah! ha! Ahem!" exclaimed Dr. Pigg, as he puffed himself up, and looked as important as possible. "Of course, I remember now. I sent word to you that I had a new cure for rheumatism. I heard the doctors mention it in the hospital, and I thought I would try it on you."
"That's very kind of you," said Uncle Wiggily, "and you can't try it any too soon, for I am in great pain," and he made such a funny face, with his nose wiggling, and his ears waving back and forth, like fans on a hot night, and his eyes—one looking up and the other down—altogether it was so funny that Buddy and his sister wanted to laugh, only they didn't, for they knew it wouldn't be polite, and might hurt Uncle Wiggily's feelings.
"I will have some medicine for you in a jiffy!" exclaimed Dr. Pigg; a jiffy, you know, being almost as quick as half a wink.
So the guinea pig doctor got a bottle of red medicine, and one of blue, and one of pink, and another bottle of green medicine, and he got some red pills and some black pills and some white powder and some yellow powder and then he took some molasses and maple sugar, and stirred them all up together. Oh, it was a funny-looking mixture I can tell you, all colors of the rainbow, just as when Sammie fell into the pot of Easter dye.
"Now Mrs. Pigg, you stir that up well, and we'll give Uncle Wiggily some as soon as it is cool," said Dr. Pigg, for he had cooked the medicine on the stove.
"It doesn't look very nice," observed Uncle Wiggily sort of anxious-like.
"Rheumatism medicine never does," said Dr. Pigg.
"And it doesn't smell very nice," went on Uncle Wiggily.
"Rheumatism medicines never do," cheerfully said Dr. Pigg, "and, what is more, it doesn't taste very nice, either, Uncle Wiggily; but you must take it, if you are to get well."
"I suppose I must," remarked the old rabbit with a sigh, as Mrs. Pigg kept on stirring the mixture. Well, pretty soon it was cool enough to take.