So he opened the top of the basket and there, sure enough, were the eggs, the green, the blue, the pink, the Johnnie red and the skilligimink colored ones and all.

“Oh, how lovely!” cried the bad dog, sniffing the air again.  “May I have one?”

“No,” said Sammie, very decidedly, “these are for the little children.”  Then that dog got angry.  Oh, you should have seen how angry he got.  No, on second thoughts I am glad you did not see how unpleasant he was, for it might spoil your Easter.  Anyhow, he was dreadfully angry, dreadfully!  He showed his teeth, and he made his hair stand up straight, and he growled:  “Give me all those eggs, or I’ll take them right away from you!  I am an egg-dog, and I must have eggs.  Give them to me, I say!”

Well, maybe poor Sammie wasn’t frightened!  He trembled so that the eggs rattled together and very nearly were broken.  Then he started to run away, but the bad dog ran after him, and what do you think?  Just as the horrid creature was about to take those lovely Easter eggs out of the basket and eat them up, who should come flying through the woods but Mrs. Cluck-Cluck, the fairy hen!  She dashed at that dog, with her feathers sticking out, and made him run off.  Then how glad Sammie was!  He hurried and caught up to his papa and mamma, and soon all the Easter eggs were hidden.

Oh, what fun Sammie and Susie had running back through the woods after the eggs were all put in the secret places!  Susie found a turnip in a field, and Sammie a carrot, and they ate them as they hopped along.  Uncle Wiggily walked quite slowly, for his rheumatism was bothering him, and when those rabbits got home to the burrow, what do you think they found?  Why, there were invitations for them all to come to a party that was going to be given by Lulu and Alice Wibblewobble.  Alice and Lulu were little duck girls, and they lived with their papa and mamma, Mr. and Mrs. Wibblewobble, in a pen, not far from the rabbit burrow.  They had a brother named Jimmie, but it wasn’t his birthday, for he was a day older than his sisters, who were twins.  That is their birthdays came at the same time.  Some day I’m going to tell you a lot of stories about these same ducks.

“May we go to the party, mamma?” asked Susie.

“Of course,” answered Mamma Littletail, and they all went, even Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy.  They had a fine time, which I will tell you about in another book that has a lot of duck stories in it.  But I just want to mention one thing that occurred.

Just as the party was over, and every one was coming home, Uncle Wiggily couldn’t find his crutch, which Nurse Jane Fuzzy-Wuzzy had gnawed out of a cornstalk for him.  Finally he did find it behind the door.  Then he, and Sammie and Susie, and Mr. and Mrs. Littletail started for the burrow.

Then, all at once, when they were in the front yard of the Wibblewobble home, if a silver trumpet didn’t sound in the woods:  “Ta-ra-ta-ra-ta-ra!” just like that, and up came riding a little boy, all in silver and gold, on a white horse.  He wanted to know if he was too late for the party, the little boy did, and when Uncle Wiggily said yes, the little boy was much disappointed.