Laura Lee Hope

“ Hare to the Monkey. "He didn't mean to be impolite, asking for your stick."
"Oh, I know," said the Monkey. "He's just like all children—they just ask what they want to know about. And I suppose it does seem funny to be a Monkey on a Stick and then not have your stick with you. But I can tell you where my stick is, Johnnie," said the Monkey to the little Rabbit chap, and then he related his adventure on Carlo's back. ”

“ And you can take the soldiers away, Arnold, 'cause next is going to be a race between the Candy Rabbit and the Lamb on Wheels."
"Oh, my Rabbit can't race with the Lamb!" objected Madeline. "The Lamb is too big."
"Yes, I guess that's so," admitted her brother. "Well, then the next part of the show," he cried in a loud voice, "will be when the Candy Rabbit rides around the ring on the back of the Lamb on Wheels."
"Oh, that will be nice," said Mirabell, blowing a kiss to her woolly Lamb.
The two girls left their seats and took their places in the middle of the tent. ”

“ The Monkey was just starting to tell how the Calico Clown's red and yellow [Pg 30] trousers were burned in the gas jet one day, when, all of a sudden, there was a great noise and commotion in the schoolroom. The Monkey and the Doll could not tell what had caused it, though the Monkey did try to look out through the keyhole.
"Can you see anything?" asked the Doll.
"I can see some water dripping down," answered the long-tailed chap, "and the teacher and the children are running around as fast as anything." ”

“ Just before recess, his teacher, looking down toward Herbert, sitting near Dick and Arnold, called out:
"What have you there, Herbert? What are you showing to the other boys under your desk?"
"It—it's a Monkey!" answered Madeline's brother.
"A monkey!" exclaimed the teacher.
"Yes. It's my birthday Monkey," went on the little boy.
"Oh! A birthday monkey!" the teacher said again. "I think I had better call the janitor and have him take care of your [Pg 18] monkey for you," and she started toward the door.
"Oh, no'm! He isn't a live monkey," said Herbert. "He's just a toy one, on a stick." ”

“ The two boys hurried down the street toward Dick's house.
"This world is full of surprises," [Pg 46] thought the Monkey. "I wonder what my toy friends in the store would think if they knew I was going to have a ride on a dog's back. What a wonderful adventure it may be!"
The Monkey was not afraid. He was a courageous chap, almost as brave as the Bold Tin Soldier. One has to be brave to climb up and down a stick day after day, and turn somersaults from the top; I think.
"How can we make my Monkey stay on your Carlo's back?" asked Herbert, as they reached Dick's house. ”

“ Pretty soon the boys came to a little brook that ran through the meadow. They stopped on the edge, and looked down into the water in which tiny fishes were swimming.
"Shall we jump across the brook and run in the field on the other side?" asked Dick of Herbert.
"If we do, won't Carlo jump over, too?" asked Herbert. "And if he tries to jump [Pg 53] over, he may fall in and get all wet, and so will my Monkey."
"Carlo won't mind getting wet!" laughed Dick. "But it might not be good for your Monkey. Perhaps we'd better stay on this side of the brook, and then everything will be all right." ”

“ They don't know I am really alive, and can come to life as you toys do. I saw you getting wet, so I called to you. Get under one of these big, broad fern leaves, and it will keep the rain off as well as an umbrella."
Jack in the Pulpit nodded toward a big fern leaf near where he himself was growing, and in an instant the Monkey had crawled under this shelter. Truly enough it kept off the rain, the drops pattering down on the leaf over the Monkey's head as they used to patter on the roof of the toy store. ”

“ Let's look around and play. We can't stand up, as the drawer isn't high enough, but we can crawl on our knees. Let's see what else is here."
"All right," agreed the Cotton Doll. [Pg 23] So while the teacher was hearing the lessons of Herbert, Madeline and the other boys and girls, the Monkey (crawling off his stick for the time being) and the Cotton Doll went creeping on their hands and knees around the drawer.
"Let's look in the bottle of ink," proposed the Monkey, as he crawled near it, and began pulling at the cork. ”

“ In his hand Herbert carried his Monkey on a Stick.
"Where did you get this?" his teacher asked, as she took the toy from Herbert and laid it on top of her desk.
"I got it for my birthday," he answered. "This morning."
"But why did you bring it to school?" went on the teacher. "You are nearly always a good boy. Why did you bring your Monkey to school, Herbert?"
"Oh, I—I just wanted to show him to [Pg 19] Arnold and Dick," was the answer. "We're going to have a show, and my Monkey is going to be in it. I brought him to school under my coat!" ”

“ And the bunny boys and girls liked the story told by the Monkey on a Stick very much indeed.
The Monkey enjoyed himself so much in the cave house of Mr. Jack Hare that he stayed longer than he intended. It was along in the middle of the afternoon before he came out, and as the Monkey and Mr. Hare reached the outer opening of the [Pg 78] burrow the rabbit gentleman knocked on the ground three times with his hind feet.
"What's that for?" asked the Monkey.
"To turn off the lightning bugs," was the answer. "No use burning lights when no one needs them. I'll turn them on if you call again." ”

“ They must have given me paregoric to make me sleep, and then have put me in a box and carted me down to some other part of the store. I'm sure the Calico Clown must have had a hand in this. He and his jokes and riddles about what [Pg 5] makes more noise than a pig under a gate! I'll fix him when I get out of here!"
The Monkey raised the box cover higher and began to call:
"Hi there, Calico Clown! what do you mean by shutting me up in a pasteboard box? What's the joke? Come on, Mr. Elephant from Noah's Ark! Come and help me out! Ho, Jack-Jump! Hi, Jack-Box! Where are you all? ”

“ She put me in this desk drawer; the teacher did."
"Well, now we're here, let's have some fun," said the Monkey to the Cotton Doll after a bit. "We are all alone by ourselves, and we can do as we please. ”

“ These are lightning bugs," was [Pg 71] the Rabbit's answer. "I keep them to make the place bright when strangers come. We Rabbits don't need light ourselves, for we can see in the dark."
"Some of the toys can, also," said the Monkey. "But I am not very good at that sort of thing yet. I like light. We had gas and electricity at the toy store."
The Monkey followed the Live Rabbit on down through the winding burrow. ”

“ Grasshopper?" asked Jack Hare. [Pg 64]
"He is a stranger in our meadow," was the answer. "I just met him. He was cutting up some—er—polishes, I think he said."
"Shines! Shines! Monkeyshines, not polishes, though they are somewhat alike," explained the Monkey. "I cut some Monkeyshines after I fell off a dog's back."
"A dog! Good gracious! Don't tell me there's a dog around here!" exclaimed Jack Hare, looking quickly over his shoulder. "A dog will chase me as soon as he will a cat. I guess I'd better be going."
"Oh, don't be afraid," said the Monkey. "The dog I mean is Carlo. ”

“ Nor did they know how he had become dried out by sleeping under the fern leaf.
"Well, now we'll have some fun, as long as I have my Monkey back," said Herbert, and he and Dick, followed by the dog, went back across the meadow.
"What are you going to do?" asked Dick.
"Put up a tent and have a show," Herbert answered. "You can bring your White Rocking Horse, and Arnold can bring his Bold Tin Soldier. If Dorothy [Pg 97] wants to, she can bring her Sawdust Doll, Mirabell can bring her Lamb of Wheels, and my sister Madeline can bring her Candy Rabbit." ”

“ Please don't!" begged the Cotton Doll, as she tried to get away from the Monkey. But she couldn't, for he held her tightly, and the inky end of the tail was coming nearer and nearer to her face. [Pg 25]
CHAPTER III THE JANITOR'S HOUSE
"There you are! Oh, how funny you look!" chattered the Monkey on a Stick in a whisper to the Cotton Doll, as they were both shut up together in the teacher's desk. "You don't know how funny you look! If I only had a looking-glass I'd show you!"
"I don't care! I think you're real mean!" said the Cotton Doll. "Don't you dare put any more ink on me!" ”

“ Because of George and Martha Washington Parke, two young descendants of the famous General Washington, these stories follow exactly the life of the great American, by means of playing they act the life of the Washingtons, both in battles and in society.
THE LITTLE WASHINGTONS
Their thrilling battles and expeditions generally end in "punishment" lessons read by Mrs. Parke from the "Life of Washington." The culprits listen intently, for this reading generally gives them new ideas for further games of Indian warfare and Colonists' battles. ”

“ These children had all come to the show. The boys and girls brought two pins to get in. Those who brought toy animals to act in [Pg 111] the show did not have to bring any pins to come in.
"The first act in the show!" called Herbert, who was the ringmaster, "will be Mr. Dick riding on his White Rocking Horse! Ladies and Gentlemen, see Mr. Dick!"
"Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!" cried the children, clapping their hands.
Dick drew his horse out into the middle of the tent. Of course if the Rocking Horse had been there alone he could have trotted out by himself. But, as it was, Dick had to drag him. ”