“Oh, I’m afraid I’ll fall,” said Buddy, when he saw how high up Gup’s back was from the ground.

“Nonsense!” exclaimed the horse.  “I wouldn’t let you fall for the world.  Here, hold up your firefly lantern so you can see, climb upon that low stump, and then you can jump on my back.  I’ll stand still, and then I’ll take you right to Dr. Possum’s house.”

So Buddy got up on Gup’s back.  It was the first time he had ever ridden a horse or been up so high, and, of course, for a while, he was frightened.  But Gup told him just how to cling tightly to his big neck and how to hold the lantern so the lightning bugs would shine on the path, and then Gup started off.

Oh, how fast he went!  Right through the woods, he galloped, and he never bumped into a tree or a bush even once.  He went gently, too, so that Buddy would not fall off, and, my goodness sakes alive! in a short time the little guinea pig boy was at Dr. Possum’s house.  He knocked on the door, rat-a-tat-tat, and, luckily, the doctor was at home.  He got right out of bed, took his satchel of medicines and was just going to get into his automobile to go to Dr. Pigg’s house, when he found that his auto was broken.  Either the spark was off the plug or the plug was off the spark, I forget which.  Then Gup said: 

“Get right up on my back, doctor.  I can carry you and Buddy, too.  It’s no great weight, I assure you.  Never mind the automobile.  They are always making trouble.”

So Dr. Possum, with his medicine box, climbed upon Gup’s back, behind Buddy, and he helped hold the little guinea pig on during the ride home.  Faster and faster went Gup through the dark woods his hoofs going “tat-a-tat-too,” and he didn’t bump into a tree or a bush, and he did not jar off Buddy or Dr. Possum, and pretty soon there they were safe at Dr. Pigg’s house, and Dr. Possum gave Buddy’s papa some medicine that soon made him better.  Then Gup, the kind horsie, took Dr. Possum safely back through the dark woods as straight as a string.

In the morning Dr. Pigg was all well again, and he said Buddy was very brave to go off for a doctor in the night, and I think so, too.

Now, in case it doesn’t thunder too hard and scare the chimney so that it falls off the roof, I’ll tell you next about Buddy and Brighteyes tumbling down hill.

STORY XXVI

BUDDY AND BRIGHTEYES FALL DOWN HILL

Not far from where Buddy and Brighteyes Pigg lived in the pen with their papa and mamma, there was a big, tall hill.  Oh, ever so much taller than a house, but not quite so high as the church steeple, and it was a very hard hill to climb, but, once you had gotten to the top, you could see off, ever so far; farther than from here to the end of the rainbow, which is very far indeed.

Now, though Buddy and Brighteyes, the two little guinea pig children, had lived near the hill ever since they were mere babies, they had never climbed to the top of it.  There were two reasons for this.  One was because the hill was so high and the other was because it was so steep.