Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg: Bed Time Stories

by Howard Roger Garis

BUDDY RIDES HORSEBACK.

One night Buddy Pigg's mamma came into his room, where he was sleeping soundly and dreaming he was playing a ball game with Bully and Bawly, the frogs, and Mrs. Pigg gently shook her little boy by the shoulder.

"Wake up, Buddy!" she called. "Wake up!"

"What's the matter, mother?" Buddy exclaimed, as he sat up in bed. "Is the house on fire?"

"No," she answered, "but your papa is very sick, and I want you to go for Dr. Possum." Then Buddy jumped up very quickly and began to dress, for he loved his papa very much, and would do anything in the world for him. When Buddy was ready to start he heard Dr. Pigg groaning very hard, and saying:

"Oh, dear, what a pain I have! Oh, dear! When will Dr. Possum come?"

"Buddy is going for him at once," Mrs. Pigg said. "He will soon be here. But have you no medicine that you can take?" For Dr. Pigg had once worked in a hospital, and generally had some medicine in the house, but this time he had none that would stop his pain. So Buddy had to get ready to go for the doctor, while Mrs. Pigg and Brighteyes made mustard plasters for Dr. Pigg.

Well, when Buddy was all dressed, he happened to look out of the window, and he saw how dark it was, for there was no moon that night, and the stars were all hidden behind clouds. But do you s'pose Buddy was going to stay home on that account? No, sir-ee! He was frightened, and I guess you'd have been, too, but he was brave, and he made up his mind he'd go for Dr. Possum.

So Buddy put on his hat and coat and went out of the front door and into the dark night, where, for all he knew, a bad fox might be waiting to grab him. But Buddy took a long stick, and he filled his pockets with stones, and he made up his mind he would throw them at the fox if he saw him.

The little guinea pig boy went on, and on, through the woods, toward Dr. Possum's home, and, after a while, he was not so frightened as he had been at first. Then, all of a sudden, as he was passing a big, black bush, he heard a funny noise. First he thought it was a wolf or a bear, and then he heard a voice say: