Edith B. Davidson

“ One fine morning away they flew, circling round and round, up and up, until the earth lay far below. Numbers of strange birds flew about them, and one big gray one, with long feathery ears and a huge beak, frightened little Rosamund dreadfully, by perching on the airship close beside her. ”

“ White ants! Black ants! Speckled ants!—just any kind of ants. They are all excellent, both as food and appetizers.”
“No, thank you,” said Mr. Bushy Tail, in rather a disgusted voice. “I do not care for ants. (68) Do you eat nothing else?”
“Nothing!” answered the other proudly. “I am the world famous Quilly Ant-Eater, of whom you have doubtless heard.”
Now Mr. Bushy Tail had never heard of this celebrated personage, but he was too wise to say so. He only inquired where he could find a few nuts, for he was half starved, and also the nearest way to the North. ”

“ Towards noon, while he was picking acorns for dinner, whom should he see, running along the road, but his cousin, Teenie Weenie, the dearest little white mouse in the world?
[Pg 31]
“Hullo, Teenie Weenie!” called Nibbles. “Where did you come from?”
“Why, I live in a village not far from here,” replied Teenie Weenie. “And where are you going, Cousin Nibbles?”
“I am going to seek my fortune,” said Nibbles.
“Oh, do let me come, too,” begged Teenie.
“All right, come along,” answered Nibbles. “Two is company and one is none. Only don’t keep getting tired.” ”

“ Gray-Squirrel, dropped in to see him, and said at once: “What you need is a change of air, and I know just [Pg 9] the thing for you to do; come for a trip to the Moon with me in my new airship. You’ll have plenty of fresh air, and not too much heat, unless we happen to fall into the Sun.”
“Oh, no, no!” cried poor Mrs. Bunnikins-Bunny, almost in tears. “I simply cannot let Mr. Bunnikins go sailing in the air. ”

“ When he reached the 61pond, he saw Neddy and Bobtail trying vainly to throw the life-preserver to a brown furry object which was struggling in the water, some little distance from shore.
“Come here, Neddy,” called Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny, “and let me get on your back; then you can swim to whatever that is in the water, and I can throw it the life-preserver, when we get near enough.”
“Hee-haw!” said Neddy, which 62meant, “All right, sir”; and Mr. Bunnikins scrambled up on his back, with the life-preserver held tightly in his fore paws, and off they swam. ”

“ I prize most in the world,” he said, “and your reward shall be in proportion. Every year, as long as you live, you shall receive a bag of gold.”
Nibbles was almost too happy to speak, but he thanked the Prince and kissed his hand. A page was sent to bring the gold, and a few minutes later, Nibbles and Teenie Weenie, carrying the precious bag between them, were hurrying back to the raft.
They found Mr. Scratchetty-Claw fast asleep, but Nibbles, dancing with joy, woke him up to hear the great news. ”

“ Bunnikins-Bunny sat down on a corner of the chandelier, and held his bewildered head between his front paws.
“If we stay here long,” said he, “I shall go crazy, and you will have to keep me in a cage.”
Meanwhile, the children were racing up and down the little stairways and trying the beds and chairs on the ceiling. It was quite easy for Ruddy and Chippy Gray-Squirrel to hang [Pg 51] on, but it was very difficult for Bobtail and Rosamund Bunny, and it ended by Bobtail’s suddenly falling right on top of his father, who thought that the furniture was coming down, and was scared out of his wits. ”

“ The life-preserver, however, was given as a parting gift to Mr. Brown Bruin, who was much pleased. Neddy, the donkey, was thankful 93to get rid of it, as he hated to wear it around his neck.
Neddy had grown so fat from doing nothing all summer that he 94could scarcely waddle, and Bobtail declared he looked like a hippopotamus.
The Bunnies and the Gray-Squirrels felt very sad to leave their kind friends the Brown Bears, and the pretty camp with its running brook, but winter was coming and soon the nights would be cold so far up in the mountains. ”

“ Frisky having been sent out of the room, and the baby being pacified with an acorn-cup to play with, Mr. Bushy Tail spoke:
“There’s only one thing to do;” said he, “go across the frozen pond, (16) and through the woods, to either my cousin Red Squirrel’s or else to the Chipmunks’. They will gladly lend me corn or oats enough to feed us for another month, and by that time let us hope that Spring will have come.”
“You’ll freeze in the deep snow,” said his wife, “or else you will be blown to the North Pole by the fierce wind. Then I shall be a (18) widow, and what will the children do? ”

“ They spent the rest of the day sleighing and seeing the island. The houses were all made of ice, and there were no trees, no flowers, not even a blade of grass. The people were so huge that they terrified the children, and Rosamund kept tight hold of her father’s paw.
No Bunnies or Squirrels had ever been seen in the Moon before, and the people admired them very much. One little giant girl cried tears as big as dollars, because she could not keep Rosamund for a plaything, and when [Pg 24] she picked her up in her big hands to pet her, the poor little bunny was frightened almost to death. ”

“ Bushy Tail, “but much as I should enjoy it, I must go home as soon as I can to my starving family.”
He then told Mr. Snorter what had befallen him, and of his great (82) desire to travel back to the North, in the speediest manner.
“Come on!” said Mr. Ring Tail. “Just jump on my back, and I will take you to a friend of mine, who can whisk you there in no time.”
“Hadn’t I better fill my bag first with these fine nuts?” asked Mr. Bushy Tail.
“No, no, don’t bother about that; you’ll find nuts all the way (83) home,” answered the other. So on jumped Mr. Bushy Tail, and away they went. ”

