“I haven’t seen any circus posters up,” remarked Susie.

“Of course not,” answered Bully.  “The animals never put them up, because they don’t want a lot of people coming to look on and bother them.  Don’t you want to come?  It’s not very far.”

“But we have no one to take us,” spoke Susie.

“Yes, you have!” exclaimed Uncle Wiggily Longears quickly.  “I will take you myself.  It would never do for you children to go to a circus alone.  I will take you.”

“But your rheumatism is so bad you can hardly walk,” objected Susie.  “Besides, it will be worse if you sit in the woods.”

“Never mind about that,” answered the uncle bravely.  “I’ll manage to stand it.  I am determined you children shall not go to that circus alone.  Of course, I don’t care anything about a circus myself, but I must take care of you,” and the elderly rabbit looked very brave, though the pain of his rheumatism was quite bad.

“My father is going to hop over three stumps,” said Bully, the frog, quite proudly.  “Come on, or we may be late.”

So Uncle Wiggily took Sammie and Susie to the animal circus, and Bully, the frog, went also.  He had a free ticket, because his father was one of the performers.  They had reserved seats on big toadstools, though Bully said they ought to be called frogstools, as frogs used them more than toads did.

Then the performance began, after the birds had sung an opening chorus.  The bunny children had a jolly time.  They saw some pigeons give airship exhibitions that were better than any flying machines you ever heard of.  They watched the snakes make hoops of themselves, through which jumped squirrels and rabbits.  It was so exciting that Uncle Wiggily Longears clapped his paws as hard as he could.  Then Dr. Possum, who was not very busy taking care of sick people that day, hung downward from a limb by his tail ever so long, but when Bully’s papa jumped over three big stumps at once, without so much as touching one—­well, you should have heard the clapping and shouting then!  Best of all, Sammie and Susie liked the baby deer, who stood up on his hind legs and danced, while a crow whistled.  It was so exciting that Sammie and Susie almost forgot to eat the candy-covered carrots and the molasses-cabbage which their uncle bought for them.  It was the best time they had ever remembered, and they talked of nothing else on their way home.  Even Uncle Wiggily’s rheumatism seemed better.  Now, if nothing happens, I am going to tell you to-morrow night of an adventure Sammie Littletail had with a snake.

XVI

SAMMIE AND THE SNAKE

“Sammie,” said Mamma Littletail to her little bunny boy one fine day, “I wish you would take this basket of cabbage leaves and preserved clover over to Mr. Groundhog.  He was so good to let us go in his burrow that night the flood came in here that I want to do him a kindness.”