STORY XI

UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE BOYS

“Well,” said the monkey after the bear had run away.  “I guess we can now sit down and talk quietly together; eh, Uncle Wiggily?”

“Yes,” said the old gentleman rabbit.  “But what is it that you want me to do?  I heard you sing that funny little song, about the boys coming in the tent.  But I don’t exactly understand.”

“That’s just it,” replied the monkey.  “You see, it’s this way.  I have a little sort of a circus-show here, and the troublesome boys don’t want to pay any money to get in.  So when my back is turned they crawl under the tent, and so they see the show for nothing—­just like at the circus.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is?” asked Uncle Wiggily.  “And you want me to keep out the boys?”

“That’s it,” said the monkey.  “Here’s a big stick, with which to tickle the boys who crawl in under the tent without paying.  Now I’ll practice my tricks.”

So the monkey did a lot of tricks.  He stood on his head, and he hung by his tail, and he danced around in a circle.  Then he pounded the drum, not so hard as to hurt it, but hard enough to make a noise, and he played the fiddle and blew on the horn, and then he ran inside the tent and jumped over a bench, making believe it was an elephant, and he did all sorts of funny tricks like that.  He even stood on his head, and made a funny face.

“That will make a very nice show,” said Uncle Wiggily after he had watched the monkey.  “Now I’ll stay outside, and keep the boys from coming in unless they pay their money.  And you can be inside, doing the tricks.”

“And I’ll give you money for working for me,” said the monkey.  “Then perhaps you can make your fortune, and, besides that, I’ll give you a cocoanut, and you can make a cocoanut pie with it.”

“That will be fine!” cried Uncle Wiggily.  So he and the monkey practiced to get ready for their show.  It was a nice little tent in which it was to be given, and there were seats for the people, who would come, and a platform, and flying rings and trapeze bars and paper hoops, and all things like that, just the same as in a real circus.  Well, finally the time came for the show.  It was the day after Uncle Wiggily got to the place where the tent was, and he had slept that night in a hammock, put up between two trees.

“Now we’re almost ready for the show,” said the monkey to the old gentleman rabbit, after a bit, “so I hope you will be sure to keep out the troublesome boys.  They always creep under the tent, and see the show for nothing.  I can’t have that going on if I’m to make any money.”

“Oh, I’ll stop ’em!” declared Uncle Wiggily.

“And here’s the club to do it with,” said the monkey, handing Uncle Wiggily a stick.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” answered the rabbit.  “I never hurt boys if I can help it.  Perhaps I shan’t need the club.  I’ll leave it here.”