“All that nice butter is spoiled,” went on Mrs. Toad, as she looked in the churn.  “Well, it can’t be helped, I s’pose, and there’s no use worrying over buttermilk that isn’t quite made.  I shall have to throw this away.”

“No, don’t,” cried Brighteyes quickly.

“Why not?” asked the toad lady.

“Because I will finish churning it for you.”

“Do you know how to churn?”

“Not exactly, but I have thought of a plan.  See, we will tie the churn to this blackberry bush stem, and then I will take hold of one end of the stem, and wiggle it up and down, and the churn will go up and down, too, on the bush, just as it did when you jumped with it; and then maybe the butter will come.”

“All right, my dear, you may try it,” agreed Mrs. Toad.  “I’m afraid, though, that it won’t amount to anything, but it can do no harm.  I am sure it is very kind of you to think of it.”

So Brighteyes took the churn, and tied it to a low, overhanging branch of the blackberry bush.  Then she took hold of the branch in her teeth, and stood up on her hind legs and began to wiggle it up and down.  The churn went up and down with the branch, and the milk from the milk-weed sloshed and splashed around inside the churn, and land sakes flopsy-dub and some chewing gum, if in about two squeals there wasn’t the nicest butter a guinea pig or a toad would ever want to eat!

“Oh, what a smart little girl you are!” cried Mrs. Toad.  “I’m sure your mother must be proud of you!  Now I can work the buttermilk out, and salt the butter, and I’m going to send your mamma home a nice pat,” which she did, and very glad Mrs. Pigg was to get it.

“You certainly are a clever little child,” said Dr. Pigg to Brighteyes that night, “but then, you see, you take after your father.  It is my hospital training that shows.  By the way, we must send something to Mrs. Toad, for her cut foot,” which they did, and it got all better.

Now, in case you don’t drop your bread with the butter side down on the carpet, and spoil the kitchen oilcloth, I’ll tell you in the next story about Buddy Pigg and Sammie Littletail.

STORY III

BUDDY PIGG AND SAMMY LITTLETAIL

Getting up quite early one morning, Buddy Pigg washed himself very carefully, so that his black and white fur was fairly shining in the sunlight, and then the little guinea pig started off to take a stroll before breakfast.

“Who knows,” he said, “perhaps I may meet with an adventure; or else find a cabbage, just as I did the other day.  But if I do, I’m not going to get inside it and go to sleep.  No, indeed, and a feather pillow besides!”

So Buddy Pigg walked on, leaving his sister and his mamma and Dr. Pigg slumbering in the pen.  Oh, it was just fine, running along through the woods and over the fields that beautiful, summer morning.