"So am I," spoke Johnnie, and Toodle Flat-tail said the same thing.
Noodle tried to look as if he didn't care when he left the school to go home after his reader book. But he was very glad to get out in the fresh air and sunshine, for it was a nice, fall day, although it did look as if it might snow soon.
Well, Noodle reached his house all right, and got his book. His mamma was quite surprised to see him, and said he must not be so careless next time. Noodle said he would not.
The little beaver boy was going along through the woods on his way back to school, when all of a sudden, just ahead of him, he saw a fox sneaking along.
"Ah, ha!" thought Noodle. "I had better be careful. I will go around another way, I guess."
Well, just as he was going to do this, and maybe find a canal of water, so he could swim in that to school (knowing quite well that the fox would not go in water), just as Noodle was going to do this, he saw Uncle Wiggily, the old rabbit gentleman, hopping along. And Uncle Wiggily hadn't noticed the bad old fox.
But the bad old fox saw Uncle Wiggily Longears, and before Noodle could call out, to warn the rabbit gentleman, the fox sprang out, and grabbed him. Yes, sir; that fox grabbed Uncle Wiggily by the ears, and started to take him off to his den.
"Oh, this must never be!" cried Noodle. "That fox must not eat Uncle Wiggily! How can I stop him? I know. I'll run on ahead and hide behind a stump. Then, when the fox gets there, I'll jump out suddenly, and bark like old dog Percival. That will scare the fox so I hope he'll run away."
