Then, at last, something did happen.  Buddy was ahead, waving the flag with one hand, and beating the drum with the other, and Sammie was firing his wooden gun as fast as he could fire it, with ever so many “Boom-Booms!” real loud ones, too, and shooting, oh, ever so many make-believe Indians, when, all of a sudden, poor Sammie Littletail slipped off the plank, and fell into the deep part of the pond!

“Oh, save me; save me, Buddy!” cried Sammie, splashing around.

“I’ll save you!” cried Buddy, and he got so excited that he threw away his drum, and the drumsticks and the flag, only he tossed the flag safely on shore, where it wouldn’t get wet, for he loved the flag, even if it was only a make-believe one.  “I’ll save you,” he cried.  “Can you swim any, Sammie?”

“A—­a—­lit-tle—­bit!” gasped the rabbit boy, as he floundered around in the water.  “But I could swim more if nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy was here to show me,” and then he couldn’t talk any more, for his mouth was full of water.

Well, Sammie was terribly frightened, as he floundered around in the pond, with his wooden gun, and so was Buddy frightened, up on the plank bridge.  Buddy looked all around, to see if there was any one coming to help him save Sammie, but there wasn’t.  Percival had gone in the house, and Brighteyes and her mother had gone berrying.  Then Buddy made up his mind that he would have to save Sammie all by himself.

First he tried to kneel down on the plank, and reach his hand to his little rabbit chum, but he couldn’t reach far enough.  Then he called to Sammie to hold up the wooden gun, thinking maybe he could get hold of that, and so drag the rabbit boy out, but the gun wiggled so, when Sammie splashed around that Buddy couldn’t get hold of it.

Then it began to look as if Sammie would drown, but Buddy had one more thing to try.  On shore there was a rope.  Buddy ran and got it, and in one end he made a loop, just like the cowboys do when they lasso a wild steer, or a horse.

Buddy took good aim, tossed the loop of rope over Sammie’s head, and Sammie grabbed hold with his front paws, and then Buddy braced his feet in the sand and gave a long, strong pull, and pulled Sammie safely out of the water, and saved him; just in time, too, let me tell you, for his breath was nearly gone.  Well, Sammie soon got over being scared, and when he was dried off the two friends played soldier some more, only they kept off the plank.

Now the next story is going to be about Brighteyes and Jennie Chipmunk—­that is, if our hired girl doesn’t leave and make me wash the dishes so I can’t typewrite.

STORY XXX

BRIGHTEYES AND JENNIE CHIPMUNK

It happened one day that after Brighteyes Pigg had finished combing her hair, and had put on a nice, pink ribbon, which she tied in two, big bows, that she heard a knock at the door.  There was no one home, for her mamma had gone down to the five and ten cent store to get a wash boiler; Dr. Pigg was seeing some friends in the hospital, and Buddy was off playing ball with Bully and Bawly, the two frogs, and some others of his friends.  So Brighteyes went to the door herself.