“Oh, I’m go glad I could ring and tell you the way back here,” said the bluebell.  “Now lie down and sleep, and if there is any danger I will tinkle my bell and awaken you.”

So Uncle Wiggily stretched out on some soft moss, and went to sleep.  And there was some danger for him, as I shall tell you very soon, when, in case the rocking chair on the front porch doesn’t go swimming in the molasses barrel, the next story will be about Uncle Wiggily and the Wibblewobble children.

STORY XXVII

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE WIBBLEWOBBLES

Uncle Wiggily, the nice old gentleman rabbit, was sleeping on the soft moss under a clump of ferns, and over his head the bluebell flower was nodding in the night breeze, keeping watch for danger.  For you remember, I dare say, that the flower had promised to awaken Uncle Wiggily in case any harm happened to come near him.

Hour after hour crept along, like a little mouse after a bit of cheese, and still the rabbit slumbered, and still the bluebell nodded her drowsy head, for she would not go to sleep while she was keeping watch.

“I think I will just take one little nap,” said the flower to herself, after a bit, “just shut my eyes for a little while.”  So she did so, and then, all of a sudden, as quietly as a clock when it isn’t ticking, there came creeping and crawling through the woods, the bad scalery-tailery alligator.

He was looking around sniffing, and snooping, and scuffing for something to eat, and pretty soon he sniffed and snuffed until he came to where Uncle Wiggily was fast asleep, dreaming that he had found his fortune.  And the worst part of it was that the bluebell flower also was sleeping, and she couldn’t tell the rabbit what was going to happen.

“Oh, I’ll have a fine meal in about a minute,” said the scalery-tailery alligator as he smacked his big jaws.  Then he shuffled up closer to Uncle Wiggily, and was about to bite him when all of a sudden the nutmeg grater tail of the scalery alligator accidentally hit against the bluebell flower, and she awoke quickly.

“Tinkle!  Tinkle!  Tinkle!  Ding-dong!  Ding-dong!” rang out the bluebell, just like an alarm clock in the morning.  “Ding-dong-dong!  Tinkle!  Tinkle!”

Up jumped Uncle Wiggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  He looked through the woods, and by the light of the silvery moon he saw the grinning alligator, with his open mouth, close to him.

“Run, Uncle Wiggily!  Run!” cried the bluebell, and then she made such a jingling-jangling noise that all the birds in the woods awakened, and by the moonlight, they flew down at that alligator, and stuck him with their sharp bills, so that he was glad to crawl away, and he didn’t forget to take his scalery tail with him, either.

“My, that was a narrow escape!” said the rabbit.  “I am glad he didn’t eat me.”

“So am I,” said the bluebell, “and I’ll not go to sleep again, either, I promise you.”