“Now’s your chance.  Run, Buddy, run!” cried Billie, and my, how Buddy Pigg did run; and he got safely away from that bad boy, and was soon at home, where his mother forgave him for throwing away the groceries when she heard the story.

Dr. Pigg said Billie was very smart to think of such a thing, and I believe so myself.  Now in case you don’t burn yourself with a firecracker and lose your penny down a hole in the sidewalk, I’m going to tell you in the next story about Buddy and Brighteyes’ Fourth of July.

STORY VIII

BUDDY’S AND BRIGHTEYES’ FOURTH OF JULY

One day, when Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg were playing out in front of their pen, Buddy suddenly exclaimed: 

“Why, just think of it!  Day after to-morrow is Fourth of July, Brighteyes.  Won’t we have lots of fun?”

“What will we do?” asked his sister.

“Oh, shoot off firecrackers and torpedoes, and make lots of noise, and at night we’ll send up Roman candles and skyrockets; and oh! it will be better than a circus.”

“Oh, you boys!” exclaimed Brighteyes.  “You always want to make a racket and have excitement.  It’s horrid, I think.”

“Oh, I s’pose you’ll play with your dolls, or something like that,” said Buddy, laughing at his sister, who was very serious.

“Yes, that’s what I’m going to do,” replied Brighteyes.  “I’m going to play with Sister Sallie, and Alice and Lulu Wibblewobble, and Jennie Chipmunk, and we’re going for a picnic in the woods.”

“Look out that a big fox or a bad dog doesn’t get you,” said Buddy.  “Well, I’m going off to find Sammie and Billie and Johnnie and Jimmie and Peetie and Jackie Bow Wow, and Bully and Bawly Frog, and we’ll have a fine time on the Fourth.”

“Where are you going to get your firecrackers and things?” asked Brighteyes.

“You’ll see,” answered Buddy, as he ran off.

Well, Fourth of July came at last, just as it always does, and early in the morning Buddy Pigg awoke.

“Where are you going?” called his papa.

“Out to shoot off some firecrackers,” answered Buddy.

“Be careful you don’t get burned,” cautioned his mother.  “Oh dear!  I don’t like the Fourth of July.  If you do get burned.  Buddy, run right in and let papa attend to you.”

“I can’t get burned with the kind of firecrackers and torpedoes I’m going to use,” answered the little boy guinea pig, and he laughed as he ran out.

Well, pretty soon, along came all his friends, Billie and Johnnie and Sammie, and all the rest.  They were so excited that Bawly, the frog, didn’t think to sing a song, or recite any poetry.

“What shall we do first?” asked Buddy.

“Let’s play war,” suggested Sammie.  “We’ll divide up into two armies, and have a battle.  It will be great!”

So they divided into two sides, and Buddy was the general on one side, and Billie Bushytail on the other.  Then the fight began—­not real, you understand—­but make-believe.