So he stood on his left ear, and then on his right ear, and then he jumped through a hoop, and rolled over, and barked liked a dog, and all the boys that had tried to crawl under the tent to see the monkey-show for nothing, ran out to see Uncle Wiggily’s show.

And he did lots of tricks and kept them all from crawling in under the tent, and he even ate a popcorn ball, standing on his hind legs, and wiggling his left ear with a pin-wheel on it.  Then, after a while, the monkey-show was all over, and the monkey said: 

“Uncle Wiggily, you did very well.  You treated those troublesome boys just fine!  So I’ll give you ten pennies, and perhaps they will make you have a good fortune.”

Then the monkey gave Uncle Wiggily ten pennies, and he went to sleep in a feather bed, while the old gentleman rabbit went down to the drug store to get an ice cream soda.

And what happened after the show was over, and what Uncle Wiggily did after he had his ice cream, I’ll tell you in the next story which will be about Uncle Wiggily in a balloon.  That is, if our pussy cat doesn’t get all covered with red paint, and look like a tomato growing on a strawberry vine.  So watch out, and don’t let that happen.

STORY XII

UNCLE WIGGILY IN A BALLOON

Well, just as I expected, something happened to my pussy-cat named Peter.  He didn’t fall into the pot of red paint, but he either ran away, or else some one took him.  So now I have no pussy-cat.  But I’ll tell you a story about Uncle Wiggily just the same.

The old gentleman rabbit stayed with the monkey for several days, and he was so kind and good to the troublesome boys—­Uncle Wiggily was, I mean—­and he did such funny tricks for them, that they didn’t crawl under the tent any more, and the monkey could do his tricks in peace and quietness.

“Oh, you have been a great help to me,” said the monkey to the rabbit, “and I would like you to work for me all Summer.  I am now going to travel on to the next town, and if you like you may go with me and keep the boys there from crawling under the tent.”

“No, I thank you,” replied Uncle Wiggily slowly, as he put some bread and butter, and a piece of pie, into his satchel.  “I think I will travel farther on by myself, and seek my fortune.”

“Well, I’m sorry to see you go,” said the monkey.  “And here is fifty cents for your work.  I hope you have good luck.”

And then Uncle Wiggily started off again, over the fields and through the woods, seeking his fortune, while the monkey got ready to move his show to the next town.

Well, for some time nothing happened to the old gentleman rabbit.  He walked on and on, and once he saw a little red ant, trying to drag a piece of cake home for dinner.  The cake was so big that the ant was having a dreadful time with it, but Uncle Wiggily took his left ear, and just brushed that cake into the ant’s house as easily as anything.