“ Mrs. Gray-Squirrel and Mrs. Bunny prepared supper; while Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny and Mr. Gray-Squirrel gave 40Neddy his supper and unpacked the cart; Mr. Gray-Squirrel doing most of the work, while Mr. Bunny talked and made suggestions.
There was a cunning little white tent for the children and their mothers, Mr. Gray-Squirrel preferring to sleep in a tree, while Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny decided to try his new hammock, swung between two strong bushes near the tent.
They were all so tired out, that 41soon after supper they went to bed. The little bunnies and squirrels were asleep in two minutes ”

“ Bunnikins-Bunny.
52“See the nut-trees and clover-blossoms,” said Mr. Gray-Squirrel, who was fond of good things to eat.
Mrs. Bunnikins and Mrs. Gray-Squirrel were pleased to have the brook so near, where they could wash both the children and the clothes.
53Not far away they found an old deserted shed, which made an excellent stable for Neddy; and in the hollow of a tree, they made a cosy nest for cold or rainy weather. ”

“ I was having such a lovely dream when you woke me up.”
[Pg 24]
“I am very sorry,” replied Nibbles, “but I am so hungry that I shall soon be ready to eat my whiskers.”
“Well, well,” said the Salamander, “you sha’n’t wait another minute”; and he bustled about so fast that, before he knew it, Nibbles was eating large quantities of cheese and bacon pie, and drinking cups of tea so hot that it made him wink.
Meanwhile, the Salamander had climbed up on top of the stove, where he sat with his feet hanging over the edge, nodding and dozing.
[Pg 25]
[Pg 26]
“Do you never get too hot?” ”

“ The table was a nice flat stone, and the table-cover was made of pretty ferns and flowers, which the little bunnies and squirrels picked. Mr. Neddy, the donkey, had his dinner under a shady tree, while the others waited patiently for Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny.
32Pretty soon they saw him in the distance, puffing and panting along, and dragging behind him some large object. When he came nearer, his wife saw that he was bringing a life-preserver.
“My dear,” she called, “what can you want that for?”
33 35“For Bobtail,” Mr. Bunnikins shouted back. ”

“ The snow storm, in which Mr. (95) Bushy Tail was blown away, had turned into such an awful blizzard, that every one thought he had been buried in the deep snow and frozen.
What a fine supper Mrs. Bushy Tail cooked from the wonderful bag, and how much they all ate.
Mr. Bushy Tail was told what a good boy Frisky had been, and how the baby had cut a new tooth, with which he had accidentally bitten Grandma Chipmunk.
(96)
Then, after the baby had been tucked away in his soft nest, they all sat down close to the fire, while Mr. ”

“ Gray-Squirrel made a polite bow, and Mrs. Bunny and Mrs. Squirrel made nice little courtesies, but poor Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny, in the middle of a most elegant bow, got his legs so twisted up with his sword, that he turned a [Pg 34] complete somersault right into the Moon King’s lap!
“Never mind,” said the King, as he kindly helped him to his feet, “accidents will happen. Have a piece of cheese?” ”

“ Down down, down he sank, until he felt sure that he was going through to China. His head was buried in the [Pg 43] soft sand at the bottom of the river, and he had to struggle hard to free himself. Finally he came up to the surface of the water, and was able to swim to the raft, where little Teenie Weenie still sat, too terrified to move.
[Pg 44]
Chapter VI Mr. Scratchetty-Claw
Floating on the water, so near the raft that he could have touched it, Nibbles saw a huge animal covered with brown scales. ”

“ For more than a week they sailed up the pretty river, but at last, one afternoon at sunset, they reached home. Quietly they stole up to the cottage and peeped in at the window.
There was Mrs. Poppelty-Poppett cooking supper, while Sniffy and Snuffy were peeling potatoes, and Gobble was eating an apple behind the door. ”

“ Bushy Tail, taking Frisky on his (97) knee, told them of all his wonderful adventures. Of Mr. Quilly Ant-Eater and the Ring-Tailed Snorter; of that surprising slide down Mrs. (98) Mole’s chimney, and of the terrible North wind.
And there we will leave them, a happy and contented little family. ”

“ Possum’s “Ready Relief,” a hair-brush, a small bottle of 28cayenne pepper, which by making you sneeze would cure a cold; an extra pair of socks; a smelling-bottle; some toothpicks; half a dozen acorns for luncheon; a pair of rubber shoes to keep his toe-toes dry if it rained ”

“ Down the village street they ran, and [Pg 37] never stopped until they were safe in the open country once more.
“Well,” said Nibbles, “I have never seen a Cat before, and I sincerely hope that I never may again. You may live in a village if you like, Teenie Weenie, but I prefer the quiet woods.”
[Pg 38]
Chapter V Down the River
They traveled on for several days, close to the river, until Nibbles suggested that it would be more fun and easier to sail than to walk. ”

“ It had small black eyes, and a long tail, while its head was mostly made up of a very long nose, and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth.
“Hullo!” said the Animal, “I thought you were never coming up. [Pg 45] What kept you so long under the water?”
Poor Nibbles was dripping wet, covered with sand, and still gasping for breath, but he tried to answer politely:
“I could not come up any sooner, Sir, because my head was stuck in the sand. Will you please tell me what you are? ”

“ How fast he scampered toward his house tree. He scarcely noticed (92) that since he had gone away Spring had come, and the first soft green shoots were covering the trees. The grass was full of flowers, and the birds were singing merrily. ”

“ They were good-natured, fat little dwarfs, with big heads, long black hair, and small, bright eyes. They [Pg 53] wore very gay clothes,—red, blue, and yellow being their favorite colors,—and Mr. Bunnikins’s fine hat and beautiful clothes were immensely admired. ”