“Oh, you dear Uncle Wiggily!” she exclaimed, “you’re just in time.”

“What for?” asked Uncle Wiggily; “for the train?”

“No, for my party,” answered Arabella.  “I’m going to have one for all my friends, and I want you to come.  Will you?”

“Oh, I guess so, Arabella.  But you see, I have a friend with me, and——­”

“Oh, he can come too,” spoke Arabella, making a bow to Fido Flip-Flop.  So Uncle Wiggily introduced the doggie to the chickie girl, and the chickie girl to the doggie.

Then they went on together to the party, which was held in a nice big chicken coop.

Oh, I wish you could have been there!  It was just too nice for anything!  Sammie and Susie Littletail were there, and they were so glad to see Uncle Wiggily again.  He said he hadn’t been very lucky in finding his fortune so far, but his rheumatism was not much worse, and he was going to keep on traveling.  He sent his love to all the folks, and said he’d be home some time later.

Then, of course, all the other animal friends were at the party and they played games—­games of all kinds, including a new one called “Please don’t sit on my hat, and I won’t sit on yours.”  It was too funny for anything, really it was.

Then, of course, there were good things to eat.  Buddy Pigg passed around the ice cream, and just as he was handing a plate of it to Jennie Chipmunk it slipped—­I mean the ice cream slipped—­and went right into Uncle Butter’s lap.  But the old goat didn’t care a bit.  He said it reminded him of a pail of paste, and he ate the ice cream, and Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy got Jennie some more.

Then Flip-Flop and Uncle Wiggily did some of their tricks, and every one said they were fine, and they thought it was the best party they had ever been at.

But all of a sudden, just as they were playing the game called “Jump on the piano, and play a queer tune,” there came a knock at the door.

“Who’s there?” asked Arabella Chick.

“I am,” answered a voice, “and I want Uncle Wiggily Longears instantly!  He must come with me!” And they all looked from the window, and there stood a big dog, dressed up like a soldier, and he had a gun with him.  And he wanted Uncle Wiggily to come out, and every one was frightened, for fear he’d shoot the old gentleman rabbit.

But please don’t you get alarmed.  I wouldn’t have that happen for worlds, and in the next story, if I catch a fish in the milk bottle, and he doesn’t bite my finger, I’ll tell you about Uncle Wiggily in a parade.  And it will be a Decoration Day story.

STORY VII

UNCLE WIGGILY IN A PARADE

Arabella Chick’s party seemed to break up very suddenly when the guests saw that soldier-dog with the gun waiting outside the door.  Buddy Pigg slipped out of a back window, and ran home with his tail behind him.  Oh, excuse me, guinea pigs don’t have a tail, do they?  Anyhow he ran home, and so did Sammie and Susie Littletail, and Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, and the Wibblewobble children, and Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow too.