"And besides," went on the larger groundhog, "we'll give you something to eat, and help you out of this hole."
So they went and got their lantern, which was a bottle filled with fireflies, and they showed Buddy where there was another hole leading up out of their underground house, and he crawled out, after they had given him some clover preserved in molasses candy, and they promised to come and play with him and Brighteyes some day.
Then Buddy was happy again, and almost glad he had fallen down the big hole, because he had something good to take home to eat.
Now, in case I have cherry pie for supper and the juice doesn't get on my red necktie and turn it green, I'll tell you soon about a trick the groundhogs played.
STORY XXII
A TRICK THE GROUNDHOGS PLAYED
One day, oh, I guess it must have been about a week after Buddy Pigg fell down the groundhogs' hole, he and Brighteyes were out walking in the woods. They had been over to pay a visit to Jackie and Peetie Bow Wow, the two puppy dogs, you know, and were on their way back.
As they walked along, they both heard a queer little rustling sound in the bushes, but at first they didn't pay any attention to it, but they kept on, talking about what a nice time they had had, when, all of a sudden, the noise sounded more plainly. It was just as if some big animal had taken hold of the bushes in his teeth, and had shaken them—shaken the bushes, I mean, of course, for he couldn't shake his teeth unless they were false, and animals don't have false teeth, thank goodness.
"My land sakes! What's that?" exclaimed Brighteyes.