At first even the soldiers were so frightened that they hardly knew what to do, and they were about to run away, when Buddy called out: 

“Come on!  Let’s get our guns and our cannon and shoot them!”

Then he grabbed up some stick-firecrackers and began to break and snap them, and Sammie shot off some roseleaf torpedoes and Billie and Johnnie clapped stones together, and Jimmie and Bully and Bawly threw dust in the air until it looked like smoke, and there was a terrible racket, until—­well, sir, if that dog and that fox weren’t so frightened that they ran away and didn’t even get so much as a crumb of cracker or a drop of lemonade; and it served them right, I think.

Then how thankful the girls were to the brave soldiers.  Oh, everything turned out just right, I’m glad to say.  That afternoon Buddy and his chums had more Fourth of July fun, and Brighteyes and her friends played with their dolls.

Then at night Buddy and the boys sent up skyrockets and Roman candles (which were sticks covered with lightning bugs), and prettier ones you never saw.  And they even had a lightning-bug pinwheel.  Oh, it was the nicest Fourth of July that ever was!  I hope you children have as nice a one and that none of you get burned or hurt when you celebrate Independence Day.  And, if none of you do, why, in the next story I’ll tell you about Buddy Pigg trying to buy a tail for himself, because he didn’t have any.  That is, I will if the lollypop doesn’t fall down stairs and break his stick.

STORY IX

BUDDY PIG WANTS A TAIL

The day after the Fourth of July, when he and his sister had had such fun, Buddy Pigg came into the pen, where his mamma was baking tea biscuits for supper, and sat down in a chair by the table where she was working.

He didn’t say anything, but just watched his mamma rolling out the crust, or whatever it is they make tea biscuits of, and pretty soon Mrs. Pigg noticed that Buddy didn’t seem very happy.  His face was all twisted up into a funny sort of a scowl, and every once in a while he would give a long sigh, as though he hadn’t a friend in all the world.

“Why, Buddy,” Mrs. Pigg asked, when the tea biscuits were ready for the oven, “whatever in the wide, wide world is the matter?  Are you sick, or did you burn yourself with a firecracker?”

“No, mother,” Buddy answered, “I’m not sick and I didn’t burn myself with a firecracker, but I wish—­I wish—­” and then he stopped, and sort of wiggled his nose.

“Well,” asked his mother with a smile, “what do you wish?  Remember, though, that I am not a fairy and can’t give you anything you want.”

“Oh,” answered the little boy guinea pig, “this is very easy, mamma.  All I want is a tail.”

“A tail?” exclaimed his mamma in great surprise, and she wondered if, after all, Buddy wasn’t ill, for that was a very strange request.  And she began to wish that his papa was home, or that Brighteyes, who was Buddy’s sister, was in the house, to help look after him, but Brighteyes had gone to see her aunt, and wouldn’t be back till night.