“You had better fly to the top of the hill as I do,” said the bird.  “It’s much easier than walking,” only, of course, Buddy and Brighteyes could not fly.

But the two guinea pig children were not discouraged, and they kept on and on, and pretty soon, really and truly honestly, they were at the very top of the hill—­a place where they had never been before.

They could look off to the mountains, and they saw a lake, and they could see the place where the end of the rainbow was, whenever there was a rainbow, and they felt happy, because everything was so lovely, and Buddy said: 

“I feel so glad, I must sing a little song.”  So he sang this one, which can only be sung on top of a hill: 

  “It’s very hard to climb a hill,
    But when you’re at the top,
  You feel so very fine and good
    Because it’s there you stop. 
  If you should still keep on and on,
    I wonder where you’d land? 
  By sliding down the other side
    With sandals full of sand?”

Then Buddy tried to do a little dance, but what do you s’pose happened?  Why, he lost his balance, and toppled over, and then he grabbed hold of Brighteyes, who was looking at the fine view, and she toppled over, and then, wiggily-waggily, woggily-wee! they both tumbled down that steep hill, head over heels like Jack and Jill.

And they went down faster, and faster, and faster, rolling over and over, and they saw stars, and several different lakes, and lots of clouds and ever so many things.  They were both frightened, and they thought surely they were going to be hurt, for they were nearing the bottom, when all of a sudden what should come along but a big load of hay!

Buddy and Brighteyes hit a stone, bounced up in the air, and then came down, flippity-flop! right on top of the soft hay, and they weren’t hurt the least bit.  Then they slid down off the hay, before the man who was driving it saw them, and ran home.  And they didn’t climb a hill again for ever and ever so long.

Now, if I hear a potato bug whistle a tune on a cornstalk fiddle, I’m going to tell you next about Buddy and Brighteyes going in bathing.

STORY XXVII

BUDDY AND BRIGHTEYES GO BATHING

“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Buddy Pigg one day.  “Oh, dear!  Oh, dear me suz dud!”

“Why, Buddy, dear, whatever in the world is the matter?” asked his mamma, and Brighteyes, who was mending some stockings, looked up at her brother in much surprise.

“Oh, dear!” cried the little guinea pig boy again, “I wish I had something to do.  It’s so hot and dry and dusty here.  I wish some of the fellows would come around or—­or I even wish school would begin again, so I would have something to do.”

Now when a boy wishes for school, in the middle of vacation, you may be sure something serious is the matter.  Mrs. Pigg knew this at once, so she asked: