“Indeed, I will,” the lion said; “I’ll drink the whole bottle full of pink stuff, and then you’ll see what a queer face I’ll make.”
So the lion tipped up the bottle of bitter, sour, pink cough medicine and swallowed it all at once. Of course it wasn’t meant to be taken that way—not even by a lion—all at once.
And such a face as the lion made! It was seven different kinds of a face at once, and then the lion howled and roared and said, “Oh, dear!” for his throat seemed to be on fire.
And then, without trying to bother Beckie any more, out of the window the lion jumped, to run off to find some ice water, so his throat wouldn’t burn from the cough medicine.
Of course Beckie’s medicine was all gone, but it did not matter, for her cold was soon better. I don’t know whether it was from the medicine she took, or whether the lion scared the cold away.
Anyhow, Beckie got all well, and the lion didn’t bother her again for more than a week.
And, if the bag of peanuts doesn’t step on the elephant’s toe and make him sneeze, I’ll tell you next about Neddie and the tooting horn.
STORY XXI
NEDDIE AND THE TOOTING HORN
“Mamma, can’t Beckie come out and play?” asked Neddie, the little bear boy, as he ran home from school one afternoon. “I came home early on purpose. It was such a nice, sunny day that teacher said I might come out before the others, to amuse Beckie.”
“That was very kind of you,” spoke Mrs. Stubtail, “and I think I will let Beckie out a little while. But you must look after her, and see that she does not stay late, for it gets cold after the sun goes down, and you know she is hardly over her cough yet.”