"My! I wonder what in the world this can be?" said Uncle Wiggily, surprised like.
"Maybe it's something from Alice in Wonderland," spoke Squeaky-Eeky, the cousin mouse.
"You are right—I am!" exclaimed a voice. "I am the Mock-Turtle and I have just gotten out of the soup."
"Oh, I'm so glad to meet you!" cried Squeaky. "I've always wanted to see what a real mock turtle looked like, ever since I read the book about Alice."
"Hum!" grunted the queer creature. "There's no such thing as a real mock turtle any more than there is a make-believe toothache."
"I hope you never have that," said Squeaky-Eeky, politely.
"Thank you, I don't care for any," answered the Mock-Turtle, just as if the little cousin mouse had passed the cakes. And then the turtle began to sing:
"Speak gently to your toothache drops,
And do not let them fall.
And when you have the measle-mumps,
They'll scarcely hurt at all."