“Of course.”

So Jimmie tossed the ball to Jackie, and the puppy dog stood up on his hind legs and caught it in his front paws, and then he fell right over, ker-thump, and rolled along the ground.

“Here!” cried the boy duck.  “That’s no way to play ball!  You must stand up and catch.”

“Oh, I know that,” declared Jackie.  “You see I was only practising at biting the ball with my teeth.  I always bite things to sharpen my teeth so I can gnaw big bones when I get to be a big dog.”

“Well, you needn’t sharpen your teeth on my new ball!” cried Jimmie, and he felt a little angry; not much, you know, but a little and he took the ball and was going home, for he didn’t like Jackie, he thought.

It was too bad the little creatures had had a falling-out so soon, but please wait just a moment and see what happens.  No sooner had Jimmie started to go home—­Jackie didn’t know why, you see, for he didn’t know it was wrong to bite the ball—­no sooner, I say, did Jimmie start home, than out from the bushes jumped a great big water rat, with ugly, cruel, sharp teeth and wicked eyes.

Oh, how frightened Jimmie was, for he knew big water rats ate ducks.  But what do you suppose Jackie, that puppy dog, did?  Why he just growled away down in his throat, and he stuck up one ear as far as it would go, and he let the other ear fall down as far as it would fall, and he opened his mouth, and he showed his teeth, that he had sharpened on Jimmie’s ball, and he jumped right at that bad rat!  Yes, sir, right at him, growling all the while!

At first the rat was going to fight, but when it saw how brave Jackie was, it turned and ran away.  And then that puppy dog just put his little tail between his legs, and howled, and ran away, too; Jimmie waddling after him.  You see Jackie was frightened after it was all over, but he had frightened the rat worse yet.

“How brave you were!” cried Jimmie, when they were at Mrs. Bow Wow’s house.  “You were very brave, indeed.”

“Do you really think so?” asked Jackie.  “Then I must be.”

“You can bite my ball all you want to,” went on Jimmie, and then Peetie came home from the store, and they all had a fine time playing catch.  Now to-morrow night I’m going to tell you about Grandfather Goosey-Gander’s tall hat, if I don’t lose a penny off the front stoop.

STORY XXIX

GRANDFATHER GOOSEY-GANDER’S TALL HAT

Jimmie Wibblewobble was in the back lots, playing ball with Billie and Johnnie Bushytail, Sammie Littletail, and Bully, the frog, besides some other friends of his.  They were having a fine time, knocking the ball this way and that, just as if the ball didn’t care what happened to it.  When it came Jimmie’s turn to bat, he called out: 

“Watch me knock it away over the tree,” and land sakes, goodness me and a pop-corn cake! if that ball didn’t fly away over the tree, just like a little bird.  Well,—­Jimmie was pretty proud, I can tell you, and he was such a good hitter that Bully said: