STORY XIV
UNCLE WIGGILY AND BUNTY’S PARTY
“My goodness me, sakes alive, Nurse Jane!” cried Uncle Wiggily Longears one morning, as he came downstairs in his hollow stump bungalow. “Why are you making so many cakes, pies and jam tarts? You have enough for a picnic!”
“These are for Baby Bunty!” explained the muskrat lady housekeeper.
“What! Is she going to eat all those?” asked Uncle Wiggily, surprised-like, not to say disconcerted.
“Oh, I’m going to let her have a play party in the yard,” explained Miss Fuzzy Wuzzy. “Baby Bunty has been a good little girl lately, and when she asked me if she couldn’t have a party, with real cakes and cookies, I said yes. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh, not at all. Not at all!” quickly cried Uncle Wiggily. “If Baby Bunty has a party she won’t want me to chase her, or play tag, or go off to the woods to keep young and from getting stiff. If she has a party I can have a good sleep and rest.”
“But you’ll come to her party a little while, won’t you?” asked Nurse Jane. “Just look in to be polite, you know.”
“Oh, yes,” answered the rabbit gentleman. “I’ll just drop in for a cup of tea.”
Baby Bunty was delighted to have a party. She danced around the hollow stump bungalow and put on her best green yellow pink hair ribbon, making Uncle Wiggily tie it for her.
“You’re a dear, good, old Uncle Wiggily,” said Baby Bunty. “You’ll come to my party, won’t you?”
“Yes, but I just want to sit on a soft stump and watch you and the other animal children play,” spoke Mr. Longears. “I’m getting too old and stiff for parties!”
“We’ll see about that!” spoke Baby Bunty, with a funny little laugh.
Nurse Jane made the jam tarts, she frosted the cakes and she put fancy trimmings on the cookies and pies.
“Now everything is ready for your party!” said the muskrat lady to Baby Bunty. “Have you invited all your friends?”
“Yes, and Uncle Wiggily, too,” said the little rabbit girl, who was once found asleep in a hollow stump.
The little party tables were set out under the grape vine, in the shade. Pretty soon along came Sammie and Susie Littletail, the rabbits; Johnnie and Billie Bushytail, the squirrels; Lulu, Alice and Jimmie Wibblewobble, the ducks, and many others.
“Now, everybody sit down!” invited Baby Bunty, when they had gathered around the tables, filled with good things. “Welcome to my party! Uncle Wiggily, will you sing a little song?”
Uncle Wiggily, who wore his newest red vest, looked surprised. But still he sang a song about once there was a carrot with a long and slender tail, and when it went out walking it swam in the water pail.
“Now, everybody begin to eat!” invited Baby Bunty. “Oh, isn’t it fun to have a party! Uncle Wiggily, please pass Jackie Bow Wow a puppy cake!”
Uncle Wiggily, who had picked out a nice shady corner, and was just closing his eyes, opened them again, and passed the little doggie boy a cake.
“I’ll just sit here quietly,” thought Uncle Wiggily to himself. “Pretty soon they’ll all be so busy eating that they won’t notice me. Then I can go to sleep and forget about my rheumatism.”
The animal children were laughing and talking, and also eating the good things. Uncle Wiggily’s eyes were closed. He was dreaming he and Grandpa Goosey Gander were playing Scotch checkers, when, all of a sudden, Baby Bunty said:
“Uncle Wiggily, please pass Nannie Wagtail some paste pudding!”
“Eh! What’s that? Oh, I guess I had my eyes shut!” said the bunny gentleman. But he passed the paste pudding to the little goat girl, and he was just going to sleep again, when Bunty said:
“Oh, Uncle Wiggily! Do try some of these turnip jam tarts! They’re wonderful!”
“Oh, yes. Jam tarts!” stammered the rabbit gentleman, awakening suddenly. However, he managed to eat a tart, and he was almost asleep again when Bunty suddenly said:
“Oh, Uncle Wiggily, will you please pass the rose leaf ice cream to Arabella Chick!”
“Why, certainly,” said Uncle Wiggily, and he wondered if he would ever get a nice, quiet nap, such as he had counted on. After he had passed Lulu Wibblewobble some corn meal puddin’, the rabbit gentleman dozed off again, but he was suddenly awakened when Baby Bunty cried:
“Oh, here they are! Here they come! Oh, look, everybody!”
“My goodness me, sakes alive and some fire engines!” cried Mr. Longears, waking up so suddenly that he spilled some carrot marmalade on his red vest. “What’s the matter, Baby Bunty? Is it the Pipsisewah and the Skuddlemagoon come to spoil your party?”
“Why, no,” answered the little rabbit girl, sweetly. “It’s just the grasshopper and the cricket musicians, who are coming to play for the dancing. May I have a one-step with you, Uncle Wiggily?”
“Oh, Baby Bunty!” laughed Mr. Longears, as the grasshoppers tuned their hind-leg fiddles. “No one could go to sleep at your party!”
“Nor grow old or stiff, either,” said Baby Bunty. Then they all had a fine time. And if the jumping Jack doesn’t fall out of the salt cellar and scare the coal man when he brings in the ice, I’ll tell you next about Uncle Wiggily and Bunty’s skipping rope